So, when Microsoft does it it's bad, but when Sony does the same thing it's a good thing? I don't know about the rest of you, but this deal scares me. In terms of revenue Sony is on pretty equal footing with Microsoft and when giant companies like that make deals with their 'partners' to promote their products I can't help but feel that the consumer is the one who suffers.
As a Linux convert I've come to really like having choices. When a piece of software (open or closed) rises to the top on its own merits I don't have much to complain about. The problem is when a product is artificially bootstrapped the alternatives tend to get ignored, even if there are 'better' choices. I really liked my Amiga and Atari Lynx. Unfortunately I was 'forced' to switch to the 'inferior' substitutes of a Windows 3.1 PC and a Gameboy in order to stay mainstream. Certainly poor company management was a factor in both these cases, but I consider them clear examples of quantity beating out quality.
Hopefully I'm just old and bitter. I used to play Everquest, enjoyed it for a time, but in the end it was just sucking up time and providing little enjoyment. I was aware of the amount of willpower I needed to exert in order to give up the game. MMORPGs can be fun, but addictive. Everquest was certainly much harder to give up playing than any MUD I played, and those were free.
FF11 might be a great game. Square has certainly rarely disappointed me. But this is a new and wide open market, and name recognition will sell units even if the game sucks. I just don't want to take another step backward, and I'm pretty sure deals like this aren't designed to improve the market for me.
Some joyriding alien passing by Sol is going to pick up "All your base are belong to us" sent by some trite geek and thus begins the first interstellar war.
Yeah. Those Vogans are so sensative. Actually, doesn't AYBABTU translate into, "Build a Hyperspace Bypass" in Vogan?
As a member of a group that creates and releases fansubs I can tell you that we exist inside a very murky area of the law. We only distribute subs of anime titles that have not yet or will not be released in the US. Once an anime title is released in the US we stop distributing the work. This is for a copy of reasons. The primary reason is that before a title is released over here the copyright holder is in Japan and therefore does not have a US copyright on their work. Once the copyright holder sells the rights to allow some other entity (including themselves) to distribute in the US they now have a duly authorized US copyright holder. Its a pain in the butt for a Japanese copyright holder to attack a bunch of fanboys in the States. Its business as usual for a US company to get us.
On top of this we have a fairly good relationship with the major anime distributors in the US. Primarily because we DO stop distributing titles once they're released. Before release we're giving them free advertising. After release we're cutting into their profits.
So we do NOT have the right to distribute fansubs, but we're tolerated as long as we play fair. This status will likely change if Anime continues to become more popular and more money is involved.
Copyright law gives the copyright holder exclusive rights to distribute their content. This lawsuit has nothing to do with censorship or the rights of consumers to play with content. Whats at stake here is copyright law itself. Can I alter copyrighted content, claim value added, and then distribute my content as a derived work? If I can, do *I* then have a copyright over the content?
The service pack is large. Live with it. It's no different than downloading 20-30 megs of RPMs for a system-wide update.
I agree that the complaint list seems rather nitpicky. However, I'll assume the complaint about the size of the service packs is that all the patches are bundled together in one large update. The difference between SP1 and 20-30 megs of RPMs is that I can select which of the RPMs I wish to download and install. And, of course, there's no new EULA on RPMs.
If people are willing to pay to skip the first part of a game isn't that an indicator there's something wrong with that part?
Perhaps. There is also the possibility that having to invest time and effort into getting something is 'stupid' when you can just pay for it. I've certainly heard the arguments that "being a newbie sucks" but the counter-argument is that you exist as a newbie until you learn enough to evolve. This would mean the newbie stage is a required proving ground that demonstrates you're a team player and willing to invest your time and effort into the game world. Sorta like wearing a tie at work. There are those who would make the argument that they don't want to play in a game world populated by people who just want things handed to them. Others, of course, would claim it's "just a frelling game" and everyone is entitled to enjoy whatever parts of it they like, especially if they're willing to pay (extra) for it.
I personally like the idea that I can look around a game world and see the uber level characters and know that they have worked hard to get where they are and deserve my respect for the dedication, time, and lifelessness they have committed to the game. This means no eBay, no bugs, no cheats, no renegade admins gifting their favored characters, and a pot of gold at the end of each rainbow. Certainly a tall order to ask for. One compromise would be to segregate those players who don't want to work into their own game world so everyone can play the game the way they want. Another would be to only allow people to buy pre-leveled characters after they get at least one character to level foo.
These multi-player games are tricky. The more people you have playing them, the harder time you have keeping them all happy.
In other words, shut up. People can be smart and believe that there is more to life than just us.
To be critical of alien abductions is not to claim that ET doesn't exist. I would like to hope that alien life exists (and is friendly). I mean, otherwise the universe seems like a huge waste of space, right?
The slashdot article I linked to cited a national study which reported that a growing majority of people believed in pseudosciences while a simular majority didn't have an understanding of basic science. I found the results of the study rather scary.
Just because it's intentional, doesn't mean it's not a bug.
Sure it does. If it's intentional we call it a 'feature' not a bug. Or, as we say in the shop, "The only difference between a feature and a bug is that a feature has documentation."
They'll have to drop the price a LOT to compete with brick-and-mortar rental store.
They could also extend that annoying 1 day viewing period. I was ready to jump over there and 'buy' Harry Potter since I've been told by peers that its "really good" and "worth watching" and the price ($3.99) sounded right. I figured I'd start the download now before I leave for work and could watch the movie tonight. However I want to pay for the whole damn movie, not the 'right' to view the movie for a 24 hour period. They DO offer a service called "Premium Pass" that allows you to watch all the Premium films you want an unlimited amount of times for only $9.95/month. That also 'might' intrest me... if it would work under Linux. The problem again is that I don't want to redownload a movie every time I want to watch it.
Oh well. A friend of mine already bought the DVD, so I guess I'll just have to go over to his house to watch it. He doesn't charge me anything to watch his DVDs because I let him watch all of mine. It is, however, kinda annoying that I have to call him up and arrange a time when we're both not busy to do it. Although I hate people, I do enjoy watching movies as part of a gathering. Ironic, isn't it?
Back when we were younger we would drink "Dew Tang" which was a can of Mountain Dew with a scoup of Tang OJ mix added. And when you really needed to be high strung we would make "Nuclear Dew Tang" which was the same mix, with some No-Doze added in. Note that this mix of sugar and caffine has been found to be lethal in some lab mice.
Unfortunately government tends to have seriously shortsighted vision so the idea of "free now, pay later" is extremely appealing to them. It allows them to offer services for their voters right now, and they don't have to pay for it until the next (or later) budget comes around. Tomorrow's problems never come, and the first one's free. This amazing thinking helps explain the ever expanding national debt.
From the article, refering to the new Offender Data Information System, "It gives them a lot more weapons in fighting crime," Meffert said. The reality? "We can not wield it! None of us can!"
It seems fairly likely that Disney would want to create some hype for the film by commissioning man made crop signs. The only 'harm' to researchers would be if Disney never discloses doing so. Just as the Blair Witch cast was under contract to avoid all media attention until after the hype had died down I see little reason for Disney NOT to disclose not only which circles they commissioned, but how they did it as well. This final media thrust could even help researchers identify fake signs in the future.
Just because something isn't free (as in beer) doesn't mean it sucks. The 'problem' is that as free things get better, the potential profit from selling out also increases. The classic big fish eats the little fish story from economics 102. There isn't always a team of open source developers willing to pay with their free time and talent... sometimes you actually have to pay for quality.
In other news, soykaf is from the dark futures Shadowrun RPG universe created by FASA. Soykaf is the new coffee made from... you guessed it: soybeans. My actual sig is from the Sega console Shadowrun game.
This article is a crock of shit and it stinkith. Of COURSE things on the net are moving toward pay to play. Just look at Slashdot. When it started there were only a few people involved and costs were low, easily justified as a hobby. As Slashdot grew larger the amount of Iron and bandwidth required grew as well, costs could no longer be considered merely a hobbyist expense. However, with the increased number of visitors there was now enough traffic that advertisers take notice. Slashdot is thusly handed over to a for-profit company which is still trying to figure out how to get the eggs without killing the golden goose.
Same thing happens in real life. Consider small settlements with only a few people and a single general store. As the town grows the number of stores increase until big consumer interests see a profitable market. Then WalMart steps in and is soon followed by McDonalds, etc.
Sure these large stores (and web sites) drive the mom and pop shops out of business, but the reason for that is they can afford lower prices with a greater selection. The real problem is after all the competition is gone, they can raise prices to whatever they want.
P2P file-sharing networks might keep prices in check, but only for those who consider them competition (such as Listen.com). The xIAAs still consider them unlawful enemies of capitalism and are attempting to legislate them out of existence. Hopefully it will have as much success as Prohibition.
It is really sad that the RIAA seeks to have such a strangle hold on every possible outlet for media.
I think the hypocrisy of the RIAA is even more sad. From the Reuters article: "Rather than seek special treatment from the courts, we encourage the broadcasters to work with the labels and artists as our industries transition into new businesses," said Steven Marks, a senior vice president at the RIAA.
Gosh, that's funny. That's exactly what I RIAA to do too. Stop spending time and money on legislation to protect your profit and come up with a product and price scheme that people actually want to pay.
Ballmer now concedes that MS execs "haven't figured out how to be lower-priced than Linux.
You keep them on that task Ballmer. And let me know when they figure out how to be lower-priced than free. My bet, it'll take them a while.
This is total FUD. Ballmer and crew have figured out how to be lower priced than free. Just look to Peru.
Wonder how many organizations/countries without any intent to switch to Linux (will) have "Linux programs" just for negotiating with MS?
In the end I'm sure Microsoft will be more than happy to give every world government who wants it some "free" MS software. Remember what the actual cost of the software and CDs is, and how they get to write it off as a tax deductable donation at the retail cost. Then note that after a few years of running under the shackles of Microsoft it's hard to escape. Then MS recoups their 'costs' in your renewed licensing fees. Or, more simply:
I guess I never really thought about it, but something in the artice managed to jar a thought loose. I kinda assumed that a fuel cell would be a fuel cell to ease the transistion from gas stations (which are everywhere) to fuel cell stations (which are presently almost nowhere). However, from the artice: GM is the only US automaker developing its own fuel cell in-house.
How annoying does the future become if you're required to use GM fuel cells in GM cars, and brand X cells in type X cars? I hope that GM is merely trying to get first mover rights on the fuel cell market so that Everything runs on GM fuel cells, but sadly I only see this as the start of the competition wars between automakers. Gosh I'm getting cynical in my old age.
...a virus that can't replicate on its own. It just doesn't have the machinery to do so, because we've taken it out all together.
Hey, wait a minute. Didn't they only engineer females in Jurassic Park? And how did that work out, excactly? Sounds like this theory isn't that safe after all!
I'll admit I was disappointed that there is no link or mention of the bnetd lawsuit in this story. However, Slashdot is suppose to be a news site. As much as we might like/. to turn into a political activist website I would rather make up my own mind on the issues rather than checking in here on how to think or act.
As such, I will not be buying WC3 if they continue this lawsuit and have told all my friends why. Unfortunately they seem to think I'm some kind of weird Linux zealot (as opposed to a Protoss one?) and will be buying it anyways. But at least I'm trying to make a difference by not joining in their reindeer games, right?
"Say, why won't Sax play Warcraft with us?" "I think it's against his religion."
I believe the point being made is that under the guise of 'getting to know our users' we are being asked to give up more privacy than a company strictly needs from a statistical point of view. While this may not be so bad as it is their content, this does set the stage for more invasive requirements in the future.
But their may be better ways to go about collecting customer data. Creating an optional registration format would significantly cut down on bad data. Even if Michael believes "many people would tell the truth without caring that they're being tracked" I know plenty of people that fill out bogus information for required registration sites. If registration is optional you also get the added bonus of directly tracking those users who are willing to put forth an effort for your site. A valuable commodity. On the other hand, it may not be fiscally viable to cater to users who aren't willing to put forth any effort for your site.
Slashdot Mirror
As a Linux convert I've come to really like having choices. When a piece of software (open or closed) rises to the top on its own merits I don't have much to complain about. The problem is when a product is artificially bootstrapped the alternatives tend to get ignored, even if there are 'better' choices. I really liked my Amiga and Atari Lynx. Unfortunately I was 'forced' to switch to the 'inferior' substitutes of a Windows 3.1 PC and a Gameboy in order to stay mainstream. Certainly poor company management was a factor in both these cases, but I consider them clear examples of quantity beating out quality.
Hopefully I'm just old and bitter. I used to play Everquest, enjoyed it for a time, but in the end it was just sucking up time and providing little enjoyment. I was aware of the amount of willpower I needed to exert in order to give up the game. MMORPGs can be fun, but addictive. Everquest was certainly much harder to give up playing than any MUD I played, and those were free.
FF11 might be a great game. Square has certainly rarely disappointed me. But this is a new and wide open market, and name recognition will sell units even if the game sucks. I just don't want to take another step backward, and I'm pretty sure deals like this aren't designed to improve the market for me.
Yeah. Those Vogans are so sensative. Actually, doesn't AYBABTU translate into, "Build a Hyperspace Bypass" in Vogan?
On top of this we have a fairly good relationship with the major anime distributors in the US. Primarily because we DO stop distributing titles once they're released. Before release we're giving them free advertising. After release we're cutting into their profits.
So we do NOT have the right to distribute fansubs, but we're tolerated as long as we play fair. This status will likely change if Anime continues to become more popular and more money is involved.
Copyright law gives the copyright holder exclusive rights to distribute their content. This lawsuit has nothing to do with censorship or the rights of consumers to play with content. Whats at stake here is copyright law itself. Can I alter copyrighted content, claim value added, and then distribute my content as a derived work? If I can, do *I* then have a copyright over the content?
I agree that the complaint list seems rather nitpicky. However, I'll assume the complaint about the size of the service packs is that all the patches are bundled together in one large update. The difference between SP1 and 20-30 megs of RPMs is that I can select which of the RPMs I wish to download and install. And, of course, there's no new EULA on RPMs.
Perhaps. There is also the possibility that having to invest time and effort into getting something is 'stupid' when you can just pay for it. I've certainly heard the arguments that "being a newbie sucks" but the counter-argument is that you exist as a newbie until you learn enough to evolve. This would mean the newbie stage is a required proving ground that demonstrates you're a team player and willing to invest your time and effort into the game world. Sorta like wearing a tie at work. There are those who would make the argument that they don't want to play in a game world populated by people who just want things handed to them. Others, of course, would claim it's "just a frelling game" and everyone is entitled to enjoy whatever parts of it they like, especially if they're willing to pay (extra) for it.
I personally like the idea that I can look around a game world and see the uber level characters and know that they have worked hard to get where they are and deserve my respect for the dedication, time, and lifelessness they have committed to the game. This means no eBay, no bugs, no cheats, no renegade admins gifting their favored characters, and a pot of gold at the end of each rainbow. Certainly a tall order to ask for. One compromise would be to segregate those players who don't want to work into their own game world so everyone can play the game the way they want. Another would be to only allow people to buy pre-leveled characters after they get at least one character to level foo.
These multi-player games are tricky. The more people you have playing them, the harder time you have keeping them all happy.
To be critical of alien abductions is not to claim that ET doesn't exist. I would like to hope that alien life exists (and is friendly). I mean, otherwise the universe seems like a huge waste of space, right?
The slashdot article I linked to cited a national study which reported that a growing majority of people believed in pseudosciences while a simular majority didn't have an understanding of basic science. I found the results of the study rather scary.
Many people don't have a lot of faith in science. Which is why we have those who doubt the moon landing and believe in alien abductions.
Sure it does. If it's intentional we call it a 'feature' not a bug. Or, as we say in the shop, "The only difference between a feature and a bug is that a feature has documentation."
They could also extend that annoying 1 day viewing period. I was ready to jump over there and 'buy' Harry Potter since I've been told by peers that its "really good" and "worth watching" and the price ($3.99) sounded right. I figured I'd start the download now before I leave for work and could watch the movie tonight. However I want to pay for the whole damn movie, not the 'right' to view the movie for a 24 hour period. They DO offer a service called "Premium Pass" that allows you to watch all the Premium films you want an unlimited amount of times for only $9.95/month. That also 'might' intrest me... if it would work under Linux. The problem again is that I don't want to redownload a movie every time I want to watch it.
Oh well. A friend of mine already bought the DVD, so I guess I'll just have to go over to his house to watch it. He doesn't charge me anything to watch his DVDs because I let him watch all of mine. It is, however, kinda annoying that I have to call him up and arrange a time when we're both not busy to do it. Although I hate people, I do enjoy watching movies as part of a gathering. Ironic, isn't it?
Back when we were younger we would drink "Dew Tang" which was a can of Mountain Dew with a scoup of Tang OJ mix added. And when you really needed to be high strung we would make "Nuclear Dew Tang" which was the same mix, with some No-Doze added in. Note that this mix of sugar and caffine has been found to be lethal in some lab mice.
From the article, refering to the new Offender Data Information System, "It gives them a lot more weapons in fighting crime," Meffert said. The reality? "We can not wield it! None of us can!"
Can someone explain to me how 'releasing' their source in this fashion helps anyone other than Microsoft?
Why hasn't this been modded up to funny as hell? I'm still laughing!
It seems fairly likely that Disney would want to create some hype for the film by commissioning man made crop signs. The only 'harm' to researchers would be if Disney never discloses doing so. Just as the Blair Witch cast was under contract to avoid all media attention until after the hype had died down I see little reason for Disney NOT to disclose not only which circles they commissioned, but how they did it as well. This final media thrust could even help researchers identify fake signs in the future.
In other news, soykaf is from the dark futures Shadowrun RPG universe created by FASA. Soykaf is the new coffee made from... you guessed it: soybeans. My actual sig is from the Sega console Shadowrun game.
Same thing happens in real life. Consider small settlements with only a few people and a single general store. As the town grows the number of stores increase until big consumer interests see a profitable market. Then WalMart steps in and is soon followed by McDonalds, etc.
Sure these large stores (and web sites) drive the mom and pop shops out of business, but the reason for that is they can afford lower prices with a greater selection. The real problem is after all the competition is gone, they can raise prices to whatever they want.
P2P file-sharing networks might keep prices in check, but only for those who consider them competition (such as Listen.com). The xIAAs still consider them unlawful enemies of capitalism and are attempting to legislate them out of existence. Hopefully it will have as much success as Prohibition.
I think the hypocrisy of the RIAA is even more sad. From the Reuters article: "Rather than seek special treatment from the courts, we encourage the broadcasters to work with the labels and artists as our industries transition into new businesses," said Steven Marks, a senior vice president at the RIAA.
Gosh, that's funny. That's exactly what I RIAA to do too. Stop spending time and money on legislation to protect your profit and come up with a product and price scheme that people actually want to pay.
You keep them on that task Ballmer. And let me know when they figure out how to be lower-priced than free. My bet, it'll take them a while.
This is total FUD. Ballmer and crew have figured out how to be lower priced than free. Just look to Peru.
In the end I'm sure Microsoft will be more than happy to give every world government who wants it some "free" MS software. Remember what the actual cost of the software and CDs is, and how they get to write it off as a tax deductable donation at the retail cost. Then note that after a few years of running under the shackles of Microsoft it's hard to escape. Then MS recoups their 'costs' in your renewed licensing fees. Or, more simply:
1) Give away 'free' software
2) ???
3) Profit
Betcha a nickle yer wrong.
How annoying does the future become if you're required to use GM fuel cells in GM cars, and brand X cells in type X cars? I hope that GM is merely trying to get first mover rights on the fuel cell market so that Everything runs on GM fuel cells, but sadly I only see this as the start of the competition wars between automakers. Gosh I'm getting cynical in my old age.
Hey, wait a minute. Didn't they only engineer females in Jurassic Park? And how did that work out, excactly? Sounds like this theory isn't that safe after all!
As such, I will not be buying WC3 if they continue this lawsuit and have told all my friends why. Unfortunately they seem to think I'm some kind of weird Linux zealot (as opposed to a Protoss one?) and will be buying it anyways. But at least I'm trying to make a difference by not joining in their reindeer games, right?
"Say, why won't Sax play Warcraft with us?" "I think it's against his religion."
But their may be better ways to go about collecting customer data. Creating an optional registration format would significantly cut down on bad data. Even if Michael believes "many people would tell the truth without caring that they're being tracked" I know plenty of people that fill out bogus information for required registration sites. If registration is optional you also get the added bonus of directly tracking those users who are willing to put forth an effort for your site. A valuable commodity. On the other hand, it may not be fiscally viable to cater to users who aren't willing to put forth any effort for your site.