I've said it before, but if the record industry wants to stop piracy, they have to start "adding value" to CDs. One of the ways to so this is to include a once-only download code for a ringtone from the album. Shouldn't cost much to implement, and makes buying the album "worth it" to those who might have otherwise pirated it (can we spell "teenager"?). Make the ownership of the actual album a status symbol to that demographic, and they will spend the money.
Here the bastardization of the english language is complete. Interesting that the word "niche" (pronounced 'neesh'), can be mis-pronounced as 'nitch' by so many people, that it will then become phonetically mis-spelled as "nitch" by someone.
What's next? "My computer has 512k of level 1 catch"?!?
And by the way, this isn't going to make anyone switch to linux, i don't care what people say or annoyingly ironic links to gentoo.com they put in their posts. When you don't pay for software in the first place, it doesn't make a difference to switch to free software.
It might not make a difference to you, but to some people it does make a difference. You see, there are these things called "ethics", and these other things called "morals", and they are tied together by this thing called "conscience". Maybe you've read about these things, but some people actually own them. No, they didn't steal them or borrow them or pirate them, but they own them. Some were given them by their parents, some by their friends, and some made them themselves, but they own them. Perhaps you shouldn't be so hasty to assume that not everyone is as bereft of these societal essentials as you.
Well, I mustn't be running either my win2k work machine or my linux home machine hard enough - neither of which has crashed for me in a very very long time. In fact, the last time I shut down my win2k machine at work was over the last weekend because the hard drive is starting to make ugly clicking sounds, but before that it had been up since the last critical update. The last time I shut down my home machine was, well, I can't remember. It must have been some time after the release of the 2.6.3 kernel, though, because I'm still running that one.
For the record, I run EDA software at work, and KDE/kdevelop/galeon/evolution/etc etc at home. I run the machines fairly hard, but apparently not hard enough...
I went to a seminar on patents run by my employer's IP management consultant, and the bottom line was that patenting something is a business decision, not an innovation-protection decision.
I haven't heard of it, but will give it a go when I'm next in front of that machine. It isn't a high priority to get this machine going, but it'd be nice to have it running so I can say I've got an alpha...
I am basically a linux weenie forced to use NetBSD because my hardware (DEC alpha 3000/400) won't run anything else. Compatibility is good, system is rock solid, but it's a real bitch to configure. There's a lot of manual tweaking to do after installation (especially networking), which is a real PITA. I can understand the services issues, but it would be nice if I could say during install "just use DHCP" and everything would Just Work (tm). Linux Just Works, Windows Just Works, but netBSD won't resolve addresses (ie, it doesn't get its DNS server off the DHCP), nor will it setup the network properly (ie, automagically). I still have some more tweaking to do on the latest install (1.6.2), and hopefully I can get it all working, but it's just a general pain.
Admittedly, this is a fairly obscure platform, so the install scripts probably aren't as well developed as, say, i386, but still, it'd be nice...
Could I take OpenOffice and put it in a box and sell it at Best Buy today?
The answer is a resounding "yes". The GPL not only does not forbid this, but this is one of the ways that a GPL-based company can make money. Read the FAQ on the GNU site.
If the question is, "Can I make money doing this?", then the answer is probably also yes, but with a few caveats. The main caveat is that people who buy software for themselves to use on a home level are few and far between - it's much easier to borrow a friend's (no doubt pirated) Office CD, than it is to pay money for Open Office.
Unfortunately until people realise that pirating software actually perpetuates the software monopoly, this mindset will continue. This mindset will probably still continue regardless of what people realise...
I use and advocate Linux, but I am not zealous about it. I am more zealous in advocating that people conform to whatever license is associated with whatever software they use, whether it be GPL, BSD or commercial software. Until people start complying with licenses, I don't think linux has much of a chance of gaining mindshare. Case in point: a colleague was showing us all an MP3 he had creating out of splicing some other MP3s together, just as a humourous thing. I asked him what he used, and he said he'd used a commercial software product, that he'd found a crack for and so he'd used that. I asked him why didn't he use Audacity, and he'd never heard of it. The problem here is that the free software doesn't get airplay in major computing mags, so Joe Average computer user doesn't know it exists, and goes for the commercial software he can get a crack for.
If you're locked in to using windows because of a $10k per seat software package, I don't think you're the guy that should be quibbling over a $50 email client...
Now, let me know when Mozilla will do calendar, appointment book, task list, and email integration.
Last I saw, evolution was still free, and could do all those. The only part of evolution you have to pay for is the exchange client, AFAIK.
Re:Missing the point of CMYK?
on
Gimp Hits 2.0
·
· Score: 1
Let's revisit my first post, then. The reasons why most business don't contribute in a meaningful way to OSS is that they don't have the time (contributing $$$ to OSS today means a payoff tomorrow, while spend the same $$$ on commercial software gets something to use today); They have a need for standard products (due to ease of employment); and/or they don't want to contribute to OSS because they are afraid their competition will use their contributions for nothing, putting themselves at a disadvantage.
The point is that not all companies have only one person using the software. If you have 100 users of those Adobe products, then you are paying maybe $20,000 a year for the use of them. If the only missing feature for you of the gimp is CMYK, then surely you can pay the $20k to get a programmer to do it. However, companies don't do this for the reasons cited above.
Re:Missing the point of CMYK?
on
Gimp Hits 2.0
·
· Score: 1
I know this, you know this, but the average PHB with a casual reading of the GPL does not know this.
Re:Missing the point of CMYK?
on
Gimp Hits 2.0
·
· Score: 2, Funny
I have read your post about three times, and what you are saying makes no sense.
Re:I still don't like the stinking interface
on
Gimp Hits 2.0
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· Score: 0, Flamebait
Why?? MDI is the Root Of All Evil(tm). I prefer having 90 million windows - they are easy to manage with a large desktop (or, better, two monitors); and let's face it, if you're working with graphics and you don't have a large desktop with multi-monitors, you're not working with graphics, you're just playing.
Re:I had a dream
on
Gimp Hits 2.0
·
· Score: 4, Funny
You wrote:
I had a dream that I woke up surrounded by windows floating around before my eyes. I knew what I wanted was in one of the windows -answer just on the tip of my tongue. As each window passed by, confusing icons flashed symbols -almost helping me figure it out.
Then your sig states:
Real programmers don't comment!
It was hard to write, It should be hard to read!
There's some irony in there, somewhere...
Re:Missing the point of CMYK?
on
Gimp Hits 2.0
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
If so, why hasn't it been done already?
Because of three things, essential to business:
Time,
Standardisation, and
Competition
Time is important, because you can pay today and have product today with commercial software, whereas with OSS if you pay someone today, then you may or may not get the software tomorrow.
Standardisation is important, because the average PHB doesn't want to use something that no-one else uses. Put another way, nobody ever got fired for buying photoshop.
Competition is important because the average business doesn't want to pay for something that their competitor can then get for free.
I've often pondered this short-sighted way of doing business, and wondered how businesses can be talked into contributing to OSS projects. The organisation I work for pays big bucks for a couple of software components for which OSS equivalents don't exist, or are not as mature as the commercial equivalents. I wonder what it would take to convince them to pony up to pay a programmer or two to generate equivalent OSS software. The problem, of course, is that they will not put their business "on hold" while the software is developed. This is a reasonable stance, but it doesn't help the OSS community any.
People don't pay me what I'm worth, they pay me what THEY are worth. Paying me $150/hr for expert help often makes far more sense than stopping what they are doing (and proficient at) to stall with problems that they might even make worse with trial and error.
Let's look at that again:
People don't pay me what I'm worth, they pay me what THEY are worth. Paying me $150/hr for expert help often makes far more sense than stopping what they are doing (and proficient at) to stall with problems that they might even make worse with trial and error.
And that's where the insight is. This is probably the most important point of the whole discussion so far. Sure, the client may be able to fix their own problem, but that would require figuring out how to do it, which may result in many many hours of downtime. Downtime is lost dollars. Get the $150/hr tech in to solve the problem before too much money is lost.
No, it doesn;t seem ridiculous to me. Whenever I get a tradesman around to fix the washing machine, put some power points in, etc etc, I always ask them how they make money doing what they do. $55 an hour is not much money when you have to maintain a van, pay for transit (time and wear and tear on van and fuel etc), maintain a toolset, stay current with industry trends etc etc etc. All these costs have to be amortised over all the clients; that's why the stripped wheel stud cost $100 to fix at the mechanic. Labour costs money. Workshops cost money.
Just bashed the keys - really hard. I was pissed off at something or other and vented my frustration at the keyboard.
(Slightly) back on topic - I did the same with a mouse when I couldn't get outlook to do what I wanted. Now *there* is an example of an application that is convoluted in the extreme; I can't believe how hard it is to use!
I call "bullshit" on your indestructability of the Model M keyboard. I have broken one. Luckily I have a stash of about half a dozen for just such an eventuality.
Admittedly I had to bash it pretty hard to break it, but broke it I did. Stuck some keys down; I haven't yet investigated whether it is repairable.
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But do your dictionaries list both spellings as correct??
I've said it before, but if the record industry wants to stop piracy, they have to start "adding value" to CDs. One of the ways to so this is to include a once-only download code for a ringtone from the album. Shouldn't cost much to implement, and makes buying the album "worth it" to those who might have otherwise pirated it (can we spell "teenager"?). Make the ownership of the actual album a status symbol to that demographic, and they will spend the money.
Here the bastardization of the english language is complete. Interesting that the word "niche" (pronounced 'neesh'), can be mis-pronounced as 'nitch' by so many people, that it will then become phonetically mis-spelled as "nitch" by someone.
What's next? "My computer has 512k of level 1 catch"?!?
Yes, your morals and ethics are usually given to you by your parents, or in some cases by your friends.
It might not make a difference to you, but to some people it does make a difference. You see, there are these things called "ethics", and these other things called "morals", and they are tied together by this thing called "conscience". Maybe you've read about these things, but some people actually own them. No, they didn't steal them or borrow them or pirate them, but they own them. Some were given them by their parents, some by their friends, and some made them themselves, but they own them. Perhaps you shouldn't be so hasty to assume that not everyone is as bereft of these societal essentials as you.
Well, I mustn't be running either my win2k work machine or my linux home machine hard enough - neither of which has crashed for me in a very very long time. In fact, the last time I shut down my win2k machine at work was over the last weekend because the hard drive is starting to make ugly clicking sounds, but before that it had been up since the last critical update. The last time I shut down my home machine was, well, I can't remember. It must have been some time after the release of the 2.6.3 kernel, though, because I'm still running that one.
For the record, I run EDA software at work, and KDE/kdevelop/galeon/evolution/etc etc at home. I run the machines fairly hard, but apparently not hard enough...
I went to a seminar on patents run by my employer's IP management consultant, and the bottom line was that patenting something is a business decision, not an innovation-protection decision.
Don't forget Win4Lin. It'll only run win9X, but it works well for me.
Thanks for the heads up.
I haven't heard of it, but will give it a go when I'm next in front of that machine. It isn't a high priority to get this machine going, but it'd be nice to have it running so I can say I've got an alpha...
Admittedly, this is a fairly obscure platform, so the install scripts probably aren't as well developed as, say, i386, but still, it'd be nice...
Reminds me of that old story:
Guy calls 911, saying "there's a burglar in my back shed, can you send someone over".
911 operator: "sorry, all the officers are busy, you'll have to wait a half hour for a uniformed drive-by"
Guy hangs up. Calls back 2 minutes later, saying "don't worry about sending the drive-by, I shot the burglar and he's dead"
2 minutes later, 4 squad cars show up. Officers jump out, to startle the burglar in the middle of burgling.
Officer says to home owner: "I thought you said you shot him!"
Guy replies: "I thought you said you were busy!"
The answer is a resounding "yes". The GPL not only does not forbid this, but this is one of the ways that a GPL-based company can make money. Read the FAQ on the GNU site.
If the question is, "Can I make money doing this?", then the answer is probably also yes, but with a few caveats. The main caveat is that people who buy software for themselves to use on a home level are few and far between - it's much easier to borrow a friend's (no doubt pirated) Office CD, than it is to pay money for Open Office.
Unfortunately until people realise that pirating software actually perpetuates the software monopoly, this mindset will continue. This mindset will probably still continue regardless of what people realise...
I use and advocate Linux, but I am not zealous about it. I am more zealous in advocating that people conform to whatever license is associated with whatever software they use, whether it be GPL, BSD or commercial software. Until people start complying with licenses, I don't think linux has much of a chance of gaining mindshare. Case in point: a colleague was showing us all an MP3 he had creating out of splicing some other MP3s together, just as a humourous thing. I asked him what he used, and he said he'd used a commercial software product, that he'd found a crack for and so he'd used that. I asked him why didn't he use Audacity, and he'd never heard of it. The problem here is that the free software doesn't get airplay in major computing mags, so Joe Average computer user doesn't know it exists, and goes for the commercial software he can get a crack for.
If you're locked in to using windows because of a $10k per seat software package, I don't think you're the guy that should be quibbling over a $50 email client...
Last I saw, evolution was still free, and could do all those. The only part of evolution you have to pay for is the exchange client, AFAIK.
Let's revisit my first post, then. The reasons why most business don't contribute in a meaningful way to OSS is that they don't have the time (contributing $$$ to OSS today means a payoff tomorrow, while spend the same $$$ on commercial software gets something to use today); They have a need for standard products (due to ease of employment); and/or they don't want to contribute to OSS because they are afraid their competition will use their contributions for nothing, putting themselves at a disadvantage.
The point is that not all companies have only one person using the software. If you have 100 users of those Adobe products, then you are paying maybe $20,000 a year for the use of them. If the only missing feature for you of the gimp is CMYK, then surely you can pay the $20k to get a programmer to do it. However, companies don't do this for the reasons cited above.
I know this, you know this, but the average PHB with a casual reading of the GPL does not know this.
I have read your post about three times, and what you are saying makes no sense.
Why?? MDI is the Root Of All Evil(tm). I prefer having 90 million windows - they are easy to manage with a large desktop (or, better, two monitors); and let's face it, if you're working with graphics and you don't have a large desktop with multi-monitors, you're not working with graphics, you're just playing.
You wrote:
I had a dream that I woke up surrounded by windows floating around before my eyes. I knew what I wanted was in one of the windows -answer just on the tip of my tongue. As each window passed by, confusing icons flashed symbols -almost helping me figure it out.
Then your sig states:
Real programmers don't comment! It was hard to write, It should be hard to read!
There's some irony in there, somewhere...
Because of three things, essential to business:
Time is important, because you can pay today and have product today with commercial software, whereas with OSS if you pay someone today, then you may or may not get the software tomorrow.
Standardisation is important, because the average PHB doesn't want to use something that no-one else uses. Put another way, nobody ever got fired for buying photoshop.
Competition is important because the average business doesn't want to pay for something that their competitor can then get for free.
I've often pondered this short-sighted way of doing business, and wondered how businesses can be talked into contributing to OSS projects. The organisation I work for pays big bucks for a couple of software components for which OSS equivalents don't exist, or are not as mature as the commercial equivalents. I wonder what it would take to convince them to pony up to pay a programmer or two to generate equivalent OSS software. The problem, of course, is that they will not put their business "on hold" while the software is developed. This is a reasonable stance, but it doesn't help the OSS community any.
People don't pay me what I'm worth, they pay me what THEY are worth. Paying me $150/hr for expert help often makes far more sense than stopping what they are doing (and proficient at) to stall with problems that they might even make worse with trial and error.
Let's look at that again:
People don't pay me what I'm worth, they pay me what THEY are worth. Paying me $150/hr for expert help often makes far more sense than stopping what they are doing (and proficient at) to stall with problems that they might even make worse with trial and error.
And that's where the insight is. This is probably the most important point of the whole discussion so far. Sure, the client may be able to fix their own problem, but that would require figuring out how to do it, which may result in many many hours of downtime. Downtime is lost dollars. Get the $150/hr tech in to solve the problem before too much money is lost.
No, it doesn;t seem ridiculous to me. Whenever I get a tradesman around to fix the washing machine, put some power points in, etc etc, I always ask them how they make money doing what they do. $55 an hour is not much money when you have to maintain a van, pay for transit (time and wear and tear on van and fuel etc), maintain a toolset, stay current with industry trends etc etc etc. All these costs have to be amortised over all the clients; that's why the stripped wheel stud cost $100 to fix at the mechanic. Labour costs money. Workshops cost money.
Just bashed the keys - really hard. I was pissed off at something or other and vented my frustration at the keyboard.
(Slightly) back on topic - I did the same with a mouse when I couldn't get outlook to do what I wanted. Now *there* is an example of an application that is convoluted in the extreme; I can't believe how hard it is to use!
I call "bullshit" on your indestructability of the Model M keyboard. I have broken one. Luckily I have a stash of about half a dozen for just such an eventuality.
Admittedly I had to bash it pretty hard to break it, but broke it I did. Stuck some keys down; I haven't yet investigated whether it is repairable.