Hey now... I pay $40 to have my oil changed, mostly because it's a pain in the ass to properly dispose of the oil, and I'd have to invest in some jack stands or something to get the car up high enough to change the oil, etc. The convenience is worth it. $50 for a cabin air filter, though? No thanks, I can do it myself in 5 minutes for $10. It's not always that people are unable to do so... I've changed my oil plenty of times. It's just that it's worth it to me to know someone else is responsibly recycling the oil, I don't have to get my hands dirty or waste an hour in the garage, and then find a place to take the oil back. Sure it's more expensive by about $20 every time I have to change it, but it's worth every penny to me.
But I'll also to a lot of my own repairs when I need to. I've changed water pumps and clutches... the difference is, if I don't want to, I don't have to now. That's a far cry from being unable to.
A whole year? Wow. Seriously, do yourself a favor and put Win2K on it. You won't have to refresh the OS for as long as the machine still runs. You're doing a lot of work keeping the machine running just because you're comfortable with the way it is... it can be better. You can have indoor plumbing, you don't have to use an outhouse.
Yet, if they had taken advantage of some of the modern conveniences and services, he might have lived to be even older. If you refuse to even look or pay attention to those benefits, you're as good as a luddite. It works for them, but feudalism "worked" in the middle ages. That doesn't mean that it can't be much better.
Would you say that a site like "RateMyBartender" should also be shut down, because it might make bartenders feel bad? I'd rather have a site out there like RateMyCop, because it provides a place for accountability for the world to see. It's not a behind-closed-doors internal affairs meeting, and there's no reason it should be.
The types of fish we like to eat live in very dangerous waters a lot of the time, as well as very cold waters. A single small accident has huge consequences in cold water fishing. In construction, you just hurt yourself, it takes a little more work to make it deadly;)
It's illegal to pass an officer? Wow... I must be doing things wrong then. I pass them all the time while going the speed limit here in the Denver area. They're often driving a bit under the limit, so I feel fine passing them (usually giggling at all the twits who pile up behind the cop). Never once been pulled over for it. I think it may just be a relatively local "cop culture" thing. Some places, they have an old boy's club and in other places, they're proper public servants and deserve respect. In general... there are still random assholes all over the place;)
The way to combat is is not to create DRM. That only makes annoyed. It's like trying to enact legislation against or beat people who use cloth buttons. The solution is to realize that the data is a non-scarce good. Trying to artificially make it so is only calling the grass purple. The fact remains that it's green. What you monetize on is the time, services and other actually scarce goods. Use the free movies to get people into theaters, where the quality is better. Use the free music to gain listeners who will pay to see your shows or buy things relating to your band. Use your free software to sell your reputation to companies that will hire you to make the software work like they want it to, or to support it. Whatever. The money's there if you want to work for it. What's not there is the gravy train of artificial scarcity. If you want to keep eating, you have to keep working. Imagine that... being just like everyone else.
It may not be a deadly sin, but Dante puts hypocrites at the 8th level of hell, putting it at almost the worst sin in his mind. And people have also quoted the bible, so I won't do that... but suffice it to say that hypocrisy is a very bad thing to most people. Saying you shouldn't steal while taking someone else's money doesn't sit as well with people as if you had just stolen it because you needed/wanted it.
What is it you say, you aren't spending any money reading the comments on slashdot? Shame on you. You should buy a subscription, you leech!
A person may have worked very hard on the song, but the organization worked very hard to screw them over. Artists aren't kids, but they aren't lawyers either. Artists (especially new ones) are taken advantage of more times than not in the contracts.
Also note that music and movies are part of our culture. We want to participate in the culture, but only when we feel there's a fair exchange going on. Just because the media is available for a price does NOT mean that it's a reasonable price. People will pay what they feel is reasonable, when they feel they're getting benefit for their money. Fix DRM, fix asinine "copyright" lawsuits that actually have no basis in copyright law, give people a decent value for their money, and they'll pay you. If you act as if you deserve something simply because you're an artist, or try to artificially limit people's abilities, they will resent you for it. Stop acting as if people are consumers and pockets to take money from, realize that they're customers and people to be catered to, and you'll start succeeding.
Amazing. I never did that when I was a kid. And if you show them that you won't tolerate it in the first place, it'll stop happening. Promise. Kids aren't stupid, they know what works. They know they'll get what they want if they just keep at it, and there is NO DOWNSIDE to them. No punishment that I hear you implementing, no going without, nothing. Try it... hold them accountable, and they'll act accountably.
They probably just didn't write it on the box. Just because it's not written on the specs doesn't mean it's not supported. It's hard to begrudge a company for going all the way and writing a Linux version and then not buy it for simply failing to call it out on the box.
If Apple had enough marketshare to be considered a monopoly and unduly influence the computer market in general, then I might agree with you. As it is, Apple has a very vertical market. If Apple suddenly decides to make Firefox not run, it won't hurt Firefox, it won't hurt computing in general, it will only hurt Apple. If Microsoft decides to do so, it would be nearly a death-knell for the browser, and certainly relegate it to an also-ran. THAT, my friend, is the difference.
See, the problem is when you're used to good controls, the control pad just doesn't do it. I routinely placed in the top 10% in the world in UT when it came out (before botting became all the rage), and have played console shooters from Goldeneye and onward. I tend to do well on the console shooters, but it's still not the same. A controller's lack of multiple precision levels makes for hard gaming. You can move a mouse far or only a little, it's much harder to be precise with a thumbstick.
The problem comes when you have otherwise intelligent scientists trying to reconcile their beliefs with actual science, believing things such as the Grand Canyon being created by Noah's flood. Reaching at straws to justify things. I use that as an example because a friend of mine is a good geologic engineer for an oil company otherwise. I have no idea how he lives with realizing that oil is under the earth, and he knows how to find it, but he still believes the world was created 6000 years ago. The cognitive dissonance must be exhausting...
If I hide a box of money under a park bench, should I be surprised if someone else finds it and takes it? Actually, a better example would be if I made a picture, and hid it there. Should I be surprised and outraged that someone broke my "security" if they call the news crews to come see it?
Security through obscurity is not a valid single source of security. Even squirrels and bluejays know that.
So, you're saying that more patents means that the system is better? I think you're drawing a false analogy.
Patents exist as an aberration to "how things work". Monkeys learn by watching other monkeys do something. They don't patent their doings of things. Patents are supposed to encourage people to do more interesting things, but what they're being used for is basically squatter's rights on vague ideas, and then as a measure to tax anyone that does anything like you've done before. More of those "rights" is nowhere near analogous to having more emails sent. In fact, fewer patents in general would make the system stronger and more dynamic overall, pretty much the exact opposite of what would happen to email.
Except for the fact that you're completely wrong, this is a great comment.
A great UI is NOT defined by how easy it is to learn. It is defined by how easy it is it get shit done with it. For example, it's really easy to learn to ride a tricycle. So why aren't they used more? Because they're not very useful when you want to actually do anything serious. You take the time and learn to ride a bicycle if you want a useful transportation device. Sure, it takes a bit more work, but the payoff is well worth it because you can actually be productive and the limitations of the vehicle don't get int your way of getting the job done like with a tricycle.
...what? I think you don't know what "SMP" stands for. It has nothing to do with big iron vs. consumer kit, and everything to do with the processor configuration. And SSI means nothing unambiguous as far as I can tell, at least in relation to CPU's. Perhaps you can help? The serious SGI kit you reference really only has a difference in the CPU architecture... it should scale just as well on Itanic as well as it does on x86/x86-64.
But I'm probably rising to a troll. Or an idiot. Or both.
Do you know WHY Microsoft settled? It was looking dangerously close that they would lose Windows as a trademark entirely because of how generic it is, so they settled to make sure it didn't go to court. At least that's what I've heard speculated most reliably... I don't think the actual details were released.
Which means that if you're trying to draw parallels here, Mattel is in for a world of hurt.
Hell, forget non-gamers... what about mobile users? I've found that many times it's just the graphics chip in my laptops that are too slow. It'd be great to be able to just pop a new chip in there. Most notebooks don't have upgradeable graphics, and when they do, they still suck.
Slashdot Mirror
Hey now... I pay $40 to have my oil changed, mostly because it's a pain in the ass to properly dispose of the oil, and I'd have to invest in some jack stands or something to get the car up high enough to change the oil, etc. The convenience is worth it. $50 for a cabin air filter, though? No thanks, I can do it myself in 5 minutes for $10. It's not always that people are unable to do so... I've changed my oil plenty of times. It's just that it's worth it to me to know someone else is responsibly recycling the oil, I don't have to get my hands dirty or waste an hour in the garage, and then find a place to take the oil back. Sure it's more expensive by about $20 every time I have to change it, but it's worth every penny to me.
But I'll also to a lot of my own repairs when I need to. I've changed water pumps and clutches... the difference is, if I don't want to, I don't have to now. That's a far cry from being unable to.
A whole year? Wow. Seriously, do yourself a favor and put Win2K on it. You won't have to refresh the OS for as long as the machine still runs. You're doing a lot of work keeping the machine running just because you're comfortable with the way it is... it can be better. You can have indoor plumbing, you don't have to use an outhouse.
Yet, if they had taken advantage of some of the modern conveniences and services, he might have lived to be even older. If you refuse to even look or pay attention to those benefits, you're as good as a luddite. It works for them, but feudalism "worked" in the middle ages. That doesn't mean that it can't be much better.
Would you say that a site like "RateMyBartender" should also be shut down, because it might make bartenders feel bad? I'd rather have a site out there like RateMyCop, because it provides a place for accountability for the world to see. It's not a behind-closed-doors internal affairs meeting, and there's no reason it should be.
The types of fish we like to eat live in very dangerous waters a lot of the time, as well as very cold waters. A single small accident has huge consequences in cold water fishing. In construction, you just hurt yourself, it takes a little more work to make it deadly ;)
It's illegal to pass an officer? Wow... I must be doing things wrong then. I pass them all the time while going the speed limit here in the Denver area. They're often driving a bit under the limit, so I feel fine passing them (usually giggling at all the twits who pile up behind the cop). Never once been pulled over for it. I think it may just be a relatively local "cop culture" thing. Some places, they have an old boy's club and in other places, they're proper public servants and deserve respect. In general... there are still random assholes all over the place ;)
The way to combat is is not to create DRM. That only makes annoyed. It's like trying to enact legislation against or beat people who use cloth buttons. The solution is to realize that the data is a non-scarce good. Trying to artificially make it so is only calling the grass purple. The fact remains that it's green. What you monetize on is the time, services and other actually scarce goods. Use the free movies to get people into theaters, where the quality is better. Use the free music to gain listeners who will pay to see your shows or buy things relating to your band. Use your free software to sell your reputation to companies that will hire you to make the software work like they want it to, or to support it. Whatever. The money's there if you want to work for it. What's not there is the gravy train of artificial scarcity. If you want to keep eating, you have to keep working. Imagine that... being just like everyone else.
It may not be a deadly sin, but Dante puts hypocrites at the 8th level of hell, putting it at almost the worst sin in his mind. And people have also quoted the bible, so I won't do that... but suffice it to say that hypocrisy is a very bad thing to most people. Saying you shouldn't steal while taking someone else's money doesn't sit as well with people as if you had just stolen it because you needed/wanted it.
What is it you say, you aren't spending any money reading the comments on slashdot? Shame on you. You should buy a subscription, you leech!
A person may have worked very hard on the song, but the organization worked very hard to screw them over. Artists aren't kids, but they aren't lawyers either. Artists (especially new ones) are taken advantage of more times than not in the contracts.
Also note that music and movies are part of our culture. We want to participate in the culture, but only when we feel there's a fair exchange going on. Just because the media is available for a price does NOT mean that it's a reasonable price. People will pay what they feel is reasonable, when they feel they're getting benefit for their money. Fix DRM, fix asinine "copyright" lawsuits that actually have no basis in copyright law, give people a decent value for their money, and they'll pay you. If you act as if you deserve something simply because you're an artist, or try to artificially limit people's abilities, they will resent you for it. Stop acting as if people are consumers and pockets to take money from, realize that they're customers and people to be catered to, and you'll start succeeding.
Every try opening a port with a .30-06? You don't have much left to hack...
Amazing. I never did that when I was a kid. And if you show them that you won't tolerate it in the first place, it'll stop happening. Promise. Kids aren't stupid, they know what works. They know they'll get what they want if they just keep at it, and there is NO DOWNSIDE to them. No punishment that I hear you implementing, no going without, nothing. Try it... hold them accountable, and they'll act accountably.
http://store.introversion.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=52
They probably just didn't write it on the box. Just because it's not written on the specs doesn't mean it's not supported. It's hard to begrudge a company for going all the way and writing a Linux version and then not buy it for simply failing to call it out on the box.
If Apple had enough marketshare to be considered a monopoly and unduly influence the computer market in general, then I might agree with you. As it is, Apple has a very vertical market. If Apple suddenly decides to make Firefox not run, it won't hurt Firefox, it won't hurt computing in general, it will only hurt Apple. If Microsoft decides to do so, it would be nearly a death-knell for the browser, and certainly relegate it to an also-ran. THAT, my friend, is the difference.
See, the problem is when you're used to good controls, the control pad just doesn't do it. I routinely placed in the top 10% in the world in UT when it came out (before botting became all the rage), and have played console shooters from Goldeneye and onward. I tend to do well on the console shooters, but it's still not the same. A controller's lack of multiple precision levels makes for hard gaming. You can move a mouse far or only a little, it's much harder to be precise with a thumbstick.
The problem comes when you have otherwise intelligent scientists trying to reconcile their beliefs with actual science, believing things such as the Grand Canyon being created by Noah's flood. Reaching at straws to justify things. I use that as an example because a friend of mine is a good geologic engineer for an oil company otherwise. I have no idea how he lives with realizing that oil is under the earth, and he knows how to find it, but he still believes the world was created 6000 years ago. The cognitive dissonance must be exhausting...
Imagination is inspiration. Not justification.
He didn't say that he worked for EA...
If I hide a box of money under a park bench, should I be surprised if someone else finds it and takes it? Actually, a better example would be if I made a picture, and hid it there. Should I be surprised and outraged that someone broke my "security" if they call the news crews to come see it?
Security through obscurity is not a valid single source of security. Even squirrels and bluejays know that.
Sorry then :) Veiled sarcastic comments are even harder to discern online...
So, you're saying that more patents means that the system is better? I think you're drawing a false analogy.
Patents exist as an aberration to "how things work". Monkeys learn by watching other monkeys do something. They don't patent their doings of things. Patents are supposed to encourage people to do more interesting things, but what they're being used for is basically squatter's rights on vague ideas, and then as a measure to tax anyone that does anything like you've done before. More of those "rights" is nowhere near analogous to having more emails sent. In fact, fewer patents in general would make the system stronger and more dynamic overall, pretty much the exact opposite of what would happen to email.
Except for the fact that you're completely wrong, this is a great comment.
A great UI is NOT defined by how easy it is to learn. It is defined by how easy it is it get shit done with it. For example, it's really easy to learn to ride a tricycle. So why aren't they used more? Because they're not very useful when you want to actually do anything serious. You take the time and learn to ride a bicycle if you want a useful transportation device. Sure, it takes a bit more work, but the payoff is well worth it because you can actually be productive and the limitations of the vehicle don't get int your way of getting the job done like with a tricycle.
Gnome is a tricycle.
...what? I think you don't know what "SMP" stands for. It has nothing to do with big iron vs. consumer kit, and everything to do with the processor configuration. And SSI means nothing unambiguous as far as I can tell, at least in relation to CPU's. Perhaps you can help? The serious SGI kit you reference really only has a difference in the CPU architecture... it should scale just as well on Itanic as well as it does on x86/x86-64.
But I'm probably rising to a troll. Or an idiot. Or both.
Dude... so that means that all that time I spent masturbating is worth an actual monetary amount?
Just because someone spent time on it doesn't make that time automatically worth something.
Do you know WHY Microsoft settled? It was looking dangerously close that they would lose Windows as a trademark entirely because of how generic it is, so they settled to make sure it didn't go to court. At least that's what I've heard speculated most reliably... I don't think the actual details were released.
Which means that if you're trying to draw parallels here, Mattel is in for a world of hurt.
Hell, forget non-gamers... what about mobile users? I've found that many times it's just the graphics chip in my laptops that are too slow. It'd be great to be able to just pop a new chip in there. Most notebooks don't have upgradeable graphics, and when they do, they still suck.