No. The RIAA had a widely publicized program where they hired programers/crackers to create bots to find MP3s (and report them -- there was a slashdot story about a guy with a name similar to some artist who got an automatically generated cease and desist letter, asking him to stop distributing MP3s he made). The WSJ also had an article about "experiments" the RIAA was doing to break into users computers and delete MP3 files that were pirated. (Nevermind that pirated MP3 files would be indistinguishable from ones which were ripped for Fair Use).
To quote my girlfriends mother talking about John Ashcroft, "I hope their [Members of the RIAA] stomachs explode and the devil comes take them".
That's also a guy who owns a chain of casinos that are about to go bankrupt -- he's at the point where he can give up all control to get bailed out, or let them go under.
It is important to remember that bankruptcy is not an end all in the business world, but a tool. Donald Trump has a history of playing hard ball with his bond holders by threatening bankruptcy; bonds in Atlantic city go for four times the interest rates of bonds (mortgages) for properties in New York City. Add to that the fact that tourism (esp. gambling) was hit hard by September 11th, and that the gaming industry hasn't fully recovered, and Donald is just weathering the storm on a losing company as best as he can.
Donald Trump said in his first book, The Art of the Deal, that if you don't stand and fight when someone wrongs you, you will be seen as weak, and the vultures will have no problems trying to screw you over and over again. I firmly believe that -- and, hey, a guy worth billions is worth listening to, IMHO.
Re:OpenSource and Open Standards are the way to go
on
Real Problems
·
· Score: 1
I believe Real makes money from a superior streaming audio server software-suite.. The player is just milking the cow.
Interesting. I had assumed that they hid the free player because they relied on the revenue from the non-free player -- and the only way to sell any copies was through intrusive advertising. If this is the case, I don't understand why they don't make it very obvious how to get the free player and just sell their server.
OpenSource and Open Standards are the way to go
on
Real Problems
·
· Score: 1
I think that the only real way for companies to go in this area is open source and open standards. Real makes its money through sales of its "professional" player, with features you can't get from the free player. But, if people are demanding free content without paying for a player, (how many people actually pay for it), they are going to look for free alternatives. Right now the only "free" alternative is Windows -- because the cost of developing the formats are built into the OS. However, if there were open standards then any player could jump in without any kind of patent infringement -- leading to a jump in Open Source projects (those of us who code for the fun because the money went to India a long time ago).
The City Of Ithaca (Where I live), has a web site. That means that they are hosted somewhere. So, some city computers, somewhere, are connected to the net (note that this counts the possiblitiy they pay some one to host).
I don't believe the question here is 'how prone to hacking are these computers' I believe the question is, 'how strong is the firewall protecting them.'
Well, that may be so. But does the city have a competent IT department? And given the fact that even people who are supposed to be in the top of their field (Microsoft's source leak, Gnome.org hacking, Debian Compromise) get hacked every once in a while, isn't any increased possibility of a compromise a cause for concern?
Is this much of a surprise? All the newspapers talk about the continuing layoffs and/or low employment in the CS fields. Why would any smart college-bound student go into a field where there are already thousands of qualified people who are unemployed? I count myself lucky to have survived (thus far, knock on wood) with a decent job in the field.
Why would anyone go into the humanities, get a PhD in history and figure they could get a job as a museum curator, when it's well known that there are many, many, many qualified candidates vying for a small number of low paying positions. The answer is, for the love of the thing, and because a degree functions (mostly) as a screening tool for HR Managers. The people who major in sociology get jobs just like the people who major in other fields
After all, Wal-Mart does have a habit of "editing" certain CD's for language content and such... did they do the same to their online versions as well?
I would hope they would do something like Apple's iTunes -- offer both censored and uncensored versions of songs online. Even better, allow parents to set limits on their kids, so those who want their kids to have censored lyrics can have it, and people can go there for the prices without getting other peoples morales pushed on them.
Yes, I know. My point was not that I had the exact statistics -- because I didn't want to sit down and figure out how many of each type of license they sell, and how that affects their bottom line in europe. I was just making a generalized point that there are a lot more then 3 million (or even 12 million which is what it works out to @ $50 a license) computers in Europe, so Microsoft is not going ot be sunk. But, remember, we have to add in all microsoft products. Microsoft sells Windows, Office, games, even hardware -- which is probably much more then $50 a PC.
Are you talking about upgrades or full versions? Big difference. Buy.com is selling the Upgrade version for $100. And at $186 the complete version is pretty close to the $200 price tag.. Now, these were approximate prices I was guessing based on what I had last seen them selling for at BestBuy. As always, YMMV -- between the differences in currency, the discounts Dell and other computer makers get, and the number of people upgrading versus buying full versions.
O.k so the foundation has issued an update for 2.x but what about 1.3.x?? is there nothing to patch?
Apache 1.x is being phased out in favor of 2.x. Support for 1.x has been there for a little while because of the number of copies in use. As 2.x is seen as more and more stable, they will stop patching 1.x. Although, FAIK, they may very well keep a versioning system like MySQL -- so users who want to be on the bleeding edge can live there, and users who want very stable code (read old), can have it their way.
I quote, "Ad placement is based on a combination of maximum cost-per-click (CPC -- how much you are willing to pay per click) and clickthrough rate (CTR). This means that if you earn a higher CTR, you are rewarded with a lower actual CPC. Our system monitors your competition and performance and automatically charges you the least amount possible."
It's a relatively new thing, and I was pissed when my ads were shut down several times after it started.
why would MS have to comply? Couldnt they just say 'okay, BYE' and not sell in Europe anymore? I know MS sells a lot in europe.... but who would be more injured by such a move, MS or the EU?
Microsoft would have to be run by a bunch of muppets to do that. The $600 Million fine represents 3 Million copies of Windows XP Home sold at $200 a piece that they have to sell. I'm sure there are more then 3 Million computers in Europe for them to make back their money eventually. However, if they pulled out completely, there would be millions of users paying to develop Open Source alternatives, which would help their biggest enemies.
No, that's not true. Google charges you a price per click through which is based on a number of factors -- including the number of times an ad has to be viewed before someone clicks it. So, no, they don't explicitly charge you for every view, but your cost per click goes up for each view that nobody clicks. AND, to add insult to injury, if your ads don't meet some performance criterion (number clicks / views) they get shut down, and your account gets charged $5 every 3 times you restart your ads.
Creating a Mozilla extension wouldn't be that hard to do exactly what you are suggesting. However, it is important to remember that advertisers advertise on sites because some percentage of the eyeballs they get buy things. If every slashdotter clicked through and didn't buy anything automatically, they would see a much larger payout for a much lower percentage return, and would pull their ads. Pay the $5 for a subscription if you want to help out/. instead.
Also, some places you advertise on charge a fee for just having the ad seen (google). In this case, you are helping the site even if you aren't clicking through.
If I understand correctly, if a judge orders you to pay x dollars by ______, it's contempt of court or some simarly horrific felony. So, if you got a default judgement, why didn't you press charges when they didn't pay?
The dumber it is, the more religiously you should follow it, and make darned sure that all of your buddies fall in line with the company's new direction as well. I'm assuming, of course, that you've already presented your case to a supervisor or HR person or something, and that you're not a Super Executive VP of Something. If you're at that level in the organization, just say "no" and have your department behave differently from everyone else...apparently this works in the real world if you're high enough on the food chain.
I tried that once and ended up getting fired. It seems that although the evil pointy haired boss was saying "Act like you don't do this, but whenever I'm not around scramble to do it very quickly or I'll have your job."
Thats all fine and good, then you develop batbelt syndrome -- carrying a personal cell phone, a work cell phone, a work pager, and a PDA out to the bar is unforuntately NOT cool.
These days you can forward calls wherever. So your work cell -> home cell and you've got one less thing to carry. If they expect you to carry a pager too, well, I'm not sure why they gave you the cell phone.
...have you explained the importance of your cell phone to your boss or HR person? Have you asked for an exception, as yours is pretty clearly an exceptional case?...
With all due respect to the original poster, I am not sure this is clearly an exceptional case. The servers, presumably, e-mail their notifications to a personal cell phone number @ some cellular company. Correct?
Well, whereas if he requests a cell phone or pager or something else he can receive messages on from his boss, if he is ever run over by a bus or fired they can just pass the pager / phone / whatever onto another employee to take his place. If, on the other hand, they don't use a company owned device, someone who should not be getting access to information could presumably be getting access to information. (And assuming he's angry about being outsourced, he might do something the employer regrets).
Now this does not mean the OP is a bad person who would do said things, it's that the bosses want to keep a tight hold of their stuff for various reasons. My advice for the OP is to explain politely to your boss why you need something to replace your cell phone, and how it benefits the company if you're ever run over by a bus. And, if they say no, and you really don't like it, quietly polish your resume and look for work elsewhere. If you don't find it, you won't have quit in the heat of the moment, and if you find a better position, no harm in covering your bases.
Many of the newest CDRs on the market can burn a full 800MB CD in under 2 minutes. So if you're sitting at a coffee bar, and it didn't require a large amount of effort to go get a CD, I don't see a problem. (Granted, those who never sit down for their coffee won't partake, but what about those who do?)
Slashdot Mirror
She was talking about Ashcroft when she said it. I liked it and applied it to the RIAA
No. The RIAA had a widely publicized program where they hired programers/crackers to create bots to find MP3s (and report them -- there was a slashdot story about a guy with a name similar to some artist who got an automatically generated cease and desist letter, asking him to stop distributing MP3s he made). The WSJ also had an article about "experiments" the RIAA was doing to break into users computers and delete MP3 files that were pirated. (Nevermind that pirated MP3 files would be indistinguishable from ones which were ripped for Fair Use).
To quote my girlfriends mother talking about John Ashcroft, "I hope their [Members of the RIAA] stomachs explode and the devil comes take them".
It is important to remember that bankruptcy is not an end all in the business world, but a tool. Donald Trump has a history of playing hard ball with his bond holders by threatening bankruptcy; bonds in Atlantic city go for four times the interest rates of bonds (mortgages) for properties in New York City. Add to that the fact that tourism (esp. gambling) was hit hard by September 11th, and that the gaming industry hasn't fully recovered, and Donald is just weathering the storm on a losing company as best as he can.
Donald Trump said in his first book, The Art of the Deal, that if you don't stand and fight when someone wrongs you, you will be seen as weak, and the vultures will have no problems trying to screw you over and over again. I firmly believe that -- and, hey, a guy worth billions is worth listening to, IMHO.
Interesting. I had assumed that they hid the free player because they relied on the revenue from the non-free player -- and the only way to sell any copies was through intrusive advertising. If this is the case, I don't understand why they don't make it very obvious how to get the free player and just sell their server.
I think that the only real way for companies to go in this area is open source and open standards. Real makes its money through sales of its "professional" player, with features you can't get from the free player. But, if people are demanding free content without paying for a player, (how many people actually pay for it), they are going to look for free alternatives. Right now the only "free" alternative is Windows -- because the cost of developing the formats are built into the OS. However, if there were open standards then any player could jump in without any kind of patent infringement -- leading to a jump in Open Source projects (those of us who code for the fun because the money went to India a long time ago).
Why? It only runs on Mac OS 9 and less.
The City Of Ithaca (Where I live), has a web site. That means that they are hosted somewhere. So, some city computers, somewhere, are connected to the net (note that this counts the possiblitiy they pay some one to host).
Well, that may be so. But does the city have a competent IT department? And given the fact that even people who are supposed to be in the top of their field (Microsoft's source leak, Gnome.org hacking, Debian Compromise) get hacked every once in a while, isn't any increased possibility of a compromise a cause for concern?
Why, yes, Sun's Java Desktop, of course!
Why would anyone go into the humanities, get a PhD in history and figure they could get a job as a museum curator, when it's well known that there are many, many, many qualified candidates vying for a small number of low paying positions. The answer is, for the love of the thing, and because a degree functions (mostly) as a screening tool for HR Managers. The people who major in sociology get jobs just like the people who major in other fields
I would hope they would do something like Apple's iTunes -- offer both censored and uncensored versions of songs online. Even better, allow parents to set limits on their kids, so those who want their kids to have censored lyrics can have it, and people can go there for the prices without getting other peoples morales pushed on them.
Yes, I know. My point was not that I had the exact statistics -- because I didn't want to sit down and figure out how many of each type of license they sell, and how that affects their bottom line in europe. I was just making a generalized point that there are a lot more then 3 million (or even 12 million which is what it works out to @ $50 a license) computers in Europe, so Microsoft is not going ot be sunk. But, remember, we have to add in all microsoft products. Microsoft sells Windows, Office, games, even hardware -- which is probably much more then $50 a PC.
Are you talking about upgrades or full versions? Big difference. Buy.com is selling the Upgrade version for $100. And at $186 the complete version is pretty close to the $200 price tag.. Now, these were approximate prices I was guessing based on what I had last seen them selling for at BestBuy. As always, YMMV -- between the differences in currency, the discounts Dell and other computer makers get, and the number of people upgrading versus buying full versions.
Apache 1.x is being phased out in favor of 2.x. Support for 1.x has been there for a little while because of the number of copies in use. As 2.x is seen as more and more stable, they will stop patching 1.x. Although, FAIK, they may very well keep a versioning system like MySQL -- so users who want to be on the bleeding edge can live there, and users who want very stable code (read old), can have it their way.
Refer to the google adwords pricing page.
I quote, "Ad placement is based on a combination of maximum cost-per-click (CPC -- how much you are willing to pay per click) and clickthrough rate (CTR). This means that if you earn a higher CTR, you are rewarded with a lower actual CPC. Our system monitors your competition and performance and automatically charges you the least amount possible."
It's a relatively new thing, and I was pissed when my ads were shut down several times after it started.
No, that's not true. Google charges you a price per click through which is based on a number of factors -- including the number of times an ad has to be viewed before someone clicks it. So, no, they don't explicitly charge you for every view, but your cost per click goes up for each view that nobody clicks. AND, to add insult to injury, if your ads don't meet some performance criterion (number clicks / views) they get shut down, and your account gets charged $5 every 3 times you restart your ads.
Creating a Mozilla extension wouldn't be that hard to do exactly what you are suggesting. However, it is important to remember that advertisers advertise on sites because some percentage of the eyeballs they get buy things. If every slashdotter clicked through and didn't buy anything automatically, they would see a much larger payout for a much lower percentage return, and would pull their ads. Pay the $5 for a subscription if you want to help out /. instead.
Also, some places you advertise on charge a fee for just having the ad seen (google). In this case, you are helping the site even if you aren't clicking through.
If I understand correctly, if a judge orders you to pay x dollars by ______, it's contempt of court or some simarly horrific felony. So, if you got a default judgement, why didn't you press charges when they didn't pay?
I'm curious, did this actually work?
I tried that once and ended up getting fired. It seems that although the evil pointy haired boss was saying "Act like you don't do this, but whenever I'm not around scramble to do it very quickly or I'll have your job."
These days you can forward calls wherever. So your work cell -> home cell and you've got one less thing to carry. If they expect you to carry a pager too, well, I'm not sure why they gave you the cell phone.
With all due respect to the original poster, I am not sure this is clearly an exceptional case. The servers, presumably, e-mail their notifications to a personal cell phone number @ some cellular company. Correct?
Well, whereas if he requests a cell phone or pager or something else he can receive messages on from his boss, if he is ever run over by a bus or fired they can just pass the pager / phone / whatever onto another employee to take his place. If, on the other hand, they don't use a company owned device, someone who should not be getting access to information could presumably be getting access to information. (And assuming he's angry about being outsourced, he might do something the employer regrets).
Now this does not mean the OP is a bad person who would do said things, it's that the bosses want to keep a tight hold of their stuff for various reasons. My advice for the OP is to explain politely to your boss why you need something to replace your cell phone, and how it benefits the company if you're ever run over by a bus. And, if they say no, and you really don't like it, quietly polish your resume and look for work elsewhere. If you don't find it, you won't have quit in the heat of the moment, and if you find a better position, no harm in covering your bases.
Many of the newest CDRs on the market can burn a full 800MB CD in under 2 minutes. So if you're sitting at a coffee bar, and it didn't require a large amount of effort to go get a CD, I don't see a problem. (Granted, those who never sit down for their coffee won't partake, but what about those who do?)