This makes a good reason for keeping "the Internet" captialized then. Obviously if it does catch on in popular language to spell it "internet", it will become difficult to distingish for those who do use the lowercase term now.
I think I'll keep spelling it with an uppercase I.
It doesn't bother me either way, captialized or not, but I think the comparision to television and phonograph isn't quite correct at this point. As of right now, we only have one Internet, hence referring to it as "the Internet", whereas there are many televisions, etc. To me the captialization comes more from using it like a proper name more than like a brand name. Somewhere down the road maybe there will be many networks called internets and it would make more sense to use it just as a normal noun.
Or we could just not worry about it and get to work on the more pressing problems... should Microsoft be spelled with a $?
The TV execs who were busy inventing new specialty channels are likely worried, but folks over at the traditional major networks might not feel so bad about a decrese in channel numbers. More choices pull audiences away from the mainstream primetime shows where the major networks want as many viewers as possible (just like everyone else does).
As channel numbers grow advertising dollars must be getting fragmented as well. Harder to sell ads on new channels when advertisers are already trying to cover as many markets as they can.
Perhaps Toronto's nerds will make a special trip to a Linux-only store, but I don't think many others will be introduced to a new operating system from a small store that's attached to a car wash.
That said, Lindows seems like a strange choice of distribution to focus a business on (though they do mention supporting others in the future, but they aren't pushing them for this store opening). Nerds will likely avoid it, even if it is good, since its seen as not worth using if it makes things easy enough a non-nerd could do it. (ie. Mandrake was labeled a "newbie's Linux" at first, though opinion seems to be changing on that one.)
Hopefully they find success but they're going to have to evaluate and evolve... people aren't going to be lining up outside just because they can now buy some linux stuff in a store.
The headline and text of the blurb here on slashdot says emails AND invites from Gmail weren't getting through. Regardless of the article, that's how it was presented here, so I tested that. Blocking every message from Gmail was more concerning to me than just the invites being lost.
To test, I sent two messages from GMail: one directly to my Hotmail account and one which I only CC'ed to my Hotmail account. The CC'd message arrived immediately but the direct message (sent first) arrived about 5 minutes later.
Slashdot Mirror
This makes a good reason for keeping "the Internet" captialized then. Obviously if it does catch on in popular language to spell it "internet", it will become difficult to distingish for those who do use the lowercase term now. I think I'll keep spelling it with an uppercase I.
It doesn't bother me either way, captialized or not, but I think the comparision to television and phonograph isn't quite correct at this point. As of right now, we only have one Internet, hence referring to it as "the Internet", whereas there are many televisions, etc. To me the captialization comes more from using it like a proper name more than like a brand name. Somewhere down the road maybe there will be many networks called internets and it would make more sense to use it just as a normal noun.
Or we could just not worry about it and get to work on the more pressing problems... should Microsoft be spelled with a $?
With "Loyd"'s comments, this is sort of like MST3K for bad computer articles.
The TV execs who were busy inventing new specialty channels are likely worried, but folks over at the traditional major networks might not feel so bad about a decrese in channel numbers. More choices pull audiences away from the mainstream primetime shows where the major networks want as many viewers as possible (just like everyone else does).
As channel numbers grow advertising dollars must be getting fragmented as well. Harder to sell ads on new channels when advertisers are already trying to cover as many markets as they can.
Perhaps Toronto's nerds will make a special trip to a Linux-only store, but I don't think many others will be introduced to a new operating system from a small store that's attached to a car wash. That said, Lindows seems like a strange choice of distribution to focus a business on (though they do mention supporting others in the future, but they aren't pushing them for this store opening). Nerds will likely avoid it, even if it is good, since its seen as not worth using if it makes things easy enough a non-nerd could do it. (ie. Mandrake was labeled a "newbie's Linux" at first, though opinion seems to be changing on that one.) Hopefully they find success but they're going to have to evaluate and evolve... people aren't going to be lining up outside just because they can now buy some linux stuff in a store.
The headline and text of the blurb here on slashdot says emails AND invites from Gmail weren't getting through. Regardless of the article, that's how it was presented here, so I tested that. Blocking every message from Gmail was more concerning to me than just the invites being lost.
To test, I sent two messages from GMail: one directly to my Hotmail account and one which I only CC'ed to my Hotmail account. The CC'd message arrived immediately but the direct message (sent first) arrived about 5 minutes later.