When I was in a band in college, we used to tour with some buddies of ours, and we surprised them on a show on Valentines Day by playing their song, "Valentines Day". We were all guitars, and they were very synth-heavy, so it had a different feel, but they liked it. So much so that a month later, we went to see one of their shows--performing at a club called the Berkeley Square--and for their encore, they covered one of our songs, "Lonesome at the Square". Other than the instrument arrangement, they altered it by singing the final chorus twice; we liked it so much that we included that in our subsequent performances as well.
Of course, we were just a couple of garage bands in the mid-grunge era... hardly the "traditional music industry" you're talking about. But I couldn't resist sharing a memory.
This. I bought my wife a Coach leather purse because the cheap pieces of crap she was buying were falling apart within a few months of her getting them. Coach makes some gaudy, ugly shite, and they also make some simple, classic bags that will look good just about forever. I got her the latter. Some of her friends acted as if she'd gone all bourgeois on them, but the truth is, $200 for one purse that's six years old and still looks new (with a little black shoe polish every once in a while) is way less than $50 a year on some cheap knock-off of "high fashion" would have been.
Well, I guess that remains to be seen, but remember, there's a ceiling on the cost: if they release a new version every five minutes and charge $5 for every +0.001 version release, then the thing to do is join the developer program. I think $99 a year also qualifies as "easy" for any developer who plans on actually releasing product.
My bad. I downloaded version 3 some time back, finally joined the iOS developer program, and then just the other day downloaded version 4 without thinking about it. I forgot that it's $4.99 for non-paying developers. My bad.
Whoops! Since my last download, I joined the developer program. Forgot about the change.
Of course, you realize it's only five bucks to download it if you're not in the program, right? I think five bucks still qualifies as "easy" for most developers.
Like I say, he's a lot of things. I'd agree with megalomaniac, narcissist, monopolist, and *maybe* even thief. But those are on completely different vectors than "idiot". I'd even agree that he may have more luck than genius, but he was able to turn that luck into profits, and you can't be an idiot and have things work out quite so well. You've got to have at least some brains.
I'd suggest that it'd be safe to say he was a profiteer savant who was in the right place at the right time, with the right resources to lead the tech world for a number of years. His take-no-prisoners philosophy served him well right from the start; buying QDOS from Kildall for $25K and licensing it to IBM within hours for a hundred times that was the first of many very profitable moves.
And regarding not finishing college, well, as a profiteer savant, he probably did the calculation very carefully and determined that focusing on Microsoft (or whatever it was called at that time) a few years earlier would put him in a significantly better position to make astronomical amounts of money. Again, not a sign of being an idiot.
...it's funny how much they sound like a Mervyn's holiday sale commercial ("open-open-open-open") when they're comparing themselves to Apple, but it appears that it's not the general philosophy that's different; it's only the specific parameters that appear to be at play here.
Based on my understanding of the ASL, they have every right to do this. But with this and other recent decisions, they need to STFU about being the most open platform around. Who cares how open it is if modifying your installation breaks your contract with your wireless vendor? Who cares how open software is when one vendor controls what's in the "official" distro? And who cares how open something is when, as soon as critical mass is reached, they suddenly decide to withhold some releases?
Personally, I care more about ongoing supportability. I'd like for the "fragmentation" question to be cleared up enough in the developer community that they are more likely to create Android apps simultaneously with their iOS apps. I'd like for hardware vendors to be forced to support at least a few major updates. If they have to stop yelling, "Open!", that's fine with me.
Of course, that being said, "Open" is a welcome addition, but if there's always an asterisk by it, then it's not a reasonable marketing bullet point.
Actually, two of the definitions of 'rape' are correct for that statement. One is to plunder or despoil. The other is to seize or carry off by force. They are indeed archaic definitions and not in common use, but if we're going to be pedantic, let's do it right.
Of course, there's a feedback loop on these sorts of definitions, amirite? One can also say, "John took Joan right then..." and in this case, "taking" clearly has a sexual--and likely forceful, although not necessarily non-consensual--meaning.
I know, right? I was thinking, they could totally make that stack smaller by reducing the font size and spacing of the text. And definitely get rid of hardcover books.
Just dug up my 11c and turned it on and... BOOM! it's got juice. I don't think I've touched it in a decade, except to put it in a moving box and to take it out when I've moved... Time for a trip down memory lane...
Similar story. Dad's an engineer, I needed a calculator when I was getting into trig/calc. He had a couple of old HPs--a 10c and something else that had a paper tape storage/retrieval system--so of course he got me the 11c and taught me the basics of RPN. I still have it--it's in a drawer 10 feet from my main desk in my home office--and its batteries still have juice!
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When I was in a band in college, we used to tour with some buddies of ours, and we surprised them on a show on Valentines Day by playing their song, "Valentines Day". We were all guitars, and they were very synth-heavy, so it had a different feel, but they liked it. So much so that a month later, we went to see one of their shows--performing at a club called the Berkeley Square--and for their encore, they covered one of our songs, "Lonesome at the Square". Other than the instrument arrangement, they altered it by singing the final chorus twice; we liked it so much that we included that in our subsequent performances as well.
Of course, we were just a couple of garage bands in the mid-grunge era... hardly the "traditional music industry" you're talking about. But I couldn't resist sharing a memory.
It's true. And what's more, honey badger don't give a sh*t!
They installed a private ISDN line for his control system. This is well documented at SNPP.com
This. I bought my wife a Coach leather purse because the cheap pieces of crap she was buying were falling apart within a few months of her getting them. Coach makes some gaudy, ugly shite, and they also make some simple, classic bags that will look good just about forever. I got her the latter. Some of her friends acted as if she'd gone all bourgeois on them, but the truth is, $200 for one purse that's six years old and still looks new (with a little black shoe polish every once in a while) is way less than $50 a year on some cheap knock-off of "high fashion" would have been.
Right. This isn't about all the also-rans copying Apple's work at all, is it?
Woah. That was even better than playing Dark Side of the Moon over the Wizard of Oz.
Well, I guess that remains to be seen, but remember, there's a ceiling on the cost: if they release a new version every five minutes and charge $5 for every +0.001 version release, then the thing to do is join the developer program. I think $99 a year also qualifies as "easy" for any developer who plans on actually releasing product.
Yay Sonic Super Powers!
My bad. I downloaded version 3 some time back, finally joined the iOS developer program, and then just the other day downloaded version 4 without thinking about it. I forgot that it's $4.99 for non-paying developers. My bad.
Whoops! Since my last download, I joined the developer program. Forgot about the change.
Of course, you realize it's only five bucks to download it if you're not in the program, right? I think five bucks still qualifies as "easy" for most developers.
XCode 4 includes LLVM and Apple will let you pay for it.
Actually, no. XCode 4 is free. Yes, you need a Mac to run it, but it's a free download for anyone who registers (again, for free) to be a developer.
Like I say, he's a lot of things. I'd agree with megalomaniac, narcissist, monopolist, and *maybe* even thief. But those are on completely different vectors than "idiot". I'd even agree that he may have more luck than genius, but he was able to turn that luck into profits, and you can't be an idiot and have things work out quite so well. You've got to have at least some brains.
I'd suggest that it'd be safe to say he was a profiteer savant who was in the right place at the right time, with the right resources to lead the tech world for a number of years. His take-no-prisoners philosophy served him well right from the start; buying QDOS from Kildall for $25K and licensing it to IBM within hours for a hundred times that was the first of many very profitable moves.
And regarding not finishing college, well, as a profiteer savant, he probably did the calculation very carefully and determined that focusing on Microsoft (or whatever it was called at that time) a few years earlier would put him in a significantly better position to make astronomical amounts of money. Again, not a sign of being an idiot.
Uh, I don't know if you know it, but Apple did release their code recently. It was late, I guess, but they did release it.
No, it always ends up collapsing because power attracts psyhcopaths...such as Hitler and idiots like Bill Gates.
+1 for going Godwin.
-1 for calling Bill Gates an idiot. I'm no fan, and Gates is many things, but an idiot he's not.
...it's funny how much they sound like a Mervyn's holiday sale commercial ("open-open-open-open") when they're comparing themselves to Apple, but it appears that it's not the general philosophy that's different; it's only the specific parameters that appear to be at play here.
Based on my understanding of the ASL, they have every right to do this. But with this and other recent decisions, they need to STFU about being the most open platform around. Who cares how open it is if modifying your installation breaks your contract with your wireless vendor? Who cares how open software is when one vendor controls what's in the "official" distro? And who cares how open something is when, as soon as critical mass is reached, they suddenly decide to withhold some releases?
Personally, I care more about ongoing supportability. I'd like for the "fragmentation" question to be cleared up enough in the developer community that they are more likely to create Android apps simultaneously with their iOS apps. I'd like for hardware vendors to be forced to support at least a few major updates. If they have to stop yelling, "Open!", that's fine with me.
Of course, that being said, "Open" is a welcome addition, but if there's always an asterisk by it, then it's not a reasonable marketing bullet point.
I look forward to your 'Rusty Venture' metaphor.
OK, I'd never heard that term. However, according to the urban dictionary, people are not at all in agreement as to what exactly is involved in an RV.
In Soviet Russia... Oh, I give up.
Actually, two of the definitions of 'rape' are correct for that statement. One is to plunder or despoil. The other is to seize or carry off by force. They are indeed archaic definitions and not in common use, but if we're going to be pedantic, let's do it right.
Of course, there's a feedback loop on these sorts of definitions, amirite? One can also say, "John took Joan right then..." and in this case, "taking" clearly has a sexual--and likely forceful, although not necessarily non-consensual--meaning.
I know, right? I was thinking, they could totally make that stack smaller by reducing the font size and spacing of the text. And definitely get rid of hardcover books.
and then MS made EvenBettererScript, which would be almost, but not completely, unlike the SomeBetterScript
Nice HHGG reference :)
I wonder if there's a HP nostalgia club out there. I just found that I still have my 11c. And it's still got some juice!
Just dug up my 11c and turned it on and... BOOM! it's got juice. I don't think I've touched it in a decade, except to put it in a moving box and to take it out when I've moved... Time for a trip down memory lane...
I feel like I have more work ahead of me each and every day! Does that mean I'm getting younger?
Similar story. Dad's an engineer, I needed a calculator when I was getting into trig/calc. He had a couple of old HPs--a 10c and something else that had a paper tape storage/retrieval system--so of course he got me the 11c and taught me the basics of RPN. I still have it--it's in a drawer 10 feet from my main desk in my home office--and its batteries still have juice!
LOL! Yes, I'm a living anachronism.