No offense to you, but do they have free speech laws where you live ( I don't know if you're in the US or not ) ? If so, sorry, but his opinion like it or not is just as valid as yours. Frankly, it seems that he's not the only one who's gotten the general sense that there's a little more than just "good programming sense" involved in making the decision that was made.
Certainly, Mr. Dillon should really consider toning down on caffeine a bit, he seems to be quite vociferous ( perhaps even adamant ) in carrying his point across. Yet, as I said, don't discount what Brett's comment ( at it's CORE ) is. The fact that independently of his opinion, other's came to the same conclusion, speaks for the veracity of the argument.
You're right, I would agree, doesn't seem like Matt's a "team" kind of guy. But Geezus, how many development teams out there couldn't survive without someone like that in their midst.
Homogeneity begats Complacency begats Entropy.
Maybe what FreeBSD needs IS specifically a few more Matt Dillon's to get some of the "Grand Exalted Poo-bah's" to re-examine themselves. Though, given general human nature, one would have to doubt they will listen to anyone but themselves. Enjoy that Fiefdom there boys, but watch out what you carve for yourselves. Epitaphs have a way of becoming dance floors.
What Large development project have YOU worked on there spud-man ?
Having worked on three OS development projects ( OS/2 16bit, OS/2 32bit, and PC-DOS ), I can tell you that it's a "natural occurance". It happens. If only I could recount the number of "temp fixes" M$ posted to the development tree to get their products to run better on the OS. They do it to this day in XP I'm sure. No large development project is devoid of the "quick hack". Anyone who tries to say, "Oh, well, we don't allow our developers to check quick fixes in", is LYING through their management's teeth.
Maybe that's a flamebait statement, maybe not, but the fact is that it happens. It may not be the ideal, but the point is, if it's impeding development, and if others are affected from performing their development, why wasn't the developer charged with the interface ranked on, to get it into shape ? He had other commitments, other todo's ? Fine. Get someone else who HAS the time, to GET IT DONE. That's what a "CORE" development team is supposed to function like. Dole out pieces of the puzzle, AS NECESSARY.
Sure, Mr. Dillon there seriously needs to think about switching to DECAF. But, regardless of that, if I see something that keeps me stumbling when I'm trying to get something accomplished, OF COURSE it's going to tick you off. Especially, if in fact, the occurance of the API breaking, was as frequent as he claimed. If that's the case, what the heck is the project's coordinator doing ? I got the impression from the posts back and forth, that this situation was going on for quite a while. Of course, I'm pontificating, but get real, how many guys are in line right now to take Mr. Dillon's place in doing "primarily maintenance" ? And from the response from the core development fellow, "primarily maintenance" is above his core developership to perform. Sorry, but if you've EVER done "maintenance" on any project of any importance, don't ever tell me that someone discounting any of your work better come off with that attitude.
As an earlier poster said, someone needs to take the knot out of their gonads. I'll add to it that they need to get a grip instead....on reality.
It's good I wasn't their project manager, I would've put all parties involved in "time out".
"Whether it is a better technology right now, in practice, is another matter, and there are apparently major problems producing RDRAM modules at the moment"
You're kidding, right ? That's only been going on for about 4 years now. And while I agree with your argument that Rambus isn't necessarily a large company, let's not forget who was standing behind it while all the other manufacturers were pursuing SDRAM ( and subsequently DDR ), Intel. Just the fact alone that Intel chose RDRAM for launching the Pentium 4 cannot be discounted.
Regardless of what the outcome of this case, it's a well known fact that RamBus (especially in this cautious day and age ) rather sue than innovate. It's demonstrated in it's tactics and how the pricing of it's principle (consumer reaching )product. When was the last time YOU saw the price of ANY piece of RDRAM drop on Pricewatch ? Hmm ? Innovation drives down cost, not just produce new features. Another thing innovation does, is spur competition. But when one company is bolstered by another ( who already has a seeming monopoly in one area ) to the point where it could behave monopolistic, that deters innovation. Or as Joe "Sixpack" attorney would say, "Let's the lawsuits begin".
Good G_d man, do folks just not get it or something ?
No project of that size is THAT organized. You can throw SourceSafe, PVCS ( heck, even CVS ) at managing code changes. You can have a "On High" venerable architect that could debug paper tape programs, when you were still in your diapers, and STILL you cannot escape the thrillsome threesome, BLOAT, OVER_CODING, and NEAT_HACKS.
VB HAS to have so many tools, because it is so hard to do some things that "generalized object supporting languages" like C++ and object-based languages like Java do inherently. You want to create classes and object in these other languages, you just do it. You want collection objects, fine they're there. Good GOD ALMIGHTY if I never have to do a REDIM (blurb) PRESERVE again, I will be a happy man. And help you if you have to actually talk to the API. You've got to import this, and declare that.
Heaven help you man, don't you understand that VB was the thought of some weanie ( three guesses who )who thought he could remove people from having access to the precious Windows API itself, (Gee I wonder why you wouldn't want to publish System API's, Hmmm ?? No matter, let the courts sort it out right ?). Then people actually decided they really needed to access certain things in the system. Ooops, we better give'm a way to access the API, fellas.
Get off of it. Ever try to declare a public structure and share it among modules in VB ? In C/C++ all it takes it ONE little word "extern". That's it.
VB..a programming language ?! Bah-Humbug !
Dude...where were you when AOL started ? Three things ( and I know I'm repeating myself by posting it, but it bears repeating..
A) AOL was around when only others like compuserve, and Prodigy, yet had a VIABLE graphical interface to make it easier for non-technical people to access the "online experience" because back then it wasn't even "the internet" for over 99% of you ( unless you worked for DARPA ).
B) Their price a month was a low-life $9.95/mo back then
C) They were able to switch to allowing access to the internet, while keeping their own "content" alive ( content = we give a bunch of folks free access to aol if they "work the floor", and keep the people active in chat rooms, discussions )
To the best of my recollection, they were the first to get celebrities to go online for chats with fans.
"Right... the publisher should just shell out the money to have the discs pressed and shipped, then give them away for free. There's a recipe for profit."
Ummmm...isn't that what AOL started doing with Version 2.0/3.0 ? And mind you, I'm not a big fan of theirs ? And where are they today ?? I guess that's what Time Warner execs they were thinking when ol' Stevie Case dropped off a few CD's at their desk.
As for magazines, I don't disagree with you there either.
Dude..that's why over three years ago, I programmed my OWN ringtones into my Nokia 6190 ( one of the first GSM phones in the US ), when you could have 1( grand total )user programmable ringtones.
I sort of agree about the artwork, but $1 for a button is ridiculous, a review for a $1 preposterous. As I said, a TEMPLATE, I will pay for, but it's not "content" in my eyes, it's a tool. Shareware, yeah, but then again, only but a small portion of shareware out there, is really up to paying what most folks are asking for. C'mon, do you REALLY want to pay $14.95 for something that manages your dial-up networking connections ? Learn how to use the system already.
-- What ? You thought I'd have a.sig ? Foolish Otaku --
( I know, I know, completely off topic )
You get your healthcare for free, right ? Try paying an extra $600/month for an HMO plan for your family. Then complain about your healthcare.
There are trade offs, how come we have to wait a year plus for the latest GSM phone tech ( and don't go blaming the FCC for that ), you guys get in Europe ? Hmm ?
"Gamespot has a staff to write reviews, previews, interviews, etc. That is their exclusive content."
A) They aren't the only site out there for gaming reviews, and frankly, you'll find very few reviews that are totally objective, and don't have one slant or another. Hint: You don't put an RPG fanboy to review a FPS. And don't tell me THAT hasn't happened.
"How is it any different than paying $5 for a demo disc at EB? It's not like they get their bandwidth for free."
Guess, what !! You shouldn't have to pay the $5 at EB for that "demo" either. Hence why I don't purchase from those heathen any longer ! Geezus, it's like paying to take a car for a test drive.
-- What ? You thought I'd have a.sig ? Foolish Otaku --
"This is why ISPs need to become more like cable companies. They should offer packages which provide pre-paid subscriptions to various high value, or value added content."
You mean like AOL ??? What do you think their "claim to fame" is, IM's ?
Get real, the fact is that:
A) Cable is something that's INSTANT on, there's variety galore ( If I don't like what's on SCIFI, then USA, or TNT, if not, TNN..etc..etc.) It's separate and disparate "content", it's VERY rare these days that ( unless you're looking at movie channels ), that you'll see the same movie on two cable channels.
B) What most folks ranting about subscriptions and such are still talking about is that ever-nebulous phrase "content". Get with it folks, over 99.99997% of the "content" is Puggle ( for those of you who watched "The future is wild" on Animal Planet last night ) pooey. In the end, the spider gets you and feeds on ya.
Why do TV stations HAVE news crews, because they want you to watch their shows ? No, because they want you to be glued to the TV to watch the Ads, their advertisers paid them to show you. It's so you feel like you're "GETTING" something for letting them tell you that Kia's new SUV will get itself dirty while BMW's won't ( I don't work for KIA ).
By and large, for what most content out there is, of very minor, if not non-existent intrinsic value. And even if someone DID want to pay for access to a website that showed them how to do dental surgery, would YOU be willing to let your friend who paid for that content, work on your toothache ?
-- What ? You thought I'd have a.sig ? foolish otaku --
"Agreed, I have proposed several times a plan to get content providers together under a common subscription-plan. Cooperation of the major ISPs isn't even a requirement, though it would certainly increase adoption. All that's needed is a willingness on the part of the content providers to agree that their share of the common syndication profits needs to be proportional to the amount of usage they get."
Yeah, exactly, like all the television networks getting together and saying, "Hey, get together so we can restrict on-the-ait television viewing, and let's get the TV manufacturers in on it too."
Listen closely, it won't work ( unless the govt. just let's them get away with something like that ).
Have you ever seen one of those Juno/NetZero commercials pitting themselves against MSN & AOL ? Do you know why AOL charges what they do ? A) Because they can, B) Because they let even your great-grandmothers dog sparky send email, all while giving access to those wonderful chatrooms ( If you can't see the sarcasm in that last statement, you have no business posting a reply ).
-- What ? You expected a.sig ? Foolish otaku --
"First of all, for many websites, their content is the service they provide. You don't pay to browse in a shop or peruse a sales catalog, but you are charged for a newpaper subscription, not because they deliver you a part of a dead tree, but because of the content".
Are you kidding me ? With the pervasiveness of some of the "content-based" site mongering out there, you'd think that they were offering "How to do Neuro-surgery in your bathroom" as their content.
When you've got a site that's listing codes for a video game, you've got to be kidding me, if I'm going to pay for the review ( that I have to sit through a rolling or popup ad for...over, next-to, or before, I can see ), why would you pay for a video clip of a game ( it IS an AD after all, call it what it is, for crimoney's sake ).
Look, it's very simple, what you're talking about is applying "intrinsic value" to "something". And frankly ( and I'm not the only one saying this ), most "content-based" sites are very much "trivial use". Notice I didn't say "ALL", I said most. Some, like a site that offers you "Dreamweaver templates" ( and frankly, for me to pay for a template, it better be ONE HELLUVA template ), I could see paying a one-time charge for downloading the code for that template ; if in fact it was going to save you HOURS and HOURS of coding. But sites such as those, and the WSJ ( Wall Street Journal, I know, I know, I said a bad word around here ), may offer REAL convinience ( i.e. alternative to having to pick up the soggy paper because the paperboy ditched it into you pond of POI because you didn't give him a xmas bonus ).
And for your "We pay too much broadband" weinies", what do you think it cost our folks and grandparents in today's dollars to pay for those highways and turnpikes ( as bad as they might be in some places ) we criss-cross the country on ? Peanuts ? Broccoli ? I don't know what the figure would be in today's dollars, but I remember my Dad telling me it was amazing to think of "All that money" going into the national highway system. That's for your cheeser cheesers in the valley and north east who don't think that any of their dollars should go to helping someone in the mississippi delta get broadband ( think about that the next time you want to order freshly caught shrimp from Bubba Gump).
Then again, $49.95 for ~1.5Mb DSL is a JOKE ! *are you listening Bellsouth *
Listen carefully, and repeat after me, "I will play on the next easiest level. I will not pay for cheat codes. I will not pay for preview clips of a game that's going to cost me $54.99 at EB, and will be 9 months late the day I buy it(but don't get me started on that)".
-- What ? You thought I'd have a.sig ? Foolish otaku --
Yeah, what level are you at ?
While I don't disagree with you that dismissing ALL of CERT as being irrelevant, you have to admit he has a point. It's not like CERTS advisories are exactly "timely", c'mon now, you can admit it.
As for the Aberdeen Group's credibility, PUH_LEEZE. Get a reality checkbook before you starting writing those rubber drafts, folks !
We've all heard the arguments before, and frankly, a bad admin under EITHER OS can cost you, PLENTY ! But properly configured, a Linux server will withinstand a much more strenuous onslaught than a Win2K server will. Let's get real again for a second folks, anyone who's used Microsoft's MMC to manage their system, usually has to keep a bottle of Tylenol or Motrin handy ( Quit whining, you in the back, we know it was a low-hanging drawer that caused that headache ).
So, how much exactly did you learn today ?
It certainly wasn't the meaning of word "MODEST".
Ala the Toshiba e740, that has the ATI Imageon 1000 video chip. What Video Adapter does the Axim have ? I'm curious to know. The only other curious thing that apparents itself is lack any Wireless connectivity in these models, which it sounds that they content themselves to be aiming for with models coming in 2003.
Get with the program guys ! Wireless is here, if it's not in it, it's a total afterthought. Not that bluetooth may be the right way ( way too slow for real usefulness ), but no 802.11b built in ? C'mon...geez, gimme the extra $25 hit for the chip and antenna.
I was hoping that Palm would pull a rabbit out of it's hat with Tungsten. That doesn't look like it's going to happen now. People who're hung up on "my programs are so much smaller", just don't get the "THE processor is just faster". In which case, sure, if their "information appliance" is just that, then sure, less power consumption is your target. But you know what they said about "640K" ( Oh, sorry, that "they" was Bill Gates back in 1983, or was it 1984 ).
With great power ( and memory ), comes greater responsibility. That's what Spidey always said.
I guess some folks aren't able to handle all that extra power.
Now if I can only find a good XScale compiler that optimizes.
Here's one for you....contact the ACLU. Tell them that the DMCA disallows free speech in that it inhibits someone who has pertinent knowledge concerning security issues that could affect life and limb ( think of all the devices and automated systems that operate on some sort of linux based system ), and tell them that the DMCA limits free speech in that you are disallowed to speak about those dangers.
Try that ONE on for size....I wonder what the ACLU would actually say to that !?!
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No offense to you, but do they have free speech laws where you live ( I don't know if you're in the US or not ) ? If so, sorry, but his opinion like it or not is just as valid as yours. Frankly, it seems that he's not the only one who's gotten the general sense that there's a little more than just "good programming sense" involved in making the decision that was made. Certainly, Mr. Dillon should really consider toning down on caffeine a bit, he seems to be quite vociferous ( perhaps even adamant ) in carrying his point across. Yet, as I said, don't discount what Brett's comment ( at it's CORE ) is. The fact that independently of his opinion, other's came to the same conclusion, speaks for the veracity of the argument.
You're right, I would agree, doesn't seem like Matt's a "team" kind of guy. But Geezus, how many development teams out there couldn't survive without someone like that in their midst. Homogeneity begats Complacency begats Entropy. Maybe what FreeBSD needs IS specifically a few more Matt Dillon's to get some of the "Grand Exalted Poo-bah's" to re-examine themselves. Though, given general human nature, one would have to doubt they will listen to anyone but themselves. Enjoy that Fiefdom there boys, but watch out what you carve for yourselves. Epitaphs have a way of becoming dance floors.
What Large development project have YOU worked on there spud-man ? Having worked on three OS development projects ( OS/2 16bit, OS/2 32bit, and PC-DOS ), I can tell you that it's a "natural occurance". It happens. If only I could recount the number of "temp fixes" M$ posted to the development tree to get their products to run better on the OS. They do it to this day in XP I'm sure. No large development project is devoid of the "quick hack". Anyone who tries to say, "Oh, well, we don't allow our developers to check quick fixes in", is LYING through their management's teeth. Maybe that's a flamebait statement, maybe not, but the fact is that it happens. It may not be the ideal, but the point is, if it's impeding development, and if others are affected from performing their development, why wasn't the developer charged with the interface ranked on, to get it into shape ? He had other commitments, other todo's ? Fine. Get someone else who HAS the time, to GET IT DONE. That's what a "CORE" development team is supposed to function like. Dole out pieces of the puzzle, AS NECESSARY. Sure, Mr. Dillon there seriously needs to think about switching to DECAF. But, regardless of that, if I see something that keeps me stumbling when I'm trying to get something accomplished, OF COURSE it's going to tick you off. Especially, if in fact, the occurance of the API breaking, was as frequent as he claimed. If that's the case, what the heck is the project's coordinator doing ? I got the impression from the posts back and forth, that this situation was going on for quite a while. Of course, I'm pontificating, but get real, how many guys are in line right now to take Mr. Dillon's place in doing "primarily maintenance" ? And from the response from the core development fellow, "primarily maintenance" is above his core developership to perform. Sorry, but if you've EVER done "maintenance" on any project of any importance, don't ever tell me that someone discounting any of your work better come off with that attitude. As an earlier poster said, someone needs to take the knot out of their gonads. I'll add to it that they need to get a grip instead....on reality. It's good I wasn't their project manager, I would've put all parties involved in "time out".
"Whether it is a better technology right now, in practice, is another matter, and there are apparently major problems producing RDRAM modules at the moment"
You're kidding, right ? That's only been going on for about 4 years now. And while I agree with your argument that Rambus isn't necessarily a large company, let's not forget who was standing behind it while all the other manufacturers were pursuing SDRAM ( and subsequently DDR ), Intel. Just the fact alone that Intel chose RDRAM for launching the Pentium 4 cannot be discounted.
Regardless of what the outcome of this case, it's a well known fact that RamBus (especially in this cautious day and age ) rather sue than innovate. It's demonstrated in it's tactics and how the pricing of it's principle (consumer reaching )product. When was the last time YOU saw the price of ANY piece of RDRAM drop on Pricewatch ? Hmm ? Innovation drives down cost, not just produce new features. Another thing innovation does, is spur competition. But when one company is bolstered by another ( who already has a seeming monopoly in one area ) to the point where it could behave monopolistic, that deters innovation. Or as Joe "Sixpack" attorney would say, "Let's the lawsuits begin".
Good G_d man, do folks just not get it or something ?
No project of that size is THAT organized. You can throw SourceSafe, PVCS ( heck, even CVS ) at managing code changes. You can have a "On High" venerable architect that could debug paper tape programs, when you were still in your diapers, and STILL you cannot escape the thrillsome threesome, BLOAT, OVER_CODING, and NEAT_HACKS. VB HAS to have so many tools, because it is so hard to do some things that "generalized object supporting languages" like C++ and object-based languages like Java do inherently. You want to create classes and object in these other languages, you just do it. You want collection objects, fine they're there. Good GOD ALMIGHTY if I never have to do a REDIM (blurb) PRESERVE again, I will be a happy man. And help you if you have to actually talk to the API. You've got to import this, and declare that. Heaven help you man, don't you understand that VB was the thought of some weanie ( three guesses who )who thought he could remove people from having access to the precious Windows API itself, (Gee I wonder why you wouldn't want to publish System API's, Hmmm ?? No matter, let the courts sort it out right ?). Then people actually decided they really needed to access certain things in the system. Ooops, we better give'm a way to access the API, fellas. Get off of it. Ever try to declare a public structure and share it among modules in VB ? In C/C++ all it takes it ONE little word "extern". That's it. VB..a programming language ?! Bah-Humbug !
Dude...where were you when AOL started ? Three things ( and I know I'm repeating myself by posting it, but it bears repeating.. A) AOL was around when only others like compuserve, and Prodigy, yet had a VIABLE graphical interface to make it easier for non-technical people to access the "online experience" because back then it wasn't even "the internet" for over 99% of you ( unless you worked for DARPA ). B) Their price a month was a low-life $9.95/mo back then C) They were able to switch to allowing access to the internet, while keeping their own "content" alive ( content = we give a bunch of folks free access to aol if they "work the floor", and keep the people active in chat rooms, discussions ) To the best of my recollection, they were the first to get celebrities to go online for chats with fans.
"Right... the publisher should just shell out the money to have the discs pressed and shipped, then give them away for free. There's a recipe for profit." Ummmm...isn't that what AOL started doing with Version 2.0/3.0 ? And mind you, I'm not a big fan of theirs ? And where are they today ?? I guess that's what Time Warner execs they were thinking when ol' Stevie Case dropped off a few CD's at their desk. As for magazines, I don't disagree with you there either.
Dude..that's why over three years ago, I programmed my OWN ringtones into my Nokia 6190 ( one of the first GSM phones in the US ), when you could have 1( grand total )user programmable ringtones. I sort of agree about the artwork, but $1 for a button is ridiculous, a review for a $1 preposterous. As I said, a TEMPLATE, I will pay for, but it's not "content" in my eyes, it's a tool. Shareware, yeah, but then again, only but a small portion of shareware out there, is really up to paying what most folks are asking for. C'mon, do you REALLY want to pay $14.95 for something that manages your dial-up networking connections ? Learn how to use the system already. -- What ? You thought I'd have a .sig ? Foolish Otaku --
( I know, I know, completely off topic ) You get your healthcare for free, right ? Try paying an extra $600/month for an HMO plan for your family. Then complain about your healthcare. There are trade offs, how come we have to wait a year plus for the latest GSM phone tech ( and don't go blaming the FCC for that ), you guys get in Europe ? Hmm ?
"Gamespot has a staff to write reviews, previews, interviews, etc. That is their exclusive content." A) They aren't the only site out there for gaming reviews, and frankly, you'll find very few reviews that are totally objective, and don't have one slant or another. Hint: You don't put an RPG fanboy to review a FPS. And don't tell me THAT hasn't happened. "How is it any different than paying $5 for a demo disc at EB? It's not like they get their bandwidth for free." Guess, what !! You shouldn't have to pay the $5 at EB for that "demo" either. Hence why I don't purchase from those heathen any longer ! Geezus, it's like paying to take a car for a test drive. -- What ? You thought I'd have a .sig ? Foolish Otaku --
"This is why ISPs need to become more like cable companies. They should offer packages which provide pre-paid subscriptions to various high value, or value added content." You mean like AOL ??? What do you think their "claim to fame" is, IM's ? Get real, the fact is that: A) Cable is something that's INSTANT on, there's variety galore ( If I don't like what's on SCIFI, then USA, or TNT, if not, TNN..etc..etc.) It's separate and disparate "content", it's VERY rare these days that ( unless you're looking at movie channels ), that you'll see the same movie on two cable channels. B) What most folks ranting about subscriptions and such are still talking about is that ever-nebulous phrase "content". Get with it folks, over 99.99997% of the "content" is Puggle ( for those of you who watched "The future is wild" on Animal Planet last night ) pooey. In the end, the spider gets you and feeds on ya. Why do TV stations HAVE news crews, because they want you to watch their shows ? No, because they want you to be glued to the TV to watch the Ads, their advertisers paid them to show you. It's so you feel like you're "GETTING" something for letting them tell you that Kia's new SUV will get itself dirty while BMW's won't ( I don't work for KIA ). By and large, for what most content out there is, of very minor, if not non-existent intrinsic value. And even if someone DID want to pay for access to a website that showed them how to do dental surgery, would YOU be willing to let your friend who paid for that content, work on your toothache ? -- What ? You thought I'd have a .sig ? foolish otaku --
"Agreed, I have proposed several times a plan to get content providers together under a common subscription-plan. Cooperation of the major ISPs isn't even a requirement, though it would certainly increase adoption. All that's needed is a willingness on the part of the content providers to agree that their share of the common syndication profits needs to be proportional to the amount of usage they get." Yeah, exactly, like all the television networks getting together and saying, "Hey, get together so we can restrict on-the-ait television viewing, and let's get the TV manufacturers in on it too." Listen closely, it won't work ( unless the govt. just let's them get away with something like that ). Have you ever seen one of those Juno/NetZero commercials pitting themselves against MSN & AOL ? Do you know why AOL charges what they do ? A) Because they can, B) Because they let even your great-grandmothers dog sparky send email, all while giving access to those wonderful chatrooms ( If you can't see the sarcasm in that last statement, you have no business posting a reply ). -- What ? You expected a .sig ? Foolish otaku --
"First of all, for many websites, their content is the service they provide. You don't pay to browse in a shop or peruse a sales catalog, but you are charged for a newpaper subscription, not because they deliver you a part of a dead tree, but because of the content".
.sig ? Foolish otaku --
Are you kidding me ? With the pervasiveness of some of the "content-based" site mongering out there, you'd think that they were offering "How to do Neuro-surgery in your bathroom" as their content.
When you've got a site that's listing codes for a video game, you've got to be kidding me, if I'm going to pay for the review ( that I have to sit through a rolling or popup ad for...over, next-to, or before, I can see ), why would you pay for a video clip of a game ( it IS an AD after all, call it what it is, for crimoney's sake ).
Look, it's very simple, what you're talking about is applying "intrinsic value" to "something". And frankly ( and I'm not the only one saying this ), most "content-based" sites are very much "trivial use". Notice I didn't say "ALL", I said most. Some, like a site that offers you "Dreamweaver templates" ( and frankly, for me to pay for a template, it better be ONE HELLUVA template ), I could see paying a one-time charge for downloading the code for that template ; if in fact it was going to save you HOURS and HOURS of coding. But sites such as those, and the WSJ ( Wall Street Journal, I know, I know, I said a bad word around here ), may offer REAL convinience ( i.e. alternative to having to pick up the soggy paper because the paperboy ditched it into you pond of POI because you didn't give him a xmas bonus ).
And for your "We pay too much broadband" weinies", what do you think it cost our folks and grandparents in today's dollars to pay for those highways and turnpikes ( as bad as they might be in some places ) we criss-cross the country on ? Peanuts ? Broccoli ? I don't know what the figure would be in today's dollars, but I remember my Dad telling me it was amazing to think of "All that money" going into the national highway system. That's for your cheeser cheesers in the valley and north east who don't think that any of their dollars should go to helping someone in the mississippi delta get broadband ( think about that the next time you want to order freshly caught shrimp from Bubba Gump).
Then again, $49.95 for ~1.5Mb DSL is a JOKE ! *are you listening Bellsouth *
Listen carefully, and repeat after me, "I will play on the next easiest level. I will not pay for cheat codes. I will not pay for preview clips of a game that's going to cost me $54.99 at EB, and will be 9 months late the day I buy it(but don't get me started on that)".
-- What ? You thought I'd have a
Yeah, what level are you at ? While I don't disagree with you that dismissing ALL of CERT as being irrelevant, you have to admit he has a point. It's not like CERTS advisories are exactly "timely", c'mon now, you can admit it. As for the Aberdeen Group's credibility, PUH_LEEZE. Get a reality checkbook before you starting writing those rubber drafts, folks ! We've all heard the arguments before, and frankly, a bad admin under EITHER OS can cost you, PLENTY ! But properly configured, a Linux server will withinstand a much more strenuous onslaught than a Win2K server will. Let's get real again for a second folks, anyone who's used Microsoft's MMC to manage their system, usually has to keep a bottle of Tylenol or Motrin handy ( Quit whining, you in the back, we know it was a low-hanging drawer that caused that headache ). So, how much exactly did you learn today ? It certainly wasn't the meaning of word "MODEST".
Ala the Toshiba e740, that has the ATI Imageon 1000 video chip. What Video Adapter does the Axim have ? I'm curious to know. The only other curious thing that apparents itself is lack any Wireless connectivity in these models, which it sounds that they content themselves to be aiming for with models coming in 2003. Get with the program guys ! Wireless is here, if it's not in it, it's a total afterthought. Not that bluetooth may be the right way ( way too slow for real usefulness ), but no 802.11b built in ? C'mon...geez, gimme the extra $25 hit for the chip and antenna. I was hoping that Palm would pull a rabbit out of it's hat with Tungsten. That doesn't look like it's going to happen now. People who're hung up on "my programs are so much smaller", just don't get the "THE processor is just faster". In which case, sure, if their "information appliance" is just that, then sure, less power consumption is your target. But you know what they said about "640K" ( Oh, sorry, that "they" was Bill Gates back in 1983, or was it 1984 ). With great power ( and memory ), comes greater responsibility. That's what Spidey always said. I guess some folks aren't able to handle all that extra power. Now if I can only find a good XScale compiler that optimizes.
Here's one for you....contact the ACLU. Tell them that the DMCA disallows free speech in that it inhibits someone who has pertinent knowledge concerning security issues that could affect life and limb ( think of all the devices and automated systems that operate on some sort of linux based system ), and tell them that the DMCA limits free speech in that you are disallowed to speak about those dangers. Try that ONE on for size....I wonder what the ACLU would actually say to that !?!