Or it could just be a young guy, perhaps still at school, who simply has no idea of the knowledge required. A lot of people here are bashing him, but I think he should be encouraged to learn the sort of issues involved. And one of the best ways to do that is to try building his own web business. If no one took any risks or blind leaps of faith, we'd get nowhere.
I think you are right, but he's probably taking on this challenge because no one else can dedicate the time or effort he can. At least not for free.
In his situation what should he do? Just give up before he has even started? A more proactive approach is to admit there is a lot to learn, but it is by no means insurmountable. It will just take a lot longer.
Sometimes that is the only realistic option available to people. I admire his can-do attitude. It will be one hell of a learning experience!
Reprehensible as the RIAAs actions are, they are a huge, very rich organisation with top lawyers. Here though we are talking about an individual footballer. Even he doesn't have the money to fund such a long, drawn out campaign.
I just can't believe any law firm would have the time or resources to research and go after several thousand people, just because they tweeted, retweeted, linked or otherwise used a certain person's name.
The fact that he hasn't come out and announced the rumours as libellous confirms the story. The other week, Jemima Khan was wrongly named and she promptly put that story to bed.
I am still trying to grapple with the stupidity of his legal advice.
Do you really think you will be singled out from the thousands of other people posting his name and sued? We are not even on Twitter here, just some nerdy bulletin board.
Anyway, this court action will be over in a few days. Surely he is not enough of an idiot to waste all that money on a futile battle. Besides, he has to file a court order in California and reveal his identity to get Twitter user details.
Well, they've changed the world and made vastly more money than a sizeable proportion of all the Slashdot readers here put together, so who knows, maybe they are doing something right? Maybe they understand something that you and I don't?
Seriously though, widely popular products and services must provide some strong benefit or they would never be embraced. Perhaps it's not a benefit that's relevant to you, but it is one that appeals to huge numbers of other people. Popularity alone is of course a flawed way of judging value, but you have to respect the reason why some things *become* incredibly popular. Like it or not, someone is doing something right.
Personally, I don't know what I would do without Facebook. The world has changed. As a freelancer, all my industry contacts are Facebook Friends. In fact, these days, a lot of work comes in via FB messages, not email.
Thunderbolt is effectively a PCIe extender - faster and more flexible than USB 3.0. Sealing all the fibre optics - including the transmitters and receivers - within the cable is a great idea too. Ideally I would just like to connect one Thunderbolt cable to my laptop and plug all my other peripherals into a breakout box.
It seems these days any new technology which Slashdot takes a dislike to goes on to enjoy huge success. Take for example the iPad, Facebook, Twitter... I am almost tempted to predict that Thunderbolt will be a huge success:)
They essays that accompany each grid square remind me of the pieces we were made to write at school. Unsurprising really as a vast number were contributed by British school children back in the eighties. The everyday banality is quite interesting, as the world has moved on a great deal since then.
However Slashdot is becoming (already is?) an echo chamber. Whenever an Apple story appears, the same arguments are made, both pro and against. A similar situation occurs whenever a story about Facebook or Twitter is posted... This community seems to be going around in circles trying to wrestle influence of something that is completely outside its control. The success or otherwise of iOS, Android, Facebook, Twitter will not be decided by a group of technologists, but your average person in the street. There appears to be a huge disconnect too - it almost seems that if Slashdot votes one way, the rest of world votes another. I am thinking of the iPod and and iPad here...
One thing that concerns is the misanthropy on display. Apple consumers and the general public are often referred to as "sheeple", products are described as "the new shiny." Most people are not idiots. There is also a strong antisocial bent to discussions whenever social networking is discussed. Most people live for their friends, their family and their partners. This is one reason why privacy takes a back seat to sharing pictures of their newborn children, holidays and nights out.
Are some Slashdotters secretly envious of those whose lives revolve around people and just getting things done? Judging by the venom, perhaps... I just wish more people here would try and consider things from other people's perspectives and rein in their own prejudices.
They are developing iPhone apps because they are more likely to reach a greater number of people and make money. If Android offered similar, concrete opportunities the developers would be focusing their time on Android apps. This of course is subject to change, as the Android user base is on course to surpass iOS soon (if not already.) We'll see what happens then.
If I understand correctly, one common fear is that Android will be prevented from reaching it's full potential because of iOS dominance. From where I sit though Android seems to be going from strength to strength. I can easily imagine a rebalancing of the market where you have iOS devices for those who wants Apple's premium, "curated" experience, and Android for everyone else. Why does there have to be a supreme winner and a crushed loser?
Android devices will eventually outnumber Apple's, simply due to the greater number of carriers and manufacturers, not to mention lower price points for consumers. There must be value for developers in that.
Slashdot Mirror
The victim's name was "allinvain"... Rather fitting, don't you think? Or maybe the story was made up.
It works fine on my iPhone4 :)
Or it could just be a young guy, perhaps still at school, who simply has no idea of the knowledge required. A lot of people here are bashing him, but I think he should be encouraged to learn the sort of issues involved. And one of the best ways to do that is to try building his own web business. If no one took any risks or blind leaps of faith, we'd get nowhere.
A lot of knowledgable people hang out here, and I'm sure there are many others interested in the advice.
I think you are right, but he's probably taking on this challenge because no one else can dedicate the time or effort he can. At least not for free.
In his situation what should he do? Just give up before he has even started? A more proactive approach is to admit there is a lot to learn, but it is by no means insurmountable. It will just take a lot longer.
Sometimes that is the only realistic option available to people. I admire his can-do attitude. It will be one hell of a learning experience!
Just seems like a waste of money to me...
Reprehensible as the RIAAs actions are, they are a huge, very rich organisation with top lawyers. Here though we are talking about an individual footballer. Even he doesn't have the money to fund such a long, drawn out campaign.
Couple that to the fact that this list is rapidly expanding even as we type. Those Demotivator people should make a new poster for "futilty."
I just can't believe any law firm would have the time or resources to research and go after several thousand people, just because they tweeted, retweeted, linked or otherwise used a certain person's name.
Wikipedia link
The fact that he hasn't come out and announced the rumours as libellous confirms the story. The other week, Jemima Khan was wrongly named and she promptly put that story to bed.
I am still trying to grapple with the stupidity of his legal advice.
Do you really think you will be singled out from the thousands of other people posting his name and sued? We are not even on Twitter here, just some nerdy bulletin board.
Anyway, this court action will be over in a few days. Surely he is not enough of an idiot to waste all that money on a futile battle. Besides, he has to file a court order in California and reveal his identity to get Twitter user details.
Here's a handy search link
Just search on Twitter for Imogen Thomas, the girl he had his affair with. His name will likely pop up in the first few tweets.
Well, they've changed the world and made vastly more money than a sizeable proportion of all the Slashdot readers here put together, so who knows, maybe they are doing something right? Maybe they understand something that you and I don't?
If only every answer could be in binary...
Your welcome :)
Seriously though, widely popular products and services must provide some strong benefit or they would never be embraced. Perhaps it's not a benefit that's relevant to you, but it is one that appeals to huge numbers of other people. Popularity alone is of course a flawed way of judging value, but you have to respect the reason why some things *become* incredibly popular. Like it or not, someone is doing something right.
However their positives vastly outweigh their negatives. Otherwise they wouldn't be successful.
Personally, I don't know what I would do without Facebook. The world has changed. As a freelancer, all my industry contacts are Facebook Friends. In fact, these days, a lot of work comes in via FB messages, not email.
Who is to say they shouldn't be successful?
Thunderbolt is effectively a PCIe extender - faster and more flexible than USB 3.0. Sealing all the fibre optics - including the transmitters and receivers - within the cable is a great idea too. Ideally I would just like to connect one Thunderbolt cable to my laptop and plug all my other peripherals into a breakout box.
Yes.
It seems these days any new technology which Slashdot takes a dislike to goes on to enjoy huge success. Take for example the iPad, Facebook, Twitter... I am almost tempted to predict that Thunderbolt will be a huge success :)
They essays that accompany each grid square remind me of the pieces we were made to write at school. Unsurprising really as a vast number were contributed by British school children back in the eighties. The everyday banality is quite interesting, as the world has moved on a great deal since then.
Very true - the more information the better.
However Slashdot is becoming (already is?) an echo chamber. Whenever an Apple story appears, the same arguments are made, both pro and against. A similar situation occurs whenever a story about Facebook or Twitter is posted... This community seems to be going around in circles trying to wrestle influence of something that is completely outside its control. The success or otherwise of iOS, Android, Facebook, Twitter will not be decided by a group of technologists, but your average person in the street. There appears to be a huge disconnect too - it almost seems that if Slashdot votes one way, the rest of world votes another. I am thinking of the iPod and and iPad here...
One thing that concerns is the misanthropy on display. Apple consumers and the general public are often referred to as "sheeple", products are described as "the new shiny." Most people are not idiots. There is also a strong antisocial bent to discussions whenever social networking is discussed. Most people live for their friends, their family and their partners. This is one reason why privacy takes a back seat to sharing pictures of their newborn children, holidays and nights out.
Are some Slashdotters secretly envious of those whose lives revolve around people and just getting things done? Judging by the venom, perhaps... I just wish more people here would try and consider things from other people's perspectives and rein in their own prejudices.
They are developing iPhone apps because they are more likely to reach a greater number of people and make money. If Android offered similar, concrete opportunities the developers would be focusing their time on Android apps. This of course is subject to change, as the Android user base is on course to surpass iOS soon (if not already.) We'll see what happens then.
If I understand correctly, one common fear is that Android will be prevented from reaching it's full potential because of iOS dominance. From where I sit though Android seems to be going from strength to strength. I can easily imagine a rebalancing of the market where you have iOS devices for those who wants Apple's premium, "curated" experience, and Android for everyone else. Why does there have to be a supreme winner and a crushed loser?
Android devices will eventually outnumber Apple's, simply due to the greater number of carriers and manufacturers, not to mention lower price points for consumers. There must be value for developers in that.