"I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but the music lables could have made a good profit selling MP3 downloads had they chosen to, even in the face of free and legal P2P."
You are preaching to the choir here.
They could have for awhile, but if they don't shut down P2P then the artists have a way to reach the fans without going through the labels. The RIAA has to shut down P2P in order to prevent their slaves from escaping.
"I repeat, proper copyright law is a good thing. We used to have good copyright law. Unfortunately the copyright lobby has spent 200-odd years constanyly lobbing to expand copyright, and congress forgot the original intent of copyright, and no one ever lobbied for the public interest."
I'd consider the 1790 Copyright Act fair, not good. The major failing in the law was that it did not make Copyright inalienable. We wouldn't be having the problems we are having now if a person's creation was considered a part of the person; which could not be sold or given away. The notion of copyright as something vaguely like property is just plain stupid.
The two other differences from the 1790 law which I would advocate are outlawing works for hire, and limiting copyright related contracts to a maximum of three years.
"Pretty much the only way to override the system they've designed is to chemicaly peel the secure chip you bought and read your key number out with areally high power microscope and lab equipment. The good news is that once to do that you can get "god level" control over the system, like the EFF override. The bad news is that each key you dig out is pretty much only good for one person. If they ever detect that you've done this they'll revoke that key."
If they try doing key per user (chip) I bet it blows up in their faces.
If they do key per manufacturer then there'll be a few chips sacrificed. The key will get out for anything worth having the key to rather quickly.
How long will it take for the other root servers to route around Verisign? So people have to wait a few days to register a.com. That's not such a big deal.
Ugh. At least now that I'm using KDE I can view that format with a normal app.
I don't give a damn what the content providers want. Only what the content receivers want counts. You want to prove that PDF provides more benefit to the receiver than HTML?
"The only way I could possibly justify getting paid for that is that I need Linux on my laptop for work--can't do my job without it. For $200, Windows usually sets up pretty smooth, and it's even easy to get a WinXP Pro machine logged into an AFS server, these days."
I lost count of how many times I reinstalled Windows2000 before I just left the disk sitting there, bought a new larger disk, and installed Linux onto it. I've still got the disk sitting on my machine, but I don't remember when I last booted Windoze. (I did reboot Linux a week or two ago, just for the fun of it.) Eventually I'll need the space and Windoze will be gone completely.
Installing Windoze is a minor pain, but rebooting, and reinstalling gets to be a major pain.
"...Or, as soon as there's a POS software that it can run that's as good as the one I have (ie: easy to use, regonizes standard POS hardware, settles CC transactions online, etc.)."
You mean like the old SCO software McDonald's uses?
I run Debian, and your suggestion chills my spine. Most people should install a distro without too many options. Red Hat, Mandrake -- anything which has been commercialized. Not Debian, and probably not Slakware.
No wonder you think that non-techie users should run windoze.
"When I think small business and computers, I think of a cheap dell in the corner running QuickBooks.."
When I think of small business and computers I think of the Lotto machine in the local convenience store.
Like anyone cares what OS in in their cash register?
If the local mom-and-pop is running Windoze and their kid comes back from school one day and converts them to Linux/OO they'll thank her for saving them a few hundred bucks. They'll also finally have someone they can call for tech support.
"Now, the learning curve for Linux is steep; but that's an entirely different subject. I also went through a huge learning curve for Windows 3.1 AND Windows 95 AND Windows 98 AND Windows 2000; do you get my drift? I decided I am not going through the learning process again with XP! Due to similar exeperiences with our move from Office 97 to Office 2000, my boss is seriously looking at Open Office for the company."
Whether and for how long you will be experiencing a similar repeated learning curve with Linux depends upon how quickly Microsoft dies. If you don't have to deal with other people running Microsoft crapware then the Linux Office software will settle down into a nice steady growth process. If you do have to deal with Microsloth's marketing jerk then you will find that Linux Office software will be jerked about too -- although less than for the people having to deal directly with M$'s junk.
"I'm sure that my observations mirror those of many, many others. Linux is making significant penetration into many new markets, true. But the desktop and small-business-server aren't two of those markets."
Hold on here. I run Linux on my home machine. I was just hired by a company where I have only met one other person in the company and I do most of my communication with the rest of the company via email and xls files. Even if before I was hired this company did not use Linux and OpenOffice, they do now.
(I've never seen the company's web page, but that's because I'm an asshole who won't install shockwave or flash on my machine.)
As noted at the end of the article, M$ already has the problem of companies not upgrading old versions which now do more than what the company needs. If Microcrud forces an upgrade a lot of that upgrading is going to be to OO rather than to Orifice.
Basically, Microslug is losing market even if OpenSource doesn't gain market share. If they try to regain market it is going to be at the expense of market share. Short run, they'll have no real choice but to force their customer base into either upgrading or leaving, and that means that they lose in the long run because a significant share will leave creating a perception of loss in the market.
Either way they jump, Microjunk is going to lose. It's just a question of how long they can hold on.
Slashdot Mirror
"So how would Microsoft channel all that money into SCO to keep them going?"
Well, what they've done so far is buy overpriced short term licences from SCO. This was a significant portion of SCO's revenue last quarter.
"I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but the music lables could have made a good profit selling MP3 downloads had they chosen to, even in the face of free and legal P2P."
You are preaching to the choir here.
They could have for awhile, but if they don't shut down P2P then the artists have a way to reach the fans without going through the labels. The RIAA has to shut down P2P in order to prevent their slaves from escaping.
"I repeat, proper copyright law is a good thing. We used to have good copyright law. Unfortunately the copyright lobby has spent 200-odd years constanyly lobbing to expand copyright, and congress forgot the original intent of copyright, and no one ever lobbied for the public interest."
I'd consider the 1790 Copyright Act fair, not good. The major failing in the law was that it did not make Copyright inalienable. We wouldn't be having the problems we are having now if a person's creation was considered a part of the person; which could not be sold or given away. The notion of copyright as something vaguely like property is just plain stupid.
The two other differences from the 1790 law which I would advocate are outlawing works for hire, and limiting copyright related contracts to a maximum of three years.
I like your sig...
"There Ought to be Limits to Freedom!" - George W. Bush, 05/21/1999
For the record: Big Brother Bush is doubleplus ungood.
I change my sig fairly often...
"...in KDE! Holy crap I think ... then I think striking up a conversation with her about Linux and KDE would not impress. Ah well."
Never know. It might have been a good pick-up line.
"Pretty much the only way to override the system they've designed is to chemicaly peel the secure chip you bought and read your key number out with areally high power microscope and lab equipment. The good news is that once to do that you can get "god level" control over the system, like the EFF override. The bad news is that each key you dig out is pretty much only good for one person. If they ever detect that you've done this they'll revoke that key."
If they try doing key per user (chip) I bet it blows up in their faces.
If they do key per manufacturer then there'll be a few chips sacrificed. The key will get out for anything worth having the key to rather quickly.
" Evver been to eastern Europe?
You wouldn't be so sure.
(of course, Hitler was a bastard. So was Stalin)"
I'm well aware of the history of WWII in eastern Europe. Stalin probably killed more people than Hitler -- but at least they were his people.
How long will it take for the other root servers to route around Verisign? So people have to wait a few days to register a .com. That's not such a big deal.
I've never hated ICANN. They've always seemed a little too lost to actually hate.
At least this time they seem less lost than usual; which is good.
I'll wait until they finally figure out that they're a government before actively hating them.
Ok. We'll just _all_ change our DNS lookup to another set of roots........
I only want $1 per screwed up search. So far, that'd be about $100.
"(Which would easily be in the tens of millions a day)"
Didn't you mean billions?
Stalin.
Ugh. At least now that I'm using KDE I can view that format with a normal app.
I don't give a damn what the content providers want. Only what the content receivers want counts. You want to prove that PDF provides more benefit to the receiver than HTML?
This has lead me to a question which I think I'll ask over at ask slashdot -- are there any specialized (virtical market) Linux distros?
"Therefore, study the issue and defer a major transition decision until more evidence is available."
Ok, so how much longer does Microsoft have? Five years? Three?
"Can I hire you for some impartial consultancy work that my company needs. Please."
I don't need to be unbiased to gloat.
"GROW UP!!!"
No. Fuck off kid. How much does Microcrap pay you to troll here?
"The only way I could possibly justify getting paid for that is that I need Linux on my laptop for work--can't do my job without it. For $200, Windows usually sets up pretty smooth, and it's even easy to get a WinXP Pro machine logged into an AFS server, these days."
I lost count of how many times I reinstalled Windows2000 before I just left the disk sitting there, bought a new larger disk, and installed Linux onto it. I've still got the disk sitting on my machine, but I don't remember when I last booted Windoze. (I did reboot Linux a week or two ago, just for the fun of it.) Eventually I'll need the space and Windoze will be gone completely.
Installing Windoze is a minor pain, but rebooting, and reinstalling gets to be a major pain.
"...Or, as soon as there's a POS software that it can run that's as good as the one I have (ie: easy to use, regonizes standard POS hardware, settles CC transactions online, etc.)."
You mean like the old SCO software McDonald's uses?
I run Debian, and your suggestion chills my spine. Most people should install a distro without too many options. Red Hat, Mandrake -- anything which has been commercialized. Not Debian, and probably not Slakware.
No wonder you think that non-techie users should run windoze.
"When I think small business and computers, I think of a cheap dell in the corner running QuickBooks.."
When I think of small business and computers I think of the Lotto machine in the local convenience store.
Like anyone cares what OS in in their cash register?
If the local mom-and-pop is running Windoze and their kid comes back from school one day and converts them to Linux/OO they'll thank her for saving them a few hundred bucks. They'll also finally have someone they can call for tech support.
"Now, the learning curve for Linux is steep; but that's an entirely different subject. I also went through a huge learning curve for Windows 3.1 AND Windows 95 AND Windows 98 AND Windows 2000; do you get my drift? I decided I am not going through the learning process again with XP! Due to similar exeperiences with our move from Office 97 to Office 2000, my boss is seriously looking at Open Office for the company."
Whether and for how long you will be experiencing a similar repeated learning curve with Linux depends upon how quickly Microsoft dies. If you don't have to deal with other people running Microsoft crapware then the Linux Office software will settle down into a nice steady growth process. If you do have to deal with Microsloth's marketing jerk then you will find that Linux Office software will be jerked about too -- although less than for the people having to deal directly with M$'s junk.
"I'm sure that my observations mirror those of many, many others. Linux is making significant penetration into many new markets, true. But the desktop and small-business-server aren't two of those markets."
Hold on here. I run Linux on my home machine. I was just hired by a company where I have only met one other person in the company and I do most of my communication with the rest of the company via email and xls files. Even if before I was hired this company did not use Linux and OpenOffice, they do now.
(I've never seen the company's web page, but that's because I'm an asshole who won't install shockwave or flash on my machine.)
As noted at the end of the article, M$ already has the problem of companies not upgrading old versions which now do more than what the company needs. If Microcrud forces an upgrade a lot of that upgrading is going to be to OO rather than to Orifice.
Basically, Microslug is losing market even if OpenSource doesn't gain market share. If they try to regain market it is going to be at the expense of market share. Short run, they'll have no real choice but to force their customer base into either upgrading or leaving, and that means that they lose in the long run because a significant share will leave creating a perception of loss in the market.
Either way they jump, Microjunk is going to lose. It's just a question of how long they can hold on.
"Also, it might give some people a dose of their own medicine."
Bull. This is your primary objective, not some useless experiment.
And a pretty damn good idea too, I might add.