I don't think it's lack of teeth, it's lack of will.
In the US case, the justice department got a conviction against Microsoft. Then the Bush administration was sworn in, and the incoming DOJ whittled the punishment down into a "don't do it again, *wink* *wink*, *nudge* *nudge*."
In the European case, the EU is still finding its legs as an entity/pseudo-government. Any action they take against MS is going to be debated, re-debated, whined about, etc. They have the teeth, it's a question of whether they have the will to take a bite.
I actually haven't had any problems with PayPal. The one time they froze my account it was because I'd made an unusually large purchase with my PayPal debit card, and they froze it just in case my card had been stolen. One five-minute phone call later, and everything was back to normal. I give them a little slack on the security front; they're doing their damndest to be reliable and secure, and a lot of the horror stories I've heard have been overexaggerated.
As it stands now, the service seems more of a communal shopping cart than an actual payment system. That might be all well and good for certain sites, but the beauty of PayPal is its flexibility; for all intents and purposes, PayPal is a quick n' easy substitute for an online point-of-sale system. You can pretty much customize it for your individual needs. You don't need to use PayPal's shopping cart, you can use a different one (or even develop your own).
I can see this fitting in well with their AdWords/AdSense system, but beyond that I don't see this as significant competition for PayPal.
You'd think with a Heinlein prize, the award would be a giant gold breast.;)
But on a serious note, I'm glad this prize is out there. Aside from the usual flamewar about private industry versus government-driven research, it seems to me the more people/companies/organizations/entities that are trying to get into space, the faster our species as a whole will get off this rock and start exploring the universe.
Internationally, the Greens have been really wretched in some countries. Mexico's only one example--in Germany, they're fairly right-wing. Here in the US, it's a little different--there are some genuine, died-in-the-wool radicals involved in the Greens who definitely do not want to sell out. Unfortunately, as it stands, the US system is extremely unfriendly to third parties, and the Greens are the only viable progressive alternative to the Republicrats.
I don't believe the Party actually has a formal position on IP laws or the FCC in general, though the people in Party knowledgable about the issues are 100% pro-EFF. "Grandpa" Al Lewis, a Green Party leader in New York for many years before he died, once went on the Stern show and led everyone in a nice rousing chant of "Fuck the FCC.":)
It's really very simple. Microsoft has been talking smack about Linux for years, about how Windows is better, lower TCO, etc. Now they've been caught using Linux-based appliances.
If nothing else, it's funny. It's like an environmentalist ranting and raving about SUVs driving the environment until someone points out, "dude, you're driving a Hummer."
Essentially, Microsoft's rhetoric HAS been "windows only lol r0xr." Now they have to eat a little crow.
Well, one thing with MMOs is that they really take you for a ride. First, you pay $50 for the actual software. Then, assuming there aren't any expansion packs available (which can easily cost just as much as the original software), you pay $15 a month for the privelege of playing.
I finally broke down and bought World of Warcraft last month. By the time a year goes by, if I manage to take advantage of all discounts and get the average monthly cost down to $12, I will have spent $182 on that game alone. It only goes up if you're playing several MMOs at once. If I decided to also get Star Wars: Galaxies and D&D Online, we're talking $550--for three games. After the first year, I would pay an annual cost of $430. For three games.
MMOs are expensive! There is no doubt in my mind that paying these kinds of fees are eating at gamers' budgets. Especially when you consider that these games are aimed at young people, who don't exactly have six-figure salaries. (And even the most spoiled kid's parents will eventually say "enough!")
I would much rather see a change in model--something where you get the initial software at low cost (or, better, free), and they charge mainly for the monthly service. That's where the bulk of their profits are coming from, anyway. Runescape also has a good thing going; you play for free, but if you want to get ALL the features, you upgrade to "member" at a very reasonable price ($5 a month). It may not have the quality of WoW, but A) that's mostly due to it being run from a browser and B) you can't argue with results--they make a ton of money. I see that model as being more desirable for the future of MMOs; otherwise, it's going to become more and more difficult to sell new games as people settle on just one or two MMO-style games.
"Hey! Hey! He's got the ball! He's got the ball!" "Oh boy, gimme the ball! I want the ball!" "Ooh, a squirrel! Hey! Squirrel! Gotta get the squirrel!" "Oh, gimme a treat! Please.....Gimme a treat!" "Oh boy! Someone new! I wonder what his crotch smells like?"
My main reaction to this is that they have NO--zero, zilch, zip--excuse for hanging up on you ONCE, much less twice. That is simply outrageous, and you shouldn't have to tolerate it. If this continues to go on, tell them you'll take them to small claims court--if they're charging you for calls you never made, that's called "fraud." If their network has been pwned, that's their problem not yours. You have no obligation to pay for it.
Really, this exemplifies the sort of research we've been talking about when it comes to stem cells. Unfortunately, the actual scientific possibilities were overshadowed by a bunch of political bullshit.
Stem cells, biology (evolution!), global warming...The subjection of science to political considerations has to stop.
It be about time that someone be takin' up the mantle of IP reform and greater privacy! Fer sure, the twin armadas of the Republicrats and Democans have failed to take it on, and e'en the Libertarians and Greens don't talk too much about it.
Avast, mateys! Perchance finally there be a Party worth votin' for.
Slashdot Mirror
Admins that download scripts off the Net without even checking to see how they work are a danger to themselves and others.
I don't think it's lack of teeth, it's lack of will.
In the US case, the justice department got a conviction against Microsoft. Then the Bush administration was sworn in, and the incoming DOJ whittled the punishment down into a "don't do it again, *wink* *wink*, *nudge* *nudge*."
In the European case, the EU is still finding its legs as an entity/pseudo-government. Any action they take against MS is going to be debated, re-debated, whined about, etc. They have the teeth, it's a question of whether they have the will to take a bite.
I actually haven't had any problems with PayPal. The one time they froze my account it was because I'd made an unusually large purchase with my PayPal debit card, and they froze it just in case my card had been stolen. One five-minute phone call later, and everything was back to normal. I give them a little slack on the security front; they're doing their damndest to be reliable and secure, and a lot of the horror stories I've heard have been overexaggerated.
As it stands now, the service seems more of a communal shopping cart than an actual payment system. That might be all well and good for certain sites, but the beauty of PayPal is its flexibility; for all intents and purposes, PayPal is a quick n' easy substitute for an online point-of-sale system. You can pretty much customize it for your individual needs. You don't need to use PayPal's shopping cart, you can use a different one (or even develop your own).
I can see this fitting in well with their AdWords/AdSense system, but beyond that I don't see this as significant competition for PayPal.
Yes, but you may refer to me as "Lord Obvious, Commander of the Conspicuous, Master of the Manifest, and Realizer of the Recognizable."
You'd think with a Heinlein prize, the award would be a giant gold breast. ;)
But on a serious note, I'm glad this prize is out there. Aside from the usual flamewar about private industry versus government-driven research, it seems to me the more people/companies/organizations/entities that are trying to get into space, the faster our species as a whole will get off this rock and start exploring the universe.
Then why do I always feel slightly dumber after talking on one of the damn things?
Internationally, the Greens have been really wretched in some countries. Mexico's only one example--in Germany, they're fairly right-wing. Here in the US, it's a little different--there are some genuine, died-in-the-wool radicals involved in the Greens who definitely do not want to sell out. Unfortunately, as it stands, the US system is extremely unfriendly to third parties, and the Greens are the only viable progressive alternative to the Republicrats.
:)
I don't believe the Party actually has a formal position on IP laws or the FCC in general, though the people in Party knowledgable about the issues are 100% pro-EFF. "Grandpa" Al Lewis, a Green Party leader in New York for many years before he died, once went on the Stern show and led everyone in a nice rousing chant of "Fuck the FCC."
As it happens, I am indeed a Green. :)
Would it kill the FCC to allow us to communicate WITHOUT paying protection money?
This outfit is getting entirely too powerful. This crap has to stop.
It only goes to show...Bad things happen to people who read LiveJournal.
"What a loooong, strange trip it's been..."
It's really very simple. Microsoft has been talking smack about Linux for years, about how Windows is better, lower TCO, etc. Now they've been caught using Linux-based appliances.
If nothing else, it's funny. It's like an environmentalist ranting and raving about SUVs driving the environment until someone points out, "dude, you're driving a Hummer."
Essentially, Microsoft's rhetoric HAS been "windows only lol r0xr." Now they have to eat a little crow.
"Think Different...Maybe next week."
"Switch...When you get around to it."
"Get a Mac...Someday."
Well, one thing with MMOs is that they really take you for a ride. First, you pay $50 for the actual software. Then, assuming there aren't any expansion packs available (which can easily cost just as much as the original software), you pay $15 a month for the privelege of playing.
I finally broke down and bought World of Warcraft last month. By the time a year goes by, if I manage to take advantage of all discounts and get the average monthly cost down to $12, I will have spent $182 on that game alone. It only goes up if you're playing several MMOs at once. If I decided to also get Star Wars: Galaxies and D&D Online, we're talking $550--for three games. After the first year, I would pay an annual cost of $430. For three games.
MMOs are expensive! There is no doubt in my mind that paying these kinds of fees are eating at gamers' budgets. Especially when you consider that these games are aimed at young people, who don't exactly have six-figure salaries. (And even the most spoiled kid's parents will eventually say "enough!")
I would much rather see a change in model--something where you get the initial software at low cost (or, better, free), and they charge mainly for the monthly service. That's where the bulk of their profits are coming from, anyway. Runescape also has a good thing going; you play for free, but if you want to get ALL the features, you upgrade to "member" at a very reasonable price ($5 a month). It may not have the quality of WoW, but A) that's mostly due to it being run from a browser and B) you can't argue with results--they make a ton of money. I see that model as being more desirable for the future of MMOs; otherwise, it's going to become more and more difficult to sell new games as people settle on just one or two MMO-style games.
"Hey! Hey! He's got the ball! He's got the ball!"
"Oh boy, gimme the ball! I want the ball!"
"Ooh, a squirrel! Hey! Squirrel! Gotta get the squirrel!"
"Oh, gimme a treat! Please.....Gimme a treat!"
"Oh boy! Someone new! I wonder what his crotch smells like?"
My main reaction to this is that they have NO--zero, zilch, zip--excuse for hanging up on you ONCE, much less twice. That is simply outrageous, and you shouldn't have to tolerate it. If this continues to go on, tell them you'll take them to small claims court--if they're charging you for calls you never made, that's called "fraud." If their network has been pwned, that's their problem not yours. You have no obligation to pay for it.
Of course, "pro-life" is perfectly honest and open, right? Please.
They've been doing this for years. Unsubscribing from AOL has always been notoriously difficult.
If they're really interested in keeping customers, they should just try...Not sucking. I know, I know, a real revolutionary concept there.
Really, this exemplifies the sort of research we've been talking about when it comes to stem cells. Unfortunately, the actual scientific possibilities were overshadowed by a bunch of political bullshit.
Stem cells, biology (evolution!), global warming...The subjection of science to political considerations has to stop.
Well, I certainly feel properly chastized now.
Yarrrr!
It be about time that someone be takin' up the mantle of IP reform and greater privacy! Fer sure, the twin armadas of the Republicrats and Democans have failed to take it on, and e'en the Libertarians and Greens don't talk too much about it.
Avast, mateys! Perchance finally there be a Party worth votin' for.
Caution - laptop may run a little warm. ;)
You gotta give 'em credit. It looks like SCO is finally trying to produce something more substantial than subpoenas.
Big shake-up going on at Microsoft. I wonder if this is related to Limbo Longhorn, or if something else is in the works. Change in direction, maybe?