Having to go out of your way an extra block, especially if you're planning on going the other direction, is completely unreasonable.
Perhaps they've placed them too far apart in this case, because we've had a similar system here for years and it's fine. Inconvenient sometimes, perhaps. But certainly not completely unreasonable. I think some people have been spoiled with convenience.
Also, I don't get how it is any worse walking in the other direction, since you have to walk back to your car, anyway.
As someone who worked for a national statistics website, I can tell you that SVG would be immensely more useful and user friendly for doing graphs. A single image doesn't contain extra info such as being able to hover over a single bar for a precise value (not only useful, but also more accessible). That's just one example. Trying to do that extra stuff with HTML is a bit of a hack and still far from ideal compared to SVG. Not to mention the most obvious feature: scalability. Not only does it mean less work for content creators, but also increased functionality and accessibility. Wikipedia is good example. An SVG diagram can be viewed on the page, but can also be downloaded and incorporated into a printed document, or perhaps incorporated into a sideshow and projected into a huge wall, where it will still look crisp and clear to read.
I'd call that basic functionality if the goal of the website is to be an information resource.
It's not a question of how hard it is, it's about alienating users. Some of us actually design/develop websites for a living. That means we deal with people in life who aren't nerds and who aren't involved with the politics of the web, don't want to be, and shouldn't have to be. Why should I tell my clients that I plan to reduce their number of potential customers because I have an issue with the way MS does business? Is it really that important that we need to make the issue heard outside of the IT industry and at a cost to the client? MS is slowly losing this war, we don't need to be so hostile.
Why always define things based on genetics? Does neurology not matter? Why is it that any other definition is crap? Crap is a subjective, non-scientific term, you know. Perhaps this subject simply makes you feel uncomfortable?
I've just read that page and at least one part makes it clear that AT&T had quite a lot to do with it. When it comes to such press releases, you really need to put on your decoder ring.
Question 3. Does AT&T have any role in the approval of iPhone applications generally (or in certain cases)? If so, under what circumstances, and what role does it play? What roles are specified in the contractual provisions between Apple and AT&T (or any non-contractual understandings) regarding the consideration of particular iPhone applications?
Apple alone makes the final decisions to approve or not approve iPhone applications.
There is a provision in Apple's agreement with AT&T that obligates Apple not to include functionality in any Apple phone that enables a customer to use AT&T's cellular network service to originate or terminate a VoIP session without obtaining AT&T's permission. Apple honors this obligation, in addition to respecting AT&T's customer Terms of Service, which, for example, prohibit an AT&T customer from using AT&T's cellular service to redirect a TV signal to an iPhone. From time to time, AT&T has expressed concerns regarding network efficiency and potential network congestion associated with certain applications, and Apple takes such concerns into consideration.
It was their decision, but they were obligated to decide a certain way because of AT&T. A nice bit of doublespeak. Why would a smart business like Apple want to get into trouble with a giant like AT&T when it can simply wait until the contract is up?
For the record, Celsius sucks for the "how warm is it today?" question (the scale based on 0-100% is better)
Celsius has always made most sense to me with its below 0 = freezing, 100 = boiling. Water freezing at 32? Why such an arbitrary point on the scale for such a major change in the environment? Perhaps if water didn't play such a major role in our lives and the environment... 1 degree C steps are generally enough for most uses such as climate and cooking. Adding a single decimal point gives you more accuracy if you need it. My car climate control works in 0.5 steps, which is enough resolution for me.
I agree that the foot is a handy size for measurement, but aside from that (and perhaps those bolts), the imperial system doesn't have a lot going for it unless you're already familiar with it.
As someone who used a Treo 600 before switching to an iPhone, I think the interface was still pretty clunky, even if it was one of the better ones of the time. It's not just about making sure you don't intimidate grandma. It's also about giving people a good, seamless experience -- even if they can install Linux on a toaster.
We also don't proclaim every tiny change to be a revolution
Because given how obvious some of these improvements seem to many of us, it's feels like a revolution when the industry finally gets it and starts producing products that we can get excited about again, rather than feel let down.
And from the average user's perspective, it's something that may no longer give them a headache when they try to go outside the basics.
People are still using their phones in 90% the same way as they were 3 years ago.
And is this simply your opinion, or do you have some good research? Because in my opinion, 3 years is too short to tell when you're talking about how society adapts to new technology.
I think you vastly underestimate the value of good design. But hey, this is Slashdot.
As someone in the web design/dev industry, I have a hard time believing China will gut the whole IT industry for the same reason the print industry hasn't been outsourced. Some aspects of IT are best done locally. How much of the IT industry will get out-sourced is a good question, but please don't pretend IT is a dead end for everyone. It certainly isn't for me.
You can't reproduce if you don't survive long enough to do the deed, so I'd say there is just as much of a preservation instinct as there is one to reproduce. And why can't life simply being reproducing in order to survive?
Some yogis might disagree that you need to interface with the outside world to do something useful with your brain. I do agree that such a computer might not be that useful.
I agree. I go to Stuff.co.nz to get most of my non-tech news, but I don't think I would ever pay for it, even if there was no other free local new site. I'd just go back to TV and supplement it with whatever other news services are left on the net (because they won't all be charging).
I agree that the Xbox is pretty popular, although it has had it's share of problems. Given that MS is a monopoly, their OS and Office suit are always going to rake in the dough, even if the products themselves aren't that great. Bing is interesting, but too early to judge yet, IMHO. I agree that they are still making money, but that seems to be about it. Not much in the way of innovation.
I guess if you want to put $10-20 devices in with all the other expensive PMPs, you can do that. But I wouldn't. If you look at the iPod and look for similar feature sets and functionality, you won't find many for $10-20. And an unsubsidized iPhone is actually a pretty normal price for a smartphone. I guess it all depends on how you want to define a market.
I'm sure MS will continue to make more money, but overall, they don't seem to be very successful with many of their products. Look at the Zune, not to mention the V word. Perhaps you and most business people measure the success of a company by how much money it makes, but I don't. I also include how much it gives back to society as whole in terms of culture, technology, etc.
I think it's over-reliance on rules like that leads to companies like EMI doing silly things to begin with. It's the same reason why Microsoft are doing so poorly at the moment while Apple is actually doing well despite everything else. It's as if they're operating their business by treating it like some kind of machine and trying to understand it's separate parts and systems, rather than developing a more realistic overall view of the industry (perhaps like Steve Jobs).
I never meant to imply that 3rd parties should have to make their own iTunes alternative, but that they should use the APIs that iTunes makes available rather than going for a hack solution.
There's a possible flaw in this study in that these people were using a lab computer, not their own. Their own computers with all their stuff were not at risk.
Slashdot Mirror
Having to go out of your way an extra block, especially if you're planning on going the other direction, is completely unreasonable.
Perhaps they've placed them too far apart in this case, because we've had a similar system here for years and it's fine. Inconvenient sometimes, perhaps. But certainly not completely unreasonable. I think some people have been spoiled with convenience.
Also, I don't get how it is any worse walking in the other direction, since you have to walk back to your car, anyway.
As someone who worked for a national statistics website, I can tell you that SVG would be immensely more useful and user friendly for doing graphs. A single image doesn't contain extra info such as being able to hover over a single bar for a precise value (not only useful, but also more accessible). That's just one example. Trying to do that extra stuff with HTML is a bit of a hack and still far from ideal compared to SVG. Not to mention the most obvious feature: scalability. Not only does it mean less work for content creators, but also increased functionality and accessibility. Wikipedia is good example. An SVG diagram can be viewed on the page, but can also be downloaded and incorporated into a printed document, or perhaps incorporated into a sideshow and projected into a huge wall, where it will still look crisp and clear to read.
I'd call that basic functionality if the goal of the website is to be an information resource.
It's not a question of how hard it is, it's about alienating users. Some of us actually design/develop websites for a living. That means we deal with people in life who aren't nerds and who aren't involved with the politics of the web, don't want to be, and shouldn't have to be. Why should I tell my clients that I plan to reduce their number of potential customers because I have an issue with the way MS does business? Is it really that important that we need to make the issue heard outside of the IT industry and at a cost to the client? MS is slowly losing this war, we don't need to be so hostile.
Why always define things based on genetics? Does neurology not matter? Why is it that any other definition is crap? Crap is a subjective, non-scientific term, you know. Perhaps this subject simply makes you feel uncomfortable?
I've just read that page and at least one part makes it clear that AT&T had quite a lot to do with it. When it comes to such press releases, you really need to put on your decoder ring.
Not everyone pays to receive TXT messages or voice calls.
Did you actually read that link?
It was their decision, but they were obligated to decide a certain way because of AT&T. A nice bit of doublespeak. Why would a smart business like Apple want to get into trouble with a giant like AT&T when it can simply wait until the contract is up?
For the record, Celsius sucks for the "how warm is it today?" question (the scale based on 0-100% is better)
Celsius has always made most sense to me with its below 0 = freezing, 100 = boiling. Water freezing at 32? Why such an arbitrary point on the scale for such a major change in the environment? Perhaps if water didn't play such a major role in our lives and the environment... 1 degree C steps are generally enough for most uses such as climate and cooking. Adding a single decimal point gives you more accuracy if you need it. My car climate control works in 0.5 steps, which is enough resolution for me.
I agree that the foot is a handy size for measurement, but aside from that (and perhaps those bolts), the imperial system doesn't have a lot going for it unless you're already familiar with it.
I think programs like Aperture help push some of the limits.
As someone who used a Treo 600 before switching to an iPhone, I think the interface was still pretty clunky, even if it was one of the better ones of the time. It's not just about making sure you don't intimidate grandma. It's also about giving people a good, seamless experience -- even if they can install Linux on a toaster.
We also don't proclaim every tiny change to be a revolution
Because given how obvious some of these improvements seem to many of us, it's feels like a revolution when the industry finally gets it and starts producing products that we can get excited about again, rather than feel let down.
And from the average user's perspective, it's something that may no longer give them a headache when they try to go outside the basics.
People are still using their phones in 90% the same way as they were 3 years ago.
And is this simply your opinion, or do you have some good research? Because in my opinion, 3 years is too short to tell when you're talking about how society adapts to new technology.
I think you vastly underestimate the value of good design. But hey, this is Slashdot.
As someone in the web design/dev industry, I have a hard time believing China will gut the whole IT industry for the same reason the print industry hasn't been outsourced. Some aspects of IT are best done locally. How much of the IT industry will get out-sourced is a good question, but please don't pretend IT is a dead end for everyone. It certainly isn't for me.
Our end use of AI may never resemble the equivalent of the human brain, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good place to start.
You can't reproduce if you don't survive long enough to do the deed, so I'd say there is just as much of a preservation instinct as there is one to reproduce. And why can't life simply being reproducing in order to survive?
Some yogis might disagree that you need to interface with the outside world to do something useful with your brain. I do agree that such a computer might not be that useful.
If they want to target casual users, then I think Pages in iWork is a better example to follow.
I agree. I go to Stuff.co.nz to get most of my non-tech news, but I don't think I would ever pay for it, even if there was no other free local new site. I'd just go back to TV and supplement it with whatever other news services are left on the net (because they won't all be charging).
I agree that the Xbox is pretty popular, although it has had it's share of problems. Given that MS is a monopoly, their OS and Office suit are always going to rake in the dough, even if the products themselves aren't that great. Bing is interesting, but too early to judge yet, IMHO. I agree that they are still making money, but that seems to be about it. Not much in the way of innovation.
I guess if you want to put $10-20 devices in with all the other expensive PMPs, you can do that. But I wouldn't. If you look at the iPod and look for similar feature sets and functionality, you won't find many for $10-20. And an unsubsidized iPhone is actually a pretty normal price for a smartphone. I guess it all depends on how you want to define a market.
But there is more to Apple's success than just that, though. And what about the iPhone and iPod?
I'm sure MS will continue to make more money, but overall, they don't seem to be very successful with many of their products. Look at the Zune, not to mention the V word. Perhaps you and most business people measure the success of a company by how much money it makes, but I don't. I also include how much it gives back to society as whole in terms of culture, technology, etc.
I think it's over-reliance on rules like that leads to companies like EMI doing silly things to begin with. It's the same reason why Microsoft are doing so poorly at the moment while Apple is actually doing well despite everything else. It's as if they're operating their business by treating it like some kind of machine and trying to understand it's separate parts and systems, rather than developing a more realistic overall view of the industry (perhaps like Steve Jobs).
I never meant to imply that 3rd parties should have to make their own iTunes alternative, but that they should use the APIs that iTunes makes available rather than going for a hack solution.
Don't have much info, just saw this post on engadget. There's also this one.
There's a possible flaw in this study in that these people were using a lab computer, not their own. Their own computers with all their stuff were not at risk.