The fact that the majority holds power is typically how a democracy is defined, but it's not the only common attribute most modern democracies have. Another one is the rule of law and the separation of powers, meaning that the majority can't just do whatever the hell it wants.
In certain situations, individuals willingly and knowingly give up parts of their privacy. There is nothing wrong with that, and it doesn't contradict the call for more privacy. When you are employed by somebody, you lose some of your privacy for the benefit of your employer. Your employer needs to know what work you do for his company, hence he has some rights to observe what you do. You employ your government, hence the people who participate in said government give up some of their privacy.
THe browser offers a number of advantages to app developers. Simple deployment of new versions, built-in strong encryption, a simple API for server connectivity, and finally, it's pretty much platform independent, anything from an iPhone to a Windows PC will be able to run your app if you're reasonably careful when developing it.
"That's the same if you buy anything from anybody."
Sure, but most businesses don't have the explicit intention of fucking up other people's businesses. You're funding people whose only function it is to make other people's life harder.
Let's suppose land is very cheap. There are a lot of valid businesses and families who would like to build offices and houses. Unfortunately, somebody with no interest in the land at all got there first, bought all the land, and is now selling it for a ten thousand times as much as he paid.
Sure, it's legal. Perhaps it's even a valid business. But he's still a scumbag because he's doing nothing productive other than costing people money who actually want to do something productive.
When playing a game like Monkey Island, you really kind of fall in love with the characters and want to see what they're up to. The ending of Monkey Island 2 especially made me want to see what Ron Gilbert would come up with next, where he would send my pirate pals in their next adventure.
And some games are so good that you simply want to keep playing them even when they're over.
I'm all for new IPs and original games, but I'm also very, very happy that we're going to get some new Monkey Island, and I truly hope the games will work out well.
I replayed Secret and Curse about a year ago, and they're still as fun and awesome as they were the first time I played them. A lot of games don't age well (especially PlayStation 1 titles, most of which have become virtually unplayable), but that definitely does not apply to the first two Monkey Island games.
You think Jobs contributed in any technical way to any Apple product?
He probably did. He did work as a technician at Atari before starting Apple. Clearly, Woz did most of the work, but Jobs has at least some basic knowledge of these things and probably has contributed something. The bigger picture is that he's very much involved in product development at Apple. The patents in question aren't very technical, they're more along the lines of user interaction design.
I suppose the link to the Red Cross is meant to be a bad example, i.e. you imply that the red cross gives away 10c on the dollar, but charity navigator says something different:
Program Expenses 89.2%
Administrative Expenses 6.5%
Fundraising Expenses 4.1%
So there's only about 10% overhead, which I suppose isn't too great, but not too bad either.
There's a thin line between what is acceptable religious behaviour, and what is organized crime (because the two are very similar by design). Scientology is definitely on the "organized crime" side of things. But they're not the only ones.
There are definitely reasons for preferring a PC, but some of yours don't make much sense:-)
Some of us prefer to have a computer over a console. I'd rather play Fallout 3 on my computer because I can't stand console controllers, especially for FPSs.
It takes some getting used to, and you'll never be as good with a controller than with keyboard and mouse, but it's not as bad as many PC gamers pretend it is. Besides, lots of good FPS never make it to PCs.
Its nice to be able to Alt-tab out of games and check things out,
True, but on the other hand, nothing prevents you from also using a laptop, netbook or iPhone while playing a game on a console.
and to be able to download patches for buggy games,
In my opinion, that's not a plus, it's a minus because the main result of this is that games are released in what is essentially an unfinished state. Unfortunately, the PS3 and Xbox now also allow patches for buggy games, so some console games are released with gameplay-killing bugs, too.
and extra content for the expandable ones.
The same applies to consoles.
Consoles also suck for RTS games, as in there aren't any to speak of.
That has changed in recent years. Even the Wii has a neat little RTS with Swords & Soldiers.
Also PCs are cheaper to deal with, once you have one for gaming. Throw in a $80 video card every 2-3 years and your good to go.
The PC update race is slowing somewhat, but on average, console hardware is still cheaper (although games tend to cost more).
In that case, no gaming console or computer will ever suit your need, because 99% of all good games are sold as proprietary commercial software.
If you want to keep your Linux desktop and use a console for gaming, all current-gen consoles (apart from the PSP, in my opinion) have advantages. The DS has a huge library of beautiful 2D games, the PS3 has some great Sony-published exclusive games like Little Big Planet, the Xbox has the best online gaming system (although it's not free), the Wii has the best party games and some innovative and neat first-party titles.
Unless you want to play some very specific genres, you're probably better off with a console than with a Windows PC in most cases.
In what universe are tabs not broken? They're horrible. On the plus side:
They make it very easy to get rid of clutter.
On the other hand, we have:
Once gotten rid of, the tabbed windows are basically hidden
Expose doesn't see tabs, the Window menu doesn't see tabs, the Windows 7 app menu doesn't see tabs (unless you're IE8)
Once you have more than about six or seven tabs, they become invisible even if you have the window with the tab right in front of you
Every app implements tabs slightly different, so you're never entirely sure whether you can undock tabs, or move them, or on what side to click to close them...
They use vertical space when most screens have more than enough horizontal space
I'm sure there are more points here. Tabs aren't "ain't broke," they are "broke."
If the Firefox guys can come up with an awesome replacement, more power to them.
I go to McDo if I'm hungry because it's cheap, convenient, and reasonably healthy if you choose the right stuff. Sometimes I'm in a hurry, sometimes I'm not.
If fashion is the only thing that differentiates the iPhone, how come every other manufacturer is trying to copy the iPhone's user interaction?
People use their phones for texting, SMS and MMS, and perhaps for simple games and taking pictures, even if these phones come with browsers and bluetooth and calendars. The same people use their iPhones for surfing the net, Facebook, Twitter, they have their calendars on their iPhones, they have their pictures on their iPhones, they put their music on their iPhones. Not because other phones don't offer these features, but because the iPhone makes these features accessible to normal people.
Harsh! The truth is, I wanted a mac really badly. I lusted deeply for it. But the true appeal of it was more emotional than practical. And as awesome as it was, for most people the Mac and the Lisa wasn't truly justified by their high price tag.
Then I apologize for making wrong assumptions about you.
As a sidenote, the papers I remember were not printed with a dot matrix printer, but were very likely printed with a LaserWriter, which came out in 1985. Presumably, the school owned one.
for some reason I buy them even though I can accomplish the same things elsewhere for half the price or less
Theoretically, that is true, but for some reason, only my Mac using friends actually cut DVDs of their holiday videos and order calendars with their photos in them.
Slashdot Mirror
The fact that the majority holds power is typically how a democracy is defined, but it's not the only common attribute most modern democracies have. Another one is the rule of law and the separation of powers, meaning that the majority can't just do whatever the hell it wants.
In certain situations, individuals willingly and knowingly give up parts of their privacy. There is nothing wrong with that, and it doesn't contradict the call for more privacy. When you are employed by somebody, you lose some of your privacy for the benefit of your employer. Your employer needs to know what work you do for his company, hence he has some rights to observe what you do. You employ your government, hence the people who participate in said government give up some of their privacy.
Presumably, they're bringing up Bush to blame him for current issues, not as a "well, Bush was bad too" comparison.
Apple uses Akamai for mirroring some of their stuff. They use Xserves as the main source.
THe browser offers a number of advantages to app developers. Simple deployment of new versions, built-in strong encryption, a simple API for server connectivity, and finally, it's pretty much platform independent, anything from an iPhone to a Windows PC will be able to run your app if you're reasonably careful when developing it.
"That's the same if you buy anything from anybody."
Sure, but most businesses don't have the explicit intention of fucking up other people's businesses. You're funding people whose only function it is to make other people's life harder.
Let's suppose land is very cheap. There are a lot of valid businesses and families who would like to build offices and houses. Unfortunately, somebody with no interest in the land at all got there first, bought all the land, and is now selling it for a ten thousand times as much as he paid.
Sure, it's legal. Perhaps it's even a valid business. But he's still a scumbag because he's doing nothing productive other than costing people money who actually want to do something productive.
I'm pretty sure you can get yahoo.com for almost nothing. Unfortunately, you also have to take the company attached to the domain name.
I'd also like to see Grim Fandango "remastered".
You're on Slashdot, so you're obviously lying.
When playing a game like Monkey Island, you really kind of fall in love with the characters and want to see what they're up to. The ending of Monkey Island 2 especially made me want to see what Ron Gilbert would come up with next, where he would send my pirate pals in their next adventure.
And some games are so good that you simply want to keep playing them even when they're over.
I'm all for new IPs and original games, but I'm also very, very happy that we're going to get some new Monkey Island, and I truly hope the games will work out well.
Drat, I meant Revenge, not Curse. I've never actually finished Curse.
I replayed Secret and Curse about a year ago, and they're still as fun and awesome as they were the first time I played them. A lot of games don't age well (especially PlayStation 1 titles, most of which have become virtually unplayable), but that definitely does not apply to the first two Monkey Island games.
You think Jobs contributed in any technical way to any Apple product?
He probably did. He did work as a technician at Atari before starting Apple. Clearly, Woz did most of the work, but Jobs has at least some basic knowledge of these things and probably has contributed something. The bigger picture is that he's very much involved in product development at Apple. The patents in question aren't very technical, they're more along the lines of user interaction design.
I suppose the link to the Red Cross is meant to be a bad example, i.e. you imply that the red cross gives away 10c on the dollar, but charity navigator says something different:
Program Expenses 89.2%
Administrative Expenses 6.5%
Fundraising Expenses 4.1%
So there's only about 10% overhead, which I suppose isn't too great, but not too bad either.
There's a thin line between what is acceptable religious behaviour, and what is organized crime (because the two are very similar by design). Scientology is definitely on the "organized crime" side of things. But they're not the only ones.
With gambling, there's a slight chance you might make a bit of money. With Scientology, you'll be fucked 100% of the time.
There are definitely reasons for preferring a PC, but some of yours don't make much sense :-)
Some of us prefer to have a computer over a console. I'd rather play Fallout 3 on my computer because I can't stand console controllers, especially for FPSs.
It takes some getting used to, and you'll never be as good with a controller than with keyboard and mouse, but it's not as bad as many PC gamers pretend it is. Besides, lots of good FPS never make it to PCs.
Its nice to be able to Alt-tab out of games and check things out,
True, but on the other hand, nothing prevents you from also using a laptop, netbook or iPhone while playing a game on a console.
and to be able to download patches for buggy games,
In my opinion, that's not a plus, it's a minus because the main result of this is that games are released in what is essentially an unfinished state. Unfortunately, the PS3 and Xbox now also allow patches for buggy games, so some console games are released with gameplay-killing bugs, too.
and extra content for the expandable ones.
The same applies to consoles.
Consoles also suck for RTS games, as in there aren't any to speak of.
That has changed in recent years. Even the Wii has a neat little RTS with Swords & Soldiers.
Also PCs are cheaper to deal with, once you have one for gaming. Throw in a $80 video card every 2-3 years and your good to go.
The PC update race is slowing somewhat, but on average, console hardware is still cheaper (although games tend to cost more).
In that case, no gaming console or computer will ever suit your need, because 99% of all good games are sold as proprietary commercial software.
If you want to keep your Linux desktop and use a console for gaming, all current-gen consoles (apart from the PSP, in my opinion) have advantages. The DS has a huge library of beautiful 2D games, the PS3 has some great Sony-published exclusive games like Little Big Planet, the Xbox has the best online gaming system (although it's not free), the Wii has the best party games and some innovative and neat first-party titles.
Unless you want to play some very specific genres, you're probably better off with a console than with a Windows PC in most cases.
In what universe are tabs not broken? They're horrible. On the plus side:
On the other hand, we have:
I'm sure there are more points here. Tabs aren't "ain't broke," they are "broke."
If the Firefox guys can come up with an awesome replacement, more power to them.
I go to McDo if I'm hungry because it's cheap, convenient, and reasonably healthy if you choose the right stuff. Sometimes I'm in a hurry, sometimes I'm not.
Yes, the tools were there on either platform. The point is that one of the two platforms was only accessible to nerds (yes, some teachers are nerds).
If fashion is the only thing that differentiates the iPhone, how come every other manufacturer is trying to copy the iPhone's user interaction?
People use their phones for texting, SMS and MMS, and perhaps for simple games and taking pictures, even if these phones come with browsers and bluetooth and calendars. The same people use their iPhones for surfing the net, Facebook, Twitter, they have their calendars on their iPhones, they have their pictures on their iPhones, they put their music on their iPhones. Not because other phones don't offer these features, but because the iPhone makes these features accessible to normal people.
And yes, the fact that MMS is missing sucks.
Thank you for your expert opinion. Your thoughtful arguments have really changed my opinion.
Then I apologize for making wrong assumptions about you.
As a sidenote, the papers I remember were not printed with a dot matrix printer, but were very likely printed with a LaserWriter, which came out in 1985. Presumably, the school owned one.
Theoretically, that is true, but for some reason, only my Mac using friends actually cut DVDs of their holiday videos and order calendars with their photos in them.