You are only partially right that a sudden hike in the actual cost required to commute would hurt people without a better public transportation infrastructure. However, public transport is not the only option.
If we assume that most people's gas bill (in the US) is spent on a daily commute, and that, similarly, most people drive solo to work, then pushing up the gas tax would at least have the effect of forcing people to carpool. Four people splitting the cost of a commute as opposed to just one (whcih is prevalent in today's commuter world) would offset a substantial hike in the price of fuel.
And let's be honest, carpooling is such a pain in the ass, it would take $3 or 4 dollars a gallon before people ended up doing it. But it is just one instance of the kind of behavior shift toward more efficient fuel consumption that society will have to adopt as part of the "end of (cheap) oil."
I say hike the tax. At least it will help rid us of those goddam SUVs.
Cost is exactly right. Real Networks and other smaller players require a fee/user. With JumpTV, the idea that you might have 10,000 users at any given time (unlikely but possible), meant that adopting any other solution was unfeasible. Microsoft, by offering the MediaPlayer stream free of charge, thus was able to assure themselves of becoming the de facto standard.
No doubt when they have sent Real out of business, user fees will *mysteriously* appear. And, being Microsoft, once they have come to dominate, they will stop checking whether the stuff actually works and our computers will be crashing every time we load up the player.
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This is off-topic, but am I the only one who found the thread on alt.sci.physics bizarre and vaguely reminiscent of a Gary Larson cartoon?
You are only partially right that a sudden hike in the actual cost required to commute would hurt people without a better public transportation infrastructure. However, public transport is not the only option.
If we assume that most people's gas bill (in the US) is spent on a daily commute, and that, similarly, most people drive solo to work, then pushing up the gas tax would at least have the effect of forcing people to carpool. Four people splitting the cost of a commute as opposed to just one (whcih is prevalent in today's commuter world) would offset a substantial hike in the price of fuel.
And let's be honest, carpooling is such a pain in the ass, it would take $3 or 4 dollars a gallon before people ended up doing it. But it is just one instance of the kind of behavior shift toward more efficient fuel consumption that society will have to adopt as part of the "end of (cheap) oil."
I say hike the tax. At least it will help rid us of those goddam SUVs.
Cost is exactly right. Real Networks and other smaller players require a fee/user. With JumpTV, the idea that you might have 10,000 users at any given time (unlikely but possible), meant that adopting any other solution was unfeasible. Microsoft, by offering the MediaPlayer stream free of charge, thus was able to assure themselves of becoming the de facto standard. No doubt when they have sent Real out of business, user fees will *mysteriously* appear. And, being Microsoft, once they have come to dominate, they will stop checking whether the stuff actually works and our computers will be crashing every time we load up the player.