$210? The version for students and teachers should price at $140, iirc.
The upgrade version is around $220, and you can get the full and new version around $360 with minimal usage of Google. And that's professional. Considering that Office includes Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Access, Publisher, and Outlook, that comes out to $60 a program at the absolute most.
I mean, yeah, you could pay $500, and get each program at $75 or so... but, ummm... that's comparable to WordPerfect Suite... and, really, a totally normal market price for productivity software. Especially a professional quality one - which is, frankly, more than a lot of people need. Hardly any non-professionals are going to use Access. Most of them won't even use Excel, Publisher, or Powerpoint. Outlook Express is fine for most people. All most people use out of Office is Word. And most of them could use Wordpad. We're talking about what is really designed as a product to be purchased by businesses.
It's hardly Gates's fault that people buy far more powerful programs than they need. And, really, unless you're going to fault him for running a business, and seeking to make profits, it's tough to understand why you say Office is overpriced. Unless you want to go on a rant about how corporations are necessarily evil.
But in that case, please include your address for your complimentary box of tinfoil.
No, no, you're getting them comfused. Gamespy is a bunch of assholes who hate the Gamecube, spout stupid opinions about things, and monopolize file downloads. Gamespot is a reasonably cool site that bothers to have insightful commentary and well-written news occasionally.
While this is persuasive in what might be called an ethical sense, I don't think it really addresses the question, which involves convincing people that using Linux is not only feel-good, but also makes practical sense.
And, honestly, depending on who'd be using it, Linux may well not be the best solution. It's much easier to FUBAR a Linux machine, and often harder to use, especially if the user is both computer inexperienced, and has only used Windows or a Mac.
Linux may make an emotional sense... and its ideas of copyright and ownership are certainly, I think, better than the closed source ideas. But it's not, in its current form, for everyone. And that should be seriously considered.
The original shareware Quake 1 CDs had the full version of Quake, the full versions of Doom, Doom 2, and both of the id-made wads of Doom 2, and I think it had all the Wolf 3D stuff as well. You were supposed to buy access codes from id via the phone to unlock any of this.
Needless to say, the effect was to make easy-to-pirate versions of their entire back catalogue - instead of downloading the whole program and disc images and the like, you had to download a much smaller cracking program. =)
Well, why would they? The have the DMCA here, so they can hold millions of people liable for hundreds of millions of dollars each. With profit like that to be won, why go with a silly tax scheme?
Well, I think the other part of my point is that a well-made open-ended game is not yet technologically possible. The freedom offered will crumble when pushed, revealing the thinly disguised rails, and making me feel somewhat cheated.
I'd prefer the rails be clearly labeled, and to just get on with the fun.
That's what my Blockbuster card is for. I paid $6 for a week of Splinter Cell. I loved it. I'll rent the next one as soon as I can. On the other hand, if a game offers me a reasonably long gameplay experience, like Zelda or Eternal Darkness, and I can see myself going back to it in 2-3 years, I'm happy to drop $50 on it.
The problem with open-ended gaming, to me, is that computers simply aren't to the point yet (And, it is my personal belief, never will be) where they are capable of the dynamic responses to player actions that truly open-ended gaming would require. To me, once you begin focusing on accomodating player choices, you only serve to draw attention to the limitations on player choices.
Neverwinter Nights, to me, is a prime example. In theory, it was supposed to offer the ability to run multiplayer D&D games. But the engine was so drastically limited in so many ways - the inability to climb trees, the lack of true 3D, etc, that running a D&D game is still quite impossible.
To me, I'd much prefer a game that's on rails and only lets me follow the path, so long as that path is well-made, to a game that offers freedom, but crumbles once I try to push and probe that freedom.
The benefit that the availability of video games and entertainment has is that it makes prisoners happier, and a happy prisoner is less likely to make costly and fatal trouble.
I mean, let's face it - locking up lots of known criminals in one place together is already a risky idea. Making them bored and unhappy is just asking for trouble.
And, considering the illiteracy rate in prison, books just aren't gonna cut it.
I find something strangely insulting about the fact that Konami serially neglects the Gamecube in releasing its games (It's the only console with no DDR, and, despite the fact that Castlevania grew up on Nintendo, the next Castlevania is going to the PS2), and then finally deigns to release a game on the Cube... but it's a rip off of an already successful Nintendo game.
Ah well. Since Konami also serially neglects the US, it'll probably come out here in a triple pack with an actual port of one of the Japanese DDRs, and Castlevania: Rondo of Blood.
Rubbish. There are plenty of people who cannot and will not be able to afford broadband. There are millions who have no net connection. There are billions round the world who would laugh in your face if you suggested they should get all their music off the net.
Broadband is getting cheaper constantly. I fully expect the price of a month of broadband to be more or less equal to the price of a CD in five years. Ten at most.
There are plenty of people here who whinge about 128 ACC not being good enough, so MP3 is hardly going to satisfy them. I certainly don't think going to a low quality lossy compression is an idea with any merit.
And based on the problems the music industry is having, there are obviously people who have no problem with 128 MP3. Whiny geeks here are in fact a minority. And, if you really care about your audio quality, you can feel free to buy a CD. After all, if enough people really do care, the industry should be able to keep itself going based on them, right?
No-one is going to pay for a support contract for their music, so say goodbye to most of RedHat's income.
Oh for God's sake, did you read all the text you quoted? I gave a list of things that could be offered. Red Hat was an analogy. Try to actually respond to points I make. It'll make this whole reasoned exchange of ideas thing go a lot more smoothly.
If it's not enough to live on, then you're going to need another job, which means less time, less freedom and less energy to work on that next track, practise your music or perform. And it also means you're probably going ot have to choose between a family and your music.
Again, I have seen people buy high-end music equipment with their summer job money and what they have for spending money in college. I've seen people with said high-end music equipment get record deals with indie labels. You can buy their music on Amazon if you want. Somehow, I don't think the money issue is that big.
So when do you suggest a member of a band ever actually has a proper holiday?
When they decide they want one instead of touring? I don't know. When do you suggest someone who really likes to go fishing have a proper holiday instead of going up and fishing for a week? If what they like doing is playing in their band, well, then...
Which kinda sucks since you're probably not going to break into the music scene in other countries in any sort of big way and a lot of people are going to miss out on your music.
Depends on the genre. Club play exists. An internet-based distribution system would reach overseas fairly easily. Hell, with reasonable ingenuity you could probably do a webcast concert with modest success...
In the end, I don't think the music industry is worth saving. I think the market does not support them, and they are only kept solvent through government intervention in the form of copyright laws, and, particularly, the DMCA. And that's bloody ludicrous.
Creative Writing classes are often among the most oversubscribed in a school - there are places where people try for four years to get into a creative writing class and are shut out every time because the course fills so quickly.
Believe me. Creative writing is not a class people take for shits and giggles. Nor are creative writing teachers incompetent - in many cases, they're short story writers or poets, markets that simply don't exist anymore. In others, they're writing very interesting novels that are too technically complex, or simply not to the popular taste.
I've been places where creative writing was taught by people who were expected to win a Nobel prize any year now.
In other words, you have no idea what you're talking about.
Poke your head into a creative writing classroom sometime and tell me.
Or look at the significant number of profsesors in said creative writing classes who put out novels they know will never sell an appreciable amount, while teaching a full courseload.
It looks to me like talented people will in fact write because they enjoy it, and because they're happy to get a piece published in a magazine somewhere, or simply to have people read and enjoy their stuff.
You're misreading what I said entirely. Obviously no one is going to pump gas for the love of it. That is why you pay people money to do it. Money is, among other things, a means of getting people to do things that they would not normally be inclined to do.
Intellectual property, on the other hand, is currently a means of artificially supporting industries that currently produce things that have a market value of $0, such as music, which people are generally willing to create for free.
Then again, I have a nostalgia for the patronage system...
DSL and Cable modem penetration are increasing dramatically, and all indications is that they will continue to do so - I don't see bandwidth being a long term problem at all. The 128-quality mp3 is pretty much tradable now. That's below CD quality, but most people don't care enough.
Secondly, I'd point to a company like Red Hat, that manages to stay in business offering a completely free product. How? Because people will pay for extra features, packaging, convenience of not downloading it, better sound quality, etc. In most cases, this won't be enough to live on, but it'll be enough to buy decent equipment. Hell, I know people who have bought high quality equipment while they were in college and graduate school - if it's really what you want to focus on, you can find the money.
As for tours... if you want to do a grueling 2-weeker, most jobs will offer you that much vacation. Yeah, it's not a massive world tour, but bands that can do massive world tours can probably survive, if not make a killing, on people who will buy their music on CD for the quality, who will buy swag, and with promotional and and sponsorship-related income.
And how do you think professional writers got started? By dropping everything and starting to write short stories?
No. They worked other jobs, making ends meet, while they wrote in their spare time. And, typically, they didn't quit these other jobs until they'd made it in writing already. In other words, they produced quality work in their spare time.
You know, I look at the number of people who write stories in their spare time, who have garage bands, and who spend their weekends painting, and somehow, I have trouble sympathizing with people who do it professionally.
To be honest, I think the music industry would be better off if people who only record albums for the money were to stop. A lot less Backstreet Boys and a lot more art.
Slashdot Mirror
That's why you download Nethack. That way, there's no longer any doubt that you'll graduate - you're guaranteed not to. =)
$210? The version for students and teachers should price at $140, iirc.
The upgrade version is around $220, and you can get the full and new version around $360 with minimal usage of Google. And that's professional. Considering that Office includes Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Access, Publisher, and Outlook, that comes out to $60 a program at the absolute most.
I mean, yeah, you could pay $500, and get each program at $75 or so... but, ummm... that's comparable to WordPerfect Suite... and, really, a totally normal market price for productivity software. Especially a professional quality one - which is, frankly, more than a lot of people need. Hardly any non-professionals are going to use Access. Most of them won't even use Excel, Publisher, or Powerpoint. Outlook Express is fine for most people. All most people use out of Office is Word. And most of them could use Wordpad. We're talking about what is really designed as a product to be purchased by businesses.
It's hardly Gates's fault that people buy far more powerful programs than they need. And, really, unless you're going to fault him for running a business, and seeking to make profits, it's tough to understand why you say Office is overpriced. Unless you want to go on a rant about how corporations are necessarily evil.
But in that case, please include your address for your complimentary box of tinfoil.
And in a given year, Gates will donate vastly more than $168 million - some years he'll give over five billion to charity.
There are plenty of reasons to criticize Microsoft... but to say Gates isn't sincerely committed to philanthropy is insane.
No, no, you're getting them comfused. Gamespy is a bunch of assholes who hate the Gamecube, spout stupid opinions about things, and monopolize file downloads. Gamespot is a reasonably cool site that bothers to have insightful commentary and well-written news occasionally.
Gamespy hates Mortal Kombat, Gamespot doesn't.
While this is persuasive in what might be called an ethical sense, I don't think it really addresses the question, which involves convincing people that using Linux is not only feel-good, but also makes practical sense.
And, honestly, depending on who'd be using it, Linux may well not be the best solution. It's much easier to FUBAR a Linux machine, and often harder to use, especially if the user is both computer inexperienced, and has only used Windows or a Mac.
Linux may make an emotional sense... and its ideas of copyright and ownership are certainly, I think, better than the closed source ideas. But it's not, in its current form, for everyone. And that should be seriously considered.
My immediate response to the claim that the C64 was old enough to drink was to say "Bah! It can't be! I had a C64 when I was three!"
Then I remembered that I turned 21 last week.
Now I just feel really, really old.
The original shareware Quake 1 CDs had the full version of Quake, the full versions of Doom, Doom 2, and both of the id-made wads of Doom 2, and I think it had all the Wolf 3D stuff as well. You were supposed to buy access codes from id via the phone to unlock any of this.
Needless to say, the effect was to make easy-to-pirate versions of their entire back catalogue - instead of downloading the whole program and disc images and the like, you had to download a much smaller cracking program. =)
can anyone spell 'paper-fucking-CD-sleaves'
Apparently not. =)
I've got to wonder about this, though... did people learn nothing from id's putting their entire catalogue on the Quake 1 discs?
If it weren't Sony making this, and you showed me the specs, I'd swear it's about as likely to come out as the Phantom.
As it stands, I'm sure it will come out, but I'm pretty sure there will be some searing defect...
Well, why would they? The have the DMCA here, so they can hold millions of people liable for hundreds of millions of dollars each. With profit like that to be won, why go with a silly tax scheme?
Gamespy hates Nintendo post-SNES.
It's pretty much that simple.
Well, I think the other part of my point is that a well-made open-ended game is not yet technologically possible. The freedom offered will crumble when pushed, revealing the thinly disguised rails, and making me feel somewhat cheated.
I'd prefer the rails be clearly labeled, and to just get on with the fun.
That's what my Blockbuster card is for. I paid $6 for a week of Splinter Cell. I loved it. I'll rent the next one as soon as I can. On the other hand, if a game offers me a reasonably long gameplay experience, like Zelda or Eternal Darkness, and I can see myself going back to it in 2-3 years, I'm happy to drop $50 on it.
The problem with open-ended gaming, to me, is that computers simply aren't to the point yet (And, it is my personal belief, never will be) where they are capable of the dynamic responses to player actions that truly open-ended gaming would require. To me, once you begin focusing on accomodating player choices, you only serve to draw attention to the limitations on player choices.
Neverwinter Nights, to me, is a prime example. In theory, it was supposed to offer the ability to run multiplayer D&D games. But the engine was so drastically limited in so many ways - the inability to climb trees, the lack of true 3D, etc, that running a D&D game is still quite impossible.
To me, I'd much prefer a game that's on rails and only lets me follow the path, so long as that path is well-made, to a game that offers freedom, but crumbles once I try to push and probe that freedom.
The benefit that the availability of video games and entertainment has is that it makes prisoners happier, and a happy prisoner is less likely to make costly and fatal trouble.
I mean, let's face it - locking up lots of known criminals in one place together is already a risky idea. Making them bored and unhappy is just asking for trouble.
And, considering the illiteracy rate in prison, books just aren't gonna cut it.
I find something strangely insulting about the fact that Konami serially neglects the Gamecube in releasing its games (It's the only console with no DDR, and, despite the fact that Castlevania grew up on Nintendo, the next Castlevania is going to the PS2), and then finally deigns to release a game on the Cube... but it's a rip off of an already successful Nintendo game.
Ah well. Since Konami also serially neglects the US, it'll probably come out here in a triple pack with an actual port of one of the Japanese DDRs, and Castlevania: Rondo of Blood.
Rubbish. There are plenty of people who cannot and will not be able to afford broadband. There are millions who have no net connection. There are billions round the world who would laugh in your face if you suggested they should get all their music off the net.
Broadband is getting cheaper constantly. I fully expect the price of a month of broadband to be more or less equal to the price of a CD in five years. Ten at most.
There are plenty of people here who whinge about 128 ACC not being good enough, so MP3 is hardly going to satisfy them. I certainly don't think going to a low quality lossy compression is an idea with any merit.
And based on the problems the music industry is having, there are obviously people who have no problem with 128 MP3. Whiny geeks here are in fact a minority. And, if you really care about your audio quality, you can feel free to buy a CD. After all, if enough people really do care, the industry should be able to keep itself going based on them, right?
No-one is going to pay for a support contract for their music, so say goodbye to most of RedHat's income.
Oh for God's sake, did you read all the text you quoted? I gave a list of things that could be offered. Red Hat was an analogy. Try to actually respond to points I make. It'll make this whole reasoned exchange of ideas thing go a lot more smoothly.
If it's not enough to live on, then you're going to need another job, which means less time, less freedom and less energy to work on that next track, practise your music or perform. And it also means you're probably going ot have to choose between a family and your music.
Again, I have seen people buy high-end music equipment with their summer job money and what they have for spending money in college. I've seen people with said high-end music equipment get record deals with indie labels. You can buy their music on Amazon if you want. Somehow, I don't think the money issue is that big.
So when do you suggest a member of a band ever actually has a proper holiday?
When they decide they want one instead of touring? I don't know. When do you suggest someone who really likes to go fishing have a proper holiday instead of going up and fishing for a week? If what they like doing is playing in their band, well, then...
Which kinda sucks since you're probably not going to break into the music scene in other countries in any sort of big way and a lot of people are going to miss out on your music.
Depends on the genre. Club play exists. An internet-based distribution system would reach overseas fairly easily. Hell, with reasonable ingenuity you could probably do a webcast concert with modest success...
In the end, I don't think the music industry is worth saving. I think the market does not support them, and they are only kept solvent through government intervention in the form of copyright laws, and, particularly, the DMCA. And that's bloody ludicrous.
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=78079&cid=6932 216
(I really hope linking to another post in the same thread doesn't qualify as "redundant" =) )
Creative Writing classes are often among the most oversubscribed in a school - there are places where people try for four years to get into a creative writing class and are shut out every time because the course fills so quickly.
Believe me. Creative writing is not a class people take for shits and giggles. Nor are creative writing teachers incompetent - in many cases, they're short story writers or poets, markets that simply don't exist anymore. In others, they're writing very interesting novels that are too technically complex, or simply not to the popular taste.
I've been places where creative writing was taught by people who were expected to win a Nobel prize any year now.
In other words, you have no idea what you're talking about.
Poke your head into a creative writing classroom sometime and tell me.
Or look at the significant number of profsesors in said creative writing classes who put out novels they know will never sell an appreciable amount, while teaching a full courseload.
It looks to me like talented people will in fact write because they enjoy it, and because they're happy to get a piece published in a magazine somewhere, or simply to have people read and enjoy their stuff.
You're misreading what I said entirely. Obviously no one is going to pump gas for the love of it. That is why you pay people money to do it. Money is, among other things, a means of getting people to do things that they would not normally be inclined to do.
Intellectual property, on the other hand, is currently a means of artificially supporting industries that currently produce things that have a market value of $0, such as music, which people are generally willing to create for free.
Then again, I have a nostalgia for the patronage system...
DSL and Cable modem penetration are increasing dramatically, and all indications is that they will continue to do so - I don't see bandwidth being a long term problem at all. The 128-quality mp3 is pretty much tradable now. That's below CD quality, but most people don't care enough.
Secondly, I'd point to a company like Red Hat, that manages to stay in business offering a completely free product. How? Because people will pay for extra features, packaging, convenience of not downloading it, better sound quality, etc. In most cases, this won't be enough to live on, but it'll be enough to buy decent equipment. Hell, I know people who have bought high quality equipment while they were in college and graduate school - if it's really what you want to focus on, you can find the money.
As for tours... if you want to do a grueling 2-weeker, most jobs will offer you that much vacation. Yeah, it's not a massive world tour, but bands that can do massive world tours can probably survive, if not make a killing, on people who will buy their music on CD for the quality, who will buy swag, and with promotional and and sponsorship-related income.
And how do you think professional writers got started? By dropping everything and starting to write short stories?
No. They worked other jobs, making ends meet, while they wrote in their spare time. And, typically, they didn't quit these other jobs until they'd made it in writing already. In other words, they produced quality work in their spare time.
You know, I look at the number of people who write stories in their spare time, who have garage bands, and who spend their weekends painting, and somehow, I have trouble sympathizing with people who do it professionally.
To be honest, I think the music industry would be better off if people who only record albums for the money were to stop. A lot less Backstreet Boys and a lot more art.
Have you read Seduction of the Innocent? Or anything about Wertham as a person?