can u give a link to 2.5xtreme? I have friends in Canada that subscribe to DTV (using a US address) and would LOVE to use a Tivo.
(for the record i'm currently a DTV and TIVO customer and pay for all my service, even though the $10/month i pay tivo is bullshit. Like the points given above, i'm paying $10/month just to keep the box functioning)
ID only ports to Linux out of good will. Yes, it's nice and appreciated. But the odds of you getting lots of ports from 'good will' are about as likely as me getting my gas tank filled up with 'good will' at Texaco.
Games are big business. Didn't we just hear that they outdid hollywood last year?
>>Whatever else Loki might've done wrong, native
>>porting was one thing they did right
What color is the sky in your world?
It may have been 'right' in your eyes, but it was a colossal failure. Remember the total lack of sales, and death of Loki. You may have agreed with their approach, but the fact remains they had to fire all their developers and go bankrupt.
>>None of which will wind up in TransGaming's
>>coffers.
Lets see...... to vote with your gaming dollars you can buy Tux Racer, or........ Tux Racer. Good show old man.
I know it's hard, but try to see past the end of your nose. So instead of having games in emulation (support Transgaming and the work they're doing), you'd rather have them fail because they're not doing it the way you would. So you end up with nothing.
And lets recap.... the way you would do it was the Loki way. Yup - good business plan there.
I had considered joining them..... I do a lot of flying so having DVD's that i could watch on the plane and not worry about late fees was very appealing....
BUT
In the last couple of weeks they have been the #1 popup add thats showing up as I surf the web. I must get 2 dozen of them a day.
It's an interesting business, but I refuse to patronize something that goes out of it's way to annoy me.
Don't patronize companies that use spam or popups.... thats the only way they'll stop.
"There is a doctrine in law called the "unclean hands" doctrine in which a plaintiff is denied any recovery because it comes into court with unclean hands (i.e., being guilty of some illegal or related misconduct), and the doctrine says (when the doctrine applies at all) that the court will leave the wrongdoers where they are and deny relief to them all in such a situation. "
or more simply:
"An ancient legal principle still in effect is known as the doctrine of unclean hands. The general guiding principle is that judges shouldn't allow courts to be used for improper ends, so only those who have clean hands can invoke the aid of the court. "
No - you cannot. Tivo has removed this functionality.
If you're not paying the subscription fee, all you can do is pause live tv, or watch stuff that has been previously recorded. You CANNOT record anything new.
Trust me --- my Tivo subscription got screwed up last week so I experienced it first hand.
>>This means that the Tivo only has utility to
>>people who tape a fair amount of stuff of TV.
Thats where you're wrong.
It may sound patronizing, but until you've really used a Tivo you don't understand it. Having a PVR totally changes how you watch TV. I never taped anything on tv. Either i'd catch it when it was on, or i'd miss it. With Tivo i just give it the list of the shows i care about and it grabs them when they're on and there's always there when i sit down. If the show changes time, day - no problem. Tivo grabs it.
>>I watch a fair amount of television
right. But with a PVR you can watch it whenever you want.
I'm not a moron - I can program a VCR. But you know what? Generally it's more headache than it's worth.... the show changed time, i forgot to turn the VCR off, i forgot to put a tape in, i forgot to rewind the tape, blah blah blah.
Tivo is like your own personal video-on-demand. Sure - you can't order up a show that it doesn't hold, but once you train it with what you want it's inventory is always full.
If they are ever going to take off, PVR's need to stop:
a)trying to sell it at a VCR. It isn't. Not even close.
b)quit trying to sell the 'pause live tv' angle. Sure it can do it, but it's so much more.
Yeah yeah, i know i sound like a salesman. But i can't remember a piece of tech that i've enjoyed more in the last 10 years than my tivo (ok - maybe my portable mp3 player:)
I got my tivo back in august when i moved apartments. My VCR is STILL in the box and i have no reason to take it out. Anybody want to buy a top of the line Sony VCR - low milage?:)
>>However, it's going to be somewhat worthless to
>>offer your travelers wireless without also
>>giving them a place to plug in your laptop.
Ummmmmm........ you should fly out of your own airport more. Minneapolis/StPaul is actually pretty good at having desks available in the terminal WITH power outlets.
Sure, it could always be better, but it's about the best airport i've seen in that regard.
Well if it is i hope it's LIGHTER! Damn.... have u ever tried to move an octane? They've got to be at least 60lbs. Trying to cart those beasts around for trade shows I could have used a forklift....
>>I hate to mince words here, but dig this: Some
>>might argue that *BeOS* is the best platform
>>for many multimedia tasks.
Hate to mince words, but those people are idiots.
First - don't talk about BeOS in the present sense. It's dead. Sad, but true.
Second - where would be all these multimedia apps on BeOS? Where's Illustrator? Photoshop? Quicktime? Painter? Freehand? Media Composer? DS? Symphony? ProTools? Quark? Maya? SOFTIMAGE? 3DSMax? Lightwave? Houdini? Pagemaker? Framemaker? InDesign? Combustion? Inferno? Media100? etc etc etc...
See a trend? Certainly BeOS *may have had the potential* to be a good MM os, but there was zero software. And that's what matters. Unless I'm willing to write all the tools myself. If i'm being paid to do graphic design i couldn't give a damn about the OOP'ness and threading model of the OS. I need apps - period. And I need *specific* apps. For example - If i need Photoshop I need Photoshop. I don't want GIMP. It's always kind of laughable when people declare GIMP to be a Photoshop killer. Maybe it will be in 10 years - but it's nowhere in the ballpark now. Not to slag on GIMP, but it's no Photoshop. And when I have a job to do, spending $600 on Photoshop to get the tools I need, vs. getting GIMP for 'free' and having endless headaches and missing 80% of the tools I need.... well there is no choice. Spending $600 on photoshop would pay for itself in a week.
Lets drop the 'coulda-woulda-shoulda' attitude. Next thing you'll bring up how killer the Amiga was.
>>Likewise, I would argue that *Linux* is the >>best platform for gaming...if you're ready to >>cope with a limited selection of games.
You could argue, but you'd be wrong. Limited selection of games, terrible drivers, and an OS that is stuck in 1979.
Example: I want to change the resolution/color space of my monitor. On Win32, ControlPanel->Display->Settings. Click click click I'm done.
On Linux - oh christ. Go try and dig out the chipset docs for your PC and gfx card if you've got them and start digging into the Xfree config files. Make sure you don't type in bad settings that'll cook your monitor or fry the card because you've put in a sync value that exceeds their specs. I got to fight with a default of Xfree4.x for a hour because my mouse type (though supported) isn't even documented (luckily i had an old v3.x config file still laying around). And no, Xconfigurator isn't even close.
>>The file system is faster and more efficient.
Lets see, it seems like they've FINALLY fixed the corruption problems in the 2.4 kernels...... we hope. Too bad about the VM subsystem. We're getting there......
>>My point is that Windows is *not* a superior
>>gaming platform compared to Linux,
Sure it is. It the OS facilities that are required, it is easy to use, and it has the games selection. You should start reading the linux kernel mailing list. The kernel has some *serious* problems. Even the powers that be can admit that.
Where is the linux equivalent of DirectInput? Nope.
Where is the linux equivalent of Direct3D? We've got OpenGL, which is proceeding at a glacial development pace, while D3D updates pop up every couple months --- significant updates. Being able to work with retained mode in D3D instead of being forced to deal with immediate model in OGL can make a big difference to a coder. The points go on and on. If you think D3D is junk, i suggest you read Carmacks points on his opinion of D3Dv8. It's quite nice, and MSFT is doing some good stuff with it.
It's funny --- there are so many things that Win2k/XP offer the user that the linux zealot will say "NOT IMPORTANT!" until linux finally adds it.... then it's the best thing since sliced bread.
C'mon. Lets be realistic. Linux isn't great for games. Generally it's a colossal pain in the ass - and ocassionally not being too much trouble.
I write code all day on Win32 and Linux so I'm not one of these armchair quarterbacks who's talking out of their ass. I like linux for what it's good at, but it isn't good at everything. And it just makes you sound like a naieve zealot to spout off that it is.
Zippy the Wonder Boy (A.K.A. Marc A) was making tons of noise on how the browser was going to make the OS obsolete, etc etc etc.
It's only natural for the OS developer to want to include that functionality.
Sure, there is a slim chance that there could be a 3rd party 'browser market' out there, but it's slim at best.
Do you buy a 3rd party print Q manager? File browser? File sharing software? No - they are expected parts of the OS (name one contemporary OS that doesn't ship with this stuff). Sure you can buy a 3rd party solution if you need something extremely sophisticated, but the OS developer is looking to produce features that 75-90% of users will get a use out of.
Lets look at this from a different angle... Should Sun have been prohibited from providing NFS with SunOS when there were other companies who's entire business was to provide file sharing functionality (e.g. Novell, Banyan). No
Same thing applies in other markets. There was no radio in the original Ford Model T. Does that mean that Ford shouldn't be allowed to 'bundle' a radio in their cars? If you say they should be allowed... there was a big 3rd party market out there that the automobile manufacturers effectively squashed by adding features. Radios, stereos, air conditioning, power windows, cruise control, etc etc.
Microsoft is totally right in saying that they can put anything they want in the OS.... even a 'ham sandwich' if they want. If you don't like what they provide, don't buy it.
What they SHOULD be punished for was the anticompetative actions they took with regards to bundling (e.g. telling a PC manufacturer they would lose their Windows license, or pay higher fees if the manufacturer shipped Netscape with the PC by default).
Netscape screwed up. They thought there was a browser market (there isn't). They didn't realize that the real $$$ was in providing content --- www.netscape.com was the MOST visited place on the web for the longest time (because it was the default page in the browser). They blew it - YAHOO grabbed that ball and ran with it. And third they kept releasing buggy, crashing horrible applications that literally drove their users away.
Thats my whole point. The only stuff that is being released digitally is:
a) alternative, fringe, old, or otherwise stuff that I don't want.
b) the latest and greatest, with the largest collections, but saddled with so many conditions and restrictions I'd be throwing away money.
Sure - eMusic.com is *something*, but it sure ain't what I want. This afternoon I downloaded 30 tracks off AudioGalaxy. I just searched for them on eMusic. Nope - not a single one.
>>put your money where your mouth is.
Show me somewhere i can spend my money that offers the service and selection i'm expecting. eMusic sure ain't it. I know eMusic isn't the only game in town, but it's very representative.
This has nothing to do with 'hot air'. If i'm looking to pay for a particular song, i want that song. I don't want some other generic or substitute from the same 'genre'. This isn't like going to the supermarket and substituting one brand of milk for another.
Re:Napster Died a long time ago...
on
Review of Pay Napster
·
· Score: 5, Informative
>>Seriously, does anybody expect this
>>pay-for-mp3's thing to take off?
You know - I'd be willing to pay.
Seriously, for $1 or $2 per song I'd probably spend a fortune. I totally believe that the artists (and the record companies --- they do pay for the promotion and all the associated crap even though they are pure evil) deserve to be paid.
BUT........
Nobody who is putting together one of these systems is interested in that. They want to put a bazillion restrictions on me. It's in a proprietary,locked format. You can't dump it to your portable MP3 player. You can't burn it onto a CD to play it into a car. If you cancel your subscription you LOSE ALL THE MUSIC YOU'VE PAID FOR (No - i'm not making this one up. I believe it's PressPlay that does that. You only have access to the tracks you've paid for as long as you keep kicking up monthly cash).
So instead of getting some of my money - they don't get any. They just don't get it - and I don't know if they ever will. If you're going to try to rob me of the basic freedoms I have with CD based audio, there is ZERO chance you're going to get me on board.
Sorry folks - they days of paying $15-20 for a CD (and at LEAST $6-8 more compared to the exact same album on tape) are over. You've milked that cow long enough.
If i could pay for the mp3 tracks i wanted i bet i'd end up spending at least $30 a month. (I listen to a lot of club music that i couldn't buy in a store because it's just not there). Instead - I spend nothing and slurp it all off the net. I honestly can't remember the last CD I purchased (not including blanks of course )
The sooner the labels realize this the better. But they won't.
They'll keep kicking and screaming, sponsoring new legislation trying to put the genie back in the bottle.
You're probably the same type of person that, when pulled over for a speeding ticket, berates the cop with "Hey! You can't do this to me - I PAY your salary!"
Guess what - some tax dollars go to develop stuff that you don't use or get benefits from. Deal with it. The american technology industry wouldn't be nearly what it is if it wasn't for the investment made by the military and/or government. Do you directly get some cash out of the deal? No. But society as a whole benefits from the advancement.
Next time you're in florida, i suggest you stop by NASA and *demand* your trip on the space shuttle. After all, you 'paid for it'.
(this argument is of course orthogonal to the one about what projects are 'appropriate' to fund. Don't try to pull us off on a tangent)
Microsoft didn't stop shipping the MIPS version of NT until EVERY SINGLE maker of MIPS clones stopped production (Netpower was one of the last holdouts).
Nobody bought the computers, so the makers stopped making them, so MS stopped producing the OS. Seems reasonable. Why develop an OS for hardware that is no longer being produced.
(and please - don't bring up SGI. NT never ran on SGI's MIPS boxes. SGI had no interest/desire in that).
Alpha effectively died when Digital/Compaq indicated that they wouldn't be willing to put any effort into maintaining that port.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but PPC and SPARC versions of NT never shipped --- though the dev headers are full of PPC #ifdefs
another vote for the R500 - i've got one and it's great. The only caveats:
-the off/lock/on switch. When trying to lock the player it's TOO easy to turn it off. And it doesn't remember the place in the song you were - only what song. It's stupid, but i hit this all the time and it's annoying. The switch should be off/on/lock, or put lock on another switch.
-the supplied headphones are sucky. Spend $15 and get another set.
-i get a min of 10hours out of a single AA battery. Kickass.
-i don't think it takes >64MB smartmedia cards (i may be wrong). I always downsample the stuff to the portable at 96Kbs, so that gets me a good 2 hours with minimal glitches.
-it may be just my player, but it's not very shock resistant. i use it at the gym, and if it gets tapped with even more than a slight touch it jumps songs and stops playing (even when locked). Maybe a lose wire somewhere, but it's always done it.
Slashdot Mirror
>>At least they won't have any problem demonstrating irreparable harm.
explain yourself. Correlation doesn't equal causation.
I guess Microsoft is responsible for every company that's gone out of business in the last 10 years huh?
Using your login Pets.com and Webvan should hire some lawyers too.
can u give a link to 2.5xtreme? I have friends in Canada that subscribe to DTV (using a US address) and would LOVE to use a Tivo.
(for the record i'm currently a DTV and TIVO customer and pay for all my service, even though the $10/month i pay tivo is bullshit. Like the points given above, i'm paying $10/month just to keep the box functioning)
christ....... i wish i had the amount of free time you do
ID only ports to Linux out of good will. Yes, it's nice and appreciated. But the odds of you getting lots of ports from 'good will' are about as likely as me getting my gas tank filled up with 'good will' at Texaco.
Games are big business. Didn't we just hear that they outdid hollywood last year?
>>Whatever else Loki might've done wrong, native
>>porting was one thing they did right
What color is the sky in your world?
It may have been 'right' in your eyes, but it was a colossal failure. Remember the total lack of sales, and death of Loki. You may have agreed with their approach, but the fact remains they had to fire all their developers and go bankrupt.
>>None of which will wind up in TransGaming's
>>coffers.
Lets see...... to vote with your gaming dollars you can buy Tux Racer, or........ Tux Racer. Good show old man.
I know it's hard, but try to see past the end of your nose. So instead of having games in emulation (support Transgaming and the work they're doing), you'd rather have them fail because they're not doing it the way you would. So you end up with nothing.
And lets recap.... the way you would do it was the Loki way. Yup - good business plan there.
AMEN! Best movie of the year.
Netflex can bite my crank.....
I had considered joining them..... I do a lot of flying so having DVD's that i could watch on the plane and not worry about late fees was very appealing....
BUT
In the last couple of weeks they have been the #1 popup add thats showing up as I surf the web. I must get 2 dozen of them a day.
It's an interesting business, but I refuse to patronize something that goes out of it's way to annoy me.
Don't patronize companies that use spam or popups.... thats the only way they'll stop.
yup, it's real.
"There is a doctrine in law called the "unclean hands" doctrine in which a plaintiff is denied any recovery because it comes into court with unclean hands (i.e., being guilty of some illegal or related misconduct), and the doctrine says (when the doctrine applies at all) that the court will leave the wrongdoers where they are and deny relief to them all in such a situation. "
or more simply:
"An ancient legal principle still in effect is known as the doctrine of unclean hands. The general guiding principle is that judges shouldn't allow courts to be used for improper ends, so only those who have clean hands can invoke the aid of the court. "
thanks Google.
No - you cannot. Tivo has removed this functionality.
If you're not paying the subscription fee, all you can do is pause live tv, or watch stuff that has been previously recorded. You CANNOT record anything new.
Trust me --- my Tivo subscription got screwed up last week so I experienced it first hand.
>>This means that the Tivo only has utility to
:)
:)
>>people who tape a fair amount of stuff of TV.
Thats where you're wrong.
It may sound patronizing, but until you've really used a Tivo you don't understand it. Having a PVR totally changes how you watch TV. I never taped anything on tv. Either i'd catch it when it was on, or i'd miss it. With Tivo i just give it the list of the shows i care about and it grabs them when they're on and there's always there when i sit down. If the show changes time, day - no problem. Tivo grabs it.
>>I watch a fair amount of television
right. But with a PVR you can watch it whenever you want.
I'm not a moron - I can program a VCR. But you know what? Generally it's more headache than it's worth.... the show changed time, i forgot to turn the VCR off, i forgot to put a tape in, i forgot to rewind the tape, blah blah blah.
Tivo is like your own personal video-on-demand. Sure - you can't order up a show that it doesn't hold, but once you train it with what you want it's inventory is always full.
If they are ever going to take off, PVR's need to stop:
a)trying to sell it at a VCR. It isn't. Not even close.
b)quit trying to sell the 'pause live tv' angle. Sure it can do it, but it's so much more.
Yeah yeah, i know i sound like a salesman. But i can't remember a piece of tech that i've enjoyed more in the last 10 years than my tivo (ok - maybe my portable mp3 player
I got my tivo back in august when i moved apartments. My VCR is STILL in the box and i have no reason to take it out. Anybody want to buy a top of the line Sony VCR - low milage?
New people shouldn't be upgrading their kernel...... ESPECIALLY to an unstable development one.
If you don't know how to do it you shouldn't be doing it anyway.
>>>Being a resident of the Twin Cities....
>>However, it's going to be somewhat worthless to
>>offer your travelers wireless without also
>>giving them a place to plug in your laptop.
Ummmmmm........ you should fly out of your own airport more. Minneapolis/StPaul is actually pretty good at having desks available in the terminal WITH power outlets.
Sure, it could always be better, but it's about the best airport i've seen in that regard.
Well if it is i hope it's LIGHTER! Damn.... have u ever tried to move an octane? They've got to be at least 60lbs. Trying to cart those beasts around for trade shows I could have used a forklift....
If you think that a Mac is a reasonable resplacement for one of these then you really don't understand either machine, nor what they're good for.
Don't get me wrong, I'm really impressed with the work Apple is doing, but I'd never consider trading in an Octane for a OSX box, let alone a Fuel.
>>I hate to mince words here, but dig this: Some
>>might argue that *BeOS* is the best platform
>>for many multimedia tasks.
Hate to mince words, but those people are idiots.
First - don't talk about BeOS in the present sense. It's dead. Sad, but true.
Second - where would be all these multimedia apps on BeOS? Where's Illustrator? Photoshop? Quicktime? Painter? Freehand? Media Composer? DS? Symphony? ProTools? Quark? Maya? SOFTIMAGE? 3DSMax? Lightwave? Houdini? Pagemaker? Framemaker? InDesign? Combustion? Inferno? Media100? etc etc etc...
See a trend? Certainly BeOS *may have had the potential* to be a good MM os, but there was zero software. And that's what matters. Unless I'm willing to write all the tools myself. If i'm being paid to do graphic design i couldn't give a damn about the OOP'ness and threading model of the OS. I need apps - period. And I need *specific* apps. For example - If i need Photoshop I need Photoshop. I don't want GIMP. It's always kind of laughable when people declare GIMP to be a Photoshop killer. Maybe it will be in 10 years - but it's nowhere in the ballpark now. Not to slag on GIMP, but it's no Photoshop. And when I have a job to do, spending $600 on Photoshop to get the tools I need, vs. getting GIMP for 'free' and having endless headaches and missing 80% of the tools I need.... well there is no choice. Spending $600 on photoshop would pay for itself in a week.
Lets drop the 'coulda-woulda-shoulda' attitude. Next thing you'll bring up how killer the Amiga was.
>>Likewise, I would argue that *Linux* is the >>best platform for gaming...if you're ready to >>cope with a limited selection of games.
You could argue, but you'd be wrong. Limited selection of games, terrible drivers, and an OS that is stuck in 1979.
Example: I want to change the resolution/color space of my monitor. On Win32, ControlPanel->Display->Settings. Click click click I'm done.
On Linux - oh christ. Go try and dig out the chipset docs for your PC and gfx card if you've got them and start digging into the Xfree config files. Make sure you don't type in bad settings that'll cook your monitor or fry the card because you've put in a sync value that exceeds their specs. I got to fight with a default of Xfree4.x for a hour because my mouse type (though supported) isn't even documented (luckily i had an old v3.x config file still laying around). And no, Xconfigurator isn't even close.
>>The file system is faster and more efficient.
Lets see, it seems like they've FINALLY fixed the corruption problems in the 2.4 kernels...... we hope. Too bad about the VM subsystem. We're getting there......
>>My point is that Windows is *not* a superior
>>gaming platform compared to Linux,
Sure it is. It the OS facilities that are required, it is easy to use, and it has the games selection. You should start reading the linux kernel mailing list. The kernel has some *serious* problems. Even the powers that be can admit that.
Where is the linux equivalent of DirectInput? Nope.
Where is the linux equivalent of Direct3D? We've got OpenGL, which is proceeding at a glacial development pace, while D3D updates pop up every couple months --- significant updates. Being able to work with retained mode in D3D instead of being forced to deal with immediate model in OGL can make a big difference to a coder. The points go on and on. If you think D3D is junk, i suggest you read Carmacks points on his opinion of D3Dv8. It's quite nice, and MSFT is doing some good stuff with it.
It's funny --- there are so many things that Win2k/XP offer the user that the linux zealot will say "NOT IMPORTANT!" until linux finally adds it.... then it's the best thing since sliced bread.
C'mon. Lets be realistic. Linux isn't great for games. Generally it's a colossal pain in the ass - and ocassionally not being too much trouble.
I write code all day on Win32 and Linux so I'm not one of these armchair quarterbacks who's talking out of their ass. I like linux for what it's good at, but it isn't good at everything. And it just makes you sound like a naieve zealot to spout off that it is.
nonsense.
Zippy the Wonder Boy (A.K.A. Marc A) was making tons of noise on how the browser was going to make the OS obsolete, etc etc etc.
It's only natural for the OS developer to want to include that functionality.
Sure, there is a slim chance that there could be a 3rd party 'browser market' out there, but it's slim at best.
Do you buy a 3rd party print Q manager? File browser? File sharing software? No - they are expected parts of the OS (name one contemporary OS that doesn't ship with this stuff). Sure you can buy a 3rd party solution if you need something extremely sophisticated, but the OS developer is looking to produce features that 75-90% of users will get a use out of.
Lets look at this from a different angle... Should Sun have been prohibited from providing NFS with SunOS when there were other companies who's entire business was to provide file sharing functionality (e.g. Novell, Banyan). No
Same thing applies in other markets. There was no radio in the original Ford Model T. Does that mean that Ford shouldn't be allowed to 'bundle' a radio in their cars? If you say they should be allowed... there was a big 3rd party market out there that the automobile manufacturers effectively squashed by adding features. Radios, stereos, air conditioning, power windows, cruise control, etc etc.
Microsoft is totally right in saying that they can put anything they want in the OS.... even a 'ham sandwich' if they want. If you don't like what they provide, don't buy it.
What they SHOULD be punished for was the anticompetative actions they took with regards to bundling (e.g. telling a PC manufacturer they would lose their Windows license, or pay higher fees if the manufacturer shipped Netscape with the PC by default).
Netscape screwed up. They thought there was a browser market (there isn't). They didn't realize that the real $$$ was in providing content --- www.netscape.com was the MOST visited place on the web for the longest time (because it was the default page in the browser). They blew it - YAHOO grabbed that ball and ran with it. And third they kept releasing buggy, crashing horrible applications that literally drove their users away.
I just went and looked at eMusic.com.
Didn't see a single thing I wanted.
Thats my whole point. The only stuff that is being released digitally is:
a) alternative, fringe, old, or otherwise stuff that I don't want.
b) the latest and greatest, with the largest collections, but saddled with so many conditions and restrictions I'd be throwing away money.
Sure - eMusic.com is *something*, but it sure ain't what I want. This afternoon I downloaded 30 tracks off AudioGalaxy. I just searched for them on eMusic. Nope - not a single one.
>>put your money where your mouth is.
Show me somewhere i can spend my money that offers the service and selection i'm expecting. eMusic sure ain't it. I know eMusic isn't the only game in town, but it's very representative.
This has nothing to do with 'hot air'. If i'm looking to pay for a particular song, i want that song. I don't want some other generic or substitute from the same 'genre'. This isn't like going to the supermarket and substituting one brand of milk for another.
>>Seriously, does anybody expect this
>>pay-for-mp3's thing to take off?
You know - I'd be willing to pay.
Seriously, for $1 or $2 per song I'd probably spend a fortune. I totally believe that the artists (and the record companies --- they do pay for the promotion and all the associated crap even though they are pure evil) deserve to be paid.
BUT........
Nobody who is putting together one of these systems is interested in that. They want to put a bazillion restrictions on me. It's in a proprietary,locked format. You can't dump it to your portable MP3 player. You can't burn it onto a CD to play it into a car. If you cancel your subscription you LOSE ALL THE MUSIC YOU'VE PAID FOR (No - i'm not making this one up. I believe it's PressPlay that does that. You only have access to the tracks you've paid for as long as you keep kicking up monthly cash).
So instead of getting some of my money - they don't get any. They just don't get it - and I don't know if they ever will. If you're going to try to rob me of the basic freedoms I have with CD based audio, there is ZERO chance you're going to get me on board.
Sorry folks - they days of paying $15-20 for a CD (and at LEAST $6-8 more compared to the exact same album on tape) are over. You've milked that cow long enough.
If i could pay for the mp3 tracks i wanted i bet i'd end up spending at least $30 a month. (I listen to a lot of club music that i couldn't buy in a store because it's just not there). Instead - I spend nothing and slurp it all off the net. I honestly can't remember the last CD I purchased (not including blanks of course )
The sooner the labels realize this the better. But they won't.
They'll keep kicking and screaming, sponsoring new legislation trying to put the genie back in the bottle.
Too late. Sorry. So sad.
Oh CHRIST - you're quite the whiner huh?
You're probably the same type of person that, when pulled over for a speeding ticket, berates the cop with "Hey! You can't do this to me - I PAY your salary!"
Guess what - some tax dollars go to develop stuff that you don't use or get benefits from. Deal with it. The american technology industry wouldn't be nearly what it is if it wasn't for the investment made by the military and/or government. Do you directly get some cash out of the deal? No. But society as a whole benefits from the advancement.
Next time you're in florida, i suggest you stop by NASA and *demand* your trip on the space shuttle. After all, you 'paid for it'.
(this argument is of course orthogonal to the one about what projects are 'appropriate' to fund. Don't try to pull us off on a tangent)
Microsoft didn't stop shipping the MIPS version of NT until EVERY SINGLE maker of MIPS clones stopped production (Netpower was one of the last holdouts).
Nobody bought the computers, so the makers stopped making them, so MS stopped producing the OS. Seems reasonable. Why develop an OS for hardware that is no longer being produced.
(and please - don't bring up SGI. NT never ran on SGI's MIPS boxes. SGI had no interest/desire in that).
Alpha effectively died when Digital/Compaq indicated that they wouldn't be willing to put any effort into maintaining that port.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but PPC and SPARC versions of NT never shipped --- though the dev headers are full of PPC #ifdefs
pinhead.
This was the Surpreme Court. The white house has nothing to do with it.
And has president Butthead.... I mean Bush appointed any judges to the court........ um - no.
"Fetmat's Big Hunch"?
Care to give a reference...... I did a google search on that and came up with nothing...
If you're thinking about 'Fermats Last Theorem', it was solved in 1993/94 by Andrew Wiles.
"How about this crack squad of savvy, motiviated individuals?"
another vote for the R500 - i've got one and it's great. The only caveats:
-the off/lock/on switch. When trying to lock the player it's TOO easy to turn it off. And it doesn't remember the place in the song you were - only what song. It's stupid, but i hit this all the time and it's annoying. The switch should be off/on/lock, or put lock on another switch.
-the supplied headphones are sucky. Spend $15 and get another set.
-i get a min of 10hours out of a single AA battery. Kickass.
-i don't think it takes >64MB smartmedia cards (i may be wrong). I always downsample the stuff to the portable at 96Kbs, so that gets me a good 2 hours with minimal glitches.
-it may be just my player, but it's not very shock resistant. i use it at the gym, and if it gets tapped with even more than a slight touch it jumps songs and stops playing (even when locked). Maybe a lose wire somewhere, but it's always done it.
otherwise - highly recommended.
Get yourself informed.
One of the last smallpox outbreaks in the 70's occurred along the Iran/Iraq border.
Can u convince yourself that there is ZERO change that there were no specimens taken and preserved?
I can't.