I feel compelled to respond. How the HELL can you possibly feel like the future of western civilization hinges on our ability to receive TV, or any distribution system for that matter.
Capitilism has a very simple solution for this, and mark my words you'll see it in action over the next decade. While the Slashdot crowd beleives the average Joe consumer is a simple sheep that can be herded by the content providers, this is simply not true. The average consumer knows what they like. They have a threshold of pain that is probably higher than your typical Slashdot poster, but eventually the average consumer gets tired of things not being delivered on their terms.
Any economist will tell you that people are selfish. They always act in their own best interest. The PVR is basically a win-lose situation. The consumer wins, the ad-subsidized programmer loses. Its that simple... Yet I don't see people giving up the PVR any time soon. I do think you'll see a change in how content is delivered.
Think of it like the Internet. I pay someone XXX amount of dollars to get on the network every month. By itself that connection is worthless. In order to get actual value out of it, I have to turn to independent content providers. I may pay some of them (if their content is especially good) for their content. I may put up with Ad's on other sites if their content is worth my time. The Internet is a Win-Win for everyone. The person providing the connection hooks me up with content providers that can make money in a number of creative ways. This is how entertainment distribution WILL be in the future. We'll pay our satellite/cable company to get on the network, but our content will be provided seperately.
Its no accident that Echostar is so very interested in putting together satellite Internet access.
Especially considering the fact that Walmart is VERY VERY seriously considering getting into the PC market in earnest. Not with these machines, but with actual WalMart branded PC's... this certainly seems like a project to 'feel out' the market from my perspective.
Yes.. The Intel logo does make a pretty big difference. Intel really does enjoy tremendous brand recognition and people tend to associate Intel with top of the line computer power.
However, while Intel is a big brand, Walmart is many orders of magnitude bigger. People are willing to overlook the lack of recognizable and trusted brand on the box because they have such high brand loyalty to Walmart.
Walmart has that effect. If anyone can inspire change in the industry.. its a retailer like Walmart. They have legions of loyal customers who trust them to stock merchandise that they can rely on... That's why I like this so much. Its only going to be much later that all of a sudden people realize that hundred of thousands (if not millions) of people are running these Linux PC's.. and THAT will be the day that people will finally realize that there is a world outside of Microsoft. THAT will be the day that Microsoft will begin to lose its desktop monopoly.
That's a pretty high premium if you think about it. I realize that cable costs and what-not have risen sharply over the last 5 years... but something tells me that $49.99 is a pretty comfortable margin for your local telco.
This is the most insane argument I've ever heard.. and I hear it over and over again.
Lets look at this from an economics stand-point. If you are willing to put the time and effort into downloading and watching the movie then you obviously place some *begin economics word* VALUE *end economics word* on it. If you truly didn't care, then you wouldn't have downloaded it.
Its true that you may not place $10 worth of value on it (what it takes to go see in the store), but at some basic level you value it because you are willing to give your time and effort into obtaining and consuming it.
What you want to do is receive that value without paying for it. You want to consume, without compensating the producer. That my friend is stealing.
Apply it to something physical: Its ok the Winona Ryder shoplifted, she never had any intention of paying for it anyways. That's stealing...
The only difference is that the product here is digital, and thus easily reproducable. The argument put forth by the Media people (and one that I agree with) is that by downloading a piece of media you are effectively getting something of value without any type of exchange. At some point the piece of media would be inexpensive enough for you to purchase, but because you have access to it for effectively free.. you have no economic incentive to ever pay for it, even when you value it enough to pay for it at some price point. You can't rationlize this behavior with this argument, it simply doesn't make economic sense.
It seems like 95% of the posts here all trumpet the same theme..."I can input faster with my keyboard." This is true, but I challenge you.. can you input faster with your keyboard while standing up?
That's the point.. The problem with traditional laptops is that they are essentially useless in the hallway or standing in line. The tablet PC's are more like really big PDA's, they are designed for the executive/professional that spends a large part of their day on two feet. They provide keyboards on most models for those "other times," while still affording them the ability to make use of their machine virtually anywhere.
For example, my Father in law is an insurance auditor. Right now they have a laptop that they use to fill out reports after inspecting the sites. They can't write the report during the inspection, after all their laptop is worthless while they run around inspecting things. With a tablet PC they can use their traditional PC applications to fill out their reports without having to scribble notes onto paper and then transfer them to the laptop at a later time... They spend their days on their feet, and this looks like the perfect answer for them.
Although I disagree with this poster. The market has demonstrated over and over again that place low value on the bells and whistles of your typical pocket pc device.. preferring simple, long lasting PDA's.
I actually think the Cell Phone makers are doing this best. Particularly those utilizing symbian, Nokia has put together some really compelling devices that combine the best of the PDA with the best of the cell phone... its a solid solid combination.
You are better off without bad managers, but what is really the insight into that comment? Your company is also better off without the bad developers, sys admins, and janitors as well.
MBA's really do provide alot of value to our company. I work at a small company in the Palm sector, we have an MBA who really drives a large part of the company. We are profitable (comfortably profitable actually) and doing very well...
My mother has very very serious advanced carcanoma.. she's extremely healthy, excercises, follows a nutrition plan, drinks very lightly (glass of wine with a meal kind of thing)....
She's been this way for over 40 years, you tell me that cancer is only brought on by these things you mention.. and I'll tell you that I don't beleive you.
America in the 19th century was able to do this because they had very little in the way of dependency on foreign nations. The British cried bloody murder while Americans pirated books... but they where powerless to do anything about it. America didn't ask for a loan, protection, or anything else..
At the end of the day, America is not going to invade another country over music piracy. They may decide not to trade with them, but those countries are free to make their own laws. Where this gets sticky is when those countries want to borrow American money and particpate in the American economy, but don't want to play by American rules. They can simply do what America did, and play by their own rules but accept the economic repurcussions of it. They might just end up in the same spot America is 100 years down the road.
Keep in mind that teenage pregnancy and the number of sexually active teenagers has actually steadily decreased over the last 50 years.
In the meantime we have actually identified many diseases as STD's that used to be attributed to things like hygeine. Many experts beleive that the actual rate of STD contraction is way down.
In the meantime the sexual demeanor of the nation has become steadily more liberal... Its a long process, but I think your right. There is a definite correlation between the two..
This goes for the ubiquitous rent-a-cops who parade around with guns pretending to be law enforcement officers.
This statement doesn't fit with your argument. The fact is that these "Rent-a-cops" are actually operating perfectly within the limits set by law. They have a specific set of powers, and they execute those powers. The owners of the property have the right to 'police' their own premises, and for liability reasons they often MUST do this..
So, I'm sorry that some security guy kicked you out of the mall last week, but don't discredit your argument with this kind of silly statement.
"The title is highly regarded, said Thomas Lee, a Windows 2000 MVP who specializes in directory issues, and has just been appointed as chief technologist at QA Training. "You are recognized by your peers, not by an exam that you can cheat in."
Of COURSE this guy thinks they are highly respected... after all he is one. On the other hand, I think that all lazy, unmotivated, and unskilled bums are highly regarded..
I beleive that the only person with authority to prosecute them is whomever licensed whatever programs that they are violating the GPL with.
So if I made "Nicks uber cool GPL spreadsheet" and United Linux decided to take it, make a couple of tweaks and not release the changes I would be the one who was harmed and thus have legal standing to go after them.
I can also appoint a representative authority (with legal restrictions) like the FSF to go after them as well.
The point being, that whoever is at the top of the GPL pyramid (AKA the original creator) has to be the one to actually take action.
Defacing a web site is wrong. Breaking into a webserver is wrong. Period.
If you want to "improve your skills as a SysAdmin", then feel free to setup your own box and break into it all day long. Hell get a friend to set it up and you can go back and forth trying to break into each others setups.
While the Slashdot community doens't like to admit, cracking (for the most part) is a crime. Defacing a web-site is the real world equivalent of boarding up the front of a store. Sure its just temporary, but its certainly not good for business now is it?
THe mere suggestion that we as society should just tolerate it (boys will be boys after all) is simply ludicrous. If this guy didn't want to go to jail he shouldn't have broken the law. These laws exist for very real reasons.... take responsibility and don't try to justify illegal actions because its "educational."
Hell by that logic I should go out and rob a few banks because I might want to one day work in the physical security industry.
Your missing part of the point. The engineering behind a cars Chassis today is determined by how well various components are engineered. Its about getting the various mechanical parts to work together as smoothly and quietly as possible. Its about keeping the weight distribution among those components as even as possible.. in todays world those are the things that contribute to how a car handles and feels on the road.
The By-Wire technology basically removes all of those complex components and replaces them with much simpler electronic ones. No more transmission/driveshaft combination. The chassis in one of these cars is very simple.. anyone can make one and make it well.
In GM's ideal future, the performance of the car is controlled by how well these electronic components can communicate, how well the various sensors react to changes in road conditions.. in short the engineering challenge is now very much a hardware/software competition.
So now your Stratus is built on the same physical chassis as the E-class, but the Stratus has less sophistication in its road-handling abilities. It has a far less sophisticated electronics on board...
I for one think the idea is exciting. For the first time, when engineers sit down to design a car they don't start from scratch.. but instead work on a proven and reliable base that gives them the ability to innovate while still working from the same basic platform...
But the problem is that you DID pay the Photographer, up front. I paid a lot of money to have the photographer come to my wedding and take photos.
It bothers me that the photographer would somehow claim ownership of those photos. This is like someone commisioning me to write an accounting system for them, and then having me charge them everytime they install that accounting system somewhere else.
Or what if I decided that I should own all of the work I do for my employer? Sure I'll give them a copy of it, but in the end I should own the copyright on my work and be able to license it to whomever I want? Same thing.
Heres a grain of salt (ray of hope too)
on
Want Freedom?
·
· Score: 1
I think the question should REALLY read something more like "Do you favor a reduction in OTHER peoples first amendment rights?" "Do you favor monitoring of OTHER peoples religions."
These responses are not surprising, and they are reminiscent of the country in other times of conflict. Watch how people change their tune when their own rights (the ones they care about) begin to erode...
The history of American civil politics has always been about this teeter-totter effect between order and freedom. It swings both ways.. at times America has been EXCESSIVELY liberal, then something happens that jerks the majority back to a more conservative (read: fearful) state. As the threat diminishes people begin to settle back into a more freedom friendly posture.
WWII and the following two decades demonstrate this affect quite well. People where willing to give up MANY freedoms (including the utter violation of Japenese-American civil rights, increased police rights, etc..) in support of the "War Effort." The years following the war saw a gradual shift back to a more free society into the 60's.. You can see the ebb and flow of attitudes into the 80's (the apex of the cold war) and the 90's (relative peace)... 9/11 was such a big event it just caused a really large push towards the right.
I for one will remain vigilante and protect my rights as best I can.. but I will not panic or become excessively cynical because history has always been a good indicator of the future.. and I think this case is no different.
Slashdot Mirror
I feel compelled to respond. How the HELL can you possibly feel like the future of western civilization hinges on our ability to receive TV, or any distribution system for that matter.
Capitilism has a very simple solution for this, and mark my words you'll see it in action over the next decade. While the Slashdot crowd beleives the average Joe consumer is a simple sheep that can be herded by the content providers, this is simply not true. The average consumer knows what they like. They have a threshold of pain that is probably higher than your typical Slashdot poster, but eventually the average consumer gets tired of things not being delivered on their terms.
Any economist will tell you that people are selfish. They always act in their own best interest. The PVR is basically a win-lose situation. The consumer wins, the ad-subsidized programmer loses. Its that simple... Yet I don't see people giving up the PVR any time soon. I do think you'll see a change in how content is delivered.
Think of it like the Internet. I pay someone XXX amount of dollars to get on the network every month. By itself that connection is worthless. In order to get actual value out of it, I have to turn to independent content providers. I may pay some of them (if their content is especially good) for their content. I may put up with Ad's on other sites if their content is worth my time. The Internet is a Win-Win for everyone. The person providing the connection hooks me up with content providers that can make money in a number of creative ways. This is how entertainment distribution WILL be in the future. We'll pay our satellite/cable company to get on the network, but our content will be provided seperately.
Its no accident that Echostar is so very interested in putting together satellite Internet access.
Especially considering the fact that Walmart is VERY VERY seriously considering getting into the PC market in earnest. Not with these machines, but with actual WalMart branded PC's... this certainly seems like a project to 'feel out' the market from my perspective.
Yes.. The Intel logo does make a pretty big difference. Intel really does enjoy tremendous brand recognition and people tend to associate Intel with top of the line computer power.
However, while Intel is a big brand, Walmart is many orders of magnitude bigger. People are willing to overlook the lack of recognizable and trusted brand on the box because they have such high brand loyalty to Walmart.
Walmart has that effect. If anyone can inspire change in the industry.. its a retailer like Walmart. They have legions of loyal customers who trust them to stock merchandise that they can rely on... That's why I like this so much. Its only going to be much later that all of a sudden people realize that hundred of thousands (if not millions) of people are running these Linux PC's.. and THAT will be the day that people will finally realize that there is a world outside of Microsoft. THAT will be the day that Microsoft will begin to lose its desktop monopoly.
Of course we've heard Stallman attacking non-free software providers.. who are selling software to pay their rent.
While it's probably to late to help her, why the hell can't you help save someone else?
Ya... I was thinking the exact same thing. Instead of handing us a map, the author simply handed us a map to find the map.
Uhm, you could not pay $49.99??
That's a pretty high premium if you think about it. I realize that cable costs and what-not have risen sharply over the last 5 years... but something tells me that $49.99 is a pretty comfortable margin for your local telco.
This is the most insane argument I've ever heard.. and I hear it over and over again.
Lets look at this from an economics stand-point. If you are willing to put the time and effort into downloading and watching the movie then you obviously place some *begin economics word* VALUE *end economics word* on it. If you truly didn't care, then you wouldn't have downloaded it.
Its true that you may not place $10 worth of value on it (what it takes to go see in the store), but at some basic level you value it because you are willing to give your time and effort into obtaining and consuming it.
What you want to do is receive that value without paying for it. You want to consume, without compensating the producer. That my friend is stealing.
Apply it to something physical: Its ok the Winona Ryder shoplifted, she never had any intention of paying for it anyways. That's stealing...
The only difference is that the product here is digital, and thus easily reproducable. The argument put forth by the Media people (and one that I agree with) is that by downloading a piece of media you are effectively getting something of value without any type of exchange. At some point the piece of media would be inexpensive enough for you to purchase, but because you have access to it for effectively free.. you have no economic incentive to ever pay for it, even when you value it enough to pay for it at some price point. You can't rationlize this behavior with this argument, it simply doesn't make economic sense.
It seems like 95% of the posts here all trumpet the same theme..."I can input faster with my keyboard." This is true, but I challenge you.. can you input faster with your keyboard while standing up?
That's the point.. The problem with traditional laptops is that they are essentially useless in the hallway or standing in line. The tablet PC's are more like really big PDA's, they are designed for the executive/professional that spends a large part of their day on two feet. They provide keyboards on most models for those "other times," while still affording them the ability to make use of their machine virtually anywhere.
For example, my Father in law is an insurance auditor. Right now they have a laptop that they use to fill out reports after inspecting the sites. They can't write the report during the inspection, after all their laptop is worthless while they run around inspecting things. With a tablet PC they can use their traditional PC applications to fill out their reports without having to scribble notes onto paper and then transfer them to the laptop at a later time... They spend their days on their feet, and this looks like the perfect answer for them.
Isn't this what all of the Application Service Providers are already doing?
Uhm.. most Pocket PC's are 320x480.
Although I disagree with this poster. The market has demonstrated over and over again that place low value on the bells and whistles of your typical pocket pc device.. preferring simple, long lasting PDA's.
I actually think the Cell Phone makers are doing this best. Particularly those utilizing symbian, Nokia has put together some really compelling devices that combine the best of the PDA with the best of the cell phone... its a solid solid combination.
B.S. (and not the 4 year college kind).
You are better off without bad managers, but what is really the insight into that comment? Your company is also better off without the bad developers, sys admins, and janitors as well.
MBA's really do provide alot of value to our company. I work at a small company in the Palm sector, we have an MBA who really drives a large part of the company. We are profitable (comfortably profitable actually) and doing very well...
My mother has very very serious advanced carcanoma .. she's extremely healthy, excercises, follows a nutrition plan, drinks very lightly (glass of wine with a meal kind of thing)....
She's been this way for over 40 years, you tell me that cancer is only brought on by these things you mention.. and I'll tell you that I don't beleive you.
America in the 19th century was able to do this because they had very little in the way of dependency on foreign nations. The British cried bloody murder while Americans pirated books... but they where powerless to do anything about it. America didn't ask for a loan, protection, or anything else..
At the end of the day, America is not going to invade another country over music piracy. They may decide not to trade with them, but those countries are free to make their own laws. Where this gets sticky is when those countries want to borrow American money and particpate in the American economy, but don't want to play by American rules. They can simply do what America did, and play by their own rules but accept the economic repurcussions of it. They might just end up in the same spot America is 100 years down the road.
Keep in mind that teenage pregnancy and the number of sexually active teenagers has actually steadily decreased over the last 50 years.
In the meantime we have actually identified many diseases as STD's that used to be attributed to things like hygeine. Many experts beleive that the actual rate of STD contraction is way down.
In the meantime the sexual demeanor of the nation has become steadily more liberal... Its a long process, but I think your right. There is a definite correlation between the two..
Wow, you must work for/own newegg.com?:)
Nice job on getting your shameless plug all the way to +5!
Amen..period.
Heres the problem.. I don't feel like actually DYING for the DMCA.
That would be..insane.
This goes for the ubiquitous rent-a-cops who parade around with guns pretending to be law enforcement officers.
This statement doesn't fit with your argument. The fact is that these "Rent-a-cops" are actually operating perfectly within the limits set by law. They have a specific set of powers, and they execute those powers. The owners of the property have the right to 'police' their own premises, and for liability reasons they often MUST do this..
So, I'm sorry that some security guy kicked you out of the mall last week, but don't discredit your argument with this kind of silly statement.
Of COURSE this guy thinks they are highly respected... after all he is one. On the other hand, I think that all lazy, unmotivated, and unskilled bums are highly regarded..
(I'll let you draw your own conclusion).
I beleive that the only person with authority to prosecute them is whomever licensed whatever programs that they are violating the GPL with.
So if I made "Nicks uber cool GPL spreadsheet" and United Linux decided to take it, make a couple of tweaks and not release the changes I would be the one who was harmed and thus have legal standing to go after them.
I can also appoint a representative authority (with legal restrictions) like the FSF to go after them as well.
The point being, that whoever is at the top of the GPL pyramid (AKA the original creator) has to be the one to actually take action.
Defacing a web site is wrong. Breaking into a webserver is wrong. Period.
If you want to "improve your skills as a SysAdmin", then feel free to setup your own box and break into it all day long. Hell get a friend to set it up and you can go back and forth trying to break into each others setups.
While the Slashdot community doens't like to admit, cracking (for the most part) is a crime. Defacing a web-site is the real world equivalent of boarding up the front of a store. Sure its just temporary, but its certainly not good for business now is it?
THe mere suggestion that we as society should just tolerate it (boys will be boys after all) is simply ludicrous. If this guy didn't want to go to jail he shouldn't have broken the law. These laws exist for very real reasons.... take responsibility and don't try to justify illegal actions because its "educational."
Hell by that logic I should go out and rob a few banks because I might want to one day work in the physical security industry.
Your missing part of the point. The engineering behind a cars Chassis today is determined by how well various components are engineered. Its about getting the various mechanical parts to work together as smoothly and quietly as possible. Its about keeping the weight distribution among those components as even as possible.. in todays world those are the things that contribute to how a car handles and feels on the road.
The By-Wire technology basically removes all of those complex components and replaces them with much simpler electronic ones. No more transmission/driveshaft combination. The chassis in one of these cars is very simple.. anyone can make one and make it well.
In GM's ideal future, the performance of the car is controlled by how well these electronic components can communicate, how well the various sensors react to changes in road conditions.. in short the engineering challenge is now very much a hardware/software competition.
So now your Stratus is built on the same physical chassis as the E-class, but the Stratus has less sophistication in its road-handling abilities. It has a far less sophisticated electronics on board...
I for one think the idea is exciting. For the first time, when engineers sit down to design a car they don't start from scratch.. but instead work on a proven and reliable base that gives them the ability to innovate while still working from the same basic platform...
Intruiging to say the least.
But the problem is that you DID pay the Photographer, up front. I paid a lot of money to have the photographer come to my wedding and take photos.
It bothers me that the photographer would somehow claim ownership of those photos. This is like someone commisioning me to write an accounting system for them, and then having me charge them everytime they install that accounting system somewhere else.
Or what if I decided that I should own all of the work I do for my employer? Sure I'll give them a copy of it, but in the end I should own the copyright on my work and be able to license it to whomever I want?
Same thing.
I think the question should REALLY read something more like "Do you favor a reduction in OTHER peoples first amendment rights?" "Do you favor monitoring of OTHER peoples religions."
These responses are not surprising, and they are reminiscent of the country in other times of conflict. Watch how people change their tune when their own rights (the ones they care about) begin to erode...
The history of American civil politics has always been about this teeter-totter effect between order and freedom. It swings both ways.. at times America has been EXCESSIVELY liberal, then something happens that jerks the majority back to a more conservative (read: fearful) state. As the threat diminishes people begin to settle back into a more freedom friendly posture.
WWII and the following two decades demonstrate this affect quite well. People where willing to give up MANY freedoms (including the utter violation of Japenese-American civil rights, increased police rights, etc..) in support of the "War Effort." The years following the war saw a gradual shift back to a more free society into the 60's.. You can see the ebb and flow of attitudes into the 80's (the apex of the cold war) and the 90's (relative peace)... 9/11 was such a big event it just caused a really large push towards the right.
I for one will remain vigilante and protect my rights as best I can.. but I will not panic or become excessively cynical because history has always been a good indicator of the future.. and I think this case is no different.