I think you finally hit on the important counter point to your argument yourself, right there at the end. "Herbal tobacco" or "herbal cigarettes" are *not* a tobacco replacement, because even the ones that don't make you gag wont *taste* anything like your ordinary cigarette.
Tobacco has a very unique smell which I think a lot of people enjoy. There is no real substitute.
Well, being an ex-smoker I thought it was fairly obvious (smokers and ex-smokers say it often enough): addiction to cigarette smoking for many is a two part addiction. One to the nicotine, the other to the 'ritual'. The nicotine patch works for some, but not for a lot of people.
I know its all the rage with you kids to be cynical, but as I recollect the Slashdot community has a lot of Linux users in it *and* a lot of people who play computer games. If there is one general news blog I'd imagine this would be news this is it.
You had an interesting observation, but its still news kid.
For me the DRM just isn't an option and I'm hoping its the same with the rest.
As for emusic the thing I think whats really cool is that after you download everything you like (of course they are uploading new stuff daily) you can start downloading things you might like, like Indian music or Blues. To be honest thats been the best part.
Ehem! And Invisible records home of Pigface, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Psychic TV, Damage Manual, Scorn, Swans, Test Department and^^^^^. Well, you know..artists.
I'm feeling a bit like a broken record..but the p2p killer for me came out a while ago: www.emusic.com.
1) Not copy protected.
2) OS independant: just mp3's.
3) Inexpensive: $9.99 per month unlimited dl.
4) Fast and reliable.
At the price of a single Liquid/UMG download you get all the music you want for a month, in a format you can use and without copy protection. Thats what I'd been waiting for.
Why not use a service that offers something you actually want? Like www.emusic.com. I'm starting to feel like a whore promoting them, but they seem to be consistantly overlooked and they offer exactly what most of the slashdot comments seem to want (except maybe ogg).
1) inexpensive downloads: $9.99 per month for unlimited downloads!
2) Linux/Windows support: works with Zinf (was Freeamp)
3) Works with all standards compliant browsers (well, I haven't tried IE..;)
4) Downloads are not copy protected (you want to support something I think this is the one!).
5) Non proprietary: just good old fashioned mp3's
Now remind me why should we be getting excited about the new UMG service? Sounds like extra work at a higher price to me, but its your nickle...;-)
How about bad *.mp3 *decoders*? Try listening to your favorite mp3's using Winam^^xmms then try splay (Linux only) and tell me what you think.
I wish someone would make this a xmms plugin...hint, hint.;-)
I don't have much if any personal feelings about Starbuck's. I will however point out that they have opened 4 Starbuck's in the downtown area (San Diego) and opened just about each one of them across the street from an existing independant coffee house. A friend of mine told me this was a pracitise of theirs, but I didn't believe it until I saw it myself. Seems a little cut-throat, at least they finally worked out how to make good coffee (I grew up in Seattle in the 80's, they where the one place in Seattle that you could get a bad cup of coffee).
I know a lot more people are using wireless now, but I really don't believe enough are using it to generate enough advertiser interest.
Especially if you approach the local business's who would need to be familiar enough with the technology ("Oh ya, my daughter uses your service!") to invest in the marketing.
Sounds like a great idea, maybe you should patent it for the time being...you know someone will. LOL.
Why not take time off f the useless mp3 player/id3 reader/all of the other crap and contribute to a worthwhile project?
As far as I understand things OSS developers seem to do this for the love of it. I don't get people who complain about other peoples choice of project. If its so important why don't you do something? Start a foundation to fund the project or if you can start it yourself.
I would like to thank every single OSS developer out there and apologize for all the comments like this you must get.
Maybe Microsoft has a point that the NSA's work with SELinux hurts the proprietary software manufacturers, but by Microsoft's own testimony it should be out of the running for all future contracts anyway.
Wouldn't it have made sense for the NSA to have partnered with an American business, like, say Red Hat? Wouldn't that be supporting American business.
"While I agree that the government needs a certain level of transparency, I don't think that this transparency should filter down to every level of their organization."
Opps...
Remember, with the government there is no their, and that is very important to our being a democracy.
It's disturbing me, but after college it's really difficult to get exposed to new music. The death of napster doesn't help,
I'll agree with that, its not a good time to get exposed to new music. The college radio stations I used to listen to are commercialized or gone, the specialty late night radio programs are gone, its a pretty sad time...
Unpublished music seems like a great way to go, and the internet makes some much available.
Most of the music I listen to you probably haven't heard of, but you should have. Make the break.
This is regular Windows users were talking about. RTFM doen't apply, in 2002 you average user should be able to plug in the computer and go...period. DRM will not work this way.
Besides, everybody knows you only read the manual as a last ditch effort.:P
Yes, it did sound pretty simple...for us! Now, imagine trying to explain to a non-technical person that they have to "Relicense" their own music because Windows thought they were a pirate.
Why would any of us try to explain (and thereby somewhat justify) something like this. I can't wait until the day my mother calls me up and asks why she cant listen to her mp3's:
"I don't know, I heard Microsoft was using something called Data Rights Management, I guess you don't have the rights."
Not to be mean or anything, but Jane and Joe user will not take action until they feel like they are being directly (needlessly) inconvenienced by something, something just like this.
If you decide to take that as "Hey, bud, stop doing what you're doing!" then so be it.
LOL, no, I didn't get that sense at all.
"...if people choose to follow these paths they've staked out (multiple, disparate office suites) then there will be consequences and some of them may be bad for the community itself."
I think your point here clears it up for me, but I think it also brings up the question: what is good for the community? You see for me Blackbox is good, and Splay, but for some people Window Maker and Zinf (Freeamp), still others Gnome and Xmms, and this makes up the community that I imagine myself a part of.
It sounds to me like your saying: "Look business doesn't want a bunch of funky software, they want one set that works." And that is probably true. But is business or mass adoption truly our ultimate goal?
I choose to look at it like this: It will happen. When its ready. I mean its exciting to see Linux getting more acceptance, but its not what makes Linux great, and we shouldn't forget this.
Unfortunately, it seems to me that only a handful, probably two, actually end up with the majority of users in each category.
Isn't that kind of the benefit of open source software? As a developer everything is available, and if I don't like how someone else has done something I can do it myself, I mean its open, right? Your talking about these developers as if they are simply a misdirected resource, and that might be the wrong way to look at something like this.
But now this Free Radical could be just one more company that goes down the tubes basing their product on a GPLed source code.
I don't know about Free Radical's business model, but if it goes down I wouldn't just to blame the software license.
People who complain about too many choices with Linux are a bit perplexing to me, I mean there are other choices out there, even if you don't like Windows, there is still OS X..(I am really not trying to be condescending)
Slashdot Mirror
I think you finally hit on the important counter point to your argument yourself, right there at the end. "Herbal tobacco" or "herbal cigarettes" are *not* a tobacco replacement, because even the ones that don't make you gag wont *taste* anything like your ordinary cigarette.
Tobacco has a very unique smell which I think a lot of people enjoy. There is no real substitute.
Well, being an ex-smoker I thought it was fairly obvious (smokers and ex-smokers say it often enough): addiction to cigarette smoking for many is a two part addiction. One to the nicotine, the other to the 'ritual'. The nicotine patch works for some, but not for a lot of people.
<shrug>
Maybe this will help.
And for urpmi (Mandrake) users simply configure urpmi to use the plf mirror nearest you. eg:
urpmi.addmedia plf http://ftp.club-internet.fr/pub/linux/plf/cooker with hdlist.cz
Then just type:
urpmi mplayer
(and maybe "urpmi mplayer-gui mplayer-fonts mplayer-skins" for the nice looking interface and extra skins!)
So...your saying you wont buy it?
I know its all the rage with you kids to be cynical, but as I recollect the Slashdot community has a lot of Linux users in it *and* a lot of people who play computer games. If there is one general news blog I'd imagine this would be news this is it.
You had an interesting observation, but its still news kid.
Is that you Mr. Wiggly?
My apologies. Good place for a plug for splay though.
For me the DRM just isn't an option and I'm hoping its the same with the rest.
As for emusic the thing I think whats really cool is that after you download everything you like (of course they are uploading new stuff daily) you can start downloading things you might like, like Indian music or Blues. To be honest thats been the best part.
Ehem! And Invisible records home of Pigface, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Psychic TV, Damage Manual, Scorn, Swans, Test Department and^^^^^. Well, you know..artists.
I'm feeling a bit like a broken record..but the p2p killer for me came out a while ago: www.emusic.com.
1) Not copy protected.
2) OS independant: just mp3's.
3) Inexpensive: $9.99 per month unlimited dl.
4) Fast and reliable.
At the price of a single Liquid/UMG download you get all the music you want for a month, in a format you can use and without copy protection. Thats what I'd been waiting for.
Why not use a service that offers something you actually want? Like www.emusic.com. I'm starting to feel like a whore promoting them, but they seem to be consistantly overlooked and they offer exactly what most of the slashdot comments seem to want (except maybe ogg).
;-)
1) inexpensive downloads: $9.99 per month for unlimited downloads!
2) Linux/Windows support: works with Zinf (was Freeamp)
3) Works with all standards compliant browsers (well, I haven't tried IE..;)
4) Downloads are not copy protected (you want to support something I think this is the one!).
5) Non proprietary: just good old fashioned mp3's
Now remind me why should we be getting excited about the new UMG service? Sounds like extra work at a higher price to me, but its your nickle...
How about bad *.mp3 *decoders*? Try listening to your favorite mp3's using Winam^^xmms then try splay (Linux only) and tell me what you think. I wish someone would make this a xmms plugin...hint, hint. ;-)
Did you mean the artists or the production company?
I don't have much if any personal feelings about Starbuck's. I will however point out that they have opened 4 Starbuck's in the downtown area (San Diego) and opened just about each one of them across the street from an existing independant coffee house. A friend of mine told me this was a pracitise of theirs, but I didn't believe it until I saw it myself. Seems a little cut-throat, at least they finally worked out how to make good coffee (I grew up in Seattle in the 80's, they where the one place in Seattle that you could get a bad cup of coffee).
What about smart cards or removable memory.
Why would my information need to be stored anywhere else?
Plug:
I LOVE Mozilla.
I know a lot more people are using wireless now, but I really don't believe enough are using it to generate enough advertiser interest.
Especially if you approach the local business's who would need to be familiar enough with the technology ("Oh ya, my daughter uses your service!") to invest in the marketing.
Sounds like a great idea, maybe you should patent it for the time being...you know someone will. LOL.
Why not take time off f the useless mp3 player/id3 reader/all of the other crap and contribute to a worthwhile project?
As far as I understand things OSS developers seem to do this for the love of it. I don't get people who complain about other peoples choice of project. If its so important why don't you do something? Start a foundation to fund the project or if you can start it yourself.
I would like to thank every single OSS developer out there and apologize for all the comments like this you must get.
Wouldn't it have made sense for the NSA to have partnered with an American business, like, say Red Hat? Wouldn't that be supporting American business.
Thats an easy one, but its just the thing most people (ehem, slashdoters) wont do...
Don't buy the product.
Opps...
Remember, with the government there is no their, and that is very important to our being a democracy.
I'll agree with that, its not a good time to get exposed to new music. The college radio stations I used to listen to are commercialized or gone, the specialty late night radio programs are gone, its a pretty sad time...
Except for the internet, mp3.com or mp3it.com or indieradio.org and the list just keeps going.
Unpublished music seems like a great way to go, and the internet makes some much available. Most of the music I listen to you probably haven't heard of, but you should have. Make the break.
Besides, everybody knows you only read the manual as a last ditch effort. :P
Why would any of us try to explain (and thereby somewhat justify) something like this. I can't wait until the day my mother calls me up and asks why she cant listen to her mp3's:
"I don't know, I heard Microsoft was using something called Data Rights Management, I guess you don't have the rights."
Not to be mean or anything, but Jane and Joe user will not take action until they feel like they are being directly (needlessly) inconvenienced by something, something just like this.
LOL, no, I didn't get that sense at all.
"...if people choose to follow these paths they've staked out (multiple, disparate office suites) then there will be consequences and some of them may be bad for the community itself."
I think your point here clears it up for me, but I think it also brings up the question: what is good for the community? You see for me Blackbox is good, and Splay, but for some people Window Maker and Zinf (Freeamp), still others Gnome and Xmms, and this makes up the community that I imagine myself a part of.
It sounds to me like your saying: "Look business doesn't want a bunch of funky software, they want one set that works." And that is probably true. But is business or mass adoption truly our ultimate goal?
I choose to look at it like this: It will happen. When its ready. I mean its exciting to see Linux getting more acceptance, but its not what makes Linux great, and we shouldn't forget this.
Isn't that kind of the benefit of open source software? As a developer everything is available, and if I don't like how someone else has done something I can do it myself, I mean its open, right? Your talking about these developers as if they are simply a misdirected resource, and that might be the wrong way to look at something like this.
But now this Free Radical could be just one more company that goes down the tubes basing their product on a GPLed source code.
I don't know about Free Radical's business model, but if it goes down I wouldn't just to blame the software license.
People who complain about too many choices with Linux are a bit perplexing to me, I mean there are other choices out there, even if you don't like Windows, there is still OS X..(I am really not trying to be condescending)