No wonder Apple have wisely opted to keep their platform different from the low cost, hardware incompatibility swamp that is the world of stock x86.
Bah. As Yoda would say, "Too much Apple Reality Distortion Field, you have absorbed."
There is nothing wrong with using x86 hardware. As it is, Apple already uses the same manufacturers that produce hard drives, RAM and video chipsets in Macs. The reason Apple avoids x86 processors is not about a "premium product", it is way to keep Apple's SOFTWARE division viable. If Apple produced PC compatible machines, let's face it - the unwashed masses would demand Windows. If they went a route like the Xbox and produced something that can't run Windows directly, it's wasted potential. Using a different architecture also allows Apple to play the "We're elite" card which causes some people to believe Apple produces a superior product.
Maybe you buy into the fact that cell phone companies put a master subsidy lock on their phones so as to provide you with a premium product by making sure you only use the phone on their network... Lock the hardware to the software and the software to the hardware - that's the same thing Apple does. If you really think otherwise, try installing Windows XP on your Mac (no, emulators do not count) or OS X on a Pentium 4.
I'm one of the few people that considers Apple's continued existance to be an anomaly - by any logical reasoning, a proprietary platform with a proprietary OS wouldn't be profitable in today's market.
It seems all MS is doing is patching the exploit in the dash... Most Xbox modders knew this was going to happen and said this was going to be a cat-and-mouse game if you threw Live into the mix - they were right. What it boils down to basically is:
If you want Live, use a modchip with a switch or an older Xbox that supports multiple BIOS images on the TSOP, or just an unmodded Xbox.
If you don't care about Live, just flash your TSOP and be done with it.
xbox-scene.com has excellent tutorials on how to get the 007: Agent Under Fire and Mechassult hacks onto an unmodified Xbox using only a memory card, your Xbox joystick and a modified USB cable. The instructions for using these hacks to reflash the TSOP are very easy to follow and accurate for every Xbox version.
I've modded 5 Xboxes by flashing the TSOP so far and haven't had a single problem... If you don't care about Live, it's the easiest and cheapest way to go.
Ah, but the RIAA don't want informed shoppers, because that would mean that Indies would actually become a new, global competitor with the power of the people behind it, instead of just cash.
I wish this stupid indie comment that seems to come up every time the downfall of the RIAA is mentioned would just die a quick death.
What exactly needs to change with P2P networks for indie bands to become more popular? Let's see... Uh... How about nothing? We have P2P, it works, there are files on it. Why is indie music so unpopular?
Because most people still find out about new music through the traditional RIAA-controlled mediums of promotion: Radio and TV.
The issue with P2P is that the RIAA is does NOT want to sell its promotional material - they want to sell albums. Traditionally, if you heard a song on the radio you liked, you could either record it and deal with the DJ talking over the song or the crossfading into the next song, you could try to buy the hard-to-find single if one even existed, or you could take the route that gives the RIAA a colossal chubby and buy the expensive album that very likely only has 2 or 3 good songs on it.
Enter P2P and people can now download near-CD quality copies of the promtional material on the radio, find out which albums SUCK and download the albums they do like without paying for them. The RIAA is upset over the loss of control of THEIR music, it has nothing to do with indies.
Pretty much all I ever download from P2P is just the same stuff on the radio so I can burn CDs and listen to current music without commercials and the DJs talking or doing traffic reports all over half the song. While I have noticed some sites starting to allow free downloads of promotional tracks, usually it's in a DRM'ed format like WMA or Real or there's some release date bullshit or the band doesn't want their tracks being downloaded or... I can go on P2P get the track right now, in an open format that I can copy as much as I want and won't expire and the only downside is a slightly better chance of getting sued than winning the lotto.
I haven't donated to the EFF or to any other cause... But this whole thing has me so steamed I'd gladly toss a few bucks to help this unfortunate child and single mother out. Let's make their day and give the RIAA the finger in one fell swoop.
...because they both sure love to shoot themselves in it.
Imagine for a moment if the RIAA was able to send free DRM CD players to everyone who currently owns a NON-DRM one. Then they stop releasing open CDs and just release the DRM ones. Sure, the protection will get hacked eventually, but then they just send out new CD players again, or include a firmware update on newer albums. Hey, if they could do that, they wouldn't need to sue anyone!
Well guess what, the RIAA can't do that but DirecTV CAN! Every DirectTV receiver has a removable smart card and there is no reason why DirectTV can't simply kill the feed for the old cards and send out new ones. As a matter of fact, they're actually in the process of a swap out RIGHT NOW! It seems DirecTV is simply going through with these lawsuits out of spite.
DirecTV has a way out and should just consider the pirates they had in the past to be a lesson learned and deal with the fact that sending new access cards to their subscribers is just a cost of doing business... Pissing off your customers is the most surefire way to end up out of business. Maybe the RIAA has enough of a monopoly on mainstream music to bleed itself a bit before it eventually gets a clue, but DirecTV is hardly a monopoly and they could end up out of business with enough consumer backlash.
I am going to get the nicest, glossiest printer paper I can find and print the goatse picture on it. Those of you familiar with it already know why, those of you who don't should consider yourselves very lucky. Underneath it, I will print add the words...
"Want your copyrighted material back? Reach on up there and get it!"
I was just talking to one of my friends about how I'd be interested in buying a few albums were it not for the high prices and copy protection bullshit. Now if the copy protection can go away, the RIAA can welcome me back as a customer...
In order to sell IP (software/music/etc.) on eBay burned to CD-R or in a downloadable format, you MUST be the legal copyright owner of said intellectual property and state it in your auction. I ran into this problem before selling my own software without the notice and eBay pulled my auction.
Check eBay's policies... They are well within their rights to end this auction. eBay generally tries to stay away from legal gray areas. Things that are actually legal to sell, for example, unprogrammed DSS access cards and Xbox mod chips with the Cromwell Clean Linux BIOS are not allowed by eBay to be sold. eBay is just trying to cover their own ass.
The Sim Pal doll in The 6th Day was named Cindy. I wonder if this is more than just a coincidence...
Re:No offence...
on
iWorkstations?
·
· Score: 0, Offtopic
Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 16, @05:49AM wrote:
>Trend whore? Let me guess, you where a lot of >khaki pants and polo shirts with computer logos >on them, right?
No.
>You drive/have driven an Accord, Maxima, or >Camry.
Yes, but with a 760 watt amp and two 12" subs. All your bass are belong to my econobox.
>You go to Starbucks with your >friends and rent movies from Blockbuster.
No. Panera Bread and Hollywood video.
>You listen to what you consider "non-mainstream" >music.
No, I listen to what I consider to be mainstream music. How many people would really give a shit about P2P or the RIAA if it wasn't all about mainstream music?;)
>You consider yourself more computer literate >than most people you work with and you actually >think that that means you are intelligent.
There isn't anything wrong with this if it can be backed up with proof. Of course, if you work in the IT field (I got out of it and got my HVAC certification), techs with computer knowledge are a dime a dozen.
>Office Space is one of your favorite movies.
True that. It's a poignant reminder of why working in IT sucks.
>You get pissed when screens in the movies show >fake flashy graphics when the supposed computer >genius decides to hack into a system.
I don't really mind that. Now when they misuse technical jargon just to try and sound smart, it's lame. Like that line "Plug the hard drives into the main AC power" or something to that effect in the Matrix II. Make up your own techno-sounding terms "Plug the futzwitzer into the main AC power!" or use the real ones properly.
>You think you're smarter than the average bear.
The average bear shits in the woods. I use a toilet.
>You've smoked weed in your lifetime.
Never have, never will.
>You daredevil you.;)
Since this post wasn't directed to me and I just wanted to get my.02 in, I don't feel entitled to respond to this comment. I was just hoping to get a chance to say something derogatory about Apple but you never brought it up. Damn.
Head on over to your local Wal-Mart/Target/Sears/K-Mart and pick up an Xbox for $179 + tax.
Then go to http://www.xbox-scene.com and find out how you can mod it with just 007:Agent Under Fire or Mechassault, a soldering iron, a memory card and a homebuilt cable to connect the joystick to your USB port.
Of course, you could always try to port Xbox Media Player to this system...;)
...which may fulfill the fantasies of Slashdot readers everywhere. 16-bit Motorola CPU with a graphics architecture "similar to the Commodore 64, Atari 800, and Apple II"...as long as your fantasy isn't to run GTA3: Vice City.
I'm one of those militant non-smokers Philip Morris warned you about. I live in Florida where smoking is outlawed in resturants. I don't allow people to smoke in my car. Your right to smoke stops where my right to clean air begins.
This certainly it not a product I'd be interested in... However, if instead of producing smoke rings, it could be modified to produce a cigarette extinguishing vortex, it'd be quite useful. I'd love to have something I can use to point-and-click peoples' cigarettes out without the wet mess of a supersoaker.
Netmeeting with a headset on a laptop with 802.11b is the shiznit for voice over IP.
Hell, what I'd like to see is a device that LOOKS like a cordless phone, is 802.11b compatible and supports Netmeeting/AIM voice chat/etc... If enough people got those and wireless access points, POTS might soon go the way of the dodo.
You know, it's really sick that we make jokes like this.
Oh come off it... It was a topical movie reference and it was actually funny. I bet you cringe when you hear a joke about 9/11 too.
Face it, horrible things happen in life and if you can't move forward while looking back and laughing, you're living a pretty miserable existance and the terrorists have won.;)
There are other companies trying to make money from media players, eg Apple, Real
Windows media player is just a frontend to the directshow API framework already built into Windows. I wish Apple and Real would get over themselves and just relese directshow filters to view their content instead of their clunky "the default install takes over your whole system" proprietary viewers.
BTW, the basic RealOne player is free. Quicktime is sorta free but will annoy you to no end with "Do you want to go pro?" popups.
Funny how people are so quick to cry foul when Microsoft bundles another capability into their OS that a competitor was selling, but are all for a new distribution method (P2P) that destroys the profitability (selling shiny plastic discs) of the major record lables. If someone is able to give away the same thing you've been trying to sell, you didn't offer enough value to begin with.
Slashdot Mirror
No wonder Apple have wisely opted to keep their platform different from the low cost, hardware incompatibility swamp that is the world of stock x86.
Bah. As Yoda would say, "Too much Apple Reality Distortion Field, you have absorbed."
There is nothing wrong with using x86 hardware. As it is, Apple already uses the same manufacturers that produce hard drives, RAM and video chipsets in Macs. The reason Apple avoids x86 processors is not about a "premium product", it is way to keep Apple's SOFTWARE division viable. If Apple produced PC compatible machines, let's face it - the unwashed masses would demand Windows. If they went a route like the Xbox and produced something that can't run Windows directly, it's wasted potential. Using a different architecture also allows Apple to play the "We're elite" card which causes some people to believe Apple produces a superior product.
Maybe you buy into the fact that cell phone companies put a master subsidy lock on their phones so as to provide you with a premium product by making sure you only use the phone on their network... Lock the hardware to the software and the software to the hardware - that's the same thing Apple does. If you really think otherwise, try installing Windows XP on your Mac (no, emulators do not count) or OS X on a Pentium 4.
I'm one of the few people that considers Apple's continued existance to be an anomaly - by any logical reasoning, a proprietary platform with a proprietary OS wouldn't be profitable in today's market.
I'd rather get a Honda Civic and cover it in Type-R stickers... With each one adding 5 extra horsepower, I'd surely end up with a faster car!
It seems all MS is doing is patching the exploit in the dash... Most Xbox modders knew this was going to happen and said this was going to be a cat-and-mouse game if you threw Live into the mix - they were right. What it boils down to basically is:
If you want Live, use a modchip with a switch or an older Xbox that supports multiple BIOS images on the TSOP, or just an unmodded Xbox.
If you don't care about Live, just flash your TSOP and be done with it.
xbox-scene.com has excellent tutorials on how to get the 007: Agent Under Fire and Mechassult hacks onto an unmodified Xbox using only a memory card, your Xbox joystick and a modified USB cable. The instructions for using these hacks to reflash the TSOP are very easy to follow and accurate for every Xbox version.
I've modded 5 Xboxes by flashing the TSOP so far and haven't had a single problem... If you don't care about Live, it's the easiest and cheapest way to go.
Ah, but the RIAA don't want informed shoppers, because that would mean that Indies would actually become a new, global competitor with the power of the people behind it, instead of just cash.
I wish this stupid indie comment that seems to come up every time the downfall of the RIAA is mentioned would just die a quick death.
What exactly needs to change with P2P networks for indie bands to become more popular? Let's see... Uh... How about nothing? We have P2P, it works, there are files on it. Why is indie music so unpopular?
Because most people still find out about new music through the traditional RIAA-controlled mediums of promotion: Radio and TV.
The issue with P2P is that the RIAA is does NOT want to sell its promotional material - they want to sell albums. Traditionally, if you heard a song on the radio you liked, you could either record it and deal with the DJ talking over the song or the crossfading into the next song, you could try to buy the hard-to-find single if one even existed, or you could take the route that gives the RIAA a colossal chubby and buy the expensive album that very likely only has 2 or 3 good songs on it.
Enter P2P and people can now download near-CD quality copies of the promtional material on the radio, find out which albums SUCK and download the albums they do like without paying for them. The RIAA is upset over the loss of control of THEIR music, it has nothing to do with indies.
Pretty much all I ever download from P2P is just the same stuff on the radio so I can burn CDs and listen to current music without commercials and the DJs talking or doing traffic reports all over half the song. While I have noticed some sites starting to allow free downloads of promotional tracks, usually it's in a DRM'ed format like WMA or Real or there's some release date bullshit or the band doesn't want their tracks being downloaded or... I can go on P2P get the track right now, in an open format that I can copy as much as I want and won't expire and the only downside is a slightly better chance of getting sued than winning the lotto.
I haven't donated to the EFF or to any other cause... But this whole thing has me so steamed I'd gladly toss a few bucks to help this unfortunate child and single mother out. Let's make their day and give the RIAA the finger in one fell swoop.
...because they both sure love to shoot themselves in it.
Imagine for a moment if the RIAA was able to send free DRM CD players to everyone who currently owns a NON-DRM one. Then they stop releasing open CDs and just release the DRM ones. Sure, the protection will get hacked eventually, but then they just send out new CD players again, or include a firmware update on newer albums. Hey, if they could do that, they wouldn't need to sue anyone!
Well guess what, the RIAA can't do that but DirecTV CAN! Every DirectTV receiver has a removable smart card and there is no reason why DirectTV can't simply kill the feed for the old cards and send out new ones. As a matter of fact, they're actually in the process of a swap out RIGHT NOW! It seems DirecTV is simply going through with these lawsuits out of spite.
DirecTV has a way out and should just consider the pirates they had in the past to be a lesson learned and deal with the fact that sending new access cards to their subscribers is just a cost of doing business... Pissing off your customers is the most surefire way to end up out of business. Maybe the RIAA has enough of a monopoly on mainstream music to bleed itself a bit before it eventually gets a clue, but DirecTV is hardly a monopoly and they could end up out of business with enough consumer backlash.
Sell your old card on ebay... If it's the HU type with the football player on the front, you can get $75 for it. I sold all 3 of mine.
I love DirectTV access card swaps, it's like getting a rebate when I sell the old cards on eBay.
Karma be damned, this has to be said.
I am going to get the nicest, glossiest printer paper I can find and print the goatse picture on it. Those of you familiar with it already know why, those of you who don't should consider yourselves very lucky. Underneath it, I will print add the words...
"Want your copyrighted material back? Reach on up there and get it!"
I was just talking to one of my friends about how I'd be interested in buying a few albums were it not for the high prices and copy protection bullshit. Now if the copy protection can go away, the RIAA can welcome me back as a customer...
I think they mean the Spice Girls. I wonder what happened to them too...
In order to sell IP (software/music/etc.) on eBay burned to CD-R or in a downloadable format, you MUST be the legal copyright owner of said intellectual property and state it in your auction. I ran into this problem before selling my own software without the notice and eBay pulled my auction.
Check eBay's policies... They are well within their rights to end this auction. eBay generally tries to stay away from legal gray areas. Things that are actually legal to sell, for example, unprogrammed DSS access cards and Xbox mod chips with the Cromwell Clean Linux BIOS are not allowed by eBay to be sold. eBay is just trying to cover their own ass.
Oh wait, I'm sorry, you have an account on Slashdot, YOU'RE NOT MARRIED!
Ok, I'll bite. This summer, I married a long-time slashdotter. #3115, to be precise. Sorry about the redundancy of the sig.
Hello exception, meet the rule.
The Sim Pal doll in The 6th Day was named Cindy. I wonder if this is more than just a coincidence...
Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 16, @05:49AM wrote:
;)
;)
.02 in, I don't feel entitled to respond to this comment. I was just hoping to get a chance to say something derogatory about Apple but you never brought it up. Damn.
>Trend whore? Let me guess, you where a lot of
>khaki pants and polo shirts with computer logos
>on them, right?
No.
>You drive/have driven an Accord, Maxima, or
>Camry.
Yes, but with a 760 watt amp and two 12" subs. All your bass are belong to my econobox.
>You go to Starbucks with your
>friends and rent movies from Blockbuster.
No. Panera Bread and Hollywood video.
>You listen to what you consider "non-mainstream"
>music.
No, I listen to what I consider to be mainstream music. How many people would really give a shit about P2P or the RIAA if it wasn't all about mainstream music?
>You consider yourself more computer literate
>than most people you work with and you actually
>think that that means you are intelligent.
There isn't anything wrong with this if it can be backed up with proof. Of course, if you work in the IT field (I got out of it and got my HVAC certification), techs with computer knowledge are a dime a dozen.
>Office Space is one of your favorite movies.
True that. It's a poignant reminder of why working in IT sucks.
>You get pissed when screens in the movies show
>fake flashy graphics when the supposed computer
>genius decides to hack into a system.
I don't really mind that. Now when they misuse technical jargon just to try and sound smart, it's lame. Like that line "Plug the hard drives into the main AC power" or something to that effect in the Matrix II. Make up your own techno-sounding terms "Plug the futzwitzer into the main AC power!" or use the real ones properly.
>You think you're smarter than the average bear.
The average bear shits in the woods. I use a toilet.
>You've smoked weed in your lifetime.
Never have, never will.
>You daredevil you.
Since this post wasn't directed to me and I just wanted to get my
Maybe when they get an editor put together they can call it STD Edit.
There's already a video editor called VD.
Karma be damned, this the funniest OT thing I've seen posted in a long time. Bravo!
Gotta buy your Linux boxes at the store that also sells guns and frozen chickens... Wal-Mart!
Head on over to your local Wal-Mart/Target/Sears/K-Mart and pick up an Xbox for $179 + tax.
;)
Then go to http://www.xbox-scene.com and find out how you can mod it with just 007:Agent Under Fire or Mechassault, a soldering iron, a memory card and a homebuilt cable to connect the joystick to your USB port.
Of course, you could always try to port Xbox Media Player to this system...
...which may fulfill the fantasies of Slashdot readers everywhere. 16-bit Motorola CPU with a graphics architecture "similar to the Commodore 64, Atari 800, and Apple II" ...as long as your fantasy isn't to run GTA3: Vice City.
Animals seem to find it as a form of smelly attack.
;)
Don't see any dogs or cats sucking on cancer sticks, eh? Maybe animals aren't as dumb as they look.
...on spammers?
I'm one of those militant non-smokers Philip Morris warned you about. I live in Florida where smoking is outlawed in resturants. I don't allow people to smoke in my car. Your right to smoke stops where my right to clean air begins.
This certainly it not a product I'd be interested in... However, if instead of producing smoke rings, it could be modified to produce a cigarette extinguishing vortex, it'd be quite useful. I'd love to have something I can use to point-and-click peoples' cigarettes out without the wet mess of a supersoaker.
Netmeeting with a headset on a laptop with 802.11b is the shiznit for voice over IP.
Hell, what I'd like to see is a device that LOOKS like a cordless phone, is 802.11b compatible and supports Netmeeting/AIM voice chat/etc... If enough people got those and wireless access points, POTS might soon go the way of the dodo.
You know, it's really sick that we make jokes like this.
;)
Oh come off it... It was a topical movie reference and it was actually funny. I bet you cringe when you hear a joke about 9/11 too.
Face it, horrible things happen in life and if you can't move forward while looking back and laughing, you're living a pretty miserable existance and the terrorists have won.
There are other companies trying to make money from media players, eg Apple, Real
Windows media player is just a frontend to the directshow API framework already built into Windows. I wish Apple and Real would get over themselves and just relese directshow filters to view their content instead of their clunky "the default install takes over your whole system" proprietary viewers.
BTW, the basic RealOne player is free. Quicktime is sorta free but will annoy you to no end with "Do you want to go pro?" popups.
Funny how people are so quick to cry foul when Microsoft bundles another capability into their OS that a competitor was selling, but are all for a new distribution method (P2P) that destroys the profitability (selling shiny plastic discs) of the major record lables. If someone is able to give away the same thing you've been trying to sell, you didn't offer enough value to begin with.