When Apple licensed clones of their computers, it was intended to broaden the MacOS userbase. What happened instead was the MacOS userbase remained the same size, and Apple lost money to the clonemakers. Thus they soon rescinded the licenses and went back to doing what they always did.
I don't disagree with this statement. But I've started to feel that Apple IS missing an opportunity here. I see the question as two-fold: "Will licensing Fairplay lessen Apple's current dominance in the Music market? and Will licensing Fairplay seal AAC and Fairplay as the format and DRM standards for the current music wars?
I don't believe that licensing Fairplay would lessen Apple's current dominance that much. The Mac OS license issue was a different ballgame. It seemed everyone but the high paid business people all agreed that it would sucker punch Apple sales. More importantly, it sucker punched hardware sales which are Apple's bread and butter. Unless you own the market or are a smalltime vendor there just is much money to be made in OS sales.
But for iTMS the hardware is the iPod, and licensing Fairplay will ensure the iPods dominance as a MP3 player for years. I see this as a good thing. People will still use iTunes and iTMS because of the ease of use and tight integration with the iPod. Those who won't probably aren't using iTMS currently, but also DON'T have an iPod. If they purchased an iPod, the likelihood is that they would eventually start purchasing from iTMS. It means Apple has to keep on its toes about the music store features, functions, and all around user experience, but the iPod would dominate for at least another 2-5yrs.
While this first issue is VERY IMPORTANT. I think the second question is JUST AS, if not MORE SO important for Apple, especially at this juncture.
Will licensing Fairplay seal AAC and Fairplay as the format and DRM standards for the current music wars?
Licensing Fairplay before Microsoft hits the music scene would be good for Apple, because currently a lot of people are looking for Microsoft and businesses using Microsoft technologies to save them from Apple. Who knows what the likelihood of success of a Microsoft music store would be? I don't. But I can say, that even if it failed completely (less likely), it still gives Microsoft the ability to promote Windows Media DRM as the de-facto delivery standard, which does nothing but contribute to the future decline of iPod sales.
Imagine if RealNetworks, Napster, and OD2 started offering iPod compatible offerings. That would push iPod sales. But also satisfy a number of people's needs for compatibility. Many of those people who want Apple to support WMV would just shut-up, because they don't care about wmv, they care about playing their music on their mp3 player. (It wouldn't satisfy the.oog user, but...)
I think the time is coming for Apple to license Fairplay. I don't want.wmv to the DRM standard, and it has the potential.
That's true, but not exactly U2's fault. Technically speaking, the original album planned for November will NEVER be produced, and that's due to someone stealing it. They could proceed on a normal timeline but everything would be tainted by the theft. Not bad or good, just tainted, sometimes these things can throw artist into hyper-overdrive and what they produce in the aftermath is incredible. Other times, a great big sucking sound of their creative energy gets tied up in the thought of the theft, and whatever is produced afterwards is just halfhearted.
I come to this from two sides, I downloaded the Lillywhite Session from the Dave Matthews band, and purchased Busted Stuff when it came out. While I fully enjoy the Lillywhite Sessions for what they are, in fact often enjoy them more than I do Busted Stuff, I do also recognize that they are not finish material. For the band to "complete" the album, they had to totally re-envision the songs, and in that since Busted Stuff is good and great to have as a comparison and contrast of what happens when creative vision is derailed.
I think U2's desire is to get something out that they feel is close to a finish product rather than having an album out for months that isn't near what they wanted the final album to be. For me that's a respectable decision. For their part, they've vowed to work rapidly on the album, canceling vacation plans and other activities so they could finish it at a reasonable production level. Note, I say production level, because it could be months or years, before whatever creative impulses that drove them to do this album return to a level that would be good enough to allow them to proceed "normally."
If you think these Universities are paying $500 for a PC, your sadly mistaken. For the various university departments that we provide support for a basic machine configuration is around $1100. Typically a Dell Optiplex GX260 or GX270, in the mini-Tower chasis so we can upgrade, and not have parts burn out as quickly, a 3 or 4 year service plan, and if the data on the machine is considered mission critical then also the keep hard drive option for failed drives.
We've occasionally gone cheaper for some of the machines in open areas (getting a Celeron processor and skimpy on memory and hard drive size). But if your talking "Dude your getting a Dell", which most universities are, then the costs are equivalent to that of an eMac. In fact the eMac often comes out cheaper when your shooting for that combination of power and affordability.
You could go for the Dell Dimension, and it would save you lots of money upfront, making it seem like power and affordability or in your reach. But from our perspective... anecdotally, we had two professors who didn't take our purchase recommendation and purchased five Dell Dimensions for a new project three years ago. All five machines have already been surplus. Two experienced so many hardware issues during their first year that they were basically unusable (failed motherboards, fried hard drives, dead fans, even the CD-RW drive stop working without a paper clip. Meanwhile every Optiplex purchased during the same time period, and even a year beforehand are still in use.
For faculty and staff most universities pay for longevity in their computer systems, student work areas of course they often go for the cheapest since they expect the items to be trashed anyway.
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Well there was an interview with Steve Jobs, not that long after the iTunes Music Store debut. In the interview, he had spoken to the Big 5 music companies and was telling them why DRM wouldn't work, and why their (Apple's idea) would. And that they sent him away. Then while product after product with DRM kept failing, Jobs and company kept coming back, attempting to educate the Big 5 companies. Finally, once the Big 5 had enough failure under their belts, and Jobs came back with FairPlay (basically DRM light), they agreed to proceed. But they all thought the project would fail.
The irony is to get the Big 5 Apple had to adopt DRM which it didn't want. But to get Apple, the Big 5 had to accept DRM light, which protected the consumers rights as much as it did the RIAAs. So FairPlay is the compromise between divergent opinions.
Interesting that they should include Apple in the lawsuit. While Microsoft Update is definitely web-enabled, Apple's Software Update just uses the internet, you can launch a web browser if you want more detail on an update, but otherwise the "web" isn't used at all. Not unless you so loosely define the web as anything that uses an IP to communicate.
But he doesn''t really have to get "anywhere" at HP. HP has deep pockets to fund research. And while it might not be the same creative playground as say Apple, for Kay it probably doesn't need to be. I'd say here's a man who realized years ago that his corporate work would only take him so far, so he started his own nonprofit to really focus in on the ideas of computing and technology that he has.
When I do work for larger organizations, the work is often repetitive and boring, at the very least confined and restrictive, but that's okay, because the work provides me access with toys (new technology, new applications, high speed networks, etc.) that allow me to play with the things that interest me. I may have to do it after hours or on weekends. But it saves me tons from having to purchase and implement systems and application just to realize an idea isn't going to work.
Funny, I remember hearing those opinions on Slashdot before. Of course I still think of them as uninformed and removed from the community they supposedly support. If you really want to help artist forget Downhill Battle, look at the Future of Music http://www.futureofmusic.org/. Its a coalition run by independent artists for all recording artist. With goals of supporting artists, not "sticking it to the man".
Most. Apple has consistently excluded songs given away via the Pepsi promotion as part of their sales numbers. But there are the weekly FREE downloads, which may or may not be counted. All toll though, I'd say a very large percent of the songs were sold, most probably as albums.
I would say there are more Konfabulator users that were surprised and or upset than its developers. The Konfabulator idea has been around for a long time, since early 90's. It's just that Arlo and crew had the best implementation around that I've ever seen.
If Apple wants the developers code, it will purchase. Its done so with Soundjam (which became iTunes) and other applications. If your idea just furthered their idea, then obviously they just go with theirs. According to the preview Dashboard will have its on SDK kit. That said, it may be possible for people to develop simultaneously for both Dashboard and Konfabulator, but that depends more on the backend engine.
I really LOVE Konfabulator, but that said, Apple has already addressed the one biggest issue I have with it--desktop clutter. Sure its cool to have the weather, newsfeeds, post-its, etc. all providing you continous data on your desktop, but they also just clutter up your desktop, having them exist off-screen and come on with a function key is a perfect idea. A bring the widgets out to play, now put your toys away concept.
I'm sorry, and when did documentaries become bastions to objective opinions. Most documentaries are made because the director has a point or an issue they want to showcase. Your starting with the word bias, right there. Now most documentaries then support their bias with tons of research. O look Michael Moore does that as well.
There is no guideline that you showcase any opinion different from your own. Most documentaries appear unbiased, because the only side to the story that you know is theirs. Michael Moore tends to address current issues from a blatant advocacy stand, which means you already know a little about the other opinions involved, and hopefully to some degree even know some of the facts involved before you ever see the picture.
Does "Satya: A Prayer for the Enemy" present the side of Chinese occupations in Tibet? No it presents the side of Tibetian nuns and monks who have been tortured by the Chinese. Creating an unbiased documentary is relatively worthless, unless your focusing in on some somewhat non-confrontational issue, like a biography or scientific event.
If you want to complain, complain about all the news venues that are shown spewing and validating crap we all know now to be untrue. New shows are suppose to deliver fair and unbiased reporting. They are suppose to do research independent of government press releases and provide us with a balanced view of what's going on. A documentary is just a documentary--someone who was so motivated by an issue that they picked up camera and spent months of their lives researching and document the issue as they see it.
>>"We won't list the sites that are reported to be infected in order to prevent further abuse, but the list is long and includes businesses that we presume would normally be keeping their sites fully patched," the group stated on its Web site.
That's great an all, but what about protecting the users, which can mount to millions of IE users being infected, because they aren't willing to say..."This week don't visit: eBay, Bank of America, etc., etc."
I'd say its more important to protect the uninformed masses of millions of IE users that they need to not visit 25-50 websites for a week, or switch web browsers, then it is to protect those 25-50 websites.
Maybe its just me, but if I were going to risk my job and possible jail time, I'd want at least a penny per name, a half cent at least. $52,000 what's that? Someone back alley gambling debt. Geez.
Yeah, I was hoping you could buy from any store, like at Amazon. The UK store has a much better collection of music from Keane and other UK artist. I guess the same is true for those using a USA account, you need to create a seperate account.
Amen brother! I love the comment >>The poor are poor because they keep doing what ever it is that makes them poor. That would be what--oh' yeah WORKING. The parents post is just full of random ignorance and bias, unfortunately a bias shoved down the throats and minds of a fair amount of the upper class.
In America, the largest number of poor people are the working poor. Not your welfare moms, or derelict dads. But those who's family 10-20 years ago were consider middle-class. They may still consider themselves mentally middle-class, but the truth is they are one step away from being homeless. Hell many have been homeless, while still working and sleeping in their cars or at friends, or moved back in with their mom and pop.
These people are poor because they believed that corporate America would take care of them. They believed that if they were devoted to a company that a company would be devoted to them. They may have known that they'd never make middle management, but they did assume that as long as they worked hard, they would have a job and be able to support their family.
But they've been asked to compromise their livilihood away, with paycuts here so we don't cut jobs or cut fewer jobs. With scrapping of various benefits and support systems, and more paycuts, and longer work hours, etc., etc. The problem with corporate America is that shareholder profit matters more than workers.
I grew up poor, super-poor, poor enough that stealing bread of the local bread truck was an acceptable manner to get food for the week (and yes a loaf of bread can feed five for five days if you portion it properly). But during that period the goals of the poor were to get low-paying factory jobs or join the Army so that you could be clothed and fed. With hard work a low paying factory job would move you up to "poverty" or if you were really lucky, "just below middle-class". That's when things like almost new shoes and clothes from KMart instead of Goodwill kicked in.
I've meant plenty of the middle-class, who rode the technology wave with good jobs, great income, nice places, that then found themselves working at Starbucks or doing minial office work for CA minimal wage. And sure they weren't "unemployed", but see how you like it if your income drops from close to $100,000 a year down to under $35,000 while your $1500 month rental lease doesn't expire for another six months, and you have car payments, car insurance, student loans, etc.
All of a sudden people (friends and acquaintances) who use to think the poor didn't work hard enough or didn't do enough to remove themselves from poverties grasp, suddenly realize--its damn near impossible to go to interviews for good jobs while your working 50hrs a week at a low paying job that won't give you time off. Not that you can afford to take time off, because, you need every hour you can get to cover rent and food.
And that's when you recognize, that despite it all your still middle-class, because you HAVE Parents that you can fall back on, parents that will take you in, and help you get back up on your feet. Unlike the generational poor, who's parents are too busy struggling to support themselves, to help you so if you fall down, you better know how to get back up, even if you have broken a leg, broken mind, or broken faith.
Corporate America has long since abdicated its responsibility to the American public. And the number of rich people who claim they did it ALL BY THEMSELVES, despite support from friends, family, community, etc. is just damn dispisable. Social responsibility calls for those who have more to give more. I'm a Roosevelt democrat, so call me names.
I like MacAdam, though like others have described, its a bit of a hole in the wall. The store isn't very well organized. Its no fun to search for things, but the staff are helpful (typically).
Apple defaults to the manufactured date if the reseller doesn't notify Apple that a serial number has been sold. Sure the process is lengthy, but thats because of MacAdams computer set-up. I've worked with other vendors such as Mac/MicroWarehouse, CDW, the Source, etc. and each has a system that ships of information on date of purchase, customer, and computer serial number to Apple either by logging into Apple's vendor system or other means.
With each of these vendors, whenever I've purchased a machine, for any client, if I go to the Apple site to update mine or my clients asset list, I can readily do so by entering the serial number, etc. I've only purchased on machine, a PowerBook G4 through an Apple Reseller, not MacAdam, where Apple had no verification of purchase, and I had to provide serial number, proof of purchase, etc. But even then, the process was fairly quick, except for finding the original receipt.
From what I understand the next supercomputer at Virgina which will use the X-Serve and is called System X is what will be 15TF. The system for the Army is called Mach 5 and they are shooting for 25TF. If both these systems meet the goal, then Apple may end up with two supercomputers in the Top 10 of the Top 500 supercomputers.
No offense but how would you know? Typically speaking these requests go to heads of operation (position titles vary) and they also include a gag order around them. For example, our local library has received numerous requests. Enough so that to get around the fact that they can not tell staff or effected patrons that requests were issued, they started the policy of announcing when no requests were issued.
It's simple, and effective, and chilling, that the past three staff meetings have had no mention of it.
>>The very thought that code in a 32-bit protected mode system would be able to do things like this - correct me if I am wrong, but APEs require your administrator password, right? That means that even though they are 3rd party code they want to go where they have no right going.
OK. According to the Apple software specifications, any application that follows Apple's guidelines should request an Admin password, insuring that the user is authorized to install applications onto the system. Technically speaking, I have more of a problem when installers DON'T ask for a password, since it means anyone could have installed it on my system, something I expressly do not want.
>>It is installed in/Library/Frameworks/ like a good framework should be.
Unsanity haxies default to a single user, and provide the option of selecting for ALL users on the system, as part of the installer. I would imagine she was just being lazy and referring to 'all' modifiable/Library/Frameworks, rather than specifying both.
>>security I'm certain someone with enough skill and time could hack APE and take advantage, but as it stands, to install a haxie using APE, the developer must first register their haxie with Unsanity. So its not currently as if I could just script something, take advantage of APE and then perform malicious tasks.
>>The equation is clear enough: install haxies and incur a significant risk of problems.
That's not true. This is all dependent on which haxies you install. Many of Unsanity and other companies haxies have cause no issues to date. It doesn't mean that they couldn't, but thats a little like saying install software and incur a significant risk of problems.
A slew of user problems are caused by bugging applications, and without those pesky little applications its far more likely your computing experience would be problem free (well at least on a Mac), but typical your OS itself doesn't allow you to get the work you need to do done.
I could install APE and some haxies to work with it, and experience problems (with the Finder, Contextual Menus or other Applications) or I could install Microsoft Office and experience printing problems, Eudora crashing when grammar menu is open, unexplainable application shutdowns, whatever.
A system without risks is a system not in use.
No ones claimed APE was perfect, though Unsanity does claim the APE framework has generally been bug-free. But they acknowledge that haxies (APE Modules), even some of their ow haven't always been stable (hence version releases).
Probably because it doesn't slow the system down on thousands of systems. Or prehaps you still can't differentiate between the APE framework versus an APE module. I've been using APE for years, and their is no noticeable difference in my system speed. Of course I don't use one of the popular, but known unstable APE modules--ShapeShifter. I would expect ShapeShifter to slow the computer down, its modifying the whole frekkin interface.
That said, I LOVE FruitMenu, MenuMaster, and now Paranoid Android. In fact, I think the combo of Paranoid Android and Little Snitch (different vendor) are hard to beat if you value security and privacy.
I miss WebVan as well. They were great. Their problem wasn't the automation system, the problem that caused the bankrupcy was overexpansion. They expanded way to fast. The San Francisco store was near profitability, and people did love and trust them with their food, even meat and produce. But then they went and expanded to six or seven new outlets. They were just way overextended. They may have survived if the dot.com boom lasted another 6-12mo, but pow, it was done.
One of the great things about WebVan vs PeaPod, Safeway or Albertson was that in someways it was like Google or Apple in the fact that it inspired trust in its users. I've been using Albertsons since WebVan died, and I rarely order meat or fruits and vegetables from them. And if I do, I make sure I get first delivery even if it means waiting a few extra days for the items. Why? Because they have a tendency to give you the produce thats right on the cusp of spoiling, and then to make things worse, they don't keep the fruit & veggies in a separate temparture controlled system, so if you don't get delievery during the first 1hr, everythings frozen. Frozen fruits and veggies are just damn useless, unless you want to make smoothies. They start to decompose as soon as they unthaw.
WebVan was one of those companies that were great they selected produce and products better than I could when I was in a grocery store. I love cantelope, but choosing a sweet one is more happenstance than skill, even though I go through the motions like others at the store. But WebVan always managed to get me sweet ready to eat cantalopes, whenever I asked. Hell they were even great with fruits, advocates, and meats. If I said, I want something that would be riped in 2-3 days, then thats what I got.
Albertson and Safeway just send the dregs. So I use them mostly for cat food, cat litter, juices, milk, dry stuff, things that are hard to get wrong, Post's cereals are hard to screw up. But even still, I'll often get an Albertson brand cereal or item, even though I specifically request NO SUBSTITUIONS. They kind of suck.
The growing rate of use I think is due to a wide variety of factors, but for me, the biggest factor is its cheaper to pay $10 deliver than it is to call a cab from the grocery store so I can get home if I have more than 3 bags. Also to not have to choose between cleaning or shopping, because you only have an hour, and going to the store, shopping, waiting to pay, then waiting for a cab, then unloading once you get home, typically takes about an hour or longer.
I read this article and thought it utter FUD. First the guy asserts that Mac OS X is rifed with security holes, when really compared to Windows there just aren't that many. But it seemed his real complaint is that not a lot of people are talking about the security holes. I mean, in all honesty, why would Apple talk about the security holes, unless they were so plagued by them that consumers were continously calling up complaining, there really is no reason to talk about a security hole.
Investigate it, acknowledge it, and patch it-- that's what I see as the typical course of action, even for Microsoft, and Apple does this reasonablly well. In fact, most of my knowledge about the various Apple related security holes comes directly from Apple in their knowledge-base articles related to the various security patches. It's only randomly that I hear about a security hole that will also effect Apple from a third party source, before I hear it from Apple. But I'll admit to most of my security subscriptions tend to cater to the PC, for obvious reasons.
Also, it seems to me that Apple spends a fair amount of time patching security holes in the various open source solutions its using/tying in with Mac OS X. Which means that technically many of these security holes are also effecting Linux, and Unix machines as well. Like the security update from yesterday or the day before address issues in Apache, IPSec, OpenSSL, and CUPS.
The guy mentions the QuickTime flaw, which was patched weeks ago by Apple, per normal, in a quite automated QuickTime update. He then also mentions that "trojan" that never was. Basically a proof of concept idea that was published, but works technically not that much differently on a Windows machine. Basically, someone can change the icon of an application to that of an MP3 file, and run code when double-clicked. Did anyone besides Intego consider this a big deal, even Symantec scoffed at it, and scolded Intego, though they did duly post a low level security warning.
The truth is, to my knowledge Apple doesn't rate security updates. An update is either a normal bug fix or feature addition, or its a security update. Apple expects all its users to Apple each of their security patches, and to the best of my knowledge has never used a security patch to ship in unwanted software or system changes. So why complain that Apple hasn't called the security updates a "critical" security update. The knowledge base typically includes who original posted the hole/flaw, and the item number, so you can go read the details yourself, and look at the rating attribute.
Blah, blah, blah...isn't this just more of I'm looking, scraping, scrouning for something bad to say about Apple security. I guess, I'd be more forgiving, if the article actual focused in on the various security issues, as opposed to chastising Apple for what, not taking out a press release about them?
The specs do seem a bit demanding, at least by today's standards. Lord knows, my machines pretty darn spec'd out and the best I did was 500GB hard drive (2x250GB internal), 1GB RAM, 2x2GHz G5, firewire, usb, etc. Of course the machine does connect to 4x250GB firewire drives when needed. But I would never argue this was an average machine. But boy is it a joy to use, and it can fly through large sound file edits, video, and the like. Lord knows, I'm in the market for more than a terabyte of hard drive space, but I can't imagine that many other are. Hell most of the users I support barely use their 40GB or 80GB hard drives.
Really, how much can you respect a group of people who state their primary purpose is to support the artist, but advocate downloading songs and sending artist a dime or more for their efforts. Downhillbattle is a silly protest group, who hasn't decided who they should protest.
If you want to support independent artist at least get your stats from the Future of Music Coalition--independent artist who support and organize independent artist. You'll actually see muscians who want to stay independent, who aren't seeking the Big 5 for a quick fame, but working hard and living off their music. Go visit http://www.futureofmusic.org/
You are correct in that it doesn't actually give me any rights, my bad. But not so correct in stating it takes my rights away. What it does do is take away my perception of what is my right. If I purchased a CD and made a hundred copies of it for my friends, I could perceive that to be my right, and obviously nothing there to stop me but my own morals, or often even more so than morals, that little nudge that tells you just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.
There have always been legal limitations of what we could do with music, books, and other copyrighted media. What's more and more at issue, is often no one knew or cared what those limitations were; and even if we did, they weren't really enforceable. DRM now gives copyright holders (which is unfortunately more often than not corporations), the ability to enforce copyright limitations. This is a dual edge sword, because while its not necessarily bad for you and I, we can equally argue, it not good for us either.
With the exception of the three computer limitation, Apple's DRM essentially follows what rights were provided under Copyright law. I believe the 3 computer limit is one of those unclear legal items. No one has specifically said, how many digital copies you can make of a purchased item for your own use. Its somewhat undefined. My guess is three seems reasonable at first shake, until you think wow, I have five computers, or when you look at families. Hell even Apple's Mac OS X Panther Family pack license covers five machine.
I remember when instructors thought it was fine to copy material from any book so long as it was for educational purposes. Turns out it was not. And much bellyaching ensued.
Just because the police won't arrest me for making 100 copies of CD for distribution to my friends, doesn't mean that the copyright holder couldn't charge me (if they could find out somehow). So basically the limits of what you can do are established (they are not totally clear, but they definitely aren't as inclusive and expansive as most people state they are.
I don't have the right to do anything I want to with a purchased CD. I can't copy it indiscriminately, I can't share it exhaustively with random strangers or friends. I can use songs of it to make mixed tapes or CDs, I can make legal backups, I can convert it to MP3, but I still can't share those MP3 files indiscriminately or exhaustively. I can sell it. I can destroy it or I can throw it away. Oh yeah, and I can use it as a base to create my own music or art.
Apple's DRM allows you all that. I can sell my music, though its not worth the money gains, unless I sell a large portion of my collection to one person. I can destroy my music files. I can throw them out. I can make legal backups (and am encouraged to do so). I can burn CDs and give them to friends. I can make mixed tapes and CDs. I can convert the media to MP3s. And I can even store multiple active copies of the file (up to 3 on computers), and any number I like on my iPod, my friends iPod, extra. (Of course there are legal limits here as well).
So what rights have Apple's DRM taken away? It may have solidified issues limitations you use to ignore, but for the most part, the rights are the same, its your compliance that's being assured.
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I don't disagree with this statement. But I've started to feel that Apple IS missing an opportunity here. I see the question as two-fold: "Will licensing Fairplay lessen Apple's current dominance in the Music market? and Will licensing Fairplay seal AAC and Fairplay as the format and DRM standards for the current music wars?
I don't believe that licensing Fairplay would lessen Apple's current dominance that much. The Mac OS license issue was a different ballgame. It seemed everyone but the high paid business people all agreed that it would sucker punch Apple sales. More importantly, it sucker punched hardware sales which are Apple's bread and butter. Unless you own the market or are a smalltime vendor there just is much money to be made in OS sales.
But for iTMS the hardware is the iPod, and licensing Fairplay will ensure the iPods dominance as a MP3 player for years. I see this as a good thing. People will still use iTunes and iTMS because of the ease of use and tight integration with the iPod. Those who won't probably aren't using iTMS currently, but also DON'T have an iPod. If they purchased an iPod, the likelihood is that they would eventually start purchasing from iTMS. It means Apple has to keep on its toes about the music store features, functions, and all around user experience, but the iPod would dominate for at least another 2-5yrs.
While this first issue is VERY IMPORTANT. I think the second question is JUST AS, if not MORE SO important for Apple, especially at this juncture.
Will licensing Fairplay seal AAC and Fairplay as the format and DRM standards for the current music wars?
Licensing Fairplay before Microsoft hits the music scene would be good for Apple, because currently a lot of people are looking for Microsoft and businesses using Microsoft technologies to save them from Apple. Who knows what the likelihood of success of a Microsoft music store would be? I don't. But I can say, that even if it failed completely (less likely), it still gives Microsoft the ability to promote Windows Media DRM as the de-facto delivery standard, which does nothing but contribute to the future decline of iPod sales.
Imagine if RealNetworks, Napster, and OD2 started offering iPod compatible offerings. That would push iPod sales. But also satisfy a number of people's needs for compatibility. Many of those people who want Apple to support WMV would just shut-up, because they don't care about wmv, they care about playing their music on their mp3 player. (It wouldn't satisfy the
I think the time is coming for Apple to license Fairplay. I don't want
That's true, but not exactly U2's fault. Technically speaking, the original album planned for November will NEVER be produced, and that's due to someone stealing it. They could proceed on a normal timeline but everything would be tainted by the theft. Not bad or good, just tainted, sometimes these things can throw artist into hyper-overdrive and what they produce in the aftermath is incredible. Other times, a great big sucking sound of their creative energy gets tied up in the thought of the theft, and whatever is produced afterwards is just halfhearted.
I come to this from two sides, I downloaded the Lillywhite Session from the Dave Matthews band, and purchased Busted Stuff when it came out. While I fully enjoy the Lillywhite Sessions for what they are, in fact often enjoy them more than I do Busted Stuff, I do also recognize that they are not finish material. For the band to "complete" the album, they had to totally re-envision the songs, and in that since Busted Stuff is good and great to have as a comparison and contrast of what happens when creative vision is derailed.
I think U2's desire is to get something out that they feel is close to a finish product rather than having an album out for months that isn't near what they wanted the final album to be. For me that's a respectable decision. For their part, they've vowed to work rapidly on the album, canceling vacation plans and other activities so they could finish it at a reasonable production level. Note, I say production level, because it could be months or years, before whatever creative impulses that drove them to do this album return to a level that would be good enough to allow them to proceed "normally."
If you think these Universities are paying $500 for a PC, your sadly mistaken. For the various university departments that we provide support for a basic machine configuration is around $1100. Typically a Dell Optiplex GX260 or GX270, in the mini-Tower chasis so we can upgrade, and not have parts burn out as quickly, a 3 or 4 year service plan, and if the data on the machine is considered mission critical then also the keep hard drive option for failed drives.
We've occasionally gone cheaper for some of the machines in open areas (getting a Celeron processor and skimpy on memory and hard drive size). But if your talking "Dude your getting a Dell", which most universities are, then the costs are equivalent to that of an eMac. In fact the eMac often comes out cheaper when your shooting for that combination of power and affordability.
You could go for the Dell Dimension, and it would save you lots of money upfront, making it seem like power and affordability or in your reach. But from our perspective... anecdotally, we had two professors who didn't take our purchase recommendation and purchased five Dell Dimensions for a new project three years ago. All five machines have already been surplus. Two experienced so many hardware issues during their first year that they were basically unusable (failed motherboards, fried hard drives, dead fans, even the CD-RW drive stop working without a paper clip. Meanwhile every Optiplex purchased during the same time period, and even a year beforehand are still in use.
For faculty and staff most universities pay for longevity in their computer systems, student work areas of course they often go for the cheapest since they expect the items to be trashed anyway.
Well there was an interview with Steve Jobs, not that long after the iTunes Music Store debut. In the interview, he had spoken to the Big 5 music companies and was telling them why DRM wouldn't work, and why their (Apple's idea) would. And that they sent him away. Then while product after product with DRM kept failing, Jobs and company kept coming back, attempting to educate the Big 5 companies. Finally, once the Big 5 had enough failure under their belts, and Jobs came back with FairPlay (basically DRM light), they agreed to proceed. But they all thought the project would fail.
The irony is to get the Big 5 Apple had to adopt DRM which it didn't want. But to get Apple, the Big 5 had to accept DRM light, which protected the consumers rights as much as it did the RIAAs. So FairPlay is the compromise between divergent opinions.
Interesting that they should include Apple in the lawsuit. While Microsoft Update is definitely web-enabled, Apple's Software Update just uses the internet, you can launch a web browser if you want more detail on an update, but otherwise the "web" isn't used at all. Not unless you so loosely define the web as anything that uses an IP to communicate.
But he doesn''t really have to get "anywhere" at HP. HP has deep pockets to fund research. And while it might not be the same creative playground as say Apple, for Kay it probably doesn't need to be. I'd say here's a man who realized years ago that his corporate work would only take him so far, so he started his own nonprofit to really focus in on the ideas of computing and technology that he has.
When I do work for larger organizations, the work is often repetitive and boring, at the very least confined and restrictive, but that's okay, because the work provides me access with toys (new technology, new applications, high speed networks, etc.) that allow me to play with the things that interest me. I may have to do it after hours or on weekends. But it saves me tons from having to purchase and implement systems and application just to realize an idea isn't going to work.
Funny, I remember hearing those opinions on Slashdot before. Of course I still think of them as uninformed and removed from the community they supposedly support. If you really want to help artist forget Downhill Battle, look at the Future of Music http://www.futureofmusic.org/. Its a coalition run by independent artists for all recording artist. With goals of supporting artists, not "sticking it to the man".
Most. Apple has consistently excluded songs given away via the Pepsi promotion as part of their sales numbers. But there are the weekly FREE downloads, which may or may not be counted. All toll though, I'd say a very large percent of the songs were sold, most probably as albums.
I would say there are more Konfabulator users that were surprised and or upset than its developers. The Konfabulator idea has been around for a long time, since early 90's. It's just that Arlo and crew had the best implementation around that I've ever seen.
If Apple wants the developers code, it will purchase. Its done so with Soundjam (which became iTunes) and other applications. If your idea just furthered their idea, then obviously they just go with theirs. According to the preview Dashboard will have its on SDK kit. That said, it may be possible for people to develop simultaneously for both Dashboard and Konfabulator, but that depends more on the backend engine.
I really LOVE Konfabulator, but that said, Apple has already addressed the one biggest issue I have with it--desktop clutter. Sure its cool to have the weather, newsfeeds, post-its, etc. all providing you continous data on your desktop, but they also just clutter up your desktop, having them exist off-screen and come on with a function key is a perfect idea. A bring the widgets out to play, now put your toys away concept.
I'm sorry, and when did documentaries become bastions to objective opinions. Most documentaries are made because the director has a point or an issue they want to showcase. Your starting with the word bias, right there. Now most documentaries then support their bias with tons of research. O look Michael Moore does that as well.
There is no guideline that you showcase any opinion different from your own. Most documentaries appear unbiased, because the only side to the story that you know is theirs. Michael Moore tends to address current issues from a blatant advocacy stand, which means you already know a little about the other opinions involved, and hopefully to some degree even know some of the facts involved before you ever see the picture.
Does "Satya: A Prayer for the Enemy" present the side of Chinese occupations in Tibet? No it presents the side of Tibetian nuns and monks who have been tortured by the Chinese. Creating an unbiased documentary is relatively worthless, unless your focusing in on some somewhat non-confrontational issue, like a biography or scientific event.
If you want to complain, complain about all the news venues that are shown spewing and validating crap we all know now to be untrue. New shows are suppose to deliver fair and unbiased reporting. They are suppose to do research independent of government press releases and provide us with a balanced view of what's going on. A documentary is just a documentary--someone who was so motivated by an issue that they picked up camera and spent months of their lives researching and document the issue as they see it.
>>"We won't list the sites that are reported to be infected in order to prevent further abuse, but the list is long and includes businesses that we presume would normally be keeping their sites fully patched," the group stated on its Web site.
That's great an all, but what about protecting the users, which can mount to millions of IE users being infected, because they aren't willing to say..."This week don't visit: eBay, Bank of America, etc., etc."
I'd say its more important to protect the uninformed masses of millions of IE users that they need to not visit 25-50 websites for a week, or switch web browsers, then it is to protect those 25-50 websites.
Maybe its just me, but if I were going to risk my job and possible jail time, I'd want at least a penny per name, a half cent at least. $52,000 what's that? Someone back alley gambling debt. Geez.
Yeah, I was hoping you could buy from any store, like at Amazon. The UK store has a much better collection of music from Keane and other UK artist. I guess the same is true for those using a USA account, you need to create a seperate account.
Amen brother! I love the comment >>The poor are poor because they keep doing what ever it is that makes them poor. That would be what--oh' yeah WORKING. The parents post is just full of random ignorance and bias, unfortunately a bias shoved down the throats and minds of a fair amount of the upper class.
In America, the largest number of poor people are the working poor. Not your welfare moms, or derelict dads. But those who's family 10-20 years ago were consider middle-class. They may still consider themselves mentally middle-class, but the truth is they are one step away from being homeless. Hell many have been homeless, while still working and sleeping in their cars or at friends, or moved back in with their mom and pop.
These people are poor because they believed that corporate America would take care of them. They believed that if they were devoted to a company that a company would be devoted to them. They may have known that they'd never make middle management, but they did assume that as long as they worked hard, they would have a job and be able to support their family.
But they've been asked to compromise their livilihood away, with paycuts here so we don't cut jobs or cut fewer jobs. With scrapping of various benefits and support systems, and more paycuts, and longer work hours, etc., etc. The problem with corporate America is that shareholder profit matters more than workers.
I grew up poor, super-poor, poor enough that stealing bread of the local bread truck was an acceptable manner to get food for the week (and yes a loaf of bread can feed five for five days if you portion it properly). But during that period the goals of the poor were to get low-paying factory jobs or join the Army so that you could be clothed and fed. With hard work a low paying factory job would move you up to "poverty" or if you were really lucky, "just below middle-class". That's when things like almost new shoes and clothes from KMart instead of Goodwill kicked in.
I've meant plenty of the middle-class, who rode the technology wave with good jobs, great income, nice places, that then found themselves working at Starbucks or doing minial office work for CA minimal wage. And sure they weren't "unemployed", but see how you like it if your income drops from close to $100,000 a year down to under $35,000 while your $1500 month rental lease doesn't expire for another six months, and you have car payments, car insurance, student loans, etc.
All of a sudden people (friends and acquaintances) who use to think the poor didn't work hard enough or didn't do enough to remove themselves from poverties grasp, suddenly realize--its damn near impossible to go to interviews for good jobs while your working 50hrs a week at a low paying job that won't give you time off. Not that you can afford to take time off, because, you need every hour you can get to cover rent and food.
And that's when you recognize, that despite it all your still middle-class, because you HAVE Parents that you can fall back on, parents that will take you in, and help you get back up on your feet. Unlike the generational poor, who's parents are too busy struggling to support themselves, to help you so if you fall down, you better know how to get back up, even if you have broken a leg, broken mind, or broken faith.
Corporate America has long since abdicated its responsibility to the American public. And the number of rich people who claim they did it ALL BY THEMSELVES, despite support from friends, family, community, etc. is just damn dispisable. Social responsibility calls for those who have more to give more. I'm a Roosevelt democrat, so call me names.
I like MacAdam, though like others have described, its a bit of a hole in the wall. The store isn't very well organized. Its no fun to search for things, but the staff are helpful (typically).
Apple defaults to the manufactured date if the reseller doesn't notify Apple that a serial number has been sold. Sure the process is lengthy, but thats because of MacAdams computer set-up. I've worked with other vendors such as Mac/MicroWarehouse, CDW, the Source, etc. and each has a system that ships of information on date of purchase, customer, and computer serial number to Apple either by logging into Apple's vendor system or other means.
With each of these vendors, whenever I've purchased a machine, for any client, if I go to the Apple site to update mine or my clients asset list, I can readily do so by entering the serial number, etc. I've only purchased on machine, a PowerBook G4 through an Apple Reseller, not MacAdam, where Apple had no verification of purchase, and I had to provide serial number, proof of purchase, etc. But even then, the process was fairly quick, except for finding the original receipt.
From what I understand the next supercomputer at Virgina which will use the X-Serve and is called System X is what will be 15TF. The system for the Army is called Mach 5 and they are shooting for 25TF. If both these systems meet the goal, then Apple may end up with two supercomputers in the Top 10 of the Top 500 supercomputers.
No offense but how would you know? Typically speaking these requests go to heads of operation (position titles vary) and they also include a gag order around them. For example, our local library has received numerous requests. Enough so that to get around the fact that they can not tell staff or effected patrons that requests were issued, they started the policy of announcing when no requests were issued.
It's simple, and effective, and chilling, that the past three staff meetings have had no mention of it.
>>The very thought that code in a 32-bit protected mode system would be able to do things like this - correct me if I am wrong, but APEs require your administrator password, right? That means that even though they are 3rd party code they want to go where they have no right going.
/Library/Frameworks/ like a good framework should be.
/Library/Frameworks, rather than specifying both.
OK. According to the Apple software specifications, any application that follows Apple's guidelines should request an Admin password, insuring that the user is authorized to install applications onto the system. Technically speaking, I have more of a problem when installers DON'T ask for a password, since it means anyone could have installed it on my system, something I expressly do not want.
>>It is installed in
Unsanity haxies default to a single user, and provide the option of selecting for ALL users on the system, as part of the installer. I would imagine she was just being lazy and referring to 'all' modifiable
>>security
I'm certain someone with enough skill and time could hack APE and take advantage, but as it stands, to install a haxie using APE, the developer must first register their haxie with Unsanity. So its not currently as if I could just script something, take advantage of APE and then perform malicious tasks.
>>The equation is clear enough: install haxies and incur a significant risk of problems.
That's not true. This is all dependent on which haxies you install. Many of Unsanity and other companies haxies have cause no issues to date. It doesn't mean that they couldn't, but thats a little like saying install software and incur a significant risk of problems.
A slew of user problems are caused by bugging applications, and without those pesky little applications its far more likely your computing experience would be problem free (well at least on a Mac), but typical your OS itself doesn't allow you to get the work you need to do done.
I could install APE and some haxies to work with it, and experience problems (with the Finder, Contextual Menus or other Applications) or I could install Microsoft Office and experience printing problems, Eudora crashing when grammar menu is open, unexplainable application shutdowns, whatever.
A system without risks is a system not in use.
No ones claimed APE was perfect, though Unsanity does claim the APE framework has generally been bug-free. But they acknowledge that haxies (APE Modules), even some of their ow haven't always been stable (hence version releases).
Probably because it doesn't slow the system down on thousands of systems. Or prehaps you still can't differentiate between the APE framework versus an APE module. I've been using APE for years, and their is no noticeable difference in my system speed. Of course I don't use one of the popular, but known unstable APE modules--ShapeShifter. I would expect ShapeShifter to slow the computer down, its modifying the whole frekkin interface.
That said, I LOVE FruitMenu, MenuMaster, and now Paranoid Android. In fact, I think the combo of Paranoid Android and Little Snitch (different vendor) are hard to beat if you value security and privacy.
I miss WebVan as well. They were great. Their problem wasn't the automation system, the problem that caused the bankrupcy was overexpansion. They expanded way to fast. The San Francisco store was near profitability, and people did love and trust them with their food, even meat and produce. But then they went and expanded to six or seven new outlets. They were just way overextended. They may have survived if the dot.com boom lasted another 6-12mo, but pow, it was done.
One of the great things about WebVan vs PeaPod, Safeway or Albertson was that in someways it was like Google or Apple in the fact that it inspired trust in its users. I've been using Albertsons since WebVan died, and I rarely order meat or fruits and vegetables from them. And if I do, I make sure I get first delivery even if it means waiting a few extra days for the items. Why? Because they have a tendency to give you the produce thats right on the cusp of spoiling, and then to make things worse, they don't keep the fruit & veggies in a separate temparture controlled system, so if you don't get delievery during the first 1hr, everythings frozen. Frozen fruits and veggies are just damn useless, unless you want to make smoothies. They start to decompose as soon as they unthaw.
WebVan was one of those companies that were great they selected produce and products better than I could when I was in a grocery store. I love cantelope, but choosing a sweet one is more happenstance than skill, even though I go through the motions like others at the store. But WebVan always managed to get me sweet ready to eat cantalopes, whenever I asked. Hell they were even great with fruits, advocates, and meats. If I said, I want something that would be riped in 2-3 days, then thats what I got.
Albertson and Safeway just send the dregs. So I use them mostly for cat food, cat litter, juices, milk, dry stuff, things that are hard to get wrong, Post's cereals are hard to screw up. But even still, I'll often get an Albertson brand cereal or item, even though I specifically request NO SUBSTITUIONS. They kind of suck.
The growing rate of use I think is due to a wide variety of factors, but for me, the biggest factor is its cheaper to pay $10 deliver than it is to call a cab from the grocery store so I can get home if I have more than 3 bags. Also to not have to choose between cleaning or shopping, because you only have an hour, and going to the store, shopping, waiting to pay, then waiting for a cab, then unloading once you get home, typically takes about an hour or longer.
I read this article and thought it utter FUD. First the guy asserts that Mac OS X is rifed with security holes, when really compared to Windows there just aren't that many. But it seemed his real complaint is that not a lot of people are talking about the security holes. I mean, in all honesty, why would Apple talk about the security holes, unless they were so plagued by them that consumers were continously calling up complaining, there really is no reason to talk about a security hole.
Investigate it, acknowledge it, and patch it-- that's what I see as the typical course of action, even for Microsoft, and Apple does this reasonablly well. In fact, most of my knowledge about the various Apple related security holes comes directly from Apple in their knowledge-base articles related to the various security patches. It's only randomly that I hear about a security hole that will also effect Apple from a third party source, before I hear it from Apple. But I'll admit to most of my security subscriptions tend to cater to the PC, for obvious reasons.
Also, it seems to me that Apple spends a fair amount of time patching security holes in the various open source solutions its using/tying in with Mac OS X. Which means that technically many of these security holes are also effecting Linux, and Unix machines as well. Like the security update from yesterday or the day before address issues in Apache, IPSec, OpenSSL, and CUPS.
The guy mentions the QuickTime flaw, which was patched weeks ago by Apple, per normal, in a quite automated QuickTime update. He then also mentions that "trojan" that never was. Basically a proof of concept idea that was published, but works technically not that much differently on a Windows machine. Basically, someone can change the icon of an application to that of an MP3 file, and run code when double-clicked. Did anyone besides Intego consider this a big deal, even Symantec scoffed at it, and scolded Intego, though they did duly post a low level security warning.
The truth is, to my knowledge Apple doesn't rate security updates. An update is either a normal bug fix or feature addition, or its a security update. Apple expects all its users to Apple each of their security patches, and to the best of my knowledge has never used a security patch to ship in unwanted software or system changes. So why complain that Apple hasn't called the security updates a "critical" security update. The knowledge base typically includes who original posted the hole/flaw, and the item number, so you can go read the details yourself, and look at the rating attribute.
Blah, blah, blah...isn't this just more of I'm looking, scraping, scrouning for something bad to say about Apple security. I guess, I'd be more forgiving, if the article actual focused in on the various security issues, as opposed to chastising Apple for what, not taking out a press release about them?
The specs do seem a bit demanding, at least by today's standards. Lord knows, my machines pretty darn spec'd out and the best I did was 500GB hard drive (2x250GB internal), 1GB RAM, 2x2GHz G5, firewire, usb, etc. Of course the machine does connect to 4x250GB firewire drives when needed. But I would never argue this was an average machine. But boy is it a joy to use, and it can fly through large sound file edits, video, and the like. Lord knows, I'm in the market for more than a terabyte of hard drive space, but I can't imagine that many other are. Hell most of the users I support barely use their 40GB or 80GB hard drives.
Really, how much can you respect a group of people who state their primary purpose is to support the artist, but advocate downloading songs and sending artist a dime or more for their efforts. Downhillbattle is a silly protest group, who hasn't decided who they should protest.
If you want to support independent artist at least get your stats from the Future of Music Coalition--independent artist who support and organize independent artist. You'll actually see muscians who want to stay independent, who aren't seeking the Big 5 for a quick fame, but working hard and living off their music. Go visit http://www.futureofmusic.org/
You are correct in that it doesn't actually give me any rights, my bad. But not so correct in stating it takes my rights away. What it does do is take away my perception of what is my right. If I purchased a CD and made a hundred copies of it for my friends, I could perceive that to be my right, and obviously nothing there to stop me but my own morals, or often even more so than morals, that little nudge that tells you just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.
There have always been legal limitations of what we could do with music, books, and other copyrighted media. What's more and more at issue, is often no one knew or cared what those limitations were; and even if we did, they weren't really enforceable. DRM now gives copyright holders (which is unfortunately more often than not corporations), the ability to enforce copyright limitations. This is a dual edge sword, because while its not necessarily bad for you and I, we can equally argue, it not good for us either.
With the exception of the three computer limitation, Apple's DRM essentially follows what rights were provided under Copyright law. I believe the 3 computer limit is one of those unclear legal items. No one has specifically said, how many digital copies you can make of a purchased item for your own use. Its somewhat undefined. My guess is three seems reasonable at first shake, until you think wow, I have five computers, or when you look at families. Hell even Apple's Mac OS X Panther Family pack license covers five machine.
I remember when instructors thought it was fine to copy material from any book so long as it was for educational purposes. Turns out it was not. And much bellyaching ensued.
Just because the police won't arrest me for making 100 copies of CD for distribution to my friends, doesn't mean that the copyright holder couldn't charge me (if they could find out somehow). So basically the limits of what you can do are established (they are not totally clear, but they definitely aren't as inclusive and expansive as most people state they are.
I don't have the right to do anything I want to with a purchased CD. I can't copy it indiscriminately, I can't share it exhaustively with random strangers or friends. I can use songs of it to make mixed tapes or CDs, I can make legal backups, I can convert it to MP3, but I still can't share those MP3 files indiscriminately or exhaustively. I can sell it. I can destroy it or I can throw it away. Oh yeah, and I can use it as a base to create my own music or art.
Apple's DRM allows you all that. I can sell my music, though its not worth the money gains, unless I sell a large portion of my collection to one person. I can destroy my music files. I can throw them out. I can make legal backups (and am encouraged to do so). I can burn CDs and give them to friends. I can make mixed tapes and CDs. I can convert the media to MP3s. And I can even store multiple active copies of the file (up to 3 on computers), and any number I like on my iPod, my friends iPod, extra. (Of course there are legal limits here as well).
So what rights have Apple's DRM taken away? It may have solidified issues limitations you use to ignore, but for the most part, the rights are the same, its your compliance that's being assured.