Hasn't the history of the software industry been discussed enough?!? We've had books, TV-movies, newspaper articles, colorful three-page timelines in Wired magazine, ad nauseum. In times like these, we should be having serious discussions about what kind of future our industry has instead of huddling 'round the campfire roasting marshmallows and reminisching.
I am a firm believer that you have to know about your past to plan your future AND that if you don't remember history you are doomed to repeat it blah di blah di blah. But PLEASE, maybe the reasons the software industry is floundering is because people sit around and talk about how revolutionary Xerox was to come out with a GUI instead of trying to be revolutionary themselves!
What's that? you say!?! What, what!!!?!?!? Things that happened in 1980 are important to modern software blah blah blah.
My sister bought a VPR Matrix because she was on a short budget and then (December 2002) it was priced better than anything I could find for her from Dell or Compaq or anybody else.
After about 4 months of use the integrated ethernet card crapped out for no apparent reason and she sent it back to be fixed, but then again, I had to send in my IBM T20 a year ago when the machine wouldn't power on one morning. IBM had to replace the motherboard on that one. Oh well, I guess these things happen.
The VPR Matrix definately looks sweeter than my clunky IBM, I guess it's got that much going for it. Go Porsche...
I follow you from a security perspective (performance, reliability, etc. also). As a layman though, from the perspective of how we interface with a machine, the rules have not changed much in twenty years. Maybe this is just a GUI gripe...I dunno. But if I'm still doing things at a command line in 20 more years, that will just plain suck. That's why I can't understand why M$ would pick that route to go. If you're going to throw cash at how humans interact with computers, look towards the horizon don't look back towards the way things were.
I agree Linux (and others) have come far in 20 years in many many many many many ways, but much can be said about how far things _haven't_ come in terms of how we interact with the machine.
Well, if it is cheaper than my Audiovox Thera was ($700) I will buy one. The Thera has the unique distinction of being the worst cell phone and the worst pda I have ever owned, rolled up into one. I had to have a charger in my office, a charger in my car, and a charger at home just to keep the thing on all day. The pocket PC coupled with Sierra Wireless software was not ready for prime time when I bought in, but CNET gave it high praise at the time - which is why I'm a little leary of CNET reviews anymore.
Part of the "risk aversion" on the part of these major publishers has to go back to the fact that customers are asked to pay upwards of $50 US for new releases. I know that it is expensive to develop games and that cost needs to be covered. I'm not offering a solution here, just identifying a problem.
But at $50 a game, publishers aren't the only ones making an investment in games. Those of us that want to buy new games but can't afford $50 a pop have to make our choices carefully. A lot of people look at a shelf full of games and can only afford to buy one this month and make a conservative decision b/c they want a game they know they will enjoy, they don't want to take a risk on a game that they aren't sure about. I don't know how to get out of that cycle, but it just seems like at the current pricing for games, you better be darn sure you like it or else you just threw away 50 bucks. And as long as people think like that, certain kinds of games are going to be more profitable than others.
Books like this are written to placate people who think the grass is always greener someplace else. What happens when Bob decides to run a bed and breakfast and becomes unfullfilled doing that after a couple of years because he never realized his dream of driving a school bus (or whatever)?
Maybe the problem is that Bob prefers the life he doesn't have to the one he does (regardless of what he is currently doing)?
How much time do you have to personally go out and review a product you like? With all the reviews out on sites I have a hard time believing some/most of them aren't written up by people who don't have my best interests at heart...
Slashdot Mirror
No Production == Bad Idea
Bad Idea == Bag It.
Uh-huh. The public has a super track record of not eating whatever Microsoft is serving for supper.
I'm relieved...
Hasn't the history of the software industry been discussed enough?!? We've had books, TV-movies, newspaper articles, colorful three-page timelines in Wired magazine, ad nauseum. In times like these, we should be having serious discussions about what kind of future our industry has instead of huddling 'round the campfire roasting marshmallows and reminisching.
I am a firm believer that you have to know about your past to plan your future AND that if you don't remember history you are doomed to repeat it blah di blah di blah. But PLEASE, maybe the reasons the software industry is floundering is because people sit around and talk about how revolutionary Xerox was to come out with a GUI instead of trying to be revolutionary themselves!
What's that? you say!?! What, what!!!?!?!? Things that happened in 1980 are important to modern software blah blah blah.
Whatever...
My sister bought a VPR Matrix because she was on a short budget and then (December 2002) it was priced better than anything I could find for her from Dell or Compaq or anybody else.
After about 4 months of use the integrated ethernet card crapped out for no apparent reason and she sent it back to be fixed, but then again, I had to send in my IBM T20 a year ago when the machine wouldn't power on one morning. IBM had to replace the motherboard on that one. Oh well, I guess these things happen.
The VPR Matrix definately looks sweeter than my clunky IBM, I guess it's got that much going for it. Go Porsche...
I follow you from a security perspective (performance, reliability, etc. also). As a layman though, from the perspective of how we interface with a machine, the rules have not changed much in twenty years. Maybe this is just a GUI gripe...I dunno. But if I'm still doing things at a command line in 20 more years, that will just plain suck. That's why I can't understand why M$ would pick that route to go. If you're going to throw cash at how humans interact with computers, look towards the horizon don't look back towards the way things were.
I agree Linux (and others) have come far in 20 years in many many many many many ways, but much can be said about how far things _haven't_ come in terms of how we interact with the machine.
I wonder how soon this will affect the RedHat certification/training program? I just started taking the classes for 8.0...ugh.
Well, if it is cheaper than my Audiovox Thera was ($700) I will buy one. The Thera has the unique distinction of being the worst cell phone and the worst pda I have ever owned, rolled up into one. I had to have a charger in my office, a charger in my car, and a charger at home just to keep the thing on all day. The pocket PC coupled with Sierra Wireless software was not ready for prime time when I bought in, but CNET gave it high praise at the time - which is why I'm a little leary of CNET reviews anymore.
Part of the "risk aversion" on the part of these major publishers has to go back to the fact that customers are asked to pay upwards of $50 US for new releases. I know that it is expensive to develop games and that cost needs to be covered. I'm not offering a solution here, just identifying a problem.
But at $50 a game, publishers aren't the only ones making an investment in games. Those of us that want to buy new games but can't afford $50 a pop have to make our choices carefully. A lot of people look at a shelf full of games and can only afford to buy one this month and make a conservative decision b/c they want a game they know they will enjoy, they don't want to take a risk on a game that they aren't sure about. I don't know how to get out of that cycle, but it just seems like at the current pricing for games, you better be darn sure you like it or else you just threw away 50 bucks. And as long as people think like that, certain kinds of games are going to be more profitable than others.
And I believe that everybody is losing money on their consoles, not just Microsoft. Give 'em the razors, but sell the blades...
Books like this are written to placate people who think the grass is always greener someplace else. What happens when Bob decides to run a bed and breakfast and becomes unfullfilled doing that after a couple of years because he never realized his dream of driving a school bus (or whatever)?
Maybe the problem is that Bob prefers the life he doesn't have to the one he does (regardless of what he is currently doing)?
Here from our friends at CNN. More in the next week and month?
Well, until it drives the car for me I probably won't get much use out of it until I'm parked.
How much time do you have to personally go out and review a product you like? With all the reviews out on sites I have a hard time believing some/most of them aren't written up by people who don't have my best interests at heart...