Yes, they make money (revenue) but AIM is not a money-maker by any means. Do you really think the subscription sales generated by those ads even come close to covering the costs of running AIM? They are operating it at a huge loss. Where they make it up is in branding, and VIRAL marketing (i.e. I tell my friends I'm on AIM, and they go buy AOL service). If they lock me out from using the service using another client, they are still losing face and losing viral sales. Their strength is in their userbase, not in their ads. To lock other clients out is a poor choice for them and downright annoying to those who got shut out.
See the telephone company arguments many other people have cited below.
Ah, but you have to remember, AOL owns Time/Warner now. All the ads are still for AOL/TW companies, as far as I've been able to tell (cnn, iplanet, etc).
The cost of maintaining a complex, server-intensive instant-messaging system cannot be compared to the cost of sending out spam-- many orders of magnitude of difference. Placing the ad may be cheap, but running AIM servers is not.
just how many leads do you think they get from those ads? do you think the sales generated from those ads cover the costs of running the service? I think not...
I've been waiting to hear this "You ungrateful bastards/you must be viewing ads to use AIM" argument...AOL alomst certainly loses money on AIM and those ads, mostly because they don't SELL any!
AOL puts the service out to lure people into subscribing to AOL, not to make money off ads. And no one can say that AOL is hurting for customers right now...they are still the largest ISP in the world.
So, yes, we can complain, especially when we depend on features AOL clients don't supply -- interoperability, alternate platforms, logging, etc...
I'm wondering how I fit in to all this-- my university just got their letter from the RIAA about my OpenNap server, and promptly yanked my net access.
Vicarious Infringment:
I don't think I have to worry here; I have no financial interest in my users' infringement.
Contributory infringement:
Direct Infringement: Most likely. Since OpenNap has no logging AFAIK, there's no way I can keep track of the files being searched for or what is being transferred between the clients.
Knowledge: The letter I got said "likely" infringement. Without logs (or an RIAA rep searching for 'Metallica' on my server and then telling me about it), I have no direct knowledge of specific instances of infringement ocurring on my server.
Material Contribution: They seem to have me here.
Betamax defense (substantial non-infringing uses): It is possible (as many have pointed out) that the presence and transfer of copyrighted works can fall under fair use-- for space-shifting, for example. I personally, by this definition, have no illegal mp3s-- all my mp3's are of CDs or tapes that I have owned at one point in my life (and have lost at another). I *paid* for the music, and since I lost it, OpenNap/Napster is just my "networked backup." Fair use, according to others, can also encompass sampling-- if I want to listen to a CD before I buy it, can I not download the mp3 first and preview it? Think of those listening stations in CD stores.. do they have to pay extra licensing fees to put a CD in there? (more likely the record companies pay to have them there)
I want to know what other people think about this... are there any other OpenNap admins here that can offer their views?
Apparently MS Transscriber is a feature-reduced version of Calligrapher, who which IIRC is a licensee of the famed Newton HWR! If you try their java demo (not working right now) it's damned accurate... I may have to switch to CE just to get that awesome Newton HWR I miss so much from my MP2100... Now if they could just port this to linux we'd have a serious contender on our hands!
Well, those message boards ARE public. If you say something in public, it's only reasonable to assume that it might be used against you. I don't know if they can retroactively dock your pay or anything, but there's nothing to stop them (or me, if I wanted) from reading the message boards and calling up your boss to tell him what you've said.
Seems to me that you were right to leave your old company. They're basically blackmailing you (and THAT'S not legal, right?) into shutting up by threatending to bad-mouth you to your new employer. I don't know if it's legal, but it certainly doesn't sound right to me.
I asked egghead specifically about this problem: Their reply:
Dear Joshua Wand,
We'd like to update you regarding your customer service request
xxxxxxxx.
While we are able to remove your credit card number from your account
and our customer files, if you have placed an order with us, the
credit card number will remain on record with that transaction. We
are required by credit card agreements to maintain these financial
transactions. This information is also used when crediting or
refunding your order. Please be assured we have taken significant
measures to ensure this data is stored in a highly secure
environment.
While the FBI investigation is still ongoing, we can now give you an
update on our internal investigation, which has uncovered evidence
which suggests that Egghead.com's existing security systems
interrupted the intrusion while it was in progress, and that customer
data has NOT been compromised.
Through our joint efforts with Kroll Associates over the past few
weeks, we have taken additional steps to reduce the possibility of
future incidents by continuing to strengthen our security measures.
This is an ongoing process that we continue to take very seriously.
Pen usage is integral. None of this menu-bar wannabe WinDoze stuff.
PalmOS does a pretty good job at this.
Full handwriting recognition. Yeah, Doonesbury spoofed the hell out
of it when it first came out, but for five years it's been a better
speller than I am. Like QPE, it uses dictionary lookup, though without the
"ticker" QPE uses. Frankly, the ticker seems distracting - Newton groks full
cursive, and it's easier to simply keep writing the word. If it chooses the
wrong one, double-tap on the word, and a menu appears of alternatives (along
with options for character-by-character recognition (good for names and acronyms)
and access to keyboard or per-letter writing space).
Jot. Write
on the full screen, visible ink feedback, no funny alphabets to learn.
That said, NOTHING beats NewtOS >2.0 for HWR.
Customizable abbreviations. I write "mtg" and it expands to "meeting".
You can write "mt" or "foo" and it will expand to "meeting" if you want. This
further obviates the ticker.
PalmOS has shortcuts.
Full use of the screen - you can write anywhere at any time, so no need
for silkscreen Grafitti space, or even a pop-up writing area (like on Windoze).
Where you write is where it shows up. If you want to write someplace in particular,
tap where you want, and a caret cursor shows up. Then write anywhere and text
shows up at the cursor.
Jot again.
Comprehensive use of editing gestures - capitalize, lowercase, delete
(scrub out, like you're using an eraser, only it figures it out automatically
without needing to flip the pen or select "eraser mode"), select (tap and
hold, option to then highlight by drawing through selection or circling it),
split word, merge words, cut, copy, and paste, a visible clipboard that doesn't
get in the way (and a freeware option to enable as many clipboards as you
want - you can finally swap using cut-n-paste).
....All I can say is-- NewtOS rocks.
Comprehensive data sharing between applications. Your datebook knows
about names in your address book, and so does your email reader, your printer,
and your fax.
ActionNames
does a decent job at this. It's not built into the OS, but it's a good hack.
Esthetically pleasing layout that still uses minimal screen real estate.
Next to the Newton, the Palm (and Windoze) simply looks bad. Nice touches
ranging from good choice of line widths, to choosing when icons don't
need a border, even if they work like a button (and the reduction in visual
noise really matters on a palmtop), to the smallest "scrollbars" out there
(and knowing when not to use scrollbars).
See above. AN has some really good layouts for the organizer (the only better
one I've seen is MoreInfo for Newton). That said, Newton wins on widgets.
Clever reasonable assumptions. When I write "Lunch with Pam", I tap
the lightbulb. Up pops a meeting slip, saying it is for "Lunch", with a time
set to 12noon for either today or tomorrow (depending on what time of day
it is when I write it), with "Pam" chosen from my address book (and a pop-up
menu to choose from multiple Pams). "Call Dave", "Find John", "Remember to
fix the sink" (a to-do on your calendar), "Meet with Susan next week", all
work.
I could have sworn I saw an Asisst clone for PalmOS once, but now I can't find
it.
Finally, an extensible object model like you wouldn't believe. You can
customize everything, from adding new kinds of stationary to your notepad
(and the stationary can be "smart," e.g., graph paper) to adding menus or
buttons to existing apps to replacing existing apps, etc. etc.
NewtOS - 42, PalmOS 21.
I owned a MessagePad 2100 for several years... I loved it to pieces, it was
easy to use, it did everything I could ever want... except fit into my back
pocket. It just got too inconvenient lugging it everywhere, so now I own a Palm
IIIx with all the software listed above to make it as Newt-like as I can manage.
At one point, when I had SilverScreen installed, I had the Newt icon set, too!
I like the Palm (though it's no newt), but I gotta say, the color screens and
nifty video/camera/mp3/x-windows stuff on the iPaq do make me wonder...
As of Debian 2.1 the installation is MUCH nicer-- there is a "simple mode" available (dselect for dummies is right!) and it is very easy to use.
Side note: I LOVE it when people dig into a distro or program or whatever and then say "well I haven't used the latest version that fixes all these problems, but it doesn't matter because I like to complain because it improves my karma."
I'd love to be able to go through the submitted stories and see if I'm sending in a repeat. But I can't!
Umm in this case, the repeat story was posted two months ago (Sep 22). So the author could have (and in fact should have) checked the archives to see if it had already been posted.
I think the abuse to which FAQ refers is not a matter of low quality stories, it's a matter of spammers clogging up the submission queue with penisbirds becuase they know all of slashdot is going to read it (and not just Taco, etc.).
...and for the last time (I wish): if you want moderated submissions, go to K5!
The whole point of this scheme is tracking-- yes, you can just print a URL on a page, but how are you going to determine whether someone entered the URL because they saw the ad, or if someone told them about it, or if they just made a typo? Now that you've added an additional step to the process (DB query to D|C's servers), you can:
find out how effective your print advertising campaign is
compile aggregate data about user's surfing habits (or at least their cuecatting habits) and therefore their interests, etc
The real trick D|C has pulled off is to a) convince the general public that installing software/hardware, scanning a barcode, and surrendering your privacy is easier than just typing in a URL, and having done that, b) convince advertisers that this will actually produce more sales for their products!
Certainly from a user's perspective (the 30% with actual functioning brains) it is easier to type a URL, but that other 70% think they are getting added value-- and arguably, the advertiers *are* getting added value.
Slashdot Mirror
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=01/03/22/23482 44&cid=181
Ah, but you have to remember, AOL owns Time/Warner now. All the ads are still for AOL/TW companies, as far as I've been able to tell (cnn, iplanet, etc).
The cost of maintaining a complex, server-intensive instant-messaging system cannot be compared to the cost of sending out spam-- many orders of magnitude of difference. Placing the ad may be cheap, but running AIM servers is not.
just how many leads do you think they get from those ads? do you think the sales generated from those ads cover the costs of running the service? I think not...
All the ads are for AOL services or AOL-owned companies .
I've been waiting to hear this "You ungrateful bastards/you must be viewing ads to use AIM" argument...AOL alomst certainly loses money on AIM and those ads, mostly because they don't SELL any!
All the ads are for AOL services or AOL-owned companies !!
AOL puts the service out to lure people into subscribing to AOL, not to make money off ads. And no one can say that AOL is hurting for customers right now...they are still the largest ISP in the world.
So, yes, we can complain, especially when we depend on features AOL clients don't supply -- interoperability, alternate platforms, logging, etc...
I'm wondering how I fit in to all this-- my university just got their letter from the RIAA about my OpenNap server, and promptly yanked my net access.
Vicarious Infringment:
I don't think I have to worry here; I have no financial interest in my users' infringement.
Contributory infringement:
Betamax defense (substantial non-infringing uses): It is possible (as many have pointed out) that the presence and transfer of copyrighted works can fall under fair use-- for space-shifting, for example. I personally, by this definition, have no illegal mp3s-- all my mp3's are of CDs or tapes that I have owned at one point in my life (and have lost at another). I *paid* for the music, and since I lost it, OpenNap/Napster is just my "networked backup." Fair use, according to others, can also encompass sampling-- if I want to listen to a CD before I buy it, can I not download the mp3 first and preview it? Think of those listening stations in CD stores.. do they have to pay extra licensing fees to put a CD in there? (more likely the record companies pay to have them there)
I want to know what other people think about this... are there any other OpenNap admins here that can offer their views?
You can already run Apache / PHP on windows. You can even run Perl, Python, and MySQL!
see my post below (#13)
The best package I've seen is unfortunately Windows-only: Embarcadero ER/Studio
Supports forward- and reverse- diagramming (i.e. diagram from SQL, SQL from diagram) and supports the following databases:
Probably worth taking a look-- at my last company we did some hardcore DB design, and this is what the DB wizards used to do the data modelling.
Apparently MS Transscriber is a feature-reduced version of Calligrapher, who which IIRC is a licensee of the famed Newton HWR! If you try their java demo (not working right now) it's damned accurate... I may have to switch to CE just to get that awesome Newton HWR I miss so much from my MP2100... Now if they could just port this to linux we'd have a serious contender on our hands!
Well, those message boards ARE public. If you say something in public, it's only reasonable to assume that it might be used against you. I don't know if they can retroactively dock your pay or anything, but there's nothing to stop them (or me, if I wanted) from reading the message boards and calling up your boss to tell him what you've said.
Seems to me that you were right to leave your old company. They're basically blackmailing you (and THAT'S not legal, right?) into shutting up by threatending to bad-mouth you to your new employer. I don't know if it's legal, but it certainly doesn't sound right to me.
I asked egghead specifically about this problem: Their reply:
Dear Joshua Wand,
We'd like to update you regarding your customer service request xxxxxxxx.
While we are able to remove your credit card number from your account and our customer files, if you have placed an order with us, the credit card number will remain on record with that transaction. We are required by credit card agreements to maintain these financial transactions. This information is also used when crediting or refunding your order. Please be assured we have taken significant measures to ensure this data is stored in a highly secure environment.
While the FBI investigation is still ongoing, we can now give you an update on our internal investigation, which has uncovered evidence which suggests that Egghead.com's existing security systems interrupted the intrusion while it was in progress, and that customer data has NOT been compromised.
Through our joint efforts with Kroll Associates over the past few weeks, we have taken additional steps to reduce the possibility of future incidents by continuing to strengthen our security measures. This is an ongoing process that we continue to take very seriously.
Sincerely,
Dan R
Your Customer Service Representative
Emulated Half-Life
Counter-Strike!
The number 1 multiplayer fps runs under Linux!
or, roughly: /var/log/apache/access_log > a script that plays a wav whenever it recieves \n
tail -f
So what does the Newton OS do that's so nice?
PalmOS does a pretty good job at this.
Jot. Write on the full screen, visible ink feedback, no funny alphabets to learn.
That said, NOTHING beats NewtOS >2.0 for HWR.
PalmOS has shortcuts.
Jot again.
....All I can say is-- NewtOS rocks.
ActionNames does a decent job at this. It's not built into the OS, but it's a good hack.
See above. AN has some really good layouts for the organizer (the only better one I've seen is MoreInfo for Newton). That said, Newton wins on widgets.
I could have sworn I saw an Asisst clone for PalmOS once, but now I can't find it.
NewtOS - 42, PalmOS 21.
I owned a MessagePad 2100 for several years... I loved it to pieces, it was easy to use, it did everything I could ever want... except fit into my back pocket. It just got too inconvenient lugging it everywhere, so now I own a Palm IIIx with all the software listed above to make it as Newt-like as I can manage. At one point, when I had SilverScreen installed, I had the Newt icon set, too!
I like the Palm (though it's no newt), but I gotta say, the color screens and nifty video/camera/mp3/x-windows stuff on the iPaq do make me wonder...
As of Debian 2.1 the installation is MUCH nicer-- there is a "simple mode" available (dselect for dummies is right!) and it is very easy to use.
Side note: I LOVE it when people dig into a distro or program or whatever and then say "well I haven't used the latest version that fixes all these problems, but it doesn't matter because I like to complain because it improves my karma."
anyways... > 2.1 == good.
I'd love to be able to go through the submitted stories and see if I'm sending in a repeat. But I can't!
Umm in this case, the repeat story was posted two months ago (Sep 22). So the author could have (and in fact should have) checked the archives to see if it had already been posted.
I think the abuse to which FAQ refers is not a matter of low quality stories, it's a matter of spammers clogging up the submission queue with penisbirds becuase they know all of slashdot is going to read it (and not just Taco, etc.).
...and for the last time (I wish): if you want moderated submissions, go to K5!
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/ ELECTION_WatchdogPart4001107.html
The real trick D|C has pulled off is to a) convince the general public that installing software/hardware, scanning a barcode, and surrendering your privacy is easier than just typing in a URL, and having done that, b) convince advertisers that this will actually produce more sales for their products!
Certainly from a user's perspective (the 30% with actual functioning brains) it is easier to type a URL, but that other 70% think they are getting added value-- and arguably, the advertiers *are* getting added value.
I guess this confirms your last point above.
Think Digital Audio Postcard.
See here and here for examples.
I nearly went and bought the Ben Lee album after downloading his MP4.
Ok I was a bit of a whiner, but you'd be cranky too if you'd spent the past two days trying to get rid of a SubSeven trojan that just won't die!
My apologies, and thanks to the folks who backed me up.
Peace--joshwa
That was MY JOKE!!! See comment #14 (the comments.pl link no longer works).