" I suppose you were genuinely just pointing out that there are other nations with crappy electoral systems -- a fact which you KNOW everyone on Slashdot is already aware of?"
Close. I was pointing out that the USA isn't the only one that should be focused on when cleaning up politics. The way the original statement was phrased, it sounded like the USA was the sole problem.
Piece of advice: Next time, ask question first, then go on rant.
" What is better for one person may be worst to other and vice-versa. There is no universal standard for better, well at least on subjective stuff like UI design."
You'd think fewer people would complain if that were the only problem.
"These sentences imply that "a whole lot of asses" do NOT "need to be soundly kicked" "because the USA [does not have] an exclusive on this area of politics.""
"Of course, TV on demand has absolutely no benefits. Like the chance of offering content that wouldn't normally show up on even conventional cable channels. Not all of it will be good, but I think it offers opportunities for independents to distribute their videos without having to suck up to cable giants for limited air time at a time slot that no one watches."
I'd like it if I could choose to only have that Victoria's secret commercials come down.
"I, for one, do not welcome our new IPTV voyeur overlords."
I'm going to die laughing if you have a TiVo.
Seriously folks, some of you are trying to enter this century kicking and screaming. "Oh no!! They know I watched an episode of Will and Grace!! MY PRIVACY HAS BEEN ABUSED!!"
"The problem with Gimp is that they have innovated instead of copied. That is a problem because some people are used to the way Photoshop works, that's why GimpShop was made."
Uh, no, that is not GIMP's problem. Innovation typically implies they made something better. Not even close.
"The problem is that most of the portable music players only support the MP3 format. Innovation doesn't help when you have to deal with vendor lock-in, which is true for both file formats and user interfaces."
Vendor lock-in? No, there are two problems there:
1.) Vorbis requires significantly more processing power than MP3s to decode. A lot of MP3 players out there simply do not have the processing power for it.
2.) MP3 is the de-facto standard. The market decided its dominance.
The patents on MP3 have only made Vorbis more viable, not less.
'Keeping the second hand market pirates afloat is NOT a worthwhile tactic."
I'm confused: Did I miss a part of the article where he recommended buying 'backup copies' of games, or are you confused about the legality of selling used software?
"Perhaps the headaches he gets from it are what caused him to think that common sense is newsworthy."
Not everybody got headaches from it.
Personally, I enjoyed it. It was the first time I had actually seen stereo video that was actually convincing. Every other stereo display I've seen was in color via LCDs. LCD + 3 channels per pixel + magnifying glass = looking-through-screen-door effect.
I understand its lack of appeal, but it doesn't deserve to be bashed at every turn.
"because the technology to repair the streets come from NASA? Well, maybe not the streets, but how about communication technology, flight, car design (you know the things that drive on those streets), insulation technology, rocketry and propulsion technology (engines too), even a lot of computing designs. The return we've gotten out of space travel is enourmous in terms of the technological innovations created. Just because the reward isnt immediatly visible doesnt mean it isnt there."
Err. Sorry I wasn't terribly clear about this, but it wasn't my intention to imply that I have that opinion. You don't need to sell me on it. I'm saying that people feel that way. When something like the Columbia disaster happens, they become stronger in that belief. Sad, but true.
"They'd much rather be doing programming. That's 30 hours of development. Now multiply that by all the people who would like to switch to GimpShop but want all the features of Photoshop."
I appreciate the spirit, but I don't think it's all that practical. I mean, who's going to free up $600 and wait for days/weeks/months for a feature that might get developed?
Alternatively, though, do you remember the bounty idea a few years back? Imagine if there was a list of features/goals for GIMP. Each of those features has a donation bin or something like that. Users can Paypal a few bucks towards the features they really want. When somebody completes that feature, they get whatever that feature collected. People vote for their dollars. Programmers have a strong incentive.
" Macromedia was sued not long ago for emulating some of these elements in their Flash authoring tool (no idea how that suit resolved)."
Macromedia counter-sued under the claim that Adobe violated some of their patents. They traded licences or something or other and it was dropped. (Macromedia may have had to make changes, but my memory is fuzzy.)
"Adobe are also litigious so-and-sos who are all too willing to harass people in defense of their intellectual "property"."
So long as Adobe is within their rights, that's the court's fault.
"So if Adobe feels even the slightest bit threatened by it, expect the project to receive a nastygram."
Maybe, but they can't claim ignorance. Adobe's suit was widely publicized. Whether Adobe's claims are legit or not, I really don't care. It strikes me that they should follow the spirit of patent law regardless. Patent protected? No prob, innovate. Do things a little differently, improve upon them, and suddenly you have stronger reasons for your development to be adopted. Additionally, you don't have to fear nastygrams! Two birds with one stone, yadda yadda yadda.
"The money should be spent on privitising social security or pumping oil out of Iraq."
Some would say that would be money better spent. Though I don't belong in that camp, they wouldn't necessarily be wrong. Afterall, Nasa is spending billions sending a machine with thousands of moving parts into space for goals that don't necessarily have an immediate pay-off. Meanwhile, there are problems that money could 'fix' today.
Again, I do not belong in that camp, but I cannot totally poo-poo somebody for thinking that.
"Well that's all fine and dandy for them. Unfortunately, I get a dropped call or two each week, in an area Verizon advertises as being completely covered."
Are you inside a building? There is only so much Verizon can do.
"For those people I have two suggestions: code them, or pay someone to code them."
Or, if they need the features like I do, they can simply buy Photoshop. Somehow I doubt that $600 will hire enough programming time to address all of it. (Not to mention the time it'll take to code and test it.)
Slashdot Mirror
"I tried again and came to the same conclusion. If that is NOT what you meant, what was your point?"
That the USA shouldn't be the sole target of a political cleanup.
" I suppose you were genuinely just pointing out that there are other nations with crappy electoral systems -- a fact which you KNOW everyone on Slashdot is already aware of?"
Close. I was pointing out that the USA isn't the only one that should be focused on when cleaning up politics. The way the original statement was phrased, it sounded like the USA was the sole problem.
Piece of advice: Next time, ask question first, then go on rant.
" What is better for one person may be worst to other and vice-versa. There is no universal standard for better, well at least on subjective stuff like UI design."
You'd think fewer people would complain if that were the only problem.
"These sentences imply that "a whole lot of asses" do NOT "need to be soundly kicked" "because the USA [does not have] an exclusive on this area of politics.""
;)
Nope. Doesn't imply that at all.
Try one more time.
"Sence it is Internet you can loop a annoying but funny thing like another flash of the Numa Numa song and just call it TV..."
Kinda like CNN!
"Of course, TV on demand has absolutely no benefits. Like the chance of offering content that wouldn't normally show up on even conventional cable channels. Not all of it will be good, but I think it offers opportunities for independents to distribute their videos without having to suck up to cable giants for limited air time at a time slot that no one watches."
I'd like it if I could choose to only have that Victoria's secret commercials come down.
"I, for one, do not welcome our new IPTV voyeur overlords."
I'm going to die laughing if you have a TiVo.
Seriously folks, some of you are trying to enter this century kicking and screaming. "Oh no!! They know I watched an episode of Will and Grace!! MY PRIVACY HAS BEEN ABUSED!!"
Get a grip.
"Start offering things like Anime or SciFi, they can use the expanded market. Once companies realise this is for real, more content will show up."
Yeesh. You'd think porn would have taken care of this for us already.
"The problem with Gimp is that they have innovated instead of copied. That is a problem because some people are used to the way Photoshop works, that's why GimpShop was made."
Uh, no, that is not GIMP's problem. Innovation typically implies they made something better. Not even close.
"The problem is that most of the portable music players only support the MP3 format. Innovation doesn't help when you have to deal with vendor lock-in, which is true for both file formats and user interfaces."
Vendor lock-in? No, there are two problems there:
1.) Vorbis requires significantly more processing power than MP3s to decode. A lot of MP3 players out there simply do not have the processing power for it.
2.) MP3 is the de-facto standard. The market decided its dominance.
The patents on MP3 have only made Vorbis more viable, not less.
"There is nothing inherently un-general purpose about a Mac."
Software and hardware availability. From a technical point of view, this isn't the Mac's fault.
"That's merely 4 miles a day (if the guy has caffeine for blood). Hell, I could walk and catch a car that travels 4 miles a day."
Are you serious or is this a satirical poke at the US public school system that's just a little too clever?
'Keeping the second hand market pirates afloat is NOT a worthwhile tactic."
I'm confused: Did I miss a part of the article where he recommended buying 'backup copies' of games, or are you confused about the legality of selling used software?
"Perhaps the headaches he gets from it are what caused him to think that common sense is newsworthy."
Not everybody got headaches from it.
Personally, I enjoyed it. It was the first time I had actually seen stereo video that was actually convincing. Every other stereo display I've seen was in color via LCDs. LCD + 3 channels per pixel + magnifying glass = looking-through-screen-door effect.
I understand its lack of appeal, but it doesn't deserve to be bashed at every turn.
"because the technology to repair the streets come from NASA? Well, maybe not the streets, but how about communication technology, flight, car design (you know the things that drive on those streets), insulation technology, rocketry and propulsion technology (engines too), even a lot of computing designs. The return we've gotten out of space travel is enourmous in terms of the technological innovations created. Just because the reward isnt immediatly visible doesnt mean it isnt there."
Err. Sorry I wasn't terribly clear about this, but it wasn't my intention to imply that I have that opinion. You don't need to sell me on it. I'm saying that people feel that way. When something like the Columbia disaster happens, they become stronger in that belief. Sad, but true.
" Why not wait until America's electoral fraud problems become the world's worst, and THEN fix them?"
Odd, I did't say anything like that.
"They'd much rather be doing programming. That's 30 hours of development. Now multiply that by all the people who would like to switch to GimpShop but want all the features of Photoshop."
I appreciate the spirit, but I don't think it's all that practical. I mean, who's going to free up $600 and wait for days/weeks/months for a feature that might get developed?
Alternatively, though, do you remember the bounty idea a few years back? Imagine if there was a list of features/goals for GIMP. Each of those features has a donation bin or something like that. Users can Paypal a few bucks towards the features they really want. When somebody completes that feature, they get whatever that feature collected. People vote for their dollars. Programmers have a strong incentive.
Good?
" Macromedia was sued not long ago for emulating some of these elements in their Flash authoring tool (no idea how that suit resolved)."
Macromedia counter-sued under the claim that Adobe violated some of their patents. They traded licences or something or other and it was dropped. (Macromedia may have had to make changes, but my memory is fuzzy.)
"Adobe are also litigious so-and-sos who are all too willing to harass people in defense of their intellectual "property"."
So long as Adobe is within their rights, that's the court's fault.
"So if Adobe feels even the slightest bit threatened by it, expect the project to receive a nastygram."
Maybe, but they can't claim ignorance. Adobe's suit was widely publicized. Whether Adobe's claims are legit or not, I really don't care. It strikes me that they should follow the spirit of patent law regardless. Patent protected? No prob, innovate. Do things a little differently, improve upon them, and suddenly you have stronger reasons for your development to be adopted. Additionally, you don't have to fear nastygrams! Two birds with one stone, yadda yadda yadda.
"Whatever the fuck happened to objective reporting?"
This is not something Slashdot prides itself on. Slashdot posts stories in order to stir up public opinion, more ads are served that way.
"Okay, did anyone else read that article description as someone trying to smuggle drugs inside the space shuttle or is it is just me?"
No. But I did think that there'd be jokes to that tune. Heck, I stopped by just in case there weren't!
"The money should be spent on privitising social security or pumping oil out of Iraq."
Some would say that would be money better spent. Though I don't belong in that camp, they wouldn't necessarily be wrong. Afterall, Nasa is spending billions sending a machine with thousands of moving parts into space for goals that don't necessarily have an immediate pay-off. Meanwhile, there are problems that money could 'fix' today.
Again, I do not belong in that camp, but I cannot totally poo-poo somebody for thinking that.
"Why can't we allow those who are more than willing to sacrify their lives to go to space to do just that?"
Lots of people out there are wondering why we're flinging people into space in the first place when there are streets that need repairing.
"So why, WHY are we launching people into space with a program older than I am?"
Heh. Won't you be surprised when you find out how old some of the planes are that are making round trips every single day.
"Um... are you sure its a good idea to publish a pic with the license plate number of a car carrying $750 000 worth of stuffZors?"
Good luck catching up with a vehicle that moves 3,000 miles a month!
"Well that's all fine and dandy for them. Unfortunately, I get a dropped call or two each week, in an area Verizon advertises as being completely covered."
Are you inside a building? There is only so much Verizon can do.
"For those people I have two suggestions: code them, or pay someone to code them."
Or, if they need the features like I do, they can simply buy Photoshop. Somehow I doubt that $600 will hire enough programming time to address all of it. (Not to mention the time it'll take to code and test it.)