I think Betamax was worth trying and not a stupid idea, but I will agree that everything since has been. Although format wars have been going on for decades, going all the way back to 78's (did you also know there used to be 16 RPM records? The record player I had as a kid had that speed as well as 78 and the more familiar 33-1/3 and 45. My grandmother told me she remembers seeing 16RPM records when she was young), but the pace and expense of these new formats is increasing.
I absolutely refuse to commit to any new format. As far as I'm concerned, the DVD's have finally hit the "sweet spot" in the past couple years where prices are lower and practically anything I could ever want is available. It took CD's at least 10 years to reach that point. DVD's look just fine on my almost 20-year-old RCA, and from everything I hear, HD and related technologies are overly complex from the consumer point of view and even if I had the desire and the money I want nothing to do with that kind of hassle, and I'm a software developer, I eat and breathe "overly complex" and "hard to use".
The problem is that the DVD was successful, and no one is making a killing on them they way they were 10 years ago because the players can be had for almost pocket change, and everything and it's making-of documentaries are already available. What's the solution? Find a new way to gouge early adopters and people with too much disposable income. It's kind of ironic that as an incurable computer nerd, Linux enthusiast and general geek at large, I'm pretty much behind the curve on consumer electronics, not because I lack the money, but because I lack the interest. I have the tools to do what I need and want and despite being an incurable gadget freak, most of this new stuff just doesn't interest me.
But just like Hollywood, who thinks the only way to succeed is to try to make every release a bloated hyper-budget blockbuster, no technology company seems to think it can survive and succeed without forcing a never-ending series of increasingly premature technologies and try to drive demand for things that few people actually want. While that thought may be true, it certainly doesn't make for a market where the consumer is king. Really, the consumer is the guinea pig used by competing megacorporations to battle out which technologies will succeed (or even work). While this is wholly within the capitalist spirit, which I fully support, I still have a hard time feeling like any of this is being done for my benefit as a consumer. The thing is, captialism works when you sell something to me that I want, but more and more, it seems like companies are competing to force or fool people into buying what they often either don't need or don't want, and Sony is quite possibly the king of that country.
Of course, I simply choose not to play that game, as can anyone.
That's because Texas is smart enough to have built new power plants in the past 25 years, whereas California seems to think all they need are good intentions.
The problem is that for more than a decade Microsoft's priorities have been:
1. Maintain their monopoly 2. Fool the government into thinking they don't have a monopoly 3. Enforce Microsoft lock-in to existing customers 4. Spreading FUD about Linux and Open Software in general 5. Band-aiding the constant stream of security flaws in their older products 6. Inventing more and more byzantine and fragile DRM schemes that are still hacked before they are even released 7. Making new software people actually want to use
As you can see, making good software gets trumped by everything else. As far as I'm concerned, they could have stopped with Windows 2000 and stuck to releasing new hardware support, bug fixes and security patches, and we would all be a lot better off.
Can you imagine how lean, mean, secure and smooth a "Windows 2000 Service Pack 11" would have been in 2006?
It would be everything Microsoft spend 5 years failing to deliver with Vista.
What if I simply choose not to use software that acts like that?
DRM isn't going to stay or go away based on anything I do, and I'm not affected by it, nor will I be upgrading to Vista or WMP11 or any of the other crap being excreted by Microsoft.
DRM can't affect you if you don't invite it on to your hardware.
Google is Your friend. Trust Google. Not trusting Google is treason and can be subject to immediate mind-wipe or termination.
Friend Identity0, I do not wish to accuse a believer of heresy lest I be judged, but perhaps you misspoke. Is it not written that if Google has delisted a page it is because the page never existed?
Is it not written, "Yea, verily, and they who shalt deceive the Blessed Indexer, through vile machinations, shall be punished. For truly it is better that they had never been born."? This is interpreted that since Google indexes all of reality, if something is erroneously indexed, it could only be because it does not exist.
You must be on some HIGH volume lists or something, or are archiving tons of attachments, because I have about 8 years of e-mail including some pretty high volume lists and it's about 2.5 GB (1GB in a rar file, which I make weekly).
his mind is not for rent, to ANY god or government.
I once saw a bumper sticker that said, "I can't hear you, I'm listening to Rush." and I was so naive that I thought they were talking about the group until someone pointed out the obvious.
Rick
p.s. I'm a hard-core conservative and _I_ can't stand Rush (the fat tard, not the musicians).
Everything in DC outside of the actual Federal Buildings should rightly go back to Maryland (just like Alexandria and Arlington went back to Virginia around 1840). Of course, even Maryland is too smart to agree to that.
they need to give the consumer something in return
I think you are falling into the trap of thinking the media companies think of you, and want to treat you like a valued customer, or a customer at all, rather than a criminal from whom they have a right to be paid money.
Slashdot Mirror
Well, how in the world are people going to write viruses for Office?
Oh, wait, I forget, OSX doesn't suffer from viruses.
I think Betamax was worth trying and not a stupid idea, but I will agree that everything since has been. Although format wars have been going on for decades, going all the way back to 78's (did you also know there used to be 16 RPM records? The record player I had as a kid had that speed as well as 78 and the more familiar 33-1/3 and 45. My grandmother told me she remembers seeing 16RPM records when she was young), but the pace and expense of these new formats is increasing.
I absolutely refuse to commit to any new format. As far as I'm concerned, the DVD's have finally hit the "sweet spot" in the past couple years where prices are lower and practically anything I could ever want is available. It took CD's at least 10 years to reach that point. DVD's look just fine on my almost 20-year-old RCA, and from everything I hear, HD and related technologies are overly complex from the consumer point of view and even if I had the desire and the money I want nothing to do with that kind of hassle, and I'm a software developer, I eat and breathe "overly complex" and "hard to use".
The problem is that the DVD was successful, and no one is making a killing on them they way they were 10 years ago because the players can be had for almost pocket change, and everything and it's making-of documentaries are already available. What's the solution? Find a new way to gouge early adopters and people with too much disposable income. It's kind of ironic that as an incurable computer nerd, Linux enthusiast and general geek at large, I'm pretty much behind the curve on consumer electronics, not because I lack the money, but because I lack the interest. I have the tools to do what I need and want and despite being an incurable gadget freak, most of this new stuff just doesn't interest me.
But just like Hollywood, who thinks the only way to succeed is to try to make every release a bloated hyper-budget blockbuster, no technology company seems to think it can survive and succeed without forcing a never-ending series of increasingly premature technologies and try to drive demand for things that few people actually want. While that thought may be true, it certainly doesn't make for a market where the consumer is king. Really, the consumer is the guinea pig used by competing megacorporations to battle out which technologies will succeed (or even work). While this is wholly within the capitalist spirit, which I fully support, I still have a hard time feeling like any of this is being done for my benefit as a consumer. The thing is, captialism works when you sell something to me that I want, but more and more, it seems like companies are competing to force or fool people into buying what they often either don't need or don't want, and Sony is quite possibly the king of that country.
Of course, I simply choose not to play that game, as can anyone.
If I had a choice, I'd choose to live in Texas before any of the so-called "smart" blue states.
That's because Texas is smart enough to have built new power plants in the past 25 years, whereas California seems to think all they need are good intentions.
Because for the price of Vista, you can buy a box to run Linux on. And then you have another box to use.
Of course, if you don't want/need another box, then Vista could be worthwhile.
After all, it's got those awesome new clock features.
It's the next generation compared to Microsoft's current generation which is last generation. Got it?
The problem is that for more than a decade Microsoft's priorities have been:
1. Maintain their monopoly
2. Fool the government into thinking they don't have a monopoly
3. Enforce Microsoft lock-in to existing customers
4. Spreading FUD about Linux and Open Software in general
5. Band-aiding the constant stream of security flaws in their older products
6. Inventing more and more byzantine and fragile DRM schemes that are still hacked before they are even released
7. Making new software people actually want to use
As you can see, making good software gets trumped by everything else. As far as I'm concerned, they could have stopped with Windows 2000 and stuck to releasing new hardware support, bug fixes and security patches, and we would all be a lot better off.
Can you imagine how lean, mean, secure and smooth a "Windows 2000 Service Pack 11" would have been in 2006?
It would be everything Microsoft spend 5 years failing to deliver with Vista.
What if I simply choose not to use software that acts like that?
DRM isn't going to stay or go away based on anything I do, and I'm not affected by it, nor will I be upgrading to Vista or WMP11 or any of the other crap being excreted by Microsoft.
DRM can't affect you if you don't invite it on to your hardware.
Whatever you do, stay away from "Google II: The Quickening". Wait for the third one.
Microsoft has made no promise about not doing evil, and they've shown it on a daily basis for 15 years.
Of course, I would actually be happier if Microsoft would make a promise to "Do no stupid."
Only if we put Michael Moore in with him. Well, either way, really.
Google is Your friend. Trust Google. Not trusting Google is treason and can be subject to immediate mind-wipe or termination.
Friend Identity0, I do not wish to accuse a believer of heresy lest I be judged, but perhaps you misspoke. Is it not written that if Google has delisted a page it is because the page never existed?
Is it not written, "Yea, verily, and they who shalt deceive the Blessed Indexer, through vile machinations, shall be punished. For truly it is better that they had never been born."? This is interpreted that since Google indexes all of reality, if something is erroneously indexed, it could only be because it does not exist.
Don't worry, I got it too.
wink wink
Your site seems to be down... I would have tried to access it from OSX just to add it to your logs.
BTW, how did you get to register a TLD that's a number?
B1FF
You must be on some HIGH volume lists or something, or are archiving tons of attachments, because I have about 8 years of e-mail including some pretty high volume lists and it's about 2.5 GB (1GB in a rar file, which I make weekly).
We need to give them the power to secure the border, they are obviously better at law enforcement than law enforcement.
The downside is, of course, that they are acting like law enforcement, and more and more people seem to assume they are within their rights to do so.
The Corporatocracy is upon us.
The quote is:
his mind is not for rent, to ANY god or government.
I once saw a bumper sticker that said, "I can't hear you, I'm listening to Rush." and I was so naive that I thought they were talking about the group until someone pointed out the obvious.
Rick
p.s. I'm a hard-core conservative and _I_ can't stand Rush (the fat tard, not the musicians).
Actually, they just want to be able grow real apples that look like their logo, at least after you take a bite.
Get over it. That battle was lost a decade ago. Nobody cares anymore.
Or are you one of those folks who still gets into System V/Berkeley flame war...
Everything in DC outside of the actual Federal Buildings should rightly go back to Maryland (just like Alexandria and Arlington went back to Virginia around 1840). Of course, even Maryland is too smart to agree to that.
Sorry.
Using sound to screw things? Doesn't the RIAA do this already?
No, they use lawyers.
On the other hand, Congress uses sound to screw things, at least when there's a "Yea/Nay" voice vote.
I prefer weapons-grade Bolonium (a la Cubert). Much purer, almost what comes out of Washington.
You should know better than to inject reason and respect into the discussion, it just confuses and enrages the partisans.
Other than that, you sound like a fine person.
they need to give the consumer something in return
I think you are falling into the trap of thinking the media companies think of you, and want to treat you like a valued customer, or a customer at all, rather than a criminal from whom they have a right to be paid money.
No, he just needs video files compatible with a PDP-8.