Methinks you are just feeling a bit too cynical at the moment, possibly due to lack of coffee, possibly due to being around slash dot too long.
I'm going to be 40 next month. Would you recommend an Xbox or a game cube in lieu of a PS2? Oh, wait. I never had enough ambition to be a dot-bomber, although I miss the days when my dot-bomber friends could afford to take me to lunch.
Most of the tech journalism I come across is nothing but regurgitation of company press releases. In some cases, the journalist is a shill, in others he or she is merely lazy. In some cases, the writer is trolling, the goal being page hits. I think Lyons is both a troll and a shill. There are exceptions, of course. (Steve Gilmore is pretty good, especially on topics such as RSS and collaboration. He gets it.)
What is refreshing about Groklaw is that PJ and the Groklaw volunteers actually do research, something that is missing from 99% of tech articles today. Contrast this with Lyons, who not only doesn't do his research, but obviously is intentionally misunderstanding what Open Source is all about. There is a taint of evil to those that are not only intentionally ignorant, but seek to propagate that ignorance.
As important as the reprinting of legal documents, press releases, articles, etc., are both the commentary and the research. The documents are very important, of course. The anti-FUD campaign relies on having a central repository, a searchable database. Indeed, much effort has gone into transcribing PDF documents so that they might be more easily searched. Kudos to the selfless volunteers.
The commentary is important because it allows those with a legal background to explain the finer points of the law, and those with a technical background explain some of the complexities of the code. In other words, we compare notes.
The research is important because facts are being uncovered that might otherwise be passed over. Assertions made by SCO can be countered with a multitude of facts, facts which are gleaned by volunteer researchers poring over old mailing lists.
The last thing that I think should be emphasized, you put thusly, "Indeed, the Open Source community is spreading outside the domain of technologists into other disciplines." There is precedent for this method in Academia, but Academia has always been somewhat aloof from the rest of society. Or perhaps it's the other way around. At any rate, Open Source is a cultural phenomenom, not just a development method. It truly is a social movement, one that is idealistic and practical at the same time. It's a paradigm shift, and Groklaw is a manifestation of that.
If Open Source is viral, it is viral in the sense that it is invading our culture, and changing it. I don't believe that it will lead to an overthrow of capitalism, but I do think it will counter balance capitalism and de-emphasize the capatislist marketplace as the be all and end all.
I think Walmart's core competency is not so simple as that. They are primarily a brick and mortar store. Near as I can tell, they haven't gotten rid of their online competition.
Just anecdotally, I have heard that Walmart's selection of music priced under 99/song is quite limited. Other complaints I have heard is that the shopping process is complicated, and that the DRM terms are inconsistent and confusing. So far, they don't seem to be executing so well.
I don't think your cable TV examples prove your point. HBO is still going strong. In fact, it might still be considered an industry leader. Exclusive deals weren't new with HBO or cable either.
Exclusivity has appeared already. iTMS has tracks from various artists that are exclusives to the store (I'm sure you can find them on the p2p networks soon after, of course). As I said, these sorts of promotional deals are nothing new. (I recently purchased an exclusive single from iTMS: The White Stripes "Black Math".)
Walmart succeeds best when selling commodity items, as you mentioned. True, they are big and they can negotiate based on that, but currently Apple has the highest volume in download sales, which also brings something to the table.
Another thing to keep in mind is that while the entertainment industry is mostly ruled by bean counters and lawyers, it is still an ego driven and bullshit fueled business. Who do you think has a better chance of successfully bullshitting someone, Sam or Steve?*
*If you've never been within the radius of the reality distortion field, you've got to experience it. Come to MWSF or the WWDC later this year. If we meet up, I'll buy you a glass of kool aid.
Anyway, I'm not arguing that Walmart and MS don't present a threat to iTMS or Netflix. I agree with you there. I just don't think it's a foregone conclussion. First-to-market advantage is a big deal, and first-to-market-done-right is a huge deal.
Closed Format: ITMS uses AAC (an open standard) with the least onerous DRM scheme. Walmart uses a closed standard with a very onerous DRM scheme. AAC is not limited to Apple computers. Indeed, all a Windows computer user need do is install iTunes and they have access to iTMS and AAC.
Market Demographic: I agree that this is not as simple as "low-income white Americans", but again, assuming this is a large part of their customer base for the sake of argument, you should ask, "Who is more likely to buy music downloads? Low income white Americans or owners of expensive MP3 players?"
Walmart might be good at selling commodity products, but music has not yet fully made the transition to a commodity, and I doubt it ever will. Walmart can force the makers of the products it sells to lower prices, cut overhead, etc., because of the commodity nature of those products. Walmart can make its suppliers toe the line because they can always go elsewhere. Walmart does not have the same leverage over, say, Pearl Jam. They cannot dictate terms in the same way.
When we see music being bought and sold by the byte at the Chicago Board of Trade, then we can call it a commodity. And I'm not saying that something like this can't happen. Some subscription models come close already. I just think there is a big difference between a home appliance and music.
That being said, Walmart probably is a threat to both iTunes and Netflix, due to it's size and bargaining power. However, this threat depends on execution, and as has been pointed out, Walmart's core competency lies elsewhere. It's not a given that Walmart will kill either Netflix or iTunes.
Excellent point. I tried mucking about with my Entourage plist file, and caused all kinds of havoc. My mail plist is in XML. yeah, I can still cause all kinds of havoc, because I don't know what the hell I'm doing, but I can actually learn and figure it out. With entourage, that option is foreclosed.
Actually, we'll know in a few days. Steve is scheduled to give the keynote at our bi-annual kool aid drinking fest this Tuesday. If there is an update to Appleworks, he'll announce it. For those attending the keynote, there might be a gift copy under the seat. Alas, I have an exhibits only pass.
As someone else pointed out, MS Office is also a carbon app, although clearly it is a lot more functional than Appleworks. For many, though, Appleworks is good enough.
I should have put a smiley in there. I was just poking fun at your notion that the error you mentioned somehow transgressed journalistic integrity. If we're going to attack someone's integrity, let's not do it on the basis of such errors. At worst, we can point out the website's sloppiness. So tuck in your shirt before we get modded down.
AFAIK, I have no reason to question your integrity. AFAIK your integrity is just fine.
Well, I don't use windows, so to me it is overhyped. If just one single company, MS, took care of business properly, most of the security issues would go away.
As MS loses marketshare worldwide, this will become less of an issue.
(Anyway, you do have a point. I was just smitten, and my arguments above are just to cover up that fact.)
What else do you call someone who obstinately refuses to entertain other definitions for the word "free"? There's something evil about someone who maintains their ignorance intentionally, and worse, seeks to spread it. I always wonder if he isn't recieving some kind of extracurricular benefit. (It's a well known fact that Steve Ballmer blows him on a regular basis, but I wouldn't call that a benefit.)
Victoria Murphy is pretty hot, though. And insightful, which is pretty sexy, too.
The so-called software revolution sparked by Linus Torvalds is now a revolution from within that's farther-reaching than the hotly debated Linux vs. Microsoft showdown. It's a new way to develop software that's lowering costs for industry incumbents like IBM, Novell and Oracle.
How will these licensed developers be held accountable? Lose their license? Have points awarded against them (as is done with driver's licenses in many places?) Will they face fines? Jail time?
Nah, they'll just lose XP, and possibly go down a level. Repeat offenders might be forced to wear Bill's Cursed Ring of -5 Programming.
Slashdot Mirror
Fortunately, we can reroute around this obstruction with open source.
Yeah, it's a good thing we don't put them into submarines or aircraft carriers.
The British were using outdated Crumpet technology.
Pity it's /.ed. I really wanted to read the Friendster/Tribe.net shootout. Or at least look at the pretty charts.
Groklaw is being hosted by ibiblio now. I think they can handle it.
Methinks you are just feeling a bit too cynical at the moment, possibly due to lack of coffee, possibly due to being around slash dot too long.
I'm going to be 40 next month. Would you recommend an Xbox or a game cube in lieu of a PS2? Oh, wait. I never had enough ambition to be a dot-bomber, although I miss the days when my dot-bomber friends could afford to take me to lunch.
Let me see if I can help in the current situation.
You know, Hitler once sued McDonald's.
Godwin who?
No, you're not PJ. If there is one thing I know about PJ, it's that she wouldn't post something here as an anonymous coward.
Oh, brother. Oh, sister, as well. This is a huge amount of FUD and misrepresentation of facts. Should be modded as either -1, troll or +5, funny.
Don't you feel shame for lying like that?
Most of the tech journalism I come across is nothing but regurgitation of company press releases. In some cases, the journalist is a shill, in others he or she is merely lazy. In some cases, the writer is trolling, the goal being page hits. I think Lyons is both a troll and a shill. There are exceptions, of course. (Steve Gilmore is pretty good, especially on topics such as RSS and collaboration. He gets it.)
What is refreshing about Groklaw is that PJ and the Groklaw volunteers actually do research, something that is missing from 99% of tech articles today. Contrast this with Lyons, who not only doesn't do his research, but obviously is intentionally misunderstanding what Open Source is all about. There is a taint of evil to those that are not only intentionally ignorant, but seek to propagate that ignorance.
Excellent analysis! A few things bear emphasis:
As important as the reprinting of legal documents, press releases, articles, etc., are both the commentary and the research. The documents are very important, of course. The anti-FUD campaign relies on having a central repository, a searchable database. Indeed, much effort has gone into transcribing PDF documents so that they might be more easily searched. Kudos to the selfless volunteers.
The commentary is important because it allows those with a legal background to explain the finer points of the law, and those with a technical background explain some of the complexities of the code. In other words, we compare notes.
The research is important because facts are being uncovered that might otherwise be passed over. Assertions made by SCO can be countered with a multitude of facts, facts which are gleaned by volunteer researchers poring over old mailing lists.
The last thing that I think should be emphasized, you put thusly, "Indeed, the Open Source community is spreading outside the domain of technologists into other disciplines." There is precedent for this method in Academia, but Academia has always been somewhat aloof from the rest of society. Or perhaps it's the other way around. At any rate, Open Source is a cultural phenomenom, not just a development method. It truly is a social movement, one that is idealistic and practical at the same time. It's a paradigm shift, and Groklaw is a manifestation of that.
If Open Source is viral, it is viral in the sense that it is invading our culture, and changing it. I don't believe that it will lead to an overthrow of capitalism, but I do think it will counter balance capitalism and de-emphasize the capatislist marketplace as the be all and end all.
Anyway, I could go on, but I've yakked enough.
Well, then, I rest my case.
I think Walmart's core competency is not so simple as that. They are primarily a brick and mortar store. Near as I can tell, they haven't gotten rid of their online competition.
Just anecdotally, I have heard that Walmart's selection of music priced under 99/song is quite limited. Other complaints I have heard is that the shopping process is complicated, and that the DRM terms are inconsistent and confusing. So far, they don't seem to be executing so well.
I don't think your cable TV examples prove your point. HBO is still going strong. In fact, it might still be considered an industry leader. Exclusive deals weren't new with HBO or cable either.
Exclusivity has appeared already. iTMS has tracks from various artists that are exclusives to the store (I'm sure you can find them on the p2p networks soon after, of course). As I said, these sorts of promotional deals are nothing new. (I recently purchased an exclusive single from iTMS: The White Stripes "Black Math".)
Walmart succeeds best when selling commodity items, as you mentioned. True, they are big and they can negotiate based on that, but currently Apple has the highest volume in download sales, which also brings something to the table.
Another thing to keep in mind is that while the entertainment industry is mostly ruled by bean counters and lawyers, it is still an ego driven and bullshit fueled business. Who do you think has a better chance of successfully bullshitting someone, Sam or Steve?*
*If you've never been within the radius of the reality distortion field, you've got to experience it. Come to MWSF or the WWDC later this year. If we meet up, I'll buy you a glass of kool aid.
Anyway, I'm not arguing that Walmart and MS don't present a threat to iTMS or Netflix. I agree with you there. I just don't think it's a foregone conclussion. First-to-market advantage is a big deal, and first-to-market-done-right is a huge deal.
None.
Cringley is highly critical of both. He sometimes writes interesting things, but this isn't one of those times.
I think you are incorrect on a couple of points:
Closed Format: ITMS uses AAC (an open standard) with the least onerous DRM scheme. Walmart uses a closed standard with a very onerous DRM scheme. AAC is not limited to Apple computers. Indeed, all a Windows computer user need do is install iTunes and they have access to iTMS and AAC.
Market Demographic: I agree that this is not as simple as "low-income white Americans", but again, assuming this is a large part of their customer base for the sake of argument, you should ask, "Who is more likely to buy music downloads? Low income white Americans or owners of expensive MP3 players?"
Walmart might be good at selling commodity products, but music has not yet fully made the transition to a commodity, and I doubt it ever will. Walmart can force the makers of the products it sells to lower prices, cut overhead, etc., because of the commodity nature of those products. Walmart can make its suppliers toe the line because they can always go elsewhere. Walmart does not have the same leverage over, say, Pearl Jam. They cannot dictate terms in the same way.
When we see music being bought and sold by the byte at the Chicago Board of Trade, then we can call it a commodity. And I'm not saying that something like this can't happen. Some subscription models come close already. I just think there is a big difference between a home appliance and music.
That being said, Walmart probably is a threat to both iTunes and Netflix, due to it's size and bargaining power. However, this threat depends on execution, and as has been pointed out, Walmart's core competency lies elsewhere. It's not a given that Walmart will kill either Netflix or iTunes.
Excellent point. I tried mucking about with my Entourage plist file, and caused all kinds of havoc. My mail plist is in XML. yeah, I can still cause all kinds of havoc, because I don't know what the hell I'm doing, but I can actually learn and figure it out. With entourage, that option is foreclosed.
Actually, we'll know in a few days. Steve is scheduled to give the keynote at our bi-annual kool aid drinking fest this Tuesday. If there is an update to Appleworks, he'll announce it. For those attending the keynote, there might be a gift copy under the seat. Alas, I have an exhibits only pass.
As someone else pointed out, MS Office is also a carbon app, although clearly it is a lot more functional than Appleworks. For many, though, Appleworks is good enough.
I should have put a smiley in there. I was just poking fun at your notion that the error you mentioned somehow transgressed journalistic integrity. If we're going to attack someone's integrity, let's not do it on the basis of such errors. At worst, we can point out the website's sloppiness. So tuck in your shirt before we get modded down.
AFAIK, I have no reason to question your integrity. AFAIK your integrity is just fine.
Well, I don't use windows, so to me it is overhyped. If just one single company, MS, took care of business properly, most of the security issues would go away.
As MS loses marketshare worldwide, this will become less of an issue.
(Anyway, you do have a point. I was just smitten, and my arguments above are just to cover up that fact.)
Thanks for the info. I apologize for the rudeness of my comments, although if you do have a line on some good crunch, I'd still be interested. =)
Anyway, I'll check it out when I get a chance.
You're right. Your anecdotal evidence is much more valid than IDC's top five.
What else do you call someone who obstinately refuses to entertain other definitions for the word "free"? There's something evil about someone who maintains their ignorance intentionally, and worse, seeks to spread it. I always wonder if he isn't recieving some kind of extracurricular benefit. (It's a well known fact that Steve Ballmer blows him on a regular basis, but I wouldn't call that a benefit.)
Victoria Murphy is pretty hot, though. And insightful, which is pretty sexy, too.
The so-called software revolution sparked by Linus Torvalds is now a revolution from within that's farther-reaching than the hotly debated Linux vs. Microsoft showdown. It's a new way to develop software that's lowering costs for industry incumbents like IBM, Novell and Oracle.
Well, insightful for Forbes, anyway.
At this point, they can't even decide to drop the suit. They can drop their claims, but they will still be a defendant in IBM's counter-suit.
How will these licensed developers be held accountable? Lose their license? Have points awarded against them (as is done with driver's licenses in many places?) Will they face fines? Jail time?
Nah, they'll just lose XP, and possibly go down a level. Repeat offenders might be forced to wear Bill's Cursed Ring of -5 Programming.
Correct. Alogorithm is Arabic for "The Gorithm", and Algebra means "The Gebra".
No, I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn last night. What tipped you off?