>>Why do so many people think that multinationals can get away with anything?
I dunno either.
It seems to be the norm here to imagine that MS has grown into some sort of malignant, unstoppable colossus with infinitely deep pockets.
MS is just a corporation - not the antichrist! It does what it can get away with to further its own interests over and above everyone elses (see Capitalism).
To many Slashdotters, it seems MS has become the ultimate bogeyman. It haunts their every nightmare and they feel that governments of sovereign nations should quake in their boots at the dreaded might of MS (or whoever). It's utter bullshit.
Perhaps some here need to read up a little on world economics, trade and politics to get some kind of actual perspective on this issue.
Personally, I don't think Bill Gates lies in bed at night wondering how to strike a blow for corporate might against the EU. Nor do I imagine the EU leaders looking under their beds for Bogey Bill!
It's their job to scan and checkout the items in your basket, not yours.
I want to be served by a real person, but the supermarkets just want to save the salary they'd have to pay that person.
I know many checkout girls are not that communicative, but I do actually like interacting with other humans. Do we want a world where we only interact with machines in every situation?
Tried Waitrose and Sainsbury but they were crap, both in terms of user interface and the delivered goods (as you say, close to sell-by-date, beaten up vegetables etc).
The Tesco subsitutions are sometimes quite 'interesting' though, and occasionally you get mad items you didn't order or pay for like 2Kg of Tesco Economy mushrooms - 2Kg! I made a load of mushroom soup and froze it.
First of all, margins on commodity PC hardware are so miniscule that you have to sell *huge* volumes to have a kind of a viable business.
Just imagine for a moment the start up costs needed to manufacture all those boxes and market them!
Secondly, who are the big buyers (corporate users, major retail chains etc.) going to trust? A blue chip corporation with a track record like Dell or HP, or some no-name startup?
Granted, Dell was a no-name startup once, but that was a long time ago and things have changed a great deal.
Thirdly, I take it this notional enterprise will not be offering Windows on it's products - which is probably what 95% of your target market will want. Maybe they could pay the full retail price and install it themselved huh?
As an entrepreneural type, I think I'll pass on this 'golden' opportunity.
>>Probably the best thing short of switching to an AS/400.
Oh! Why stop there.
If you're a really 'serious person' then I suggest you'll need a z/Series mainframe (running z/OS) at least (but then you'd probably want to run DB2 intead of Postgre).
Whatever you think of Microsoft, Gates, with this single, unprecedented act of giving, will make far more of a difference to the well-being of mankind than all Slashdot community put together could ever hope to.
Can't we just do the right thing here or once, and give the man credit where it's due, rather than acting like a bunch of petty, spiteful children?
The point I was making is that professional programmers work to specifications and if the spec says "use ACME's ActiveX charting control" then that's exactly what you do kiddo! You don't whine and bitch about it, you get on and do it.
To give a real world example, I have often had to use sophisticated 3D charting contols and frankly, the Java applet ones suck mightily IMHO in terms of features and performance compared to the ActiveX ones.
Ever try free-spinning a large 3D surface plot on any axis by click-and-drag using a Java applet? Yeah, I thought not.
Slashdot Mirror
>>Why do so many people think that multinationals can get away with anything?
I dunno either.
It seems to be the norm here to imagine that MS has grown into some sort of malignant, unstoppable colossus with infinitely deep pockets.
MS is just a corporation - not the antichrist! It does what it can get away with to further its own interests over and above everyone elses (see Capitalism).
To many Slashdotters, it seems MS has become the ultimate bogeyman. It haunts their every nightmare and they feel that governments of sovereign nations should quake in their boots at the dreaded might of MS (or whoever). It's utter bullshit.
Perhaps some here need to read up a little on world economics, trade and politics to get some kind of actual perspective on this issue.
Personally, I don't think Bill Gates lies in bed at night wondering how to strike a blow for corporate might against the EU. Nor do I imagine the EU leaders looking under their beds for Bogey Bill!
Errm...
The EU and US economies are currently about the same (around $11 trillion annual income).
MS and IBM might be big companies but they can't just "throw money around to depress or accelerate other economies", or anything near that.
Do you *really* think MS "bought Ireland cheap, raised their standard of living"?
Ireland's economy alone (annual GDP ~$122 billion) far outstrips MS's annual turnover (~$37 billion).
I think you massively overestimate the power of these corporations. They aren't nation states!
>>I mean why reinvent such a common operator?
Because % has another meaning in BASIC syntax.
Yeah. But where I came from we had girls!
Ah ha! - so you admit it then?
Ok, I'll buy!
You really mean to tell me that you think this would be 'fun' ?
Holy Christ!
What sort of 'fun' did you have as a kid?
groupthink clowns!
Well, fuck you!
What is the point of this? Honestly?
Also there is the matter of personal service.
It's their job to scan and checkout the items in your basket, not yours.
I want to be served by a real person, but the supermarkets just want to save the salary they'd have to pay that person.
I know many checkout girls are not that communicative, but I do actually like interacting with other humans. Do we want a world where we only interact with machines in every situation?
Yes, I can't fault it.
Tried Waitrose and Sainsbury but they were crap, both in terms of user interface and the delivered goods (as you say, close to sell-by-date, beaten up vegetables etc).
The Tesco subsitutions are sometimes quite 'interesting' though, and occasionally you get mad items you didn't order or pay for like 2Kg of Tesco Economy mushrooms - 2Kg! I made a load of mushroom soup and froze it.
Tesco's online service is excellent though.
Who go through all the hassle of going to the store when you can have it delivered next day, 7 days a week?
Actually, even the Black Pudding recipe sounds awful, it's really rather good with a traditional full English breakfast.
Please don't feed this stupid troll.
IMHO the last thing anyone needs right now is more antagonism and jingoism on both sides of the Atlantic.
Posts like that remind me that reading slashdot isn't always the intellectual equivalent of masturbation.
Damn right!
I'm going to gut a Mac G5 tower and put the innards into the biggest KFC family-size chicken bucket available. Just for the sheer Hack Value!
How cool is that gonna be?
It'll be a bit stinky, but should work ok.
Now what to I do with the G5 enclosure?
But at least the PPC guys probably have wives and/or girlfriends.
At the rate we're going, we'll be living under plastic domes here on Earth before we ever get to Mars.
"There is no more new frontier, we have got to make it here"
First of all, margins on commodity PC hardware are so miniscule that you have to sell *huge* volumes to have a kind of a viable business.
Just imagine for a moment the start up costs needed to manufacture all those boxes and market them!
Secondly, who are the big buyers (corporate users, major retail chains etc.) going to trust? A blue chip corporation with a track record like Dell or HP, or some no-name startup?
Granted, Dell was a no-name startup once, but that was a long time ago and things have changed a great deal.
Thirdly, I take it this notional enterprise will not be offering Windows on it's products - which is probably what 95% of your target market will want. Maybe they could pay the full retail price and install it themselved huh?
As an entrepreneural type, I think I'll pass on this 'golden' opportunity.
...but it seems that's all one can expect on /. now:- kneejerk reactions weighted by the moderator's own, particular prejudices.
I like FF as a browser, and support it, and promote it, in general.
I still think you made some pretty valid points though. Especially the f**king huge and conspicuous ego-tripping by FF crew.
Oh, they're setting the world to rights! No doubt about it!
>>Probably the best thing short of switching to an AS/400.
Oh! Why stop there.
If you're a really 'serious person' then I suggest you'll need a z/Series mainframe (running z/OS) at least (but then you'd probably want to run DB2 intead of Postgre).
Talk about comparing apples with oranges!
Whatever you think of Microsoft, Gates, with this single, unprecedented act of giving, will make far more of a difference to the well-being of mankind than all Slashdot community put together could ever hope to.
Can't we just do the right thing here or once, and give the man credit where it's due, rather than acting like a bunch of petty, spiteful children?
>> Yeah, lets protect the poor from disease and viruses, but we can't fucking write a OS that can deal with them.
Aw man! Fucking LAMER comment! I just don't believe you wrote that! Ughhh!
That isn't the point.
The point I was making is that professional programmers work to specifications and if the spec says "use ACME's ActiveX charting control" then that's exactly what you do kiddo! You don't whine and bitch about it, you get on and do it.
To give a real world example, I have often had to use sophisticated 3D charting contols and frankly, the Java applet ones suck mightily IMHO in terms of features and performance compared to the ActiveX ones.
Ever try free-spinning a large 3D surface plot on any axis by click-and-drag using a Java applet? Yeah, I thought not.