I've asked time and time again what people think is so much better about the apple UI? It's basically the exact same, with minor differences. The menus are in different places, etc, but what is the big difference? Please elaborate?
I use OSX and XP, and I prefer XP just because I'm used to it, but I don't consider OSX inferior - I'm just not famaliar with it.
I use my roomates Mac at the house to surf, and there's nothing particulary intuitive about it. Stuff that's instinctual for me in windows I have a somewhat hard time doing in OSX.
Does that mean the XP interface is more intuitive than Aqua? No - it just means I'm used to XP so I perceive it as easier!
But are the majority of the people in our society addicts? Should we make it illegal for everybody just because a few people can't handle it? Then certainly we should go back to prohibition, because I know quite a few drunks.
I think that's ridiculous! You're saying Windows is stuck where it is. Because they made such good business decisions that resulted in the majority of people using their product, that they can no longer make that product better.
When Linux and Apple are including future thigs like AntiVirus, Blog Software, IM, all with their systems, why can't Microsft? Now if they included their entire softwre platform with their distribution, then that's a problem. But a browser? A media player? I think that's fair game.
Also, define a market? There's a market for operating environments, MS, Apple, Linux. Then there's a market for applications, Media, Browser. These two intersect. One could argue that including some of these featurs is not entering a new market, simply expanding the one they're already in. If MS used Windows to gain an unfair advantage in the ice cream market, that would seem unfair.
What different laws apply? Every time I hear that phrase, it's just thrown around arbitrarily. "MS can't do this b/c they're a monopoly, and different rules apply."
I mean, I know the basic can't spread into a differnt market abusing monoply powers - but what's to define a market? Can MS never include any other piece of their own software with the OS because there's a market for it? Where do you draw the line?
Put them on your machine, and use them! Nothing is stopping anyone from doing that. Should it be MS's obligation to inform consumers about competitors products?
As someone said here before on/., I think of Big Blue as a "Make Money" company. The current appetite seems to be penguin, but it wasn't always, and won't necesarily always be. Heck they're probably breeding their own penguins, giving out some nice fillet's to the people who gave them the original specimen, but would be willing to release their own penguin++ designed to devour all inferior beasts.
Or maybe IBM is a huge collection of nice people who love everybody, and they're totally willing to share the wealth! coughs....ahem
Martin Taylor - comes to grips with self, deselects checkbox for "Use Clipply To Annoy the Shit out of You": Later pops, to be honest I always knew how to write my own letters anyway!
I agree, except I'd expect Microsoft to deal with Linux on a couple of different fronts. I mean, what company out there uses the totally honest approach? Everybody does what is in their power to keep customers.
Early on they could deal with Linux via FUD (although I'd argue there was a good deal of FUD flung from both sides.) Now they are going to start investigating other methods, heck maybe down the line offer Office for Linux? Who really knows? Would it kill Microsoft to offer a version of Linux, as well as keep the Windows platform if the future requires it? I mean, say Linux grabs 20-30% of the market. Microsoft is extremely big and powerful company with a lot of smart people and could offer a good distribution. So they'd have to decide between their ego and their bank account.
Microsoft has always been able to deal with changes in the market, and this is one of them. How fast they change depends on adoption of Linux.
I'd also say the MS platform has been moving along well -.NET, Server 2003 seem to steps in the right direction. Linux probably hasn't hurt this effort.
Of course, maybe this is all a dream and they'll never touch linux. The future is exciting!
One thing I found interesting was that the Federal Trade Commission did an investigation and dropped the case, then the Justice Department picked it back up. There's an interesting Playboy interview with Bill Gates that gives some insight into how that guy thinks.
I just don't understand why they allow Mac to do it the way they do - I mean, if it's trivial to buy music from the iTunes store, remove all DRM, and then share it on Kazaa, that's sort of a hole in their scheme eh?
Well that's what I mean. The record companies aren't fools - they obviously know it's easy to get around. Why don't the other online stores just do the same thing?
My questions is - BuyMusic.com shouldn't have any reason to want DRM in their music, that pressure would seem to come from the RIAA. Apparently the iTunes store gets away without having any DRM. Did Apple make some special deal with the music companies that others just aren't able to make?
Reminds me of a book Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut. It's a story about an America where machines control everything, and engineers and managers who design the machines are at the top of society. Most people either have to join the army or the Wreaks N' Wrecks (menial labor for little pay). Everybody's standards of living are high because the machines produce everthing they need, but everybody is miserable because they don't feel they have a purpose.
Interesting read. Slight spoilage below. What must Vonneguts first readers have made of Player Piano? The story gives off the dank chill of 1984 and Brave New World, but it is less earnest, almost zany, and it wields its message playfully in comparison. The hero is Paul Proteus, an engineer in an America of the future where computers run everything and do everything, making people almost afterthoughts. Paul seems to be on his way up the ladder of success in this techno-utopia -- a perfect wife, a fast-track position at the Ilium Works and a shot at a major promotion -- but he is plagued with doubts about what modern life has become. Through a strange series of events (for some form of Big Brother is, indeed, watching), Paul joins a revolutionary organization called the Ghost Shirts and even becomes its leader. The Ghost Shirts are inspired by the past, when people mattered more than machines, but their revolution collapses with brutal irony. Paul and his companions surrender when they discover their followers have become obsessed with making new machines from the wreckage of the machines they have just smashed.
Still am really, but I've gotten better about it, and lost about 20 lbs. without trying that hard.
I also drink a lot of beer, used to be dark beer, used to eat a lot of steak and burgers, loaded baked potatoes, drank more than 2 cokes a day, etc. I also didn't do squat.
So I got to the point where I was at the bottom of the overweight category on the BMI scale. My advice for alleviating this situation is moderation. It's hard to drastically change your lifestyle, and when you do there's probably a greater chance you'll get discouraged and go back to your old ways.
I started some light weight lifting to tone up my muscles. I started walking a little bit. Those things where okay, though they would get a little old. Then I found something I enjoyed - basketball. Now I go out and shoot around every day - but the kicker is I do it because I enjoy it! I'd suggest finding some activity that you enjoy that get's you off the couch.
I also changed my diet up, not drastically, but enough to make a difference. I changed from regular coke to diet (never ever thought I would do that - but to be 100% honest after 1 can it wasn't bad, and now after months I prefer Diet Coke.) Instead of getting a bacon double cheesburger I'll just get a hamburger. I order more fish and chicken. I counted fat and calories for a while, and after you do that you just get a feel for it, and you'll know when you're eating too much bad stuff. Also, be careful about snacks - you'd be surpised how much that candy bar or bag of chips can build up.
What I've found is that you don't have to follow a strict pattern, just do what you're comfortable with that gets you the results you want.
Maybe you're a little of the mark, eh? I mean, when the started out they had 0% of the market. They have since climbed to 10%, later 50%, all the way up until they had a monopoly. You can't abuse monopoly powers until you have them, so 'free consumer choice' was exactly what got them to the top. So maybe, just maybe, you have a major bias against them, and it's not that they produce the worst software?
How would Honda, Mitsubishi, or Toyota would go about tackling these problems?
They'd slap a V-TEC sticker on it, or call it the Space Shuttle XJ20. Then we the public would get an inferioity complex about it, so we'd get the rockets extended 6", put a huge spoiler on it, and give it a nitro system.
yes, I do realize that. I'm not posting anything that's really important on IM, or hotmail etc. Not that I have anything that's "top secret" anyway.
As far as the conspiracy theory you put forth, I don't really worry about MS profiting on selling IM chats to competing companies. If I've been comprimised, shame on me, but they ran out of tin foil around here.
Cheers to those like me that spent the entire day reading news and Slashdot, while officially "working hard."
Also, I've been ()*&&^%^^^^^^^...........
>404 - employee not found. The employee you are trying to reach is experiencing technical difficulties and cannot be reached. Please try again later or contact you administrator.
My whole company (50+ employees) uses Messenger - it's much less intrusive than walking into someone's office and saying "Hey, got a minute?" We use it for communication that isn't important enough that you need to have a record of it (email), and isn't important enough for face to face contact.
Also, we have a couple of development locations, so it's great for when you need to have a conversation with someone not near you.
Considering the Americans had the majority of the troops and therefore did a majority of the fighting, I guess it follows that the majority of friendly fire incidents were caused by Americans. Then again, it's not like the Brits are immune: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2886715.stm
While I honestly appreciate the help of the Brits, I've seen this complaint a few times, and we don't really need our friends to rub salt in already embarrassing and painful events.
Most people want to do good things, they just have difficulty in finding time. I help them to find the time.
You force them to find the time, which is different than giving them an option.
If I miss out on someone that doesn't want to help their community why would I want to help them (with a job)?
I don't look at it as you helping me by giving me a job, I look at it as a mutual relationship - my time for your money, end of story. Anything more and you get in a situation like my friend who wants to quit his job but feels guilty and that he owes something to his employer.
Being a business leader is itself a community service. Puting your ass on the line, not to mention your money to pay other people to work with you is a risky proposition. In fact, I'm more scared of failure because of the impacts on my employees than I am of the impact on my life
I would't call it a community service just because you give a few people jobs. If you turned over your profits that's another thing.
Don't get me wrong, I think that's great if you want to do these things, and others want to work for you. I'm just saying you should understand there are a lot of people who might like to come to work to program computers, not talk to old people or plant trees, and I absolutely hate the idea of an employer dictating anything to me other than things pertaining to my job.
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I've asked time and time again what people think is so much better about the apple UI? It's basically the exact same, with minor differences. The menus are in different places, etc, but what is the big difference? Please elaborate?
I use OSX and XP, and I prefer XP just because I'm used to it, but I don't consider OSX inferior - I'm just not famaliar with it.
I use my roomates Mac at the house to surf, and there's nothing particulary intuitive about it. Stuff that's instinctual for me in windows I have a somewhat hard time doing in OSX.
Does that mean the XP interface is more intuitive than Aqua? No - it just means I'm used to XP so I perceive it as easier!
But are the majority of the people in our society addicts? Should we make it illegal for everybody just because a few people can't handle it? Then certainly we should go back to prohibition, because I know quite a few drunks.
I think that's ridiculous! You're saying Windows is stuck where it is. Because they made such good business decisions that resulted in the majority of people using their product, that they can no longer make that product better.
When Linux and Apple are including future thigs like AntiVirus, Blog Software, IM, all with their systems, why can't Microsft? Now if they included their entire softwre platform with their distribution, then that's a problem. But a browser? A media player? I think that's fair game.
Also, define a market? There's a market for operating environments, MS, Apple, Linux. Then there's a market for applications, Media, Browser. These two intersect. One could argue that including some of these featurs is not entering a new market, simply expanding the one they're already in. If MS used Windows to gain an unfair advantage in the ice cream market, that would seem unfair.
What different laws apply? Every time I hear that phrase, it's just thrown around arbitrarily. "MS can't do this b/c they're a monopoly, and different rules apply."
I mean, I know the basic can't spread into a differnt market abusing monoply powers - but what's to define a market? Can MS never include any other piece of their own software with the OS because there's a market for it? Where do you draw the line?
Put them on your machine, and use them! Nothing is stopping anyone from doing that. Should it be MS's obligation to inform consumers about competitors products?
As someone said here before on /., I think of Big Blue as a "Make Money" company. The current appetite seems to be penguin, but it wasn't always, and won't necesarily always be. Heck they're probably breeding their own penguins, giving out some nice fillet's to the people who gave them the original specimen, but would be willing to release their own penguin++ designed to devour all inferior beasts.
Or maybe IBM is a huge collection of nice people who love everybody, and they're totally willing to share the wealth! coughs....ahem
Martin Taylor - comes to grips with self, deselects checkbox for "Use Clipply To Annoy the Shit out of You": Later pops, to be honest I always knew how to write my own letters anyway!
Clippy:
I agree, except I'd expect Microsoft to deal with Linux on a couple of different fronts. I mean, what company out there uses the totally honest approach? Everybody does what is in their power to keep customers.
.NET, Server 2003 seem to steps in the right direction. Linux probably hasn't hurt this effort.
Early on they could deal with Linux via FUD (although I'd argue there was a good deal of FUD flung from both sides.) Now they are going to start investigating other methods, heck maybe down the line offer Office for Linux? Who really knows? Would it kill Microsoft to offer a version of Linux, as well as keep the Windows platform if the future requires it? I mean, say Linux grabs 20-30% of the market. Microsoft is extremely big and powerful company with a lot of smart people and could offer a good distribution. So they'd have to decide between their ego and their bank account.
Microsoft has always been able to deal with changes in the market, and this is one of them. How fast they change depends on adoption of Linux.
I'd also say the MS platform has been moving along well -
Of course, maybe this is all a dream and they'll never touch linux. The future is exciting!
One thing I found interesting was that the Federal Trade Commission did an investigation and dropped the case, then the Justice Department picked it back up. There's an interesting Playboy interview with Bill Gates that gives some insight into how that guy thinks.
I'm quite famaliar with the Mac platform, I use it every day on my roomates computer. And I'm not talking about Kazaa vs. iTunes.
Here is what I mean.
1. RIAA wants DRM on all music files
2. Apple makes it very easy to remove DRM, therefore making it very easy to share files with friends, without paying.
3. What Apple did is not a hard thing to do for any big company. Why do other companies make their DRM so much of a pain in the ass?
I mean, since apple can run a high quality low DRM music web site, why aren't there others? It certainly isn't a technical problem.
I just don't understand why they allow Mac to do it the way they do - I mean, if it's trivial to buy music from the iTunes store, remove all DRM, and then share it on Kazaa, that's sort of a hole in their scheme eh?
Well that's what I mean. The record companies aren't fools - they obviously know it's easy to get around. Why don't the other online stores just do the same thing?
My questions is - BuyMusic.com shouldn't have any reason to want DRM in their music, that pressure would seem to come from the RIAA. Apparently the iTunes store gets away without having any DRM. Did Apple make some special deal with the music companies that others just aren't able to make?
So does that mean they'll throw your Grandma in jail?
Wait, let me guess - You're not a republican?!?
Reminds me of a book Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut. It's a story about an America where machines control everything, and engineers and managers who design the machines are at the top of society. Most people either have to join the army or the Wreaks N' Wrecks (menial labor for little pay). Everybody's standards of living are high because the machines produce everthing they need, but everybody is miserable because they don't feel they have a purpose.
Interesting read. Slight spoilage below.
What must Vonneguts first readers have made of Player Piano? The story gives off the dank chill of 1984 and Brave New World, but it is less earnest, almost zany, and it wields its message playfully in comparison. The hero is Paul Proteus, an engineer in an America of the future where computers run everything and do everything, making people almost afterthoughts. Paul seems to be on his way up the ladder of success in this techno-utopia -- a perfect wife, a fast-track position at the Ilium Works and a shot at a major promotion -- but he is plagued with doubts about what modern life has become. Through a strange series of events (for some form of Big Brother is, indeed, watching), Paul joins a revolutionary organization called the Ghost Shirts and even becomes its leader. The Ghost Shirts are inspired by the past, when people mattered more than machines, but their revolution collapses with brutal irony. Paul and his companions surrender when they discover their followers have become obsessed with making new machines from the wreckage of the machines they have just smashed.
Still am really, but I've gotten better about it, and lost about 20 lbs. without trying that hard.
I also drink a lot of beer, used to be dark beer, used to eat a lot of steak and burgers, loaded baked potatoes, drank more than 2 cokes a day, etc. I also didn't do squat.
So I got to the point where I was at the bottom of the overweight category on the BMI scale. My advice for alleviating this situation is moderation. It's hard to drastically change your lifestyle, and when you do there's probably a greater chance you'll get discouraged and go back to your old ways.
I started some light weight lifting to tone up my muscles. I started walking a little bit. Those things where okay, though they would get a little old. Then I found something I enjoyed - basketball. Now I go out and shoot around every day - but the kicker is I do it because I enjoy it! I'd suggest finding some activity that you enjoy that get's you off the couch.
I also changed my diet up, not drastically, but enough to make a difference. I changed from regular coke to diet (never ever thought I would do that - but to be 100% honest after 1 can it wasn't bad, and now after months I prefer Diet Coke.) Instead of getting a bacon double cheesburger I'll just get a hamburger. I order more fish and chicken. I counted fat and calories for a while, and after you do that you just get a feel for it, and you'll know when you're eating too much bad stuff. Also, be careful about snacks - you'd be surpised how much that candy bar or bag of chips can build up.
What I've found is that you don't have to follow a strict pattern, just do what you're comfortable with that gets you the results you want.
Maybe you're a little of the mark, eh? I mean, when the started out they had 0% of the market. They have since climbed to 10%, later 50%, all the way up until they had a monopoly. You can't abuse monopoly powers until you have them, so 'free consumer choice' was exactly what got them to the top. So maybe, just maybe, you have a major bias against them, and it's not that they produce the worst software?
How would Honda, Mitsubishi, or Toyota would go about tackling these problems?
They'd slap a V-TEC sticker on it, or call it the Space Shuttle XJ20. Then we the public would get an inferioity complex about it, so we'd get the rockets extended 6", put a huge spoiler on it, and give it a nitro system.
yes, I do realize that. I'm not posting anything that's really important on IM, or hotmail etc. Not that I have anything that's "top secret" anyway.
As far as the conspiracy theory you put forth, I don't really worry about MS profiting on selling IM chats to competing companies. If I've been comprimised, shame on me, but they ran out of tin foil around here.
Cheers to those like me that spent the entire day reading news and Slashdot, while officially "working hard."
Also, I've been ()*&&^%^^^^^^^...........
>404 - employee not found. The employee you are trying to reach is experiencing technical difficulties and cannot be reached. Please try again later or contact you administrator.
My whole company (50+ employees) uses Messenger - it's much less intrusive than walking into someone's office and saying "Hey, got a minute?" We use it for communication that isn't important enough that you need to have a record of it (email), and isn't important enough for face to face contact.
Also, we have a couple of development locations, so it's great for when you need to have a conversation with someone not near you.
Considering the Americans had the majority of the troops and therefore did a majority of the fighting, I guess it follows that the majority of friendly fire incidents were caused by Americans. Then again, it's not like the Brits are immune: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2886715.stm
While I honestly appreciate the help of the Brits, I've seen this complaint a few times, and we don't really need our friends to rub salt in already embarrassing and painful events.
Most people want to do good things, they just have difficulty in finding time. I help them to find the time.
You force them to find the time, which is different than giving them an option.
If I miss out on someone that doesn't want to help their community why would I want to help them (with a job)?
I don't look at it as you helping me by giving me a job, I look at it as a mutual relationship - my time for your money, end of story. Anything more and you get in a situation like my friend who wants to quit his job but feels guilty and that he owes something to his employer.
Being a business leader is itself a community service. Puting your ass on the line, not to mention your money to pay other people to work with you is a risky proposition. In fact, I'm more scared of failure because of the impacts on my employees than I am of the impact on my life
I would't call it a community service just because you give a few people jobs. If you turned over your profits that's another thing.
Don't get me wrong, I think that's great if you want to do these things, and others want to work for you. I'm just saying you should understand there are a lot of people who might like to come to work to program computers, not talk to old people or plant trees, and I absolutely hate the idea of an employer dictating anything to me other than things pertaining to my job.