You make a number of great points as barriers to OSS.
1. When you say "retail" you really mean "megacorp". I don't bring it up to be mean, but again, they're only about selling the things that make them the MOST money...not about providing a wide variety of options unless they profit from it. MS is a great bed-buddy for them because they speak "profit-speak" I've been noticing at by local BB how more shelf space is being give to a fewer number of vendors....with fewer products on display!
2. MS will do anything to "sell" office! Your comment about the "honor system" is great. Of course MS will use certian % of the sales as ammo for the "piracy" campaigns too. And that's the point really. They have the BSA to muscle businesses into using "pro" versions...while basicly "dumping" the basic version on the market to keep the
3. retail software is dead...and there's not a good way to bring OSS on to the shelves. The biggest problem in particular with OSS is out-of-date software!!! Most retail customers like my parents don't care for high-speed internet even if it was cheaper! that means they can only buy what's on the shelf...or the kids "bring over" for them. I could see a Fileplanet model [choosing, burning, and mailing downloads] maybe working...except that again, most people still don't use their CCs online! People want to pay $$$. You need a kiosk method of software distrobution. But you'd have to gaurantee $2000-3000 per month gross per location to make it break even!!! If you could go to a store like compUSA and hit a "sourceforge" kiosk that mirrored files off the web you might have something. You'd have to keep the overall price to $9.99 per session/CD or less to gain sales, but it could be useful even for/.rs! You could even make a system to pick your file list online...or even make "subscriptions" ala "slashdot favorites" to be picked up monthly! The only problem is that so much free stuff online is still "bottled" up where people don't want to share in such a situation...even though it's already free to download!
It's not about defining XML, but rather developing cool government apps that small countries need to provide basic functions...and get some help from "western" countries in doing it.
The whole point of these UN projects is to support smaller troubled governments with a "government-in-a-box" type project. The original goal was to base it on OSS so that it was Free for any govt to use!!! Then the small countries would have the same benifits as medium-sized countries...ability to build Tax bases, track natural resources, manage property rights, properly manage humanatarian aid, etc.. There are many things we in the states take for granted that simply don't exist in many small countries.
The ability of the project to remain open and free should have been sacrosanct!! The small countries that are the target of such projects will NEVER be able to afford the proprietary solutions that are being suggested! If they DO get any "free" MS or IBM stuff from the deal, that's simply taxpayer money down the toilet to another US multinational...hence foreign governments are very hesitant to donate for fear of streangthening US domination. Hence it's a great project reduced to the same "franchise" as "donating" MS software to Public schools has become. It's not building a world of "equals" but a world of "consumers" of american products...very, very bad!!!
Bnetd is not hacking! It doesn't use the blizzard servers, resources, or affect normal fair play in any way. If I want to play my Warcraft with map hacks or break all the rules I should be able to do that with my friends! That's what this is all about.
For a matter of fact, if this was allowed to be at leased sanctioned, then it would give the map hackers and player hacks someplace to go and cheat all they want! The quake and counterstrike guys got over this a long time ago...now everybody can simply run their own game servers and allow whatever they want! Blizzard for some reason wants to be a control freak and controll ALL the network play of their games. Sure, they offer it free, but it's still ABSOLUTE control...even if you don't want it!!! Bnetd is a way to get around that control and enjoy the game. Unfortunately for Blizzard, cracked copies of the game or banned players will still want to play...even though it's cheating there's no legal leg to stand on for telling them they can't play their game they purchased on a DIFFERENT network.
Other than the business issues of potentially pissing off too many people to the "free" serverr, there's no business reason to do this...other than to maintain absolute control of their business.
Personally, I don't have any use for cheats. But I would have use for bnetd! I've got 3 computers of my own and would love to simply play informal games against the kids without bothering with a slow internet connection. The problem is that the Blizard games aren't self-hosting, and I'd just as soon not be matching up with foulmouthed or cheaters online with the kids but I can't just play between me and the computer across from me without asking Blizard's "permission" That is unacceptable!
But that is the point to some extent! While I don't condone mass-pirating of games, it's not their place to decide the WHO, WHAT, & WHEN you can play ALL network versions of their products....especially when versions like bnetd do not use Blizard resources to provide access. Wether the game is fully legal or not isn't the question in this matter...only a side issue.
Unlike Kazzaa-lite or the IM clones bnetd is not attempting to use Bizard network resources...for a matter of fact it's the opposite! They're attempting to REPLACE Blizard's locked-in service to provide playing of the game on their own terms...it's not like they're trying to hack or take over or interfere with Blizard's offical channels here...mearly offer another alternative for those not willing or able to use the "offical" channels. It's fundamentally about connecting two copies of something you already paid for...you shouldn't need "permission" to do that.
While the supporting of "pirate" copies may be a problem to blizzard, the bnetd project really doesn't have any business worrying about authentication! There's no constraint on their part to require the game to follow the "rules" that's the whole point of developing their own servers!! More than that, this would also set precedent in cases that would replace say, XBoxLive. That product is all about vendor lock-in...but the console and games themselves should be allowed a similar hack simply because it's your fair use to connect your products...especially if you are using unmodified original product...Part of this is about companies requiring you to use "specific" company-approved portals...and requiring so in the EULA! To take it to an extreme, what would the reaction be if MS forbade you from using, say, Samba on YOUR OWN networks to connect YOUR OWN PCs because they dediced to require windows license verification in AD/W2K3 server connection!! That's exactly the same issue being set forth even though it seems silly to say so. Cause remember, much of MS stratagy has been to "hide" their lock-in schemes behind the veil of "security" or "authentication" schemes. Imagine the "free-for-all" if companies can simply tag a serial number or phone home to every network connection and sue you if you don't follow it! That's totally nuts!
Remember, whatever the UN commission agrees to will be programs that they will then ask for tax money to support! If they agree to put OSS on the table, then say, $1 million goes to OSS programmers or foundations to develop OSS stuff...rather than MS windows licenses [free] which they were going to mint anyway!
It's not worth it to pay a mega corp like MS to write a piece of "free" code [even for a million bucks]...it doesn't benifit their business if they can't charge over and over for the same software...they don't make money from "development" anymore, they make money from marketing. MS and the other companies have product they can donate for essentially free but can charge for updates later[or non-charity cases]...while any funds going to OSS go to development with it being Free-er later!!!
if I give $1 million to OSS programmers I'd get $10 million of retail finished product, but it'd be released for Free to more than $10M worth of users!!! How most software companies make their money in these situations is to offer a "discount" on the $10 million down to say $2M then pay developers $.5M for the work and pocket the rest using shell compaines for services [and write off $8M] just for being "charitable". Given the profits these guys make they HAVE to donate X millon dollars of "stuff" or pay corp taxes on hundreds of millions!!! Then they can go back later and charge full-price again or "donate" again...so it's a recurring "charity" scheme too! OSS changes that because it take real $$ and turns it into usefulness...bypassing middlemen taking $$ from the system!!
Yes, but will the theater owners see any of that savings...or increased traffic? that's the question. $30k over 20 years is a whole lot different than $150k+ over X [read 5-10] years...[and we all know digital ANYTHING always needs upgrades!!] They're smart businessmen to see this and want assurances they'll be staying off the money wheel. Also, will the studios cut the theater's part of the distro cost? Espically now that the theaters are paying for their own bandwidth? The studios make a killing from simply all the shipping and handleing charges they tack on and make the theaters pay...if a movie looses money...it's the theaters that end up paying for it?
What the theaters are after is for studios to step up and essentially put them out for good. The terms of showing most movies are horribly draconian to begin with...all geared toward making the studio money. Having worked at a theater, they don't make money off showing movies...just enough to keep the lights on. The only way they make profit is from refreshments...now the stidios want them to put out more investment for equal or less return, and even more control by the studios. They might as well go to the cellphone model and let the studios own the whole thing!! They got nothing left to give!!
There are 6! Livin large, house party, hot date, vacation, unleashed, superstar, & makin magic. Plus a really lame attempt at MMORG. Frankly though Maxis missed the boat with sims. Stuff like this is what they SHOULD have been doing...with the ability to have multiplayer in the normal game.
The Sims has the right mix for a great multiplayer if they'd just get back to basics! The lack of interaction with your sim is the best feature of all...you have to PLAY the game rather than play social games. I'd like to see more of this stuff! Mostly I'd like to see a pack that gives players more control to "script" sims lives out and maybe embue them with a touch more AI..especially now that its ELOd
If they promised to use quicktime could apple start something like this? But realize that 5% of your bill would only pay for 20 hours of programming a week. that's a lot of empty TV!! But your right that a subscription model would work, say $15-20 per season/show..perhaps on TV with rights to download?
iTMS has got everything you just asked for already in place...mini-payment structure, accounts, ratings...assisting procucers making a show would be the next logical step. I bet Steve Jobs could even find them a prominant customer to kick it off who's pissed off at a large distributor???? They even have that iMovie program to burn your movies to disc!!!
Actually they snuck a lot of critical but boring plot points in that Buffy ep...for starters we learn that Buffy went to Heaven not hell!!! there was a lot of character shake out in that ep that cleared the air so to speak...and you thought they were just being stupid. Silly rabbit...
I'm looking forward to the "muppet" Angel episode. I'm curious if he'll go "PuppetMaster" with it.
Of course given the news of canceling Angel, I guess directing live action muppets would look good on his resume!!
The biggest problem isn't the initial Linux installs, it's that every middle manager has their own pet software usually Excel sheets with crappy macros, or commercial canned Access programs....All that stuff is most difficult to get working. Sure you can use Wine, but the point is that you don't know till you get there what they were using. On top of that Mid-managers espically are resistant to change...or redoing their work.[unless of course they deem it ememgency!] even if it saves the department money in the long run!
Office should be the FIRST thing to go! It's the most tied in part of the MS system...it also requires the most work to get cleaned out. My first step would be IMMEDIATELY to run dual suites and require all new info in OO.org format. Then work department-by-department to get everyone over to OO.org.
Once you have the office monopoly cleaned out, you can start flipping other switches, email, authentication, web, etc...on the server side. Then one day you can go thru and simply flip all the desktops to Linux...while those that have windows specific tasks [drivers, hardware, etc] can simply be left alone and communicating till they can be dealt with!
Linux on the desktop is the EASY part! It's the infrastructure of windows servers and offfice/VB apps that's the migration killer.
Yep!
But sometimes that is harder than simply pulling the plug altogether! it's really too bad IBM doesn't focus more on the OpenOffice aspect of Linux migration... The point is for the system to be free and open...not simply to dismiss MS altogether. The biggest problem I see is that Linux servers need office automation tools. Ideally it'd be with OO.org, but any of the other would do too. OO.org using XML data formats is the real great stuff..but teaching servers and programmers to utilize those tools and prehaps build new ones over simply using the canned MSDN stuff [and forever simply check writing!] is the problem. The ability for servers to quickly generate and parse OO.org files is where the work is at...that's where all the "investment" in MS tools are at! many fortune 100 companies have management systems built entirely as extentions to word and excel formats...coupled with serverside scripting...That's what nobody is really visibley working on.
Ahh the joys of newbies! Windows to Windows is just as bad...often worse! Like when I bought a new shiny dell with new shiny office...and had to replace the whole email system because Outlook XP dropped an older mailbox format!! or when the boss buys himself a new shiny dell...and the critical Win95 drivers have no equivelant! Or when very basic Office XP files don't share properly with Office 97 when you change a single character meaning 8 other people have to upgrade too!
Linux on the desktop is ready...the only thing holding it back is the inertia of windows users. Linux is at least as good technically on the desktop as Win 98/2000 in many areas much better [just the OS/DE mind you] Sure apps are missing, but they will come. The biggest problem are those pesky "must have" windows drivers or software. If you can convert an office to 100% OO.org [or another] you'd be just fine! My biggest problem getting a tryout of OO.org [in prep for Linux!] was those pesky USERS who simply refused to learn something new...and refused to try! I wouldn't deny growing pains...but if office workers were factory workers they'd all be out of work...for holding up progress!!!
Actually, in my shop we started sending our quotes to clients in PDF because we didn't want our overly-nosey mega corp customers to know how good our profit margin really Was by snooping our excell sheets!!!
Re:This sucks, but go out nova style.
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WB Cancels Angel
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Given the other show they like to produce about lots of horny teens maybe we could get a spin-off with Fred and Willow! They make all the new shows to show off sex anyway...besides it would only last half a season before being canclled anyway!!!
But it's a cash cow from all the co-marketing it gernerates. It makes so much money simply by being on the air from things like toys, lunchboxes, endorsements [yep! & hun?]! It doesn't even have to be top rated, just ON. Hell, they could show reruns in the time slot and still make their ratings.
Once they end the show, the collectors will snarf up the cool collectable stuff, but the general pop will simply move on to something else and all the marketing/product revenue will vanish overnite.
Re:I thought I would do this...
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WB Cancels Angel
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· Score: 1
For the time B5 was awesome...remember it started over 10 years ago...sure the effects are a bit dated, but if you like the story, it was pretty cool...look how cheap and crappy "Dr Who" is....but it gained a following from having good stories..often.
The main reason stuff like B5 and andromeda succeedes is that they ARE B-rated shows for C-Rated network syndication! Look at hercules and Xena...both very B-rated too! They're good enough to keep a steady base of.5-1 points comming so they get lots of late-nite/saturday afternoon airtime that nobody wants anyway...
The problem with the WB is that they were a C-rated network for a long time! B-rated shows were how they made a name...they had at least one show that each Demo liked A LOT...enough to turn away from the big networks to watch it! The key being that many people liked only 2-3 WB shows [say 7th heaven & nuns]...then changed the channel...while a vastly different group liked the next show [like when Angel came on! EVIL!]. Now they're trying to play the "overall" game...by dumbing everything down so your not supposed to "want" to change the channel. for comparison, look what happened to Dark Angel...great show on a big network...but it was too expensive to justify even after cutbacks...and too lucrative to let go into syndication where it would still be alive. Corps can't handle "good" shows anymore the only shows networks keep are Dramas and Comedies...that's the only stuff they have the skin for anymore.
In away shows like B5 and Andromeda would be some of the first to benifit from the "TiVo" World...it's too bad there's not a way to track that usage! Also, remember that Star Trek:TNG was also purely in syndication!!!! The biggest problems I had were "Network" events constantly interrupting the broadcast schedule. Meaning you'd loose your show for 2-3 weeks and wonder where it went....not good!!! But with the VOD and TiVo world shows like this should do better.
Perhaps Apple could start and iTV network! They could put up old reruns [or new eps] for $2-5 a pop and use the iTunes music store! The shows and movies that are hard to watch due to time restraints...or cool shows people discover that they want to see more of! That's a prime target for Apple's model!
As somebody who's spent a lot of time in the service industry [i.e. Mcdonalds!] it really is rude how many people will answer the phone while ignoring their place in line...not paying attention to the service they're requesting, but of course they won't step aside and allow the next person to place their order....so they then snear and shout at the cashier or other customers because Those other people are in the way?
It's about respect for your fellow person...starting with the one in front of you!!! I can understand the shopkeeper who deals with this 50 times a day. people come to your shop and you can't give good service because they interrupt your transaction with them for the phone....and OFTEN have the nerve to get mad at YOU "because you're taking too long!" Not to mention disrupting other customers patiently standing in line with loud disagreements, or lack of attention to what's going on around them. It's a menace!!!
That said, jamming or blocking phones isn't the answer, it just makes people ruder! Cell phones have spread the general problem of computers to the masses...computers have allowed businesses to micromanage and interrupt business plans on moment's notice...cell phones allow thoses same types of people to deal with everything NOW...instead of budgeting their time and attention to allow their responsibilites to be properly performed...And THAT is the bigger problem with "instant everything"!!
The main tool to fight this would be better voicemail/sms messages...allowing people to be notified of messages, but keep the phone off until they can give proper attention, those tools are available, but still don't work that well for every minute use. Businesses with "quiet, private places" for phone conversations would help too...they wiped out most phone booths about 10 years ago and didn't replace the "space" to make communications in.
Actually, early prototype engines were designed around ethanol because it was the only readily available source for developers in the late 1800's! It was a conscious decison by the auto industry to favor pure gasoline engines + plus adding lead [knowing it was poison!] to compensate for the extra tear on the engine...but gasoline had more power so it was more marketable.
Given today's manufacturing technology theirs no reason NOT to be using ethanol...except that a lot of powerful people make a lot of money gaming the system [and the conflicts, wars, terrorists] for profit.
as far as costing energy to make, that's what alternate power could be for! But the main benifit is that ethanol is renewable...the sun profides the power to the system. Adding Solar, Wind, or Nucler power only sweetens the deal. And we're already growing the crops as food anyway...so it's win-win. The point to the whole debate is that we should be actively presuing long term, ecologically friendly, means of power...and building alt energy infrastructure to support building more alt energy infrastructure...so that when we do run out of oil/uranium/gas...we won't need it anymore!!!!
I can hear bill now muttering "just fix it" and "surprise me" like the evil software monopolist in Antitrust....
Personally, whoever did this better turn themselves in NOW!!! Considering Bill and MS have enough money to buy souls on the open market...I'd be afraid, very afraid. I'd say leave the country, but forgieners are easier to buy than VP Cheney. It could be a good time for a sting to see if Billy G would actually pay a "bounty hunter" to track the leak down...If the culprit was found...well, not alive... just makes you wonder to test out how far billy would go to protect his baby... Just make sure the deal goes down in California!
Or would bill and steve finally get the fact that windows is JUST AN OS and MS just another company! and that he's got more money than GOD so it's time to let go of world monopoly and instead try to spend 100B before he dies...a much more noble cause!
That's not anything like useing an HTML tag is it? Which the browser would use to execute code on the client machine....but wait... it's XML...so it's new!
Actually Yes!
Because every single line of code can be openly published, and the MD5 sum made known. Then every install can be checked when ever you want by auditors and we will know exactly what is in there. For a matter of fact, I'd argue that every single line of voting code and OS should be free and open...It should be a university school project for each class of kids to vet the code for errors and bugs..just like in mathmatics!!! The beauty of this is that any other country could look at this code too! That could be the best export of the US to benifit freedom ever!!!
to the contrary you have MS. Look how insecure the Diebold solution is!!!!! They use public connections to the internet to monitor the boxes!! What's worse, any errant user could connect with IE and download any [or all] stock an standard worms causing unknown havoc on the system! I can hear you arguing already...but fact is that Diebold already admitted to remote admining over the net!!! Every single security bug is cumulative for all the MS products involved...and you can't simply remove parts to make it secure when they're using the absolutely most vunerable ones!!! In Diebold's defense, they are just "normal" windows programmers...while that's not an excuse it is also the problem. Normal windows programmers don't deal with security holes in code..nor having it picked apart...but in an election environment it's necessary. I'd ask those programmers if they'd trust this software guarding their reputation on a security system or safe for a financial institution...I don't think they would!!!
But that's why He's OK and kazzaa's not! BT has no more privacy than FTP or HTTP. If you post it on the web, it can be searched out. He is more than legal because he didn't add any features to increase privacy...and only has the necessary User tracking to make the system work... He's no more "guilty" than the guy who invented FTP!
What pisses the lawyers off about Kazzaa is that Sherman networks KNOWS who you are, KNOWS exactly what is being shared...they even SELL market results based on that data...while trying to hide the identies of the illegal shares crying "fair use"
What would it take to make a distrubuted client for/.? I'm sure the copyright holders would scream foul, but that's a great idea...if each user could cache just 10MB of web pages, the/.effect would be nil. it would work as a mozilla/fire[thing] plugin combine with a/. server as host. Of course we could have shared browsing added to the comment section too!!! then we could comment WHILE RTFA!!!
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1. When you say "retail" you really mean "megacorp". I don't bring it up to be mean, but again, they're only about selling the things that make them the MOST money...not about providing a wide variety of options unless they profit from it. MS is a great bed-buddy for them because they speak "profit-speak" I've been noticing at by local BB how more shelf space is being give to a fewer number of vendors....with fewer products on display! /.rs! You could even make a system to pick your file list online...or even make "subscriptions" ala "slashdot favorites" to be picked up monthly! The only problem is that so much free stuff online is still "bottled" up where people don't want to share in such a situation...even though it's already free to download!
2. MS will do anything to "sell" office! Your comment about the "honor system" is great. Of course MS will use certian % of the sales as ammo for the "piracy" campaigns too. And that's the point really. They have the BSA to muscle businesses into using "pro" versions...while basicly "dumping" the basic version on the market to keep the 3. retail software is dead...and there's not a good way to bring OSS on to the shelves. The biggest problem in particular with OSS is out-of-date software!!! Most retail customers like my parents don't care for high-speed internet even if it was cheaper! that means they can only buy what's on the shelf...or the kids "bring over" for them. I could see a Fileplanet model [choosing, burning, and mailing downloads] maybe working...except that again, most people still don't use their CCs online! People want to pay $$$. You need a kiosk method of software distrobution. But you'd have to gaurantee $2000-3000 per month gross per location to make it break even!!! If you could go to a store like compUSA and hit a "sourceforge" kiosk that mirrored files off the web you might have something. You'd have to keep the overall price to $9.99 per session/CD or less to gain sales, but it could be useful even for
The whole point of these UN projects is to support smaller troubled governments with a "government-in-a-box" type project. The original goal was to base it on OSS so that it was Free for any govt to use!!! Then the small countries would have the same benifits as medium-sized countries...ability to build Tax bases, track natural resources, manage property rights, properly manage humanatarian aid, etc.. There are many things we in the states take for granted that simply don't exist in many small countries.
The ability of the project to remain open and free should have been sacrosanct!! The small countries that are the target of such projects will NEVER be able to afford the proprietary solutions that are being suggested! If they DO get any "free" MS or IBM stuff from the deal, that's simply taxpayer money down the toilet to another US multinational...hence foreign governments are very hesitant to donate for fear of streangthening US domination. Hence it's a great project reduced to the same "franchise" as "donating" MS software to Public schools has become. It's not building a world of "equals" but a world of "consumers" of american products...very, very bad!!!
somebody found the greenbar printouts in a dumpster and reentered them ...that's why it doesn't make any sense!
Bnetd is not hacking! It doesn't use the blizzard servers, resources, or affect normal fair play in any way. If I want to play my Warcraft with map hacks or break all the rules I should be able to do that with my friends! That's what this is all about.
For a matter of fact, if this was allowed to be at leased sanctioned, then it would give the map hackers and player hacks someplace to go and cheat all they want! The quake and counterstrike guys got over this a long time ago...now everybody can simply run their own game servers and allow whatever they want! Blizzard for some reason wants to be a control freak and controll ALL the network play of their games. Sure, they offer it free, but it's still ABSOLUTE control...even if you don't want it!!! Bnetd is a way to get around that control and enjoy the game. Unfortunately for Blizzard, cracked copies of the game or banned players will still want to play...even though it's cheating there's no legal leg to stand on for telling them they can't play their game they purchased on a DIFFERENT network.
Other than the business issues of potentially pissing off too many people to the "free" serverr, there's no business reason to do this...other than to maintain absolute control of their business.
Personally, I don't have any use for cheats. But I would have use for bnetd! I've got 3 computers of my own and would love to simply play informal games against the kids without bothering with a slow internet connection. The problem is that the Blizard games aren't self-hosting, and I'd just as soon not be matching up with foulmouthed or cheaters online with the kids but I can't just play between me and the computer across from me without asking Blizard's "permission" That is unacceptable!
Unlike Kazzaa-lite or the IM clones bnetd is not attempting to use Bizard network resources...for a matter of fact it's the opposite! They're attempting to REPLACE Blizard's locked-in service to provide playing of the game on their own terms...it's not like they're trying to hack or take over or interfere with Blizard's offical channels here...mearly offer another alternative for those not willing or able to use the "offical" channels. It's fundamentally about connecting two copies of something you already paid for...you shouldn't need "permission" to do that.
While the supporting of "pirate" copies may be a problem to blizzard, the bnetd project really doesn't have any business worrying about authentication! There's no constraint on their part to require the game to follow the "rules" that's the whole point of developing their own servers!! More than that, this would also set precedent in cases that would replace say, XBoxLive. That product is all about vendor lock-in...but the console and games themselves should be allowed a similar hack simply because it's your fair use to connect your products...especially if you are using unmodified original product...Part of this is about companies requiring you to use "specific" company-approved portals...and requiring so in the EULA! To take it to an extreme, what would the reaction be if MS forbade you from using, say, Samba on YOUR OWN networks to connect YOUR OWN PCs because they dediced to require windows license verification in AD/W2K3 server connection!! That's exactly the same issue being set forth even though it seems silly to say so. Cause remember, much of MS stratagy has been to "hide" their lock-in schemes behind the veil of "security" or "authentication" schemes. Imagine the "free-for-all" if companies can simply tag a serial number or phone home to every network connection and sue you if you don't follow it! That's totally nuts!
It's not worth it to pay a mega corp like MS to write a piece of "free" code [even for a million bucks]...it doesn't benifit their business if they can't charge over and over for the same software...they don't make money from "development" anymore, they make money from marketing. MS and the other companies have product they can donate for essentially free but can charge for updates later[or non-charity cases]...while any funds going to OSS go to development with it being Free-er later!!!
if I give $1 million to OSS programmers I'd get $10 million of retail finished product, but it'd be released for Free to more than $10M worth of users!!! How most software companies make their money in these situations is to offer a "discount" on the $10 million down to say $2M then pay developers $.5M for the work and pocket the rest using shell compaines for services [and write off $8M] just for being "charitable". Given the profits these guys make they HAVE to donate X millon dollars of "stuff" or pay corp taxes on hundreds of millions!!! Then they can go back later and charge full-price again or "donate" again...so it's a recurring "charity" scheme too! OSS changes that because it take real $$ and turns it into usefulness...bypassing middlemen taking $$ from the system!!
What the theaters are after is for studios to step up and essentially put them out for good. The terms of showing most movies are horribly draconian to begin with...all geared toward making the studio money. Having worked at a theater, they don't make money off showing movies...just enough to keep the lights on. The only way they make profit is from refreshments...now the stidios want them to put out more investment for equal or less return, and even more control by the studios. They might as well go to the cellphone model and let the studios own the whole thing!! They got nothing left to give!!
The Sims has the right mix for a great multiplayer if they'd just get back to basics! The lack of interaction with your sim is the best feature of all...you have to PLAY the game rather than play social games. I'd like to see more of this stuff! Mostly I'd like to see a pack that gives players more control to "script" sims lives out and maybe embue them with a touch more AI..especially now that its ELOd
iTMS has got everything you just asked for already in place...mini-payment structure, accounts, ratings...assisting procucers making a show would be the next logical step. I bet Steve Jobs could even find them a prominant customer to kick it off who's pissed off at a large distributor???? They even have that iMovie program to burn your movies to disc!!!
I'm looking forward to the "muppet" Angel episode. I'm curious if he'll go "PuppetMaster" with it.
Of course given the news of canceling Angel, I guess directing live action muppets would look good on his resume!!
The biggest problem isn't the initial Linux installs, it's that every middle manager has their own pet software usually Excel sheets with crappy macros, or commercial canned Access programs....All that stuff is most difficult to get working. Sure you can use Wine, but the point is that you don't know till you get there what they were using. On top of that Mid-managers espically are resistant to change...or redoing their work.[unless of course they deem it ememgency!] even if it saves the department money in the long run!
Once you have the office monopoly cleaned out, you can start flipping other switches, email, authentication, web, etc...on the server side. Then one day you can go thru and simply flip all the desktops to Linux...while those that have windows specific tasks [drivers, hardware, etc] can simply be left alone and communicating till they can be dealt with!
Linux on the desktop is the EASY part! It's the infrastructure of windows servers and offfice/VB apps that's the migration killer.
Yep!
But sometimes that is harder than simply pulling the plug altogether! it's really too bad IBM doesn't focus more on the OpenOffice aspect of Linux migration... The point is for the system to be free and open...not simply to dismiss MS altogether. The biggest problem I see is that Linux servers need office automation tools. Ideally it'd be with OO.org, but any of the other would do too. OO.org using XML data formats is the real great stuff..but teaching servers and programmers to utilize those tools and prehaps build new ones over simply using the canned MSDN stuff [and forever simply check writing!] is the problem. The ability for servers to quickly generate and parse OO.org files is where the work is at...that's where all the "investment" in MS tools are at! many fortune 100 companies have management systems built entirely as extentions to word and excel formats...coupled with serverside scripting...That's what nobody is really visibley working on.
Linux on the desktop is ready...the only thing holding it back is the inertia of windows users. Linux is at least as good technically on the desktop as Win 98/2000 in many areas much better [just the OS/DE mind you] Sure apps are missing, but they will come. The biggest problem are those pesky "must have" windows drivers or software. If you can convert an office to 100% OO.org [or another] you'd be just fine! My biggest problem getting a tryout of OO.org [in prep for Linux!] was those pesky USERS who simply refused to learn something new...and refused to try! I wouldn't deny growing pains...but if office workers were factory workers they'd all be out of work...for holding up progress!!!
Actually, in my shop we started sending our quotes to clients in PDF because we didn't want our overly-nosey mega corp customers to know how good our profit margin really Was by snooping our excell sheets!!!
Given the other show they like to produce about lots of horny teens maybe we could get a spin-off with Fred and Willow! They make all the new shows to show off sex anyway...besides it would only last half a season before being canclled anyway!!!
Once they end the show, the collectors will snarf up the cool collectable stuff, but the general pop will simply move on to something else and all the marketing/product revenue will vanish overnite.
The main reason stuff like B5 and andromeda succeedes is that they ARE B-rated shows for C-Rated network syndication! Look at hercules and Xena...both very B-rated too! They're good enough to keep a steady base of .5-1 points comming so they get lots of late-nite/saturday afternoon airtime that nobody wants anyway...
The problem with the WB is that they were a C-rated network for a long time! B-rated shows were how they made a name...they had at least one show that each Demo liked A LOT...enough to turn away from the big networks to watch it! The key being that many people liked only 2-3 WB shows [say 7th heaven & nuns]...then changed the channel...while a vastly different group liked the next show [like when Angel came on! EVIL!]. Now they're trying to play the "overall" game...by dumbing everything down so your not supposed to "want" to change the channel. for comparison, look what happened to Dark Angel...great show on a big network...but it was too expensive to justify even after cutbacks...and too lucrative to let go into syndication where it would still be alive. Corps can't handle "good" shows anymore the only shows networks keep are Dramas and Comedies...that's the only stuff they have the skin for anymore.
In away shows like B5 and Andromeda would be some of the first to benifit from the "TiVo" World...it's too bad there's not a way to track that usage! Also, remember that Star Trek:TNG was also purely in syndication!!!! The biggest problems I had were "Network" events constantly interrupting the broadcast schedule. Meaning you'd loose your show for 2-3 weeks and wonder where it went....not good!!! But with the VOD and TiVo world shows like this should do better.
Perhaps Apple could start and iTV network! They could put up old reruns [or new eps] for $2-5 a pop and use the iTunes music store! The shows and movies that are hard to watch due to time restraints...or cool shows people discover that they want to see more of! That's a prime target for Apple's model!
It's about respect for your fellow person...starting with the one in front of you!!! I can understand the shopkeeper who deals with this 50 times a day. people come to your shop and you can't give good service because they interrupt your transaction with them for the phone....and OFTEN have the nerve to get mad at YOU "because you're taking too long!" Not to mention disrupting other customers patiently standing in line with loud disagreements, or lack of attention to what's going on around them. It's a menace!!!
That said, jamming or blocking phones isn't the answer, it just makes people ruder! Cell phones have spread the general problem of computers to the masses...computers have allowed businesses to micromanage and interrupt business plans on moment's notice...cell phones allow thoses same types of people to deal with everything NOW...instead of budgeting their time and attention to allow their responsibilites to be properly performed...And THAT is the bigger problem with "instant everything"!!
The main tool to fight this would be better voicemail/sms messages...allowing people to be notified of messages, but keep the phone off until they can give proper attention, those tools are available, but still don't work that well for every minute use. Businesses with "quiet, private places" for phone conversations would help too...they wiped out most phone booths about 10 years ago and didn't replace the "space" to make communications in.
Given today's manufacturing technology theirs no reason NOT to be using ethanol...except that a lot of powerful people make a lot of money gaming the system [and the conflicts, wars, terrorists] for profit.
as far as costing energy to make, that's what alternate power could be for! But the main benifit is that ethanol is renewable...the sun profides the power to the system. Adding Solar, Wind, or Nucler power only sweetens the deal. And we're already growing the crops as food anyway...so it's win-win. The point to the whole debate is that we should be actively presuing long term, ecologically friendly, means of power...and building alt energy infrastructure to support building more alt energy infrastructure...so that when we do run out of oil/uranium/gas...we won't need it anymore!!!!
Personally, whoever did this better turn themselves in NOW!!! Considering Bill and MS have enough money to buy souls on the open market...I'd be afraid, very afraid. I'd say leave the country, but forgieners are easier to buy than VP Cheney. It could be a good time for a sting to see if Billy G would actually pay a "bounty hunter" to track the leak down...If the culprit was found...well, not alive... just makes you wonder to test out how far billy would go to protect his baby... Just make sure the deal goes down in California!
Or would bill and steve finally get the fact that windows is JUST AN OS and MS just another company! and that he's got more money than GOD so it's time to let go of world monopoly and instead try to spend 100B before he dies...a much more noble cause!
That's not anything like useing an HTML tag is it? Which the browser would use to execute code on the client machine....but wait... it's XML...so it's new!
to the contrary you have MS. Look how insecure the Diebold solution is!!!!! They use public connections to the internet to monitor the boxes!! What's worse, any errant user could connect with IE and download any [or all] stock an standard worms causing unknown havoc on the system! I can hear you arguing already...but fact is that Diebold already admitted to remote admining over the net!!! Every single security bug is cumulative for all the MS products involved...and you can't simply remove parts to make it secure when they're using the absolutely most vunerable ones!!! In Diebold's defense, they are just "normal" windows programmers...while that's not an excuse it is also the problem. Normal windows programmers don't deal with security holes in code..nor having it picked apart...but in an election environment it's necessary. I'd ask those programmers if they'd trust this software guarding their reputation on a security system or safe for a financial institution...I don't think they would!!!
What pisses the lawyers off about Kazzaa is that Sherman networks KNOWS who you are, KNOWS exactly what is being shared...they even SELL market results based on that data...while trying to hide the identies of the illegal shares crying "fair use"
What would it take to make a distrubuted client for /.? I'm sure the copyright holders would scream foul, but that's a great idea...if each user could cache just 10MB of web pages, the /.effect would be nil. it would work as a mozilla/fire[thing] plugin combine with a /. server as host. Of course we could have shared browsing added to the comment section too!!! then we could comment WHILE RTFA!!!