It shouldn't be a shock to anyone that a company can be better in one area than it is in others. Microsoft is not one giant entity in which Bill Gates does everything from coding Windows to designing the mouse -- there are multiple divisions, each with its own management team, employees, QA practices, and so on. Some of those may be better than others.
Anyway, enough about that.
One story I heard was that someone at thought everyone else's hardware sucked, so they said, "we've got money, we can build our own." My experience with hardware 10 years ago was about the same. My first computer went through three mice of three different brands in about a year. Then we bought a Microsoft mouse. It was more expensive, but it had a good warranty. I took it apart (of course), and could see that the mechanical components were designed much more solidly. Ten years later, that mouse is still in service. (I haven't examined a Logitech mouse since the one that died, so it's possible that they've improved their design since then.)
The experience with keyboards has been the same. We went through three keyboards. We didn't go through them as quickly as we went though mice, they didn't last more than a year each. (Although in all fairness, one of those was lost to spilled Coke, not to wear.) Then, we paid a bit more money on a Microsoft Natural keyboard. It's still going, too.
I've been using the optical mouse (high-end model) since it came out a couple years ago. I haven't had problems with quick movements in most games, but then again I'm not a very "l33t gamer." (The only game that gave me a problem was that "spank the monkey" flash game that came out a few months ago. It couldn't move such a large distance so fast.)
Actually, by default, it does notify you. I'm using the Professional version (academic discount actually makes the Pro version cheaper than the home version, go figure), and it pops up a box every time it wants to install something. Read the EULA quote again. It says nothing about automatic installation.
Also, since we can assume that the majority of updates will not cause problems, it is probably better to install them instead of leaving the system open to vulnerability. If the patch causes a problem, they can issue another update to undo the first one, or the user can manually uninstall the patch using a variety of methods. (Add/Remove, driver rollback, etc.)
In my experience, it takes a little while before a patch is released through automatic update anyway -- perhaps they are waiting for the more experienced users to download it directly, so they can test it on real-world computers before sending it out to everyone else. (Or maybe it's just because they don't roll it out to everyone at once -- either way, they have a chance to recall the patch before it gets too far.)
Re:Maybe the users want it: Yeah, Right
on
Read the Fine Print
·
· Score: 1, Funny
The 85% bit has been covered already, so let me just address the rest of the FUD you've got going there...
I know stopped using MSN because of compatability problems caused by the updates... updates that they couldn't turn off...
We're talking about Windows XP updates here -- which can most certainly be turned off. In fact, one of the first things XP does after installation is ask whether you want updates to be installed automatically or not. If you change your mind later, bring up System Properties, and select Automatic Updates.
One person actually had to reinstall her machine because one of the updates completely hosed her system...
XP has a few features designed to prevent this kind of thing. One is Add/Remove Programs -- every automatic update I can think of has installed an entry there. Second is System Restore. I've never had to use it, but I hear it works well for restoring system DLLs that you didn't want replaced. Third, there's the feature that prevents different DLL versions from stepping on each other's toes. (I'm not clear on the details of that one, so I'll leave it at that.) And finally, there's Driver Rollback, which I have used. If you update a driver and your hardware doesn't work as well anymore, hit the button and go back to the old version. Any of these can be done without rebooting, much less reinstalling the OS. At least that's what my experience with XP has been.
He's still a relatively young guy, and has a lot of time left to give away money. I believe he's been quoted as saying that his intention is to give away almost everything he has by the time he dies. (He doesn't want to spoil the kids with a million dollar inheritance and have them sit on their asses their entire lives, he said.)
It's even more complicated that that. In Canada, you pay one giant set of taxes to the government on April 30th, then you have property tax and sales tax. The U.S. tends to spread the taxes out a bit more, so it's not such a scary number.
Then there's the Big Mac index... which basically compares how much actual stuff you'll be able to buy with your salary. In terms of end stuff, it's all about the same. (Can Americans afford to buy more DVDs than Canadians? Do they have more internet users per capita? Do they buy the brand name meat or the store variety?) It's pretty futile to compare anything between two countries.
In this case, the main issue has more to do with whether Rogers has a good solution to the crisis that is facing broadband providers today. I believe that they do. Myself, I'd probably fit in the middle tier. I don't spend my days downloading movies, so I'm happy to let those that do pay.
I also used Rogers in Ottawa. It slowed down to that level until they installed a new Mysterious Green Box(tm) at the corner of my street a few months back. Then speeds went back up to over 200 KB/s (that's for a single download; I don't know what the aggregate max was.) I'm guessing that speed depends quite a bit on how well-equipped they are to handle the number of subscribers that exist in your neighbourhood.
Also note to low end version, which has been reported as low as $23, or $14 U.S. For someone who doens't spend all of their time downloading movies and music, this puts the price of a high-speed connection in the same range as dial-up.
The bottom line is that you get what you pay for, instead of having the low-end users subsidise the leechers.
I have an ATI TV Wonder, the most recent version of which comes with a TV Guide program. It gives you full week's listings while the TV sits in the corner of the screen. It also allows you to get a listing of movies, show titles, do searches, and so on. It takes two clicks to schedule a program for later viewing or recording in MPEG-2 format.
ATI's software has a reputation for conflicting with just about everything, but they claim to be putting more effort into that area, and I haven't had any problems at all.
My only complaint is that this card doesn't have advanced feautres such as the ability to pause live TV -- ATI reserves those sorts of things for it's high-end Radeon All-In-Wonder. I think the Radeon version has better recording feautres, too. But for $45 and no monthly fee, I can't complain.
Next while it's not easy to fast-forward or skip commercials right now it will be about two hours after such a service as you're proposing is released.
Regulating the stream from the server side would fix that. You don't have to give the client on the other end the ability to seek forwards in the stream.
Considering that all they have to do is register for protection within a month of the movie's release, they'll probably just do that instead. If they're not playing by the rules in that country, it's their own fault -- but it's also easy to correct the problem without a lot of trouble.
You missed the point of the comment you were replying to.
The original poster said that a company like Pixar might want to acquire Square Pictures for the technical expertise and equipment. That has nothing to do with the plot of this one particular movie. Plot has already been discussed in other threads.
mIRC: $20
...
If these applications cost $10-$20 I would buy them.
There's one that's $20. You said you'd buy it if it were $20. Well? We're waiting.
I remember the author of that program talking about how many people who use it actually register -- and it's nowhere even close to 50%. Or even 5%.
If it's not worth it to you, find a version that is. That's the nice thing about the system -- there are dozens of IRC programs at a range of prices, and you can choose whatever you think is the best value for your money.
It's all a secret plot anyway. Rumour has it that Bill Gates requested a meeting with Canada's Finance Minister Paul Martin this weekend. Obviously this security thing is just a cover for the real reason for the work stoppage -- they're packing up and moving to Canada.:-)
The Sony letter has a nice fat check in it. Guess which letter he's going to open first. Guess which one he pays the most attention to.
I read an interesting article yesterday about a commission in Canada that wants to ban political contributions by corporations. (here)
What is interesting to note is:
- It's not just crazy people like Slashdotters who think corporate money is trouble.
- One political party in Canada already refuses to accept corporate donations, and the leader of another party says he would consider doing the same thing. (He states that the party that currently holds power gets the greatest benefit from corporate donations.) Unfortunately, these are the two parties that have the least number of seats at the moment.
- Two provinces in Canada already ban corporate donations. (Quebec and Manitoba.)
It actually says nothing about tracking specifically which keys are being pressed, just the total number of keys are pressed. Nobody forces you to install it, it's not buried in some other "freeware" program. People will doubtlessly dissect it and log its activity to ensure it's not passing anything more than necessary. (If you wanted to log people's passwords without them being aware, would you advertise your program as a keystroke logger?) There are conspiracies, but I doubt this is one of them.
This one seems to be a lot worse than the other spyware programs I've read about. Most just track things like the URLs you've seen. This one "collects some information from online forms that you fill out. This information is automatically sent to VX2 in order to save you the time and trouble of submitting such information to us yourself." (I love the way they word this thing. Save me the time and trouble. Thanks guys.)
The spyware doesn't even stop collecting data when you're on a secure (SSL) site -- they'll just encrpt the data they collect. (Is their no end to VX2's thoughtfulness?) We're told to look for the "secure" icon before giving away personal information, and to deal only with reputable companies... but what good does that do when a very popular software program has installed a trojan which may or may not be sending credit card numbers to someone who may or may not be a convicted criminal?
Adding popups to any random site you visit is along the lines of those programs that replace ad banners with their own, hijacking the site's revenue stream and making it appear that the site owner supports an advertiser they have no relationship with.
To top it all off, they have the right to update their software in the background, and possibly install third-party applications without the user being aware. Does accepting this licence agreement mean I accept the licence agreements of any third-party software that may be installed at a later time?
A perfect example of why nobody should complain about Microsoft employees passing around URLs to online polls featuring its products.:-)
Besides, if even 1 Linux user sends in their card, that will be surpass the total number of registered Windows users. (I mean, really, who fills those in? A few minutes, a stamp, a drive to the post office, all in exchange for... telemarketing calls:-)
Actually, my DSL was metered the same way water and electricity are. $40/month Canadian (about $25 U.S.) is the base rate. At the beginning, the limit was 1 GB/month, which seemed like a huge amount back in those pre-Napster days. (DSL was brand new -- actually, it wasn't even DSL at the time, it was some fibre/coax thing I still don't understand.)
I believe they raised the limit after a while... and eventually eliminated it completely. They did switch us to PPPOE earlier this month (but I still don't know what the advantages and disadvantages of PPPOE are.) It was never static IP, so servers were never an issue.
Microsoft actually has a pretty narrow market. It's all computer-related stuff. They made a couple toys, but they were toys that interacted with the computer. You won't see a Microsoft VCR, but you'd see a Microsoft PVR, which is like a computer-enhanced VCR. If you started to see Microsoft Laundry Detergent, Microsoft Car Rentals, and Microsoft: the Soft Drink, then people might start wondering.
Unless, of course, you're the RIAA. Then you can blame every drop in sales on file sharing. Whenever the media reports on cd sales, they always put the word "piracy" in the headline, no matter which way the numbers are going. If they can spread misinformation, I want to spread misinformation too.:-)
My university doubled the price of internet access this year -- to something in the area of $25/month. (That's comparable to the price of DSL access, considering a $5 student discount and lack of modem rental fee.) With on the order of 3000 students on the system, they can afford (if I remember correctly) about 8Mb of bandwidth.
Rather than cutting people off completely if they exceed a certain threshold, they put everything behind some sort of traffic shaping device, restricting the amount of total bandwith services such as Morpheus are allowed to use. The result is that you can still use all of those services... but you're only going to get about 100bps, if that. On the other hand, web access can be almost as fast as my DSL service at home.
It's also not a new method of sub-pixel rendering.. it's a new method of sub-pixel layout.
It's not even entirely new... I've seen at least one example of it in use on a giant video screen -- U2's recently-released Elevation DVD, chapter 15 has a few up-close shots of it. The sub-pixels are arranged in a similar fasion.
Slashdot Mirror
It shouldn't be a shock to anyone that a company can be better in one area than it is in others. Microsoft is not one giant entity in which Bill Gates does everything from coding Windows to designing the mouse -- there are multiple divisions, each with its own management team, employees, QA practices, and so on. Some of those may be better than others.
Anyway, enough about that.
One story I heard was that someone at thought everyone else's hardware sucked, so they said, "we've got money, we can build our own." My experience with hardware 10 years ago was about the same. My first computer went through three mice of three different brands in about a year. Then we bought a Microsoft mouse. It was more expensive, but it had a good warranty. I took it apart (of course), and could see that the mechanical components were designed much more solidly. Ten years later, that mouse is still in service. (I haven't examined a Logitech mouse since the one that died, so it's possible that they've improved their design since then.)
The experience with keyboards has been the same. We went through three keyboards. We didn't go through them as quickly as we went though mice, they didn't last more than a year each. (Although in all fairness, one of those was lost to spilled Coke, not to wear.) Then, we paid a bit more money on a Microsoft Natural keyboard. It's still going, too.
I've been using the optical mouse (high-end model) since it came out a couple years ago. I haven't had problems with quick movements in most games, but then again I'm not a very "l33t gamer." (The only game that gave me a problem was that "spank the monkey" flash game that came out a few months ago. It couldn't move such a large distance so fast.)
Re: point 1.
Actually, by default, it does notify you. I'm using the Professional version (academic discount actually makes the Pro version cheaper than the home version, go figure), and it pops up a box every time it wants to install something. Read the EULA quote again. It says nothing about automatic installation.
Also, since we can assume that the majority of updates will not cause problems, it is probably better to install them instead of leaving the system open to vulnerability. If the patch causes a problem, they can issue another update to undo the first one, or the user can manually uninstall the patch using a variety of methods. (Add/Remove, driver rollback, etc.)
In my experience, it takes a little while before a patch is released through automatic update anyway -- perhaps they are waiting for the more experienced users to download it directly, so they can test it on real-world computers before sending it out to everyone else. (Or maybe it's just because they don't roll it out to everyone at once -- either way, they have a chance to recall the patch before it gets too far.)
The 85% bit has been covered already, so let me just address the rest of the FUD you've got going there...
I know stopped using MSN because of compatability problems caused by the updates... updates that they couldn't turn off...
We're talking about Windows XP updates here -- which can most certainly be turned off. In fact, one of the first things XP does after installation is ask whether you want updates to be installed automatically or not. If you change your mind later, bring up System Properties, and select Automatic Updates.
One person actually had to reinstall her machine because one of the updates completely hosed her system...
XP has a few features designed to prevent this kind of thing. One is Add/Remove Programs -- every automatic update I can think of has installed an entry there. Second is System Restore. I've never had to use it, but I hear it works well for restoring system DLLs that you didn't want replaced. Third, there's the feature that prevents different DLL versions from stepping on each other's toes. (I'm not clear on the details of that one, so I'll leave it at that.) And finally, there's Driver Rollback, which I have used. If you update a driver and your hardware doesn't work as well anymore, hit the button and go back to the old version. Any of these can be done without rebooting, much less reinstalling the OS. At least that's what my experience with XP has been.
He's still a relatively young guy, and has a lot of time left to give away money. I believe he's been quoted as saying that his intention is to give away almost everything he has by the time he dies. (He doesn't want to spoil the kids with a million dollar inheritance and have them sit on their asses their entire lives, he said.)
It's even more complicated that that. In Canada, you pay one giant set of taxes to the government on April 30th, then you have property tax and sales tax. The U.S. tends to spread the taxes out a bit more, so it's not such a scary number.
Then there's the Big Mac index... which basically compares how much actual stuff you'll be able to buy with your salary. In terms of end stuff, it's all about the same. (Can Americans afford to buy more DVDs than Canadians? Do they have more internet users per capita? Do they buy the brand name meat or the store variety?) It's pretty futile to compare anything between two countries.
In this case, the main issue has more to do with whether Rogers has a good solution to the crisis that is facing broadband providers today. I believe that they do. Myself, I'd probably fit in the middle tier. I don't spend my days downloading movies, so I'm happy to let those that do pay.
It's simply a case of you get what you pay for.
I also used Rogers in Ottawa. It slowed down to that level until they installed a new Mysterious Green Box(tm) at the corner of my street a few months back. Then speeds went back up to over 200 KB/s (that's for a single download; I don't know what the aggregate max was.) I'm guessing that speed depends quite a bit on how well-equipped they are to handle the number of subscribers that exist in your neighbourhood.
Also note to low end version, which has been reported as low as $23, or $14 U.S. For someone who doens't spend all of their time downloading movies and music, this puts the price of a high-speed connection in the same range as dial-up.
The bottom line is that you get what you pay for, instead of having the low-end users subsidise the leechers.
As I understand it, DivX 3.11 used the smiley. The DivX version doesn't have it anymore -- it's just plain DivX.
So DivX;-) refers to the old version.
Score: -1 (doesn't know what he's talking about)
I have an ATI TV Wonder, the most recent version of which comes with a TV Guide program. It gives you full week's listings while the TV sits in the corner of the screen. It also allows you to get a listing of movies, show titles, do searches, and so on. It takes two clicks to schedule a program for later viewing or recording in MPEG-2 format.
ATI's software has a reputation for conflicting with just about everything, but they claim to be putting more effort into that area, and I haven't had any problems at all.
My only complaint is that this card doesn't have advanced feautres such as the ability to pause live TV -- ATI reserves those sorts of things for it's high-end Radeon All-In-Wonder. I think the Radeon version has better recording feautres, too. But for $45 and no monthly fee, I can't complain.
Next while it's not easy to fast-forward or skip commercials right now it will be about two hours after such a service as you're proposing is released.
Regulating the stream from the server side would fix that. You don't have to give the client on the other end the ability to seek forwards in the stream.
Considering that all they have to do is register for protection within a month of the movie's release, they'll probably just do that instead. If they're not playing by the rules in that country, it's their own fault -- but it's also easy to correct the problem without a lot of trouble.
You missed the point of the comment you were replying to.
The original poster said that a company like Pixar might want to acquire Square Pictures for the technical expertise and equipment. That has nothing to do with the plot of this one particular movie. Plot has already been discussed in other threads.
mIRC: $20
...
If these applications cost $10-$20 I would buy them.
There's one that's $20. You said you'd buy it if it were $20. Well? We're waiting.
I remember the author of that program talking about how many people who use it actually register -- and it's nowhere even close to 50%. Or even 5%.
If it's not worth it to you, find a version that is. That's the nice thing about the system -- there are dozens of IRC programs at a range of prices, and you can choose whatever you think is the best value for your money.
It's all a secret plot anyway. Rumour has it that Bill Gates requested a meeting with Canada's Finance Minister Paul Martin this weekend. Obviously this security thing is just a cover for the real reason for the work stoppage -- they're packing up and moving to Canada. :-)
The Sony letter has a nice fat check in it. Guess which letter he's going to open first. Guess which one he pays the most attention to.
:-)
I read an interesting article yesterday about a commission in Canada that wants to ban political contributions by corporations. (here)
What is interesting to note is:
- It's not just crazy people like Slashdotters who think corporate money is trouble.
- One political party in Canada already refuses to accept corporate donations, and the leader of another party says he would consider doing the same thing. (He states that the party that currently holds power gets the greatest benefit from corporate donations.) Unfortunately, these are the two parties that have the least number of seats at the moment.
- Two provinces in Canada already ban corporate donations. (Quebec and Manitoba.)
Sounds like a good idea to me.
If you want to call us "silly" "immature" and "asinine" for exercising our right to begin an email with "begin"...
begin-space-space-character, with the "go to http:... to download a better email program"?
I am reminded of a scene from The Simpsons...
Bart: I'm just going to swing my arms like this, and if any part of you should happen to get in the way, that's your problem.
It actually says nothing about tracking specifically which keys are being pressed, just the total number of keys are pressed. Nobody forces you to install it, it's not buried in some other "freeware" program. People will doubtlessly dissect it and log its activity to ensure it's not passing anything more than necessary. (If you wanted to log people's passwords without them being aware, would you advertise your program as a keystroke logger?) There are conspiracies, but I doubt this is one of them.
This one seems to be a lot worse than the other spyware programs I've read about. Most just track things like the URLs you've seen. This one "collects some information from online forms that you fill out. This information is automatically sent to VX2 in order to save you the time and trouble of submitting such information to us yourself." (I love the way they word this thing. Save me the time and trouble. Thanks guys.)
The spyware doesn't even stop collecting data when you're on a secure (SSL) site -- they'll just encrpt the data they collect. (Is their no end to VX2's thoughtfulness?) We're told to look for the "secure" icon before giving away personal information, and to deal only with reputable companies... but what good does that do when a very popular software program has installed a trojan which may or may not be sending credit card numbers to someone who may or may not be a convicted criminal?
Adding popups to any random site you visit is along the lines of those programs that replace ad banners with their own, hijacking the site's revenue stream and making it appear that the site owner supports an advertiser they have no relationship with.
To top it all off, they have the right to update their software in the background, and possibly install third-party applications without the user being aware. Does accepting this licence agreement mean I accept the licence agreements of any third-party software that may be installed at a later time?
A perfect example of why nobody should complain about Microsoft employees passing around URLs to online polls featuring its products. :-)
:-)
Besides, if even 1 Linux user sends in their card, that will be surpass the total number of registered Windows users. (I mean, really, who fills those in? A few minutes, a stamp, a drive to the post office, all in exchange for... telemarketing calls
My cable company actually charges by the set.
Actually, my DSL was metered the same way water and electricity are. $40/month Canadian (about $25 U.S.) is the base rate. At the beginning, the limit was 1 GB/month, which seemed like a huge amount back in those pre-Napster days. (DSL was brand new -- actually, it wasn't even DSL at the time, it was some fibre/coax thing I still don't understand.)
I believe they raised the limit after a while... and eventually eliminated it completely. They did switch us to PPPOE earlier this month (but I still don't know what the advantages and disadvantages of PPPOE are.) It was never static IP, so servers were never an issue.
Microsoft actually has a pretty narrow market. It's all computer-related stuff. They made a couple toys, but they were toys that interacted with the computer. You won't see a Microsoft VCR, but you'd see a Microsoft PVR, which is like a computer-enhanced VCR. If you started to see Microsoft Laundry Detergent, Microsoft Car Rentals, and Microsoft: the Soft Drink, then people might start wondering.
Correlation does not always mean Causation.
:-)
Unless, of course, you're the RIAA. Then you can blame every drop in sales on file sharing. Whenever the media reports on cd sales, they always put the word "piracy" in the headline, no matter which way the numbers are going. If they can spread misinformation, I want to spread misinformation too.
It can't exactly help that their main goal is to duplicate Windows experience as closely as possible.
"I know a genuine Panaphonics when I see it. And look, there's Magnetbox, and Sorny."
My university doubled the price of internet access this year -- to something in the area of $25/month. (That's comparable to the price of DSL access, considering a $5 student discount and lack of modem rental fee.) With on the order of 3000 students on the system, they can afford (if I remember correctly) about 8Mb of bandwidth.
Rather than cutting people off completely if they exceed a certain threshold, they put everything behind some sort of traffic shaping device, restricting the amount of total bandwith services such as Morpheus are allowed to use. The result is that you can still use all of those services... but you're only going to get about 100bps, if that. On the other hand, web access can be almost as fast as my DSL service at home.
It's also not a new method of sub-pixel rendering.. it's a new method of sub-pixel layout.
It's not even entirely new... I've seen at least one example of it in use on a giant video screen -- U2's recently-released Elevation DVD, chapter 15 has a few up-close shots of it. The sub-pixels are arranged in a similar fasion.