OT: Why should Amanda Knox be freed? She's been found guilty (again) and there doesn't appear to be any real accusations of any level of incompetence or corruption on the part of the Italian courts. Just curious is all.
Thing is, from the law's point of view, games that you get in a box, or a DRM-free download from GOG or whatever, are still only licensed to you and require you to conform to the requirements of the license.
The thing that Steam can do, which traditionally boxed or DRM-free software cannot, is to actively RESTRICT access to the software you purchased, on account of the authentication features built into the client. Put another way - if I have a game in a box that doesn't need Steam, so long as I take care of the media (particularly if I make a backup copy, or create an ISO or whatever), it can last for however long I want to because I'm the one in control over the software. Steam remove the user's control and places it squarely in hands of Valve and the publishers. If the Steam client fucks up, or your net connection goes down and Offline mode decides to not work, or a publisher/Valve changes the terms of service/agreement to an unfavorable state, you might find yourself unable to play the games you bought.
Boxed/DRM-free software and Steam software both share the same result - a license to use the software. But Steam is the only one which can actively police things on that front. Unfortunately it also makes things vulnerable to actions that aren't the user's fault.
Shit, you're right. There's no way the entire Slashdot community has immediately decided to down-mod fuck beta posts so quickly after the official discussion topic.
It's amazing DICE and associated fuckers honestly think we wouldn't notice this. They REALLY think we're dumb fucks.
Oh, no room for classic Slasdhot, huh? Fine! I'll go build my own Slashdot knockoff, with blackjack, and hookers. In fact, forget the Slashdot knock and the blackjack. Ahh, screw the whole thing!
I've heard all this shit before - that the guys in charge are listening to your efforts, that your concerns are being taken under advisement and that the end result will something everyone will appreciate. What people here especially hate most of all is fucking corporate speak they've heard a thousand times before and despite from the bottom of their hearts. It's patronizing to the audience who know exactly how things will play out. They always follow the same formula
People complained loudly to Microsoft regarding the all-caps of Visual Studio 2012/13 and Office 2013 during their pre-releases. What happened? They remained there, shouting back at the user in the finals. People complained to Microsoft regarding the lack of contrast between the various elements of the Office 2013 GUI as well as the default eye-melting white theme. What happened? Some very minor tweaks and the same eye-melting theme with minimal contract. They threw in a couple of darker themes which do add more contrast, but also make the software far more drab and miserable looking compared to say Office 2010, which in my mind is a thing of beauty.
Companies don't care. They don't give a shit unless there's a real threat to their bottom line. I'm honestly surprised though that the powers that be aren't scrambling to push out the news that they're throwing away the beta as a failed experiment before more people sign off permanently and move to greener pastures.
It looks more and more like the current crop of UI developers does not know how to accept that their architectural marvels can be so poorly recieved that people would be willing to salt the earth and nuke the site from orbit to rid themselves of it, and instead "Just cant understand why people dont love it."
It takes a brave soul to look at something they've spent much time, money and effort developing, realize it ain't gonna work and then willingly destroy/abandon it for the good of all concerned. It's a necessary part of good development of any project - some things just don't work out and really should be either rebuilt with lessons learnt from the experience, or scrapped completely until such time that it makes sense to try again.
Modern designers have more of an approach that resistance to their efforts means that it's working, that the controversy validates the quality of their efforts and that they should push even harder for their view to be accepted. They simply cannot handle the idea that they're producing shit that no-one (or very few people) wants. Being humble is paramount to being a good designer. Be humble and trash this beta shit before it destroys what's left of Slashdot. Because like everyone else, I'll just move elsewhere if it's made permanent. It's not like we can't...
You could always just not ship, if the new is worse than the old. I'm pretty sure the Slashdot faithful have made that clear, and continuing the path that doesn't work will morph Slashdot into Digg. You'll end up having a difference audience to what you had before, which will end up being Slashdot-in-name-only. Maybe you don't care, and believe that's just the way it has to be. But it doesn't.
The main thing we want is a site that doesn't look old and stale
It's precisely that belief that change in appearances much be continual that resulted in the the bland, flat appearance of Metro and has permeated into nearly all UIs and sites these days. There's NOTHING WRONG with keeping the same appearance for years, since people will come to learn exactly what to expect. If there's an improvement that can be made, it should be made gently (unless it's just added functionality like UTF-8 support which will never happen despite repeated requests).
reddit has had its appearance for several years and from a designer's point of few looks like total trash. They're one of the biggest sites on the planet though and continually getting bigger, proving that a stale and old appearance doesn't mean jack shit so long as people have the functionality they require (which reddit does). Take that away like the beta does, and you'll lose everything.
I haven't really seen much coverage over the Slashdot beta spat elsewhere on the net. There was a small post on the geek section of reddit but a lot of commenters there just considered Slashdotters to be incapable of change and whiners and if they didn't like the change, they could get their news elsewhere.
People outside of Slashdot don't seem to realise that we don't go to Slashdot for news - not primarily anyway, since topics are often brought out late and with poor editorializing. We come here because out of the cesspool of other tech sites with absolutely idiotic postings and continual flamewars from kids who don't know any better, Slashdot at least seems to have a lot of actually intelligent people who can craft a post with some meat on it. These posts then get elevated to Score 4/5's fairly quickly and by careful use of filters allows some manner of decent commenting. THAT's the feature of Slashdot that people come back to, not the news. Of course reddit has smart people too, but dumb posts that pander to mainstream humor tend to get high karma over there which tends to push quality discussion to small subs.
I expect what's more likely to happen is that people will spam FUCK BETA and make similar posts in the comments sections of all stories. Comments are what keep people around Slashdot these days and if the comment sections falls apart, the site will follow.
It's much more likely than a boycott and since the idea of doing so seems to have spread rather quickly across Slashdot, people like feeling like they're part of a group of protesters who might actually be able to make the change they're after.
It's too late by then. When Digg changed their site they destroyed most of the appeal of people going there and lost most of their audience. Soon enough a site called reddit was born which had the same level of simplicity and community interactive as the old Digg had and it took off like wildfire. Eventually Digg reverted some of their changes and morphed into a semi-decent return to its own styling, but by then the damage had been done, reddit had made its mark and the rest, as they say, is history.
Having said that, I'm going to demand my money back. Oh wait...
Interestingly enough, Linux fanboys use the same argument when complaints about the state of various problems in Linux distros are raised... and then they wonder why not enough people use Linux.
Just because you're not paying for something doesn't mean it's beyond criticism and reproach. Not only that, but Slashdot's probably one of the longest-service sites that a lot of people here would have gone to over the years. A lot are concerned that this is finally the tipping point where Slashdot will never recover. You of all people with an ID that small should be at least understanding of that, if not necessarily in agreement.
The new managers don't use Slashdot themselves, hence probably don't understand the reason for all the disdain. The best thing they could do right now is write off the beta exercise as a failure and stick with the classic version. Showing that they're actually listening to the (remaining) Slashdot faithful would be a good sign.
I've been on Slashdot since 2002 but keep making new accounts so that no-one can properly build a profile based on my comment history - not due to privacy concerns but rather to avoid any bias toward seeing my username and modding based on the name rather than the content of my posts.
I rather enjoy the fact that almost none of the higher moderated comments have anything to do with the story itself and rather about Slashdot Beta. Goes to show how much people hate what this will do to Slashdot.
Ars Technica (http://arstechnica.com/) is considered a rather good source of tech news and discussion. It has a slight Apple bias since most of its contributors use Macs, and the level of discussion over Linux topics is relatively minor compared to Slashdot, but on the other hand there's far more balance in terms of user comments.
Slashdot Mirror
OT: Why should Amanda Knox be freed? She's been found guilty (again) and there doesn't appear to be any real accusations of any level of incompetence or corruption on the part of the Italian courts. Just curious is all.
Thing is, from the law's point of view, games that you get in a box, or a DRM-free download from GOG or whatever, are still only licensed to you and require you to conform to the requirements of the license.
The thing that Steam can do, which traditionally boxed or DRM-free software cannot, is to actively RESTRICT access to the software you purchased, on account of the authentication features built into the client. Put another way - if I have a game in a box that doesn't need Steam, so long as I take care of the media (particularly if I make a backup copy, or create an ISO or whatever), it can last for however long I want to because I'm the one in control over the software. Steam remove the user's control and places it squarely in hands of Valve and the publishers. If the Steam client fucks up, or your net connection goes down and Offline mode decides to not work, or a publisher/Valve changes the terms of service/agreement to an unfavorable state, you might find yourself unable to play the games you bought.
Boxed/DRM-free software and Steam software both share the same result - a license to use the software. But Steam is the only one which can actively police things on that front. Unfortunately it also makes things vulnerable to actions that aren't the user's fault.
Shit, you're right. There's no way the entire Slashdot community has immediately decided to down-mod fuck beta posts so quickly after the official discussion topic.
It's amazing DICE and associated fuckers honestly think we wouldn't notice this. They REALLY think we're dumb fucks.
Oh, no room for classic Slasdhot, huh? Fine! I'll go build my own Slashdot knockoff, with blackjack, and hookers. In fact, forget the Slashdot knock and the blackjack. Ahh, screw the whole thing!
I've heard all this shit before - that the guys in charge are listening to your efforts, that your concerns are being taken under advisement and that the end result will something everyone will appreciate. What people here especially hate most of all is fucking corporate speak they've heard a thousand times before and despite from the bottom of their hearts. It's patronizing to the audience who know exactly how things will play out. They always follow the same formula
People complained loudly to Microsoft regarding the all-caps of Visual Studio 2012/13 and Office 2013 during their pre-releases. What happened? They remained there, shouting back at the user in the finals. People complained to Microsoft regarding the lack of contrast between the various elements of the Office 2013 GUI as well as the default eye-melting white theme. What happened? Some very minor tweaks and the same eye-melting theme with minimal contract. They threw in a couple of darker themes which do add more contrast, but also make the software far more drab and miserable looking compared to say Office 2010, which in my mind is a thing of beauty.
Companies don't care. They don't give a shit unless there's a real threat to their bottom line. I'm honestly surprised though that the powers that be aren't scrambling to push out the news that they're throwing away the beta as a failed experiment before more people sign off permanently and move to greener pastures.
It takes a brave soul to look at something they've spent much time, money and effort developing, realize it ain't gonna work and then willingly destroy/abandon it for the good of all concerned. It's a necessary part of good development of any project - some things just don't work out and really should be either rebuilt with lessons learnt from the experience, or scrapped completely until such time that it makes sense to try again.
Modern designers have more of an approach that resistance to their efforts means that it's working, that the controversy validates the quality of their efforts and that they should push even harder for their view to be accepted. They simply cannot handle the idea that they're producing shit that no-one (or very few people) wants. Being humble is paramount to being a good designer. Be humble and trash this beta shit before it destroys what's left of Slashdot. Because like everyone else, I'll just move elsewhere if it's made permanent. It's not like we can't...
You could always just not ship, if the new is worse than the old. I'm pretty sure the Slashdot faithful have made that clear, and continuing the path that doesn't work will morph Slashdot into Digg. You'll end up having a difference audience to what you had before, which will end up being Slashdot-in-name-only. Maybe you don't care, and believe that's just the way it has to be. But it doesn't.
It's precisely that belief that change in appearances much be continual that resulted in the the bland, flat appearance of Metro and has permeated into nearly all UIs and sites these days. There's NOTHING WRONG with keeping the same appearance for years, since people will come to learn exactly what to expect. If there's an improvement that can be made, it should be made gently (unless it's just added functionality like UTF-8 support which will never happen despite repeated requests).
reddit has had its appearance for several years and from a designer's point of few looks like total trash. They're one of the biggest sites on the planet though and continually getting bigger, proving that a stale and old appearance doesn't mean jack shit so long as people have the functionality they require (which reddit does). Take that away like the beta does, and you'll lose everything.
I haven't really seen much coverage over the Slashdot beta spat elsewhere on the net. There was a small post on the geek section of reddit but a lot of commenters there just considered Slashdotters to be incapable of change and whiners and if they didn't like the change, they could get their news elsewhere.
People outside of Slashdot don't seem to realise that we don't go to Slashdot for news - not primarily anyway, since topics are often brought out late and with poor editorializing. We come here because out of the cesspool of other tech sites with absolutely idiotic postings and continual flamewars from kids who don't know any better, Slashdot at least seems to have a lot of actually intelligent people who can craft a post with some meat on it. These posts then get elevated to Score 4/5's fairly quickly and by careful use of filters allows some manner of decent commenting. THAT's the feature of Slashdot that people come back to, not the news. Of course reddit has smart people too, but dumb posts that pander to mainstream humor tend to get high karma over there which tends to push quality discussion to small subs.
n/t
I expect what's more likely to happen is that people will spam FUCK BETA and make similar posts in the comments sections of all stories. Comments are what keep people around Slashdot these days and if the comment sections falls apart, the site will follow.
It's much more likely than a boycott and since the idea of doing so seems to have spread rather quickly across Slashdot, people like feeling like they're part of a group of protesters who might actually be able to make the change they're after.
It's too late by then. When Digg changed their site they destroyed most of the appeal of people going there and lost most of their audience. Soon enough a site called reddit was born which had the same level of simplicity and community interactive as the old Digg had and it took off like wildfire. Eventually Digg reverted some of their changes and morphed into a semi-decent return to its own styling, but by then the damage had been done, reddit had made its mark and the rest, as they say, is history.
Slashdot will never come back from this.
Interestingly enough, Linux fanboys use the same argument when complaints about the state of various problems in Linux distros are raised... and then they wonder why not enough people use Linux.
Just because you're not paying for something doesn't mean it's beyond criticism and reproach. Not only that, but Slashdot's probably one of the longest-service sites that a lot of people here would have gone to over the years. A lot are concerned that this is finally the tipping point where Slashdot will never recover. You of all people with an ID that small should be at least understanding of that, if not necessarily in agreement.
The new managers don't use Slashdot themselves, hence probably don't understand the reason for all the disdain. The best thing they could do right now is write off the beta exercise as a failure and stick with the classic version. Showing that they're actually listening to the (remaining) Slashdot faithful would be a good sign.
I've been on Slashdot since 2002 but keep making new accounts so that no-one can properly build a profile based on my comment history - not due to privacy concerns but rather to avoid any bias toward seeing my username and modding based on the name rather than the content of my posts.
I rather enjoy the fact that almost none of the higher moderated comments have anything to do with the story itself and rather about Slashdot Beta. Goes to show how much people hate what this will do to Slashdot.
Ars Technica (http://arstechnica.com/) is considered a rather good source of tech news and discussion. It has a slight Apple bias since most of its contributors use Macs, and the level of discussion over Linux topics is relatively minor compared to Slashdot, but on the other hand there's far more balance in terms of user comments.