Perhaps that wasn't their intention, but iTunes doesn't run on an iPod, it runs on Windows (not exclusively of course). And like you mentioned, Windows is designed to work with everything. So why can't "Windows" (iTunes) sync with my Pre or my Sansa or any other player? I've been asked that question and I can't imagine I'm alone. What's more frustrating is that it CAN sync to any of those things, Apple just won't let you do it. It's vendor lock-in.
I don't use any Apple products. I'm not an Apple hater either. I still think that fundamentally there is no difference between what Apple is doing and what Microsoft has done in the past. But somehow Apple gets a pass.
If Palm wants to compete, then let them create their own service and interface rather than leveraging another company's successful work. You say that's unfair because Apple has created a heavily lopsided playing field, and now it's impossible to compete with the massive popularity of iTunes. But you have to ask yourself, where were these same competitors five years ago?
Vendor lock-in is vendor lock-in. How is Apple blocking {not-an-iPod} from syncing with iTunes any different than if Microsoft blocked {not-IE} from running under Windows? I don't hate either of them. I say let them do whatever they want. But fundamentally it's the same thing. And while you may not do it, there are plenty of others out there that will somehow argue that it's different.
Make no mistake, I don't particularly approve that Apple did what they did, but if you bought a Palm Pre and couldn't see this coming you are not only blind but you're an idiot.
Blind maybe, but not an idiot. For "idiot" to be an option you would have to present a strong, valid reason why Apple is justified in blocking anybody else from using some other device with iTunes. The same amount of effort went into blocking the Pre as it would have taken to pop-up a warning that says "This is not an approved device and may not function properly with iTunes. Use at your own risk." If they did that, what would Apple/iPod/iTunes users lose?
Add to that, Opera's biggest install base is mobile devices. When your desktop and your laptop/PDA/Wii and the rest of the laundry list of devices that run (or are at least capable of running) Opera are suddenly connected and your data is freely accessible wherever you may roam...that's a game changer...as long as your "server" is powered on and connected.
I have to agree with the parent. In my mind, the biggest benefit is the ability to share information with myself, not everybody else. It just so happens that sharing/exchanging/communicating with others is one and the same.
Well I saw it a little differently. It looks to me like an attempt to duplicate some of the functions offered by Sharepoint and Messenger, but in a browser. Add in the API and you're steps from offering all of the functions. Everyone that doesn't use IE should be applauding this. One of the biggest hangups on adopting non-IE6 browsers is the massive corporate intranet establishment. At least this offers some functionality that a PHB might find attractive, and therefore at least a little motivation to move to a standards based intranet. Keep in mind that you can "direct connect" Unite without going through Opera servers. And I expect, if it catches on, there will be some sort of appliance offered that can privately act as the central server.
You mean like a device where there is a stream that I can join and listen with others? Would be kind of neat if I didn't have to send out any data to join the stream though.
And am I the only person that sees radio as a public forum?
1) A physical network diagram is always step one. Don't worry about which port connects where, but do worry about which server connects to which switch.
2) Never underestimate the value of a spreadsheet documenting your subnets. List each subnet and all of the corresponding information (VLAN ID, which router serves as the gateway, description if for instance it's the Accounting department). Then do a sheet for each subnet and breakout all of the static IP addresses for each subnet (printers, switches, routers, servers, etc).
3) Make a list of all of your vendors, support accounts and logins, etc.
4) Go back, make a copy of the physical layout, then add services to all of the servers and try to document the general flow of traffic in/out/around the network (easier said than done, but priceless once it's on paper).
5) Then start documenting the systems and services. Start first with simple documentation. It's more valuable to have a little bit about everything than everything about a single server. Concentrate on documenting in detail the systems that make the least sense, like the one-off FTP server that's NAT'ed different from everything else because of the company that Marketing uses to do their graphics. Think of the ones that would be the hardest to troubleshoot when they quit working. Then move to the obvious.
Call a local VAR or small IT services company and get some outside assistance. Check their references to see if they do good documentation. A lot of them spend a lot of time doing complex project work for small IT departments so documentation generally precedes a good reputation. Management should sign off on it because it's an obvious decision. Despite what others may say, only rarely will they see it as an opportunity to bring in someone cheaper once the job is done because it shows that you're a "company" man.
I'd be willing to wager that Palm is a bigger blip on their radar than Yahoo. Nobody is going to take the place of MySpace or Facebook (Google already tried), and it's not very likely that anyone will displace Google as the choice for finding everything else. Frankly, today's Yahoo is yesterday's AOL. And ask Time/Warner how that turned out.
Meanwhile the iPhone is becoming a legitimate threat to the Windows Mobile user base. In walks Palm with a highly anticipated new OS and hardware. It could be a pretty cheap gamble with potential for a massive payoff.
But, and this is a serious question, if those companies paid 15% (just pulled that out of my ass) instead of 3% (that one too), wouldn't that create an opportunity to lower taxes on individuals?
Then wouldn't that lead to more money in "our" wallets and potentially counter the negative effect of lower Wall Street earnings because I'd have more to invest.
I wouldn't go so far as to say it's useless AND stupid. By no means am I defending this as a great idea, but converting from lossless to MP3 takes a decent amount of processing. Nothing the average PC can't handle, but if you're copying hundreds of files you would certainly notice.
Perhaps the idea is not to be able to store the lossless files on an MP3 player that has no use for the extra data. Instead, when I copy the file to my MP3 player, rather than process the file into another format, I can just trim out the "mp3" part of the file and write that to the device. Now I have a lossless audio file to store on my high-capacity computer, with easy, low overhead access to a compressed version for my low-capacity portable device.
So I wouldn't go so far as to say it's useless AND stupid. More like somewhat useful and not exactly genius.
I almost agree with you. But I would argue that if you've had complete and total success with all flavors of Linux package managers, then you haven't been using Linux very long. Much like any random Windows install, when it works it's great. But frankly when it doesn't work, I'd rather be dealing with a Windows box.
I will give linux the upper hand with "updates" though. It is nice to be able to update all of my software (assuming it was installed with the package manager) with one command or click versus only being able to update the OS. But let's be fair, Windows software installs that require a reboot are relatively rare and are more likely the fault of the developer. Windows updates requiring a reboot on the other hand...on that we can agree.
I'm not intimately familiar with the inner workings of an internal combustion engine either, and have zero experience with combustible engines. But it is nice knowing that my Toyota and my wife's Hyundai get the same result regardless of which variety of unleaded gasoline we put in the tank.
Just an interesting little bit of trivia. If you've ever been, or go, to Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare's birthplace), the swans (or some of them at least) come from a town in Alabama. The Royal Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery get their swans there as well.
And if you've never been, and find yourself with the opportunity to go, it's worth the experience to go to a bakery and get some bread and walk along the river. It's a beautiful area and the reaction you get from the "aquatic fowl" when they see bread is frightening.
Apples and oranges. You can't name one enterprise router/switch manufacturer that doesn't use proprietary hardware. But there is certainly no shortage of manufacturers building hardware to run any given desktop OS....of course with the exception of Apple...
Granted Niksun's NetVCR is basically a glorified tcpdump with a pretty interface, but it's also a functional interface. Sure you can preach "use the command line" all you want but you'd be underestimating the value of being able to present simplified data to the rest of the IT department that usually rings your phone, or visits your cubicle, or sends you and email every time some site can't do their work because their circuit is too slow.
Sure, give me an open source tool that I can put on an OC3, with a simple interface, that offers easy-to-interpret data for the non-network crew, but also has the ability to dump all the traffic for {some IP} at midnight a week ago....and I'll be a happy man!
1. WorldCom won't go under because it's not in their creditors' best interest. WCom could file bankruptcy today and nobody would be surprised. If WCom owes you money you just got screwed. They'll work out a financial plan that helps WC recover and allows the creditors to get their money, because THAT is what makes the world go 'round.
2. There was definitely some shady accounting and subpar management, but I don't think that was their biggest error. WCom banked on continued growth in the tech sector. I'm not sure if you remember this, but it crashed hard. Now they're left with a backbone to support 20 years of consistent growth that's not happening, and a bill to match. They gambled and they lost...big.
3. Saying that only 5-10% of the world's fiber is lit is perhaps the most misleading statement here. So let's say you're going to run 1000 miles of fiber from Chicago to New York. The expense is not the fiber, it's 1000 miles of ditch. So you lay a 100 strand bundle, but you only need 5 strands....right now. That's only 5% lit. But it's still yours and surely you'll be damned if you're going to let me have it.
No, I'm not a WorldCom employee, but I'm a big fan and a big customer. No, their service isn't that bad. If you think I'm wrong, try ATT.
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Perhaps that wasn't their intention, but iTunes doesn't run on an iPod, it runs on Windows (not exclusively of course). And like you mentioned, Windows is designed to work with everything. So why can't "Windows" (iTunes) sync with my Pre or my Sansa or any other player? I've been asked that question and I can't imagine I'm alone. What's more frustrating is that it CAN sync to any of those things, Apple just won't let you do it. It's vendor lock-in.
I don't use any Apple products. I'm not an Apple hater either. I still think that fundamentally there is no difference between what Apple is doing and what Microsoft has done in the past. But somehow Apple gets a pass.
Vendor lock-in is vendor lock-in. How is Apple blocking {not-an-iPod} from syncing with iTunes any different than if Microsoft blocked {not-IE} from running under Windows? I don't hate either of them. I say let them do whatever they want. But fundamentally it's the same thing. And while you may not do it, there are plenty of others out there that will somehow argue that it's different.
Blind maybe, but not an idiot. For "idiot" to be an option you would have to present a strong, valid reason why Apple is justified in blocking anybody else from using some other device with iTunes. The same amount of effort went into blocking the Pre as it would have taken to pop-up a warning that says "This is not an approved device and may not function properly with iTunes. Use at your own risk." If they did that, what would Apple/iPod/iTunes users lose?
I have to agree with the parent. In my mind, the biggest benefit is the ability to share information with myself, not everybody else. It just so happens that sharing/exchanging/communicating with others is one and the same.
Well I saw it a little differently. It looks to me like an attempt to duplicate some of the functions offered by Sharepoint and Messenger, but in a browser. Add in the API and you're steps from offering all of the functions. Everyone that doesn't use IE should be applauding this. One of the biggest hangups on adopting non-IE6 browsers is the massive corporate intranet establishment. At least this offers some functionality that a PHB might find attractive, and therefore at least a little motivation to move to a standards based intranet. Keep in mind that you can "direct connect" Unite without going through Opera servers. And I expect, if it catches on, there will be some sort of appliance offered that can privately act as the central server.
You don't need cat6 to run gigabit. Save yourself some money. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category_5_cable#Category_5e
multicast, at best
You mean like a device where there is a stream that I can join and listen with others? Would be kind of neat if I didn't have to send out any data to join the stream though.
And am I the only person that sees radio as a public forum?
They don't tell you WHERE those switches physically are, though.
True, true. I find that, in the absence of a proper floor plan, a digital camera and a fire escape plan will do the job.
1) A physical network diagram is always step one. Don't worry about which port connects where, but do worry about which server connects to which switch.
2) Never underestimate the value of a spreadsheet documenting your subnets. List each subnet and all of the corresponding information (VLAN ID, which router serves as the gateway, description if for instance it's the Accounting department). Then do a sheet for each subnet and breakout all of the static IP addresses for each subnet (printers, switches, routers, servers, etc).
3) Make a list of all of your vendors, support accounts and logins, etc.
4) Go back, make a copy of the physical layout, then add services to all of the servers and try to document the general flow of traffic in/out/around the network (easier said than done, but priceless once it's on paper).
5) Then start documenting the systems and services. Start first with simple documentation. It's more valuable to have a little bit about everything than everything about a single server. Concentrate on documenting in detail the systems that make the least sense, like the one-off FTP server that's NAT'ed different from everything else because of the company that Marketing uses to do their graphics. Think of the ones that would be the hardest to troubleshoot when they quit working. Then move to the obvious.
Call a local VAR or small IT services company and get some outside assistance. Check their references to see if they do good documentation. A lot of them spend a lot of time doing complex project work for small IT departments so documentation generally precedes a good reputation. Management should sign off on it because it's an obvious decision. Despite what others may say, only rarely will they see it as an opportunity to bring in someone cheaper once the job is done because it shows that you're a "company" man.
I'd be willing to wager that Palm is a bigger blip on their radar than Yahoo. Nobody is going to take the place of MySpace or Facebook (Google already tried), and it's not very likely that anyone will displace Google as the choice for finding everything else. Frankly, today's Yahoo is yesterday's AOL. And ask Time/Warner how that turned out.
Meanwhile the iPhone is becoming a legitimate threat to the Windows Mobile user base. In walks Palm with a highly anticipated new OS and hardware. It could be a pretty cheap gamble with potential for a massive payoff.
Fixed that for you. Now what were you saying?
But, and this is a serious question, if those companies paid 15% (just pulled that out of my ass) instead of 3% (that one too), wouldn't that create an opportunity to lower taxes on individuals?
Then wouldn't that lead to more money in "our" wallets and potentially counter the negative effect of lower Wall Street earnings because I'd have more to invest.
I wouldn't go so far as to say it's useless AND stupid. By no means am I defending this as a great idea, but converting from lossless to MP3 takes a decent amount of processing. Nothing the average PC can't handle, but if you're copying hundreds of files you would certainly notice.
Perhaps the idea is not to be able to store the lossless files on an MP3 player that has no use for the extra data. Instead, when I copy the file to my MP3 player, rather than process the file into another format, I can just trim out the "mp3" part of the file and write that to the device. Now I have a lossless audio file to store on my high-capacity computer, with easy, low overhead access to a compressed version for my low-capacity portable device.
So I wouldn't go so far as to say it's useless AND stupid. More like somewhat useful and not exactly genius.
And don't forget, France could make their flags out of it for the next time someone invades! Kidding, calm down. Goodbye karma, hello 'troll' mods.
I almost agree with you. But I would argue that if you've had complete and total success with all flavors of Linux package managers, then you haven't been using Linux very long. Much like any random Windows install, when it works it's great. But frankly when it doesn't work, I'd rather be dealing with a Windows box.
I will give linux the upper hand with "updates" though. It is nice to be able to update all of my software (assuming it was installed with the package manager) with one command or click versus only being able to update the OS. But let's be fair, Windows software installs that require a reboot are relatively rare and are more likely the fault of the developer. Windows updates requiring a reboot on the other hand...on that we can agree.
I'm not intimately familiar with the inner workings of an internal combustion engine either, and have zero experience with combustible engines. But it is nice knowing that my Toyota and my wife's Hyundai get the same result regardless of which variety of unleaded gasoline we put in the tank.
And if you've never been, and find yourself with the opportunity to go, it's worth the experience to go to a bakery and get some bread and walk along the river. It's a beautiful area and the reaction you get from the "aquatic fowl" when they see bread is frightening.
Apples and oranges. You can't name one enterprise router/switch manufacturer that doesn't use proprietary hardware. But there is certainly no shortage of manufacturers building hardware to run any given desktop OS....of course with the exception of Apple...
I second that motion.
Granted Niksun's NetVCR is basically a glorified tcpdump with a pretty interface, but it's also a functional interface. Sure you can preach "use the command line" all you want but you'd be underestimating the value of being able to present simplified data to the rest of the IT department that usually rings your phone, or visits your cubicle, or sends you and email every time some site can't do their work because their circuit is too slow.
Sure, give me an open source tool that I can put on an OC3, with a simple interface, that offers easy-to-interpret data for the non-network crew, but also has the ability to dump all the traffic for {some IP} at midnight a week ago....and I'll be a happy man!
...and a bunch of you are misinformed.
1. WorldCom won't go under because it's not in their creditors' best interest. WCom could file bankruptcy today and nobody would be surprised. If WCom owes you money you just got screwed. They'll work out a financial plan that helps WC recover and allows the creditors to get their money, because THAT is what makes the world go 'round.
2. There was definitely some shady accounting and subpar management, but I don't think that was their biggest error. WCom banked on continued growth in the tech sector. I'm not sure if you remember this, but it crashed hard. Now they're left with a backbone to support 20 years of consistent growth that's not happening, and a bill to match. They gambled and they lost...big.
3. Saying that only 5-10% of the world's fiber is lit is perhaps the most misleading statement here. So let's say you're going to run 1000 miles of fiber from Chicago to New York. The expense is not the fiber, it's 1000 miles of ditch. So you lay a 100 strand bundle, but you only need 5 strands....right now. That's only 5% lit. But it's still yours and surely you'll be damned if you're going to let me have it.
No, I'm not a WorldCom employee, but I'm a big fan and a big customer. No, their service isn't that bad. If you think I'm wrong, try ATT.