Cringely will keep being Cringely as long as Microsoft keeps being Microsoft. The computer industry could put Cringe out to pasture just being limiting themselves to boneheaded errors instead of predatory behavior. It's possible that he overstates the case, but we've gotten so jaded by other examples of this type of behavior that he may have to make a stink just to cut through the pervasive air of apathy.
Sure, you can say that Microsoft is just trying to maximize their profit, but I would submit that in a perfect world, they would be doing that by offering a better product, rather than locking out the competition. Is it conceivable that they could have added these features in such a way that didn't make USB incompatible? Absolutely. And I bet everyone got a big laugh at that one.
Clearly, one of the purposes of this development effort is to provide a reply to claims from countries like North Korea, which justify nuclear power development on energy needs, but ending up with weapons grade materials to spare (and share). A rig like this, even on the small end, would double the PRK's power output. I can just see the dialog at the UN: "Look, if you're serious about your economic development, we'll give you 10 Port-A-Nukes to ramp up. You don't really need that breeder reactor..."
Well, you can't have it both ways. Either OSS is totally unencumbered and free for public use, or not. You could write a license that says that it's free for everyone but the government or weapons manufacturers, but that's darn hard to enforce. I mean, do you really think the Pentagon obeys licenses and patent laws in cases of "National Security"?
Ethically, I would say you're blame free. If you build a house, and a serial killer moves in, are you an accessory to murder? Most tools (excluding guns and explosives, and even those can be debated) take on beneficial or harmful characteristics only when wielded by a person who has made a choice.
Does this give anyone else a feeling of Deja Vu? Remember when there was a browser company called Netscape, that owned a significant portion of the market? Bill Gates stood up and made beating Netscape the main priority of the company, just as they had earlier with Wordperfect, Jazz, and 1-2-3. I can think of very few cases when, once the dinosaur finally awoke, it didn't trample the competition (with the possible exception of IIS).
This particular competitive conflict might be different in that we're talking not about an application, but a platform. Microsoft eliminated the previously mentioned examples by coming out with their own alternative apps, which they made attractive to businesses and leveraged with the Office suite, or integrated into the OS.
In the case of Linux, they've already got an alternative (Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server 2003). It's not doing too bad either - the problem for Microsoft seems not to be lost business to Linux (though there is some), but rather that they cannot consume and obliterate the *nix market. The continuation of a real, viable alternative stands in the way of their maximizing the profit potential of related applications, such as Exchange, Biztalk, Sharepoint, SQL Server, etc.
In short,the analogy I see is that the don't just want the printer market, the want the cable, toner, and paper markets as well. Linux interferes stands in the way of that goal.
IANAD, but I think I had heard there are some surgical procedures where they intentionally reduce body core temperature and metabolism, so they have longer to, say, replace a heart without inflicting neurological damage from oxygen deficit (this is after anesthesia). Any surgical personnel out there with the scoop?
At least physicists have the decency to choose names like "gluons" instead of "strong nuclear force gauge bosons". Unless I'm in the field, neither "gluons" nor "variable spreading factor orthogonal frequency code division multiplexing" is going to mean that much to me, but "gluons" is a lot easier to say.
Rob Enderle's role in the industry is a lot like the Cowboy Neal choice in the Slashdot polls...his name gets mentioned a lot, but generally, he doesn't add much substance to the discussion.
This is a scenario that has appeared in science fiction before in, for example, Charles Sheffield's Aftermath and Starfire.
What sticks in my mind is the thought that on a cosmic scale, these things happen. Whether it's meteor strikes, runaway greenhouse effects, or nearby supernovae, the universe/mother nature doesn't care. The universe is a scary place. It's just that we're around to complain about it now.
You here this arguement a lot: "If you're not breaking the law, you have nothing to worry about". Well, what happens when someone changes the law, and decides that your racial or ethnic group is undesirable? Or even a threat to national security?
Remember, this doesn't only mean Americans (or Europeans, for that matter) of middle eastern or asian descent. In the past, suspicion has fallen on Japanese, Chinese, and even German Americans.
The better question to ask is not the chances that these capabilities will be directed against you, but rather how you would feel if they were.
Interesting that you make that particular comparison. While it may have nothing to do with it, both Woz and Allen have faced life threatening situations, Woz's plane crash and Allen's bouts with Hodgkin's disease. Perhaps this has lead them to more closely examine their lives than Gates and Jobs have done.
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So was Benjamin Franklin, and look how that turned out...
Cringely will keep being Cringely as long as Microsoft keeps being Microsoft. The computer industry could put Cringe out to pasture just being limiting themselves to boneheaded errors instead of predatory behavior. It's possible that he overstates the case, but we've gotten so jaded by other examples of this type of behavior that he may have to make a stink just to cut through the pervasive air of apathy.
Sure, you can say that Microsoft is just trying to maximize their profit, but I would submit that in a perfect world, they would be doing that by offering a better product, rather than locking out the competition. Is it conceivable that they could have added these features in such a way that didn't make USB incompatible? Absolutely. And I bet everyone got a big laugh at that one.
This galaxy just sucks.
Clearly, one of the purposes of this development effort is to provide a reply to claims from countries like North Korea, which justify nuclear power development on energy needs, but ending up with weapons grade materials to spare (and share). A rig like this, even on the small end, would double the PRK's power output. I can just see the dialog at the UN: "Look, if you're serious about your economic development, we'll give you 10 Port-A-Nukes to ramp up. You don't really need that breeder reactor..."
Well, you can't have it both ways. Either OSS is totally unencumbered and free for public use, or not. You could write a license that says that it's free for everyone but the government or weapons manufacturers, but that's darn hard to enforce. I mean, do you really think the Pentagon obeys licenses and patent laws in cases of "National Security"?
Ethically, I would say you're blame free. If you build a house, and a serial killer moves in, are you an accessory to murder? Most tools (excluding guns and explosives, and even those can be debated) take on beneficial or harmful characteristics only when wielded by a person who has made a choice.
I believe the more appropriate term is "lure"...
Does this give anyone else a feeling of Deja Vu? Remember when there was a browser company called Netscape, that owned a significant portion of the market? Bill Gates stood up and made beating Netscape the main priority of the company, just as they had earlier with Wordperfect, Jazz, and 1-2-3. I can think of very few cases when, once the dinosaur finally awoke, it didn't trample the competition (with the possible exception of IIS).
This particular competitive conflict might be different in that we're talking not about an application, but a platform. Microsoft eliminated the previously mentioned examples by coming out with their own alternative apps, which they made attractive to businesses and leveraged with the Office suite, or integrated into the OS.
In the case of Linux, they've already got an alternative (Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server 2003). It's not doing too bad either - the problem for Microsoft seems not to be lost business to Linux (though there is some), but rather that they cannot consume and obliterate the *nix market. The continuation of a real, viable alternative stands in the way of their maximizing the profit potential of related applications, such as Exchange, Biztalk, Sharepoint, SQL Server, etc.
In short,the analogy I see is that the don't just want the printer market, the want the cable, toner, and paper markets as well. Linux interferes stands in the way of that goal.
On the other hand, I just Googled an article showing that hypothermia during surgery can increase susceptability to post-op infections. TANSTAAFL.
IANAD, but I think I had heard there are some surgical procedures where they intentionally reduce body core temperature and metabolism, so they have longer to, say, replace a heart without inflicting neurological damage from oxygen deficit (this is after anesthesia). Any surgical personnel out there with the scoop?
Parallels to SCO fairly leap to mind....
And if I'm not mistaken, there are already a number of alternative OSes for the Linksys. Why not hack the linksys to add mesh features instead?
At least physicists have the decency to choose names like "gluons" instead of "strong nuclear force gauge bosons". Unless I'm in the field, neither "gluons" nor "variable spreading factor orthogonal frequency code division multiplexing" is going to mean that much to me, but "gluons" is a lot easier to say.
Bill Gates also respects the work of many politicians as well
Not until the new bugs go active.
Rob Enderle's role in the industry is a lot like the Cowboy Neal choice in the Slashdot polls...his name gets mentioned a lot, but generally, he doesn't add much substance to the discussion.
Someone tell Cmdr. Taco before he signs the DirecWay contract.
Of course, it's too early to eliminate the use of the Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator.
This is a scenario that has appeared in science fiction before in, for example, Charles Sheffield's Aftermath and Starfire.
What sticks in my mind is the thought that on a cosmic scale, these things happen. Whether it's meteor strikes, runaway greenhouse effects, or nearby supernovae, the universe/mother nature doesn't care. The universe is a scary place. It's just that we're around to complain about it now.
Here, doggy, doggy!
Fill in obligatory "IN SOVIET RUSSIA..." response here.
The linux side are "Zealots" while the Windows people are "users"? How would you like a job writing "objective" surveys?
You here this arguement a lot: "If you're not breaking the law, you have nothing to worry about". Well, what happens when someone changes the law, and decides that your racial or ethnic group is undesirable? Or even a threat to national security?
Remember, this doesn't only mean Americans (or Europeans, for that matter) of middle eastern or asian descent. In the past, suspicion has fallen on Japanese, Chinese, and even German Americans.
The better question to ask is not the chances that these capabilities will be directed against you, but rather how you would feel if they were.
Interesting that you make that particular comparison. While it may have nothing to do with it, both Woz and Allen have faced life threatening situations, Woz's plane crash and Allen's bouts with Hodgkin's disease. Perhaps this has lead them to more closely examine their lives than Gates and Jobs have done.
Now who's gonna admit they're SCO's sysadmin? Silly Question.
The White House's immediate reaction was to try to control the spin, thereby eliminating any deviation from the status quo.