That even if the collective music industry cut CD prices in half and allowed mp3-format downloads for $0.05/song, I wouldn't buy their products.
When the xxAA's tried to get their lackey Mr. Hollings to plug the "analog hole", they poisoned the well. Nothing less than Chapter 11 filings by the major record labels will please me at this point. They have permanently lost a customer.
I work in IT. If I have to choose between the IT and media distribution industries, I'll pick IT. Every time.
I went to college for Physics. It was inevitable that over the course of my education we students talked about things like the atomic bomb. Would we build a device that could be used for great evil, even if said device also acted as a deterrent? Would we build (for example) a multi-megawatt laser (Physics majors NOT seeing "Real Genius"? Please...)? What are all the uses to which it could be used?
It's an important question. Whenever building anything, one has the moral responsibility to consider ALL of its potential uses.
act puzzled when people place them among the world's most utterly despised professions.
Notice to lawyers: start policing your own profession or you'll NEVER shed your image problem. At least doctors take the Hippocratic Oath. When they act in a dishonorable or unscruplous manner, they catch hell for it--from their own. You guys need to start doing something like this.
So...it's wintertime; when does lawyer hunting season begin? We seem to hunt every other thing here in PA...and the deer aren't going out of their way to make life harder >:)
I'm not much of a "holy roller" (or at all for that matter), but this one made me think:
"He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, freeman and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no-one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom, if anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person and it's number is 666." Rev 13:16-18
force the makers of MP3 players to recheck their source code to ensure that such holes DON'T exist, this would be a way to do it. Publish an exploit, link it to all major players, invoke the RIAA demon, and watch the coders scramble. Right now:
- Coders are, I'm sure, crawling through their code to look for and fix any security holes,
- Users are running firewalls and packet analyzers to check for any worm-like behavior,
- Some P2P users are taking a second look at checksums.
If such vunerabilities exist, I'm sure they won't for much longer. If the Berman bill ever becomes law, there won't be much to hack.
They've got to buy those votes with something! Remember, voter turnout in the US is abysmal, and many people can't be bothered to go out and vote unless they think there's something in it for them. So politicians do their best to outdo each other in throwing people a bone.
- Introduce a new version of Office that introduces a new default file format. This is key, since in five years this file format would be ubiquitous, and the new version of Office would be required to read these files. Forget about sticking with Office 2k/XP. It isn't an option.
- Either use TCPA to encrypt the new.DOC files to disk (thus making it impossible for 3rd party apps to read them) or, if a judge won't allow it, obfuscate the file format as much as possible and use patents+legal threats to protect them (once again, to lock out 3rd party apps). The point here is to make the new version of Office indispensible. It is important to note that, even if there is a lawsuit over this against Microsoft, it could take 8 years or so for it to come to a head, and the judge may side with MS in the end anyway.
- Make this shiny new version of Office require a "trusted" platform (i.e. TCPA mode) to run with full functionality. You've just locked out Linux+WINE and made it very hard for vendors to sell or offer PC's without Windows, since they will not only be unable to run Office, they won't even be able to read the new.DOC file format.
Voila! You've managed to use your Office software monopoly to preserve your OS monopoly. Switching to Linux+WINE a few years from now will make it impossible to read documents in the new Office, without perhaps exporting those documents to some other format (which would of course by design lose some vital formatting information). It makes it really hard for companies to switch, and dissuades people from migrating since they'll have to not only leave Office behind, but their Office documents as well. It also totally breaks the ability to share documents between the Linux and Windows worlds, without first changing to a (likely inferior) common format first. While you could probably convert back to the new.DOC later, the damage will have been done as the original.DOC formatting would have been damaged or lost.
I wish I felt wrong about this, but I really believe that this is Microsoft's strategy to kill Linux. IMHO TCPA really is that dangerous--the whole thing about online music and movies is trivial by comparison (maybe it's a smoke screen).
You've said that AMI has nothing to do with Palladium. Of course, that's true. One is a BIOS, and the other is an operating system made by another company. I have no issue with that.
However, we ALL know that Palladium will run in TCPA trusted mode, and TCPA functions will be active.
So here's the question (ahem):
If:
- I, as a Linux user, want to BUY the next version of Microsoft Office(tm) and run it on my Linux box under WINE, and:
- said version of Office requires that it be run on a trusted platform (i.e. it requires TCPA authentication),
WHAT WILL HAPPEN?
I'm sure you think this is a loaded question. It is, and it isn't. It is in the sense that I suspect what the answer will be, but I want to hear you answer it. It isn't, in the sense that this is a very serious issue and has enormous ramifications for the entire industry. You see, I think that TCPA+Palladium are really schemes for killing Linux by denying it the ability to run Microsoft applications. To that end, I don't consider you accomplices, but perhaps dupes. I ask you the above question in all seriousness, and I challenge you to prove me wrong.
You get to never be able to run any future versions of MS Office under WINE, as Linux won't be able to provide authentication for the app, which will require a trusted PC. While this may be a blessing if you're familiar with OpenOffice, grandma won't be as eager to migrate to Linux if she can't run Office, which is the main reason she bought her PC.
Simply put, AMI has absolutely no choice in the matter. Microsoft will announce that Palladium Office will require TCPA (or will run in crippled mode otherwise), and AMI has to therefore be compatible with it if they wish to stay in business.
Perhaps MS should have been broken up after all. It seems that what we have here is the OS monopoly being used to preserve the Office monopoly.
Here's a better one: will software vendors (either open-source or not) have to pay a license fee to be able to decrypt data files from competing products? What if you want to move your documents from Windows+MSOffice to Linux+StarOffice? Surely Office would use TCPA to encrypt the files.
There's another lurking evil, and I really think this is the big one. Microsoft wants to protect their MS-Word near-monopoly (near? who an I kidding?) and TCPA+Palladium is a way of locking people into MS Office forever. Want to read that document that you converted to Palladium Office? You'll have to use a Microsoft product, because Office will require TCPA and it just used your motherboard to encrypt that file so that no other office software can read it.
What? You work for Sun and want to get StarOffice to read the new, improved,.DOC files? Forget it. They're encrypted with a key, and obtaining that key without Microsoft's permission is a DMCA violation. Oh, but you can license the ability to read those files, for a huge fee. What? You want to edit them too? Prepare to pay a king's ransom.
Want to edit documents on your Palm(tm)? You must buy Microsoft Office for Palm, as Documents to Go won't work any more. Or maybe MS will tell you to go pound sand and buy a nice, new pocket PC that's
running a Microsoft OS. Flip a coin on that one...it depends on how bad MS might want Palm out of business.
IMHO, that's the real purpose of TCPA+Palladium. Anti-competitive tactics on steroids.
If I run an alternative OS (Linux, DOS, etc.) will I have complete and unfettered access to MY HARDWARE on the PC that I OWN? This includes access to motherboard peripherals as well as total access to ALL peripherals on the PCI/Video/other bus.
If the answer is no, or if I get a wishy-washy "well, sort of, but..." then please enumerate those components I will not be able to access and WHY I CAN'T BE TRUSTED TO ACCESS MY OWN HARDWARE.
I work in IT. Whenever I talk to other people who work in IT (and for that matter people who don't), most of the time I hear that the music distributors (e.g. RIAA) have outlived their usefulness. Once Hilary Rosen remarked that the IT industry was swallowing their industry.
It is. We are.
When you can electronically transfer music and burn it to recordable, red book-compatible media, when you can print cover art on an inkjet or color laser printer, there is absolutely no need for music distribution companies. No need whatsoever. And, more importantly, no need to pay US$21.99 for a music CD anymore.
The problem that the RIAA has is that people aren't nearly as stupid as they think. Uninformed perhaps, but not stupid. When people are clued in I always see the same response: we should either be able to download music for a small fee, or call our local music store, tell them what we want burned and printed, and head over to pick up our custom CD for all of 5 bucks.
So yes, the IT industry is going to swallow the record distribution industry, just as the automotive industry swallowed up the need for horses and buggies (and buggy whips).
Web sites popping up that list non-DRM, non-"we won't trust our users", non-encrypt-everything-except-power-and-ground equipment.
And the Ministry of Justice sending out the Thought Police to shut these "subversive, terrorist" sites down.
TCPA 2.5: the MS "Embrace and extend" version. Lock out non-TCPA hardware, both forcing users to switch and ALL hardware vendors (who wish to stay in business) to switch faster.
In all seriousness, we will all need to know where to buy equipment that won't restrict our computing when the hardware vendors start to fold.
I live in southeast PA, too. The PA Turnpike isn't everywhere, only on US 76 (which crosses the state) and US 476 north of Delaware County (the Northeast Extension that goes up to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre). Everywhere else, the major roads are standard PA and interstate routes. For instance, if you travel around Philadelphia, chances are you'll NEVER encounter a toll unless you go to the Poconos to ski or head out to Hersheypark or something like that. If you want to go to Gettysburg from Philly, there are other (less-traveled, non-toll) roads to get there. However, if you want to get across the state in a hurry, taking the Turnpike really works well. Let me put it this way: I went out to Carlisle last year for the Ford auto show, and it took me longer just to get to the Turnpike exit at Downingtown than it took to get out to Carlisle once I was on it.
Many moons ago I played EQ (when I quit the WTC was still standing), and once had to do the Testament of Vanear quest. The quest is to get a book that is really great for clerics and druids (i.e. healer types). One part involves waiting for a certain rare MOB (moving object) to spawn. Basically this guy appears, and you have to kill him. He's such a pain to get that people OFTEN try to kill-steal him (i.e. kill him before you can), so like most people I called in guild members to ensure that I got the kill. How long did it take? Let me put it this way: I went to the appropriate place, called in my guild buddies, and then WATCHED AN ENTIRE THREE-PERIOD HOCKEY GAME while waiting for the guy to appear. About a half hour after the game was over, POP, there he was, and we killed him in 30 seconds. The mob has an EIGHT-HOUR SPAWN TIME. That means, once he's dead, he doesn't reappear for another eight hours (REAL TIME). That's what we EQ players mean by needless timesinks. The sole purpose is to waste your time so you play longer.
I eventually quit the game, when it got to the point that raids were lasting until AFTER SUNRISE. That was well over a year ago, and I haven't been back. My character is dead, may it rest in peace.
that, not only did they go after the taxi drivers, but they even went after churches. You know, I'm not terribly religious, but I did go to Catholic school once:
1. I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Theese record execs are clearly worshipping MONEY. I mean...Jesus! The word AVARICE doesn't even come close! It's things like this that make he hope and pray that a place as Hell realy exists (though having had a Jesuit "don't take it literally" education I'm woefully unsure of that fact). If anyone has it coming, these record execs do.
One thing I always keep in mind when developing a project is something from my Electronics class so long ago:
The most important thing in developing a product is having the "right" design.
What he was getting at is that, if you rush into devleopment (coding in this case) without having fully thought the design though, you could end up shooting yourself in the foot later on. Redesigning and recoding something later on in its development cycle can be hideously expensive and time-consuming. Also, depending on the industry, it can be fatal (think lost contracts from being late). It's absolutely vital to think all the issues through regarding your product, not just in the short term, but what you might anticipate for the long (and in many cases, the very long) term.
(fiction, for those who don't know what year this is);)
September 21, 2006 - (AP) NEW YORK
What has been brewing for several years has finally come to pass: the last of the old, "brick and mortar" record companies has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. At a press conference at 09:00 AM this morning, Mark Thompson, Chief Operating Officer of BMG America, announced the decision to seek protection as the record giant reorganizes.
"The failure of our government to offer us adequate protection against the ravages of rampant piracy have driven us to this unfortunate decision," he said.
This comes as no surprise to many industry watchers. Word has been circulating on The Street that BMG has been seeking a buyer for the past six months. Over the fiscal year the stock has fallen to a low of $1.17, prompting rumors of a possible buy by cigarette giant Philip Morris. However, the recent downgrade to "strong sell" by Goldman Sachs last month, it is widely thought, nixed the deal.
Consumers may not be sad to see the media giant go. Shelly MacPherson, chairperson of Parents Against Trash in Our Culture, waxed jubilant. "It's about time," she said. "Look at the kind of music they've been pushing for the last decade. Maybe the people there don't have kids, but some of us actually care about our childen. We want them to have a good upbringing as responsible members of society. How are we supposed to do that with the kind of garbage they kept inundating us with?"
In related news, Internet distributor BeSonic, Ltd. reported record Q2 sales, up 12% to $46M. Other "independent" distributors have reported similar gains, as they continue to lead the charge in the market's recovery. When asked about the news, Ian Frederick, CEO of BeSonic, answered, "Piracy? Hardly. Simply put, they pigeonholed themselves, and turned everyone off. People want choice, in their music, and in the way they use it. Not everyone in the world lives in the Upper East Side nor listens to the same kind of music. They certainly won't buy new equipment just to keep a particular company in business. You have to be flexible in the 21st century, or people will drop you for a competitor in a heartbeat."
- Yes, this is fiction, of course (and if your name matches any of those above, then GET A LIFE and realize it's accidental):) Anyway, you should get the idea. It's one thing to make a product attractive to a customer to try to separate us from our money, but when it devolves into coercion, then it's time for them to go. Their key demographic is in the 15 to 25 range, and that's the place to get the message out. Starve them for revenue and they will be no more.
Slashdot Mirror
begun, the flame war has..
Yoda, you sound like.
That even if the collective music industry cut CD prices in half and allowed mp3-format downloads for $0.05/song, I wouldn't buy their products.
When the xxAA's tried to get their lackey Mr. Hollings to plug the "analog hole", they poisoned the well. Nothing less than Chapter 11 filings by the major record labels will please me at this point. They have permanently lost a customer.
I work in IT. If I have to choose between the IT and media distribution industries, I'll pick IT. Every time.
I went to college for Physics. It was inevitable that over the course of my education we students talked about things like the atomic bomb. Would we build a device that could be used for great evil, even if said device also acted as a deterrent? Would we build (for example) a multi-megawatt laser (Physics majors NOT seeing "Real Genius"? Please...)? What are all the uses to which it could be used?
It's an important question. Whenever building anything, one has the moral responsibility to consider ALL of its potential uses.
act puzzled when people place them among the world's most utterly despised professions.
Notice to lawyers: start policing your own profession or you'll NEVER shed your image problem. At least doctors take the Hippocratic Oath. When they act in a dishonorable or unscruplous manner, they catch hell for it--from their own. You guys need to start doing something like this.
So...it's wintertime; when does lawyer hunting season begin? We seem to hunt every other thing here in PA...and the deer aren't going out of their way to make life harder >:)
I'm not much of a "holy roller" (or at all for that matter), but this one made me think:
"He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, freeman and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no-one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom, if anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person and it's number is 666." Rev 13:16-18
force the makers of MP3 players to recheck their source code to ensure that such holes DON'T exist, this would be a way to do it. Publish an exploit, link it to all major players, invoke the RIAA demon, and watch the coders scramble. Right now:
- Coders are, I'm sure, crawling through their code to look for and fix any security holes,
- Users are running firewalls and packet analyzers to check for any worm-like behavior,
- Some P2P users are taking a second look at checksums.
If such vunerabilities exist, I'm sure they won't for much longer. If the Berman bill ever becomes law, there won't be much to hack.
They've got to buy those votes with something! Remember, voter turnout in the US is abysmal, and many people can't be bothered to go out and vote unless they think there's something in it for them. So politicians do their best to outdo each other in throwing people a bone.
I have to wonder:
.DOC files to disk (thus making it impossible for 3rd party apps to read them) or, if a judge won't allow it, obfuscate the file format as much as possible and use patents+legal threats to protect them (once again, to lock out 3rd party apps). The point here is to make the new version of Office indispensible. It is important to note that, even if there is a lawsuit over this against Microsoft, it could take 8 years or so for it to come to a head, and the judge may side with MS in the end anyway.
.DOC file format.
.DOC later, the damage will have been done as the original .DOC formatting would have been damaged or lost.
- Introduce a new version of Office that introduces a new default file format. This is key, since in five years this file format would be ubiquitous, and the new version of Office would be required to read these files. Forget about sticking with Office 2k/XP. It isn't an option.
- Either use TCPA to encrypt the new
- Make this shiny new version of Office require a "trusted" platform (i.e. TCPA mode) to run with full functionality. You've just locked out Linux+WINE and made it very hard for vendors to sell or offer PC's without Windows, since they will not only be unable to run Office, they won't even be able to read the new
Voila! You've managed to use your Office software monopoly to preserve your OS monopoly. Switching to Linux+WINE a few years from now will make it impossible to read documents in the new Office, without perhaps exporting those documents to some other format (which would of course by design lose some vital formatting information). It makes it really hard for companies to switch, and dissuades people from migrating since they'll have to not only leave Office behind, but their Office documents as well. It also totally breaks the ability to share documents between the Linux and Windows worlds, without first changing to a (likely inferior) common format first. While you could probably convert back to the new
I wish I felt wrong about this, but I really believe that this is Microsoft's strategy to kill Linux. IMHO TCPA really is that dangerous--the whole thing about online music and movies is trivial by comparison (maybe it's a smoke screen).
You've said that AMI has nothing to do with Palladium. Of course, that's true. One is a BIOS, and the other is an operating system made by another company. I have no issue with that.
However, we ALL know that Palladium will run in TCPA trusted mode, and TCPA functions will be active.
So here's the question (ahem):
If:
- I, as a Linux user, want to BUY the next version of Microsoft Office(tm) and run it on my Linux box under WINE, and:
- said version of Office requires that it be run on a trusted platform (i.e. it requires TCPA authentication),
WHAT WILL HAPPEN?
I'm sure you think this is a loaded question. It is, and it isn't. It is in the sense that I suspect what the answer will be, but I want to hear you answer it. It isn't, in the sense that this is a very serious issue and has enormous ramifications for the entire industry. You see, I think that TCPA+Palladium are really schemes for killing Linux by denying it the ability to run Microsoft applications. To that end, I don't consider you accomplices, but perhaps dupes. I ask you the above question in all seriousness, and I challenge you to prove me wrong.
Correction: using the office monopoly to preserve the OS monopoly.
You get to never be able to run any future versions of MS Office under WINE, as Linux won't be able to provide authentication for the app, which will require a trusted PC. While this may be a blessing if you're familiar with OpenOffice, grandma won't be as eager to migrate to Linux if she can't run Office, which is the main reason she bought her PC.
Simply put, AMI has absolutely no choice in the matter. Microsoft will announce that Palladium Office will require TCPA (or will run in crippled mode otherwise), and AMI has to therefore be compatible with it if they wish to stay in business.
Perhaps MS should have been broken up after all. It seems that what we have here is the OS monopoly being used to preserve the Office monopoly.
Here's an interesting scenario:
- Office Palladium will require TCPA
- Linux, as an untrusted OS, won't be able to provide Office Palladium proper authentication, and Office will refuse to run under WINE.
- Windows users become reluctant to migrate to Linux since they can't run Office. (Believe it or not, Office is still the killer app for most folks).
I'm telling ya, the Office division is behind this at least as much as the content industry.
Here's a better one: will software vendors (either open-source or not) have to pay a license fee to be able to decrypt data files from competing products? What if you want to move your documents from Windows+MSOffice to Linux+StarOffice? Surely Office would use TCPA to encrypt the files.
Gasp! MS would never do something as low as that!
There's another lurking evil, and I really think this is the big one. Microsoft wants to protect their MS-Word near-monopoly (near? who an I kidding?) and TCPA+Palladium is a way of locking people into MS Office forever. Want to read that document that you converted to Palladium Office? You'll have to use a Microsoft product, because Office will require TCPA and it just used your motherboard to encrypt that file so that no other office software can read it.
.DOC files? Forget it. They're encrypted with a key, and obtaining that key without Microsoft's permission is a DMCA violation. Oh, but you can license the ability to read those files, for a huge fee. What? You want to edit them too? Prepare to pay a king's ransom.
What? You work for Sun and want to get StarOffice to read the new, improved,
Want to edit documents on your Palm(tm)? You must buy Microsoft Office for Palm, as Documents to Go won't work any more. Or maybe MS will tell you to go pound sand and buy a nice, new pocket PC that's running a Microsoft OS. Flip a coin on that one...it depends on how bad MS might want Palm out of business.
IMHO, that's the real purpose of TCPA+Palladium. Anti-competitive tactics on steroids.
If I run an alternative OS (Linux, DOS, etc.) will I have complete and unfettered access to MY HARDWARE on the PC that I OWN? This includes access to motherboard peripherals as well as total access to ALL peripherals on the PCI/Video/other bus.
If the answer is no, or if I get a wishy-washy "well, sort of, but..." then please enumerate those components I will not be able to access and WHY I CAN'T BE TRUSTED TO ACCESS MY OWN HARDWARE.
I work in IT. Whenever I talk to other people who work in IT (and for that matter people who don't), most of the time I hear that the music distributors (e.g. RIAA) have outlived their usefulness. Once Hilary Rosen remarked that the IT industry was swallowing their industry.
It is. We are.
When you can electronically transfer music and burn it to recordable, red book-compatible media, when you can print cover art on an inkjet or color laser printer, there is absolutely no need for music distribution companies. No need whatsoever. And, more importantly, no need to pay US$21.99 for a music CD anymore.
The problem that the RIAA has is that people aren't nearly as stupid as they think. Uninformed perhaps, but not stupid. When people are clued in I always see the same response: we should either be able to download music for a small fee, or call our local music store, tell them what we want burned and printed, and head over to pick up our custom CD for all of 5 bucks.
So yes, the IT industry is going to swallow the record distribution industry, just as the automotive industry swallowed up the need for horses and buggies (and buggy whips).
Web sites popping up that list non-DRM, non-"we won't trust our users", non-encrypt-everything-except-power-and-ground equipment.
And the Ministry of Justice sending out the Thought Police to shut these "subversive, terrorist" sites down.
TCPA 2.5: the MS "Embrace and extend" version. Lock out non-TCPA hardware, both forcing users to switch and ALL hardware vendors (who wish to stay in business) to switch faster.
In all seriousness, we will all need to know where to buy equipment that won't restrict our computing when the hardware vendors start to fold.
I live in southeast PA, too. The PA Turnpike isn't everywhere, only on US 76 (which crosses the state) and US 476 north of Delaware County (the Northeast Extension that goes up to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre). Everywhere else, the major roads are standard PA and interstate routes. For instance, if you travel around Philadelphia, chances are you'll NEVER encounter a toll unless you go to the Poconos to ski or head out to Hersheypark or something like that. If you want to go to Gettysburg from Philly, there are other (less-traveled, non-toll) roads to get there. However, if you want to get across the state in a hurry, taking the Turnpike really works well. Let me put it this way: I went out to Carlisle last year for the Ford auto show, and it took me longer just to get to the Turnpike exit at Downingtown than it took to get out to Carlisle once I was on it.
Many moons ago I played EQ (when I quit the WTC was still standing), and once had to do the Testament of Vanear quest. The quest is to get a book that is really great for clerics and druids (i.e. healer types). One part involves waiting for a certain rare MOB (moving object) to spawn. Basically this guy appears, and you have to kill him. He's such a pain to get that people OFTEN try to kill-steal him (i.e. kill him before you can), so like most people I called in guild members to ensure that I got the kill. How long did it take? Let me put it this way: I went to the appropriate place, called in my guild buddies, and then WATCHED AN ENTIRE THREE-PERIOD HOCKEY GAME while waiting for the guy to appear. About a half hour after the game was over, POP, there he was, and we killed him in 30 seconds. The mob has an EIGHT-HOUR SPAWN TIME. That means, once he's dead, he doesn't reappear for another eight hours (REAL TIME). That's what we EQ players mean by needless timesinks. The sole purpose is to waste your time so you play longer.
I eventually quit the game, when it got to the point that raids were lasting until AFTER SUNRISE. That was well over a year ago, and I haven't been back. My character is dead, may it rest in peace.
Grr. Ok, time to start buying online...
We have one of each in my area. Guess who just won my business...and who just LOST it.
(looks up at the sky and points to the record execs)
"Okay, God, any time now. I'm wearing my rubberized boots!"
that, not only did they go after the taxi drivers, but they even went after churches. You know, I'm not terribly religious, but I did go to Catholic school once:
1. I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Theese record execs are clearly worshipping MONEY. I mean...Jesus! The word AVARICE doesn't even come close! It's things like this that make he hope and pray that a place as Hell realy exists (though having had a Jesuit "don't take it literally" education I'm woefully unsure of that fact). If anyone has it coming, these record execs do.
Excuse me while I go throw up.
One thing I always keep in mind when developing a project is something from my Electronics class so long ago:
The most important thing in developing a product is having the "right" design.
What he was getting at is that, if you rush into devleopment (coding in this case) without having fully thought the design though, you could end up shooting yourself in the foot later on. Redesigning and recoding something later on in its development cycle can be hideously expensive and time-consuming. Also, depending on the industry, it can be fatal (think lost contracts from being late). It's absolutely vital to think all the issues through regarding your product, not just in the short term, but what you might anticipate for the long (and in many cases, the very long) term.
(fiction, for those who don't know what year this is) ;)
:) Anyway, you should get the idea. It's one thing to make a product attractive to a customer to try to separate us from our money, but when it devolves into coercion, then it's time for them to go. Their key demographic is in the 15 to 25 range, and that's the place to get the message out. Starve them for revenue and they will be no more.
September 21, 2006 - (AP) NEW YORK
What has been brewing for several years has finally come to pass: the last of the old, "brick and mortar" record companies has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. At a press conference at 09:00 AM this morning, Mark Thompson, Chief Operating Officer of BMG America, announced the decision to seek protection as the record giant reorganizes.
"The failure of our government to offer us adequate protection against the ravages of rampant piracy have driven us to this unfortunate decision," he said.
This comes as no surprise to many industry watchers. Word has been circulating on The Street that BMG has been seeking a buyer for the past six months. Over the fiscal year the stock has fallen to a low of $1.17, prompting rumors of a possible buy by cigarette giant Philip Morris. However, the recent downgrade to "strong sell" by Goldman Sachs last month, it is widely thought, nixed the deal.
Consumers may not be sad to see the media giant go. Shelly MacPherson, chairperson of Parents Against Trash in Our Culture, waxed jubilant. "It's about time," she said. "Look at the kind of music they've been pushing for the last decade. Maybe the people there don't have kids, but some of us actually care about our childen. We want them to have a good upbringing as responsible members of society. How are we supposed to do that with the kind of garbage they kept inundating us with?"
In related news, Internet distributor BeSonic, Ltd. reported record Q2 sales, up 12% to $46M. Other "independent" distributors have reported similar gains, as they continue to lead the charge in the market's recovery. When asked about the news, Ian Frederick, CEO of BeSonic, answered, "Piracy? Hardly. Simply put, they pigeonholed themselves, and turned everyone off. People want choice, in their music, and in the way they use it. Not everyone in the world lives in the Upper East Side nor listens to the same kind of music. They certainly won't buy new equipment just to keep a particular company in business. You have to be flexible in the 21st century, or people will drop you for a competitor in a heartbeat."
- Yes, this is fiction, of course (and if your name matches any of those above, then GET A LIFE and realize it's accidental)