If the applications people want are available on Windows, they will tend to stick with Windows...by porting software to Windows, we eliminate the majority of the competitive advantage of Free Software desktops in the eyes of the overwhelming majority of consumers while Microsoft has all the rope they need to shut the door once again on us...
While that is one side of thinking of the issue, I tend to think about it the other way around. By showing the Windows world what the free software world has to offer, Windows users may be enticed to try other operating systems.
It's better told through example. Find a Photoshop user (for the sake of sanity, let's assume it's someone who uses Photoshop for moderate to hard-core work, not the kiddies with their warezed versions who apply garish filters to anything they can find). Are you going to convince them to use GIMP? No chance, unless you can show them very clearly what GIMP's capable of. And since they can't use Photoshop on free OSes (WINE excluded), they aren't going to know what GIMP can do unless it's on their OS of choice, and thus will never see any reason to switch to a free OS.
Perhaps the better answer would be to port more Windows apps to free OSes. Which, of course, is another problem in and of itself, as most software vendors are not willing to release anything outside of Windows and Windows's API isn't exactly portable the same way, say, GTK+ and Qt are.
Another anti-trust lawsuit? Say it ain't so! After the devestating changes the company had to endure after the first U.S. anti-trust trial, another one would surely destroy them!
Those of us who aren't lucky enough to have such a relationship with Microsoft may find ourselves at greater risk than premium customers as a result.
Meaning those of us who aren't premium customers will have a greater risk of getting hit by auto-propogating worms, meaning they'll attempt to auto-propogate themselves everywhere once infected, meaning they'll drain the bandwidth of the premium customers anyway, meaning... wait...
No, seriously. Geese are vicious, territorial birds who will readily attack anyone who gets near them. My grandfather used to deliver milk and always had problems with farms where geese took up residence.
Get a goose trained to accept your presence and have your home as its territory, and you'll have a fairly good deterrant to anyone robbing you. Moreso if said goose manages to attract a small flock.
Cute press release. I'm waiting for the press release stating their equally enticing terms of service. Like stating you can't host any sorts of servers, they'll cut you off if you're downloading too much, all your privacy are belong to Verizon, etc...
In this case, I take the cynical point of view that, for the power user or system administrator (so, most of the reading audience at Slashdot), it'll turn out to be little more than a speed benchmark. I'd rather hear what you're allowed to do with this line rather than just a speed and cost figure.
I will admit, I started toying with Linux due to a severe disdain for Microsoft's business practices and the general instability of Windows. I wanted something different. Of course, that was five or six years ago. It'd be a pretty weak argument now if that was the sole reason I continued to use Linux today.
As I kept toying around with it, a lot of thing stood out from Windows. The interoperability of programs via things like pipes, redirectors, etc. "Common" tools like grep, less, etc that could be called on many things via pipes or passing files through them. Fairly basic syntax for many programs, and manpages for nearly anything I needed more help with. Tons of people I could ask for help if the manpages weren't enough.
From a programming standpoint, the fact that any hardware could be addressed through a normal file was a major plus. The ease of installing new libraries and having them fit into the system was also handy. And the fact that I could quickly compile C/C++ code with one command-line tool was quite welcome.
I'm also keen to the fact that, for the most part, I can directly tell Linux what to do, and it will do it. I've gone through numerous terrible experiences with Windows trying to get it to properly recognize new hardware, only to have it continuously demand driver disks or misidentify hardware entirely. I've had Windows (or various misbehaving programs I never said to install) muck about my system for no particular reason, changing settings and doing things without letting me know about it. Under Linux, I have to fairly well explicitly tell it to do everything, but at least I know what's going on.
Now, I still do have a Windows box around for a few reasons (read: Games), but I much prefer using Linux.
(Note that all of the above would most likely also apply to BSD or other things if I had another spare box on which I could toy with them)
Say, that does remind me... On a slight tangent, would it be a bad idea for Apple to keep the same $0.99/track and $9.99/CD rates for things from CDbaby or other independent labels or distributers and just jack the prices for the major labels? I mean, I'm fairly certain it's not CDbaby that's complaining about the prices...
Then again, it probably would be a bad idea. The major labels would get a fair bit upset, and I'd imagine they'd pull out if the small labels had a fair chance and lower prices in the same shop they're sold in.
Which, and I swear I didn't plan this, comes back to your point of Apple partnering with lesser-known labels and promoting them. While I think it'd be a great idea, I don't think the major record companies would stand for it, and iTMS would lose quite a bit of their artists and ultimately customers.
Wait, wait... they're moving towards using PNG images in their skins? Does this mean Microsoft is FINALLY recognizing the PNG image format? Does this mean that maybe, just maybe, we'll finally see proper PNG support (i.e. alpha layers) in their web browser and website designers won't have to cripple their websites to support the lowest common denominator? (ignoring for a second other things IE doesn't support right now)
I'm just saying, is all. That possibility intrigues me. Not that my web design skills are hot enough to really employ it, but...
So, let me get this straight... They want to patent something they don't use (I don't recall seeing a virtual desktop pager in WinXP's default shell), that's been used for maybe a decade or two before in competing products, that can be emulated with some pain via programs like LiteStep (some Windows programs just plain and simply were not meant to exist in a virtual destop environment), and that they never seemed to want anything to do with?
I'm just sayin', is all. Just trying to make sure I've got most of the facts straight.
So, what, is this our generation's "When I was YOUR age" event?
Previous: "When I was YOUR age, sonny, we used to go outside and play baseball out by the sandlot! Not all this TV watching crap you kids today do..."
Today: "When I was YOUR age, sonny, we used to watch TV all day on the couch! Not all this new-fangled 'internet' crap you kids today do..."
Future: "When I was YOUR age, sonny, we used to log onto the internet all the time on the computer! Not this new-fangled starship crap you kids today do..."
This is among the many reasons I like to hang out in arcades, and why I mourn the seemingly inevitable death of the arcade in general (I'm certain there were articles on it before, but I'm too lazy to check). For almost any game in an arcade, you've got your opponent(s) standing right next to you. It's obvious to see if they're cheating or not (Whenever it's actually possible to cheat on an arcade box), and if they are, you have the easy ability to punch them in the face.
Well, okay, maybe not quite that, but you get the idea. You're live right next to the people, so they're far less likely to cheat.
You can keep your online games with your cheaters and the like. I much prefer arcades and other manners of live interaction with your opponents.
Okay... that got real preachy near the end. Whoops. Sorry.
It still amuses me how the entertainment industry thinks it's the government's problem (By enacting and enforcing laws) that the entertainment industry is too slow to keep up with changing technologies...
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Effective immediately, we have placed and won numerous bids using the credit card information we have on your file. You shall be billed for them within the month. We hope you enjoy using eBay!
Sure, that's not too far off... I recall for a project in my Freshman year of High School, I put a twist on the ol' "Running a hamster through a maze" shtick by installing Doom on a computer or two, making a small level, and running humans through a maze...
So they're wondering why they need the WinNT source code to port IE?
Gee, there's a quote from everyone's favorite software company that I seem to recall right around now... doesn't it go something like "Windows and IE are inseperable", or something like that?
Or maybe I've been watching too many court cases lately, but I just can't seem to shake this image of some software company insisting this to defend themselves in court...
Two basic points I'd like to mention (And I'll prolly be shot down hard because they were mentioned before)...
1. Exactly when was the last time we cared much for the Oscars? 2. What's the problem with adding another category to awards such as the Webbys... or maybe an entirely new award system altogether for web-screened movies?
On my little Linux box, I've got a small Logitech FirstMouse that works perfectly. Small, simple, and comfortable, it is. Three buttons and everything.
So... that's what I'd reccommend. I went for price in this case (My Linux machine is just my little experimentation machine for right now).
Hey, as much as everyone keeps calling it a "paperless" world (God, I hate that phrase), paper manuals are still a must. I always tear into a box o' software and read through the manual before the CD ever gets acquainted with my computer.
Besides, paper doesn't crash, it loads instantly, and you can hide silly bits in it a lot easier than you can on a computer screen. Keep the paper manuals.
I sure hope this goes over a little better than it seems to be going here in the 'States... all we're prolly going to get outta Microsoft is the pathetic "Breaking them up" crap that'll last until somebody forgets about it. Maybe in Europe, they'll find out that they're a monopoly, and they'll have the guts to actually do something worthwhile against 'em. Maybe justice will have better luck against money this time...
It should be odd enough that this whole thing isn't mainstream news by now.
(Someone check my acronyms on this, I'm not sure who's attacking the internet anymore nowadays...)
Think about it: Why didn't the DVDCCA start taking up this whole issue on the whole from the get-go? If they would have gotten the preemptive strike, the Cult of the Media and it's followers would worship it's new tomes of information like the Bible, or the Koran, or whatnot, as it always does. First to news gets the followers.
Instead, they tried to keep it under wraps, it seems. Does this tell anyone else something? I can only see it as the DVDCCA isn't serious about this. How could they be? Their war cry of "Piracy! Piracy! Piracy!" doesn't seem to be reaching outside the internet community.
But now, here comes the Motley Fool, a reasonably respectable money news source. People read this stuff from time to time. They're pointing out the idocy of this whole mess. That's the first kind of media attention I've seen this whole fiasco get at all.
Guess what? It seems like we got the preemptive strike. Now doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?
Slashdot Mirror
If the applications people want are available on Windows, they will tend to stick with Windows...by porting software to Windows, we eliminate the majority of the competitive advantage of Free Software desktops in the eyes of the overwhelming majority of consumers while Microsoft has all the rope they need to shut the door once again on us ...
While that is one side of thinking of the issue, I tend to think about it the other way around. By showing the Windows world what the free software world has to offer, Windows users may be enticed to try other operating systems.
It's better told through example. Find a Photoshop user (for the sake of sanity, let's assume it's someone who uses Photoshop for moderate to hard-core work, not the kiddies with their warezed versions who apply garish filters to anything they can find). Are you going to convince them to use GIMP? No chance, unless you can show them very clearly what GIMP's capable of. And since they can't use Photoshop on free OSes (WINE excluded), they aren't going to know what GIMP can do unless it's on their OS of choice, and thus will never see any reason to switch to a free OS.
Perhaps the better answer would be to port more Windows apps to free OSes. Which, of course, is another problem in and of itself, as most software vendors are not willing to release anything outside of Windows and Windows's API isn't exactly portable the same way, say, GTK+ and Qt are.
Just my opinion.
Complete with a brand new booched bug for the brand new apothecary puzzle, too! Arr!
Another anti-trust lawsuit? Say it ain't so! After the devestating changes the company had to endure after the first U.S. anti-trust trial, another one would surely destroy them!
Those of us who aren't lucky enough to have such a relationship with Microsoft may find ourselves at greater risk than premium customers as a result.
Meaning those of us who aren't premium customers will have a greater risk of getting hit by auto-propogating worms, meaning they'll attempt to auto-propogate themselves everywhere once infected, meaning they'll drain the bandwidth of the premium customers anyway, meaning... wait...
No, seriously. Geese are vicious, territorial birds who will readily attack anyone who gets near them. My grandfather used to deliver milk and always had problems with farms where geese took up residence.
Get a goose trained to accept your presence and have your home as its territory, and you'll have a fairly good deterrant to anyone robbing you. Moreso if said goose manages to attract a small flock.
Hollenshead also notes that an as yet unidentified developer with 'a name that people recognize' has licensed the Doom 3 engine.
You mean Will Wright's licensed it for the next SimCity game? Sweet!
Cute press release. I'm waiting for the press release stating their equally enticing terms of service. Like stating you can't host any sorts of servers, they'll cut you off if you're downloading too much, all your privacy are belong to Verizon, etc...
In this case, I take the cynical point of view that, for the power user or system administrator (so, most of the reading audience at Slashdot), it'll turn out to be little more than a speed benchmark. I'd rather hear what you're allowed to do with this line rather than just a speed and cost figure.
I will admit, I started toying with Linux due to a severe disdain for Microsoft's business practices and the general instability of Windows. I wanted something different. Of course, that was five or six years ago. It'd be a pretty weak argument now if that was the sole reason I continued to use Linux today.
As I kept toying around with it, a lot of thing stood out from Windows. The interoperability of programs via things like pipes, redirectors, etc. "Common" tools like grep, less, etc that could be called on many things via pipes or passing files through them. Fairly basic syntax for many programs, and manpages for nearly anything I needed more help with. Tons of people I could ask for help if the manpages weren't enough.
From a programming standpoint, the fact that any hardware could be addressed through a normal file was a major plus. The ease of installing new libraries and having them fit into the system was also handy. And the fact that I could quickly compile C/C++ code with one command-line tool was quite welcome.
I'm also keen to the fact that, for the most part, I can directly tell Linux what to do, and it will do it. I've gone through numerous terrible experiences with Windows trying to get it to properly recognize new hardware, only to have it continuously demand driver disks or misidentify hardware entirely. I've had Windows (or various misbehaving programs I never said to install) muck about my system for no particular reason, changing settings and doing things without letting me know about it. Under Linux, I have to fairly well explicitly tell it to do everything, but at least I know what's going on.
Now, I still do have a Windows box around for a few reasons (read: Games), but I much prefer using Linux.
(Note that all of the above would most likely also apply to BSD or other things if I had another spare box on which I could toy with them)
[...]as it was really meant to be seen, as a serious anti-nuke picture, not just Saturday afternoon UHF fodder.
But I LIKE Saturday afternoon UHF fodder, you insensitive clods!
Say, that does remind me... On a slight tangent, would it be a bad idea for Apple to keep the same $0.99/track and $9.99/CD rates for things from CDbaby or other independent labels or distributers and just jack the prices for the major labels? I mean, I'm fairly certain it's not CDbaby that's complaining about the prices...
Then again, it probably would be a bad idea. The major labels would get a fair bit upset, and I'd imagine they'd pull out if the small labels had a fair chance and lower prices in the same shop they're sold in.
Which, and I swear I didn't plan this, comes back to your point of Apple partnering with lesser-known labels and promoting them. While I think it'd be a great idea, I don't think the major record companies would stand for it, and iTMS would lose quite a bit of their artists and ultimately customers.
Wait, wait... they're moving towards using PNG images in their skins? Does this mean Microsoft is FINALLY recognizing the PNG image format? Does this mean that maybe, just maybe, we'll finally see proper PNG support (i.e. alpha layers) in their web browser and website designers won't have to cripple their websites to support the lowest common denominator? (ignoring for a second other things IE doesn't support right now)
I'm just saying, is all. That possibility intrigues me. Not that my web design skills are hot enough to really employ it, but...
So, let me get this straight... They want to patent something they don't use (I don't recall seeing a virtual desktop pager in WinXP's default shell), that's been used for maybe a decade or two before in competing products, that can be emulated with some pain via programs like LiteStep (some Windows programs just plain and simply were not meant to exist in a virtual destop environment), and that they never seemed to want anything to do with?
I'm just sayin', is all. Just trying to make sure I've got most of the facts straight.
So, what, is this our generation's "When I was YOUR age" event?
Previous: "When I was YOUR age, sonny, we used to go outside and play baseball out by the sandlot! Not all this TV watching crap you kids today do..."
Today: "When I was YOUR age, sonny, we used to watch TV all day on the couch! Not all this new-fangled 'internet' crap you kids today do..."
Future: "When I was YOUR age, sonny, we used to log onto the internet all the time on the computer! Not this new-fangled starship crap you kids today do..."
This is among the many reasons I like to hang out in arcades, and why I mourn the seemingly inevitable death of the arcade in general (I'm certain there were articles on it before, but I'm too lazy to check). For almost any game in an arcade, you've got your opponent(s) standing right next to you. It's obvious to see if they're cheating or not (Whenever it's actually possible to cheat on an arcade box), and if they are, you have the easy ability to punch them in the face.
Well, okay, maybe not quite that, but you get the idea. You're live right next to the people, so they're far less likely to cheat.
You can keep your online games with your cheaters and the like. I much prefer arcades and other manners of live interaction with your opponents.
Okay... that got real preachy near the end. Whoops. Sorry.
It still amuses me how the entertainment industry thinks it's the government's problem (By enacting and enforcing laws) that the entertainment industry is too slow to keep up with changing technologies...
------------
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Our service allows netizens to bid for various items via auction. This allows them to buy rare items if they place a bid higher than other users' bids. Unfortunately, we have noticed that you have not placed a bid in the past few weeks.
Effective immediately, we have placed and won numerous bids using the credit card information we have on your file. You shall be billed for them within the month. We hope you enjoy using eBay!
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------------
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Gee, there's a quote from everyone's favorite software company that I seem to recall right around now... doesn't it go something like "Windows and IE are inseperable", or something like that?
Or maybe I've been watching too many court cases lately, but I just can't seem to shake this image of some software company insisting this to defend themselves in court...
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1. Exactly when was the last time we cared much for the Oscars?
2. What's the problem with adding another category to awards such as the Webbys... or maybe an entirely new award system altogether for web-screened movies?
Just my 4.13076 Pfennigs...
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So... that's what I'd reccommend. I went for price in this case (My Linux machine is just my little experimentation machine for right now).
------------
Besides, paper doesn't crash, it loads instantly, and you can hide silly bits in it a lot easier than you can on a computer screen. Keep the paper manuals.
------------
Maybe...
------------
(Someone check my acronyms on this, I'm not sure who's attacking the internet anymore nowadays...)
Think about it: Why didn't the DVDCCA start taking up this whole issue on the whole from the get-go? If they would have gotten the preemptive strike, the Cult of the Media and it's followers would worship it's new tomes of information like the Bible, or the Koran, or whatnot, as it always does. First to news gets the followers.
Instead, they tried to keep it under wraps, it seems. Does this tell anyone else something? I can only see it as the DVDCCA isn't serious about this. How could they be? Their war cry of "Piracy! Piracy! Piracy!" doesn't seem to be reaching outside the internet community.
But now, here comes the Motley Fool, a reasonably respectable money news source. People read this stuff from time to time. They're pointing out the idocy of this whole mess. That's the first kind of media attention I've seen this whole fiasco get at all.
Guess what? It seems like we got the preemptive strike. Now doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?
------------