was really the whole Performa line of computers. At the time the Performa's were aimed at the home user and overall they were a decent computer. But the flop part was the fact that there were something like 8,000 different versions! (Of course, I am exaggerating, but only by a little bit.)
I remember going to OfficeDepot and looking at the Performas and they along had like six different models with six different model numbers. Something like 6510, 6511, 6512, 6514, 6515, etc. (I know the actual numbers were different. These are to illustrate my point.) There were just very subtle differences between the models but for whatever reason, it warranted a different number. Basically it was a nightmare trying to remember what was the difference between any two numbers. That whole scheme of trying to provide a range of configurations was a flop. Fortunately, Steve undid that and cut down the product line into four basic models. I, for one, welcomed that.
before this item gets added to that crazy iPod/iTMS lawsuit?
Plaintiff: But your honor, Apple is now in collusion with Motorola to extend their monopoly. Not only am I forced to buy an iPod to use iTMS, but now....I have to buy a phone too! Will the insanity never end?
only 39% of Sun employees use Sun OS??? That seems awfully low to me. Granted, I am sure they do use Windows and Linux (at least their version) for various and sunder things around the office but 39%.....there is something very unusual about that.
If you can't preach to the choir there, how are you going to preach to the masses??
By examining the MD5 hash using a sophisticated Fourier schema followed by deconvolution with a bit binary-inequal collision analysis, it is quite obvious I have no freaking clue what this stuff is about.
I am glad somebody does.
To quote the immortal words of Nelson....
on
SCO.com Defaced
·
· Score: 2, Funny
Just the very nature of the programs are the technological embodiment of Jobs and Gates.
iTunes: Steve Jobs is overall a very straightforward guy who values simplicity over all else. Things should just work without a lot of hassle. We can argue all day if iTunes is the best jukebox or not but at least it represents what Jobs wants out of software. Something that does the job well without a whole lot of fuss.
Windows Media Player: Gates has always played catch-up to Steve Jobs. You know deep down he is envious of Jobs. Gates seems like that kid at school who didn't fit in but tried really, really hard by trying to impress everybody with his gadgets and his knowledge. But overall nobody cares.
Gates wants to desperately wave his hand and say "This IS the media player you are looking for! Why, you ask. One, because I said so! Two, because it does everything you could ever want on a computer. It plays music, movies, it slices, it dices, it makes mounds of juliene potatoes. And three, because I said so bitch! (apologies to Rick James)"
It just always comes across that Gates introduces stuff to try impress people by throwing a lot of stuff into products. Unfortunately, more is not necessarily better. Keep trying Bill.
I really have to wonder why it took so long for Adobe to jump on the Linux bandwagon. Sure, everybody and their mother will say that there is the GIMP and I agree, it is a great program and ver powerful. However, that being said, it is no Adobe Photoshop.
In the election spirit, to paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen
"I have used Photoshop. Photoshop is my friend. Mr. GIMP, you are no Photoshop." (Sorry, I couldn't resist)
Seriously, if Adobe moves into Linux with Photoshop and the other heavy hitters from their lineup (e.g., Illustrator) it will do two things. The first is truly and absolutely, positively legitimatize Linux (but honestly, it didn't really need it but this is a true stamp of approval). Second, they will just further extend their lead in the computer graphics market because it would be hard not to believe that a Linux-optimized Photoshop would do well in terms of marketshare. Also, just as important, when does Macromedia jump into the deep end of the Linux pool? They would almost for certain have to make some kind of move.
Sure, it would cannibalize some of their Mac and Windows market, but I feel pretty confident that there is a significant number of people that are waiting for this offering. While we can argue all day about some of Adobe's policies and other doings, I tip my hat to them on this one.
As much as I would like to rub the RIAA face in the dirt with this one, the issue is really much much bigger than just the RIAA. Wal-Mart is a ruthless competitor that rivals, if not surpasses, that ruthless competitor in Redmond. They have such retailing clout that when they make you an offer, you have no choice but to take or suffer the perilous consequences.
Vlasic pickles is one fine example of their ruthlessness. Wal-Mart basically forced Vlasic to make the big size containers with more pickles in them than most humans should eat within a reasonable amount of time. Wal-Mart basically forced a price structure on them too with this giant jar of pickles. As a result, you the consumer have a choice. Pay for the giant jar and end up throwing away the vast majority of the pickles, or buy the more expensive jar in the grocery store. Joe Consumer buys the giant jar with the rockbottom price. As a result, Wal-Mart has now forced Vlasic to cannibalize themselves and they end up having to file bankruptcy.
Wal-Mart has a well-established policy of forcing sellers to sell their products for cheaper prices year after year if the product does not change. Wal-Mart argues that if your product does not change, then production costs level off and you should then be able to bring your product to them for a lower cost. Ever notice how many gazillion different kinds of toothpaste and toothbrushes there are at Wal-Mart? That industry has figured that they cannot afford to not be sold at Wal-Mart but yet they have to maintain a certain price structure. Therefore, they "innovate" with toothpaste and toothbrushes. Now you have cinnamon flavor, cinnamon flavor with whitening, cinnamon flavor with tartar control, cinnamon flavor with whitening and tartar control and so on. This will not stop. What is next? Cinnamon flavor with bladder control???? Wal-Mart forces this "innovation" because of their business tactics.
I could list many more examples and this is to not even mention that it is nearly impossible to actually earn a living working at Wal-Mart. They are basically an American sweatshop except they don't actually produce anything. They just peddle stuff and drive competition away.
So as much as I would like to see the RIAA suffer for their deeds, this issue transcends them.
that somebody at Microsoft is getting an award for this idea. It is just the culture of Microsoft that something this stupid is going on.
Marketing Exec One: Let's try selling our stripped-down, crippled version of Windows to stop piracy and stop this "Linux-thingy" in Russia. Nobody there will know the difference
Marketing Exec Two: Brilliant!
One week later in Redmond at a special award ceremony:
Bill Gates: We hereby award this plaque for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Marketing Excellence (apologies to the Simpsons). Marketing Exec One has devised a brilliant plan to stop piracy and the Linux cancer in Russia. Brilliant!
If SCO had accused IBM of fraud way back when, maybe somebody might have given a rat's ass. But now, honestly, who really cares if IBM committed "fraud" according to SCO.
Hello, SCO, this is the little boy calling...I would like my crying wolf back.
Could Microsoft be considering an Open Source license for Sender ID?
There are rumors of a massive cold front moving towards Hell. Forecasters are predicting temperatures may drop to below 32 degrees F. Stay tuned for more up to date info.
is the fact that Real has already announced that they will lose more money this quarter because of this stunt. (Here is the link to CBS Marketwatch: http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7b 0A42057C-77BB-4F6A-AA44-3BAF401EFEC9%7d&siteid=mkt w&dist=nbs)
Take a look at their stock price today too and see what investors are thinking about this. (see it on the MSNBC link page). While I like the idea of cheaper music, this really smacks of desperation.
The funny thing about the postdoc issue is that it is very much a damned if you do-damned if you don't. In science, if you want a good job, you basically have to have done a postdoc. However, I have known people that have done a postdoc for 5-7 years and then still can't find a job because many will view them with the attitude of "why can't this person get a job after having a postdoc for 5 years".
An unfortunately reality in science, as it is in most of life, is that you have to have connections and you have to have timing on your side. When I was near the end of my postdoc (2 years), the academic job market was good that year. So was the industrial job market. However, two years after that, the academic job market actually shrank as the economy began to wilt and state funding for many schools shrank as well. Timing on my part was critical.
I feel for all those postdocs out there stuck in the rut of that position. I felt it was critical to my development as a scientist but man oh man, there is no way I would ever go back to that.
I hope those in charge of this migration is honest in reporting how the migration goes. I wouldn't expect the migration to go without some hitches somewhere and I hope it is reported what the glitches are. Of course, expect MS to jump all over the problems and say "I told you so!" but overall I hope Munich becomes the standard bearer for a mass migration to Linux.
Basically they should come out and say hey here is how things went, here are the problems and here is how to avoid them. The moral of the story hopefully will be that any large entity can migrate to Linux and get away from the MS lock-in.
Breaking news: the RIAA has appealled to the FCC to help regulate individuals from singing out loud.
An RIAA spokesman, I. M. Prick, has indicated "That people pose a very serious threat to our industry because they are able to reproduce music by vocalization. It appears that if other people hear individuals hear others singing songs illegaly, then they might remember the lyrics, tune and beat and thereby infringe on our copyrights."
As an anonymous poster says below, AAC doesn't have DRM either. It is a layer added by Apple so that they control the specs of the DRM. DRM could easily be added to Ogg Vorbis if someone wanted to do that but I wouldn't count on Apple doing that.
It sure seems that way based on the quote from Darl:
"We're pleased that we are able to repurchase and retire the Series A-1 shares and we believe the agreement will benefit the Company and its shareholders," said Darl McBride, President and CEO, The SCO Group, Inc. "This agreement will eliminate restrictions, covenants, preferences, accruals for dividends, and allow the company greater flexibility to manage key aspects of its strategy moving forward. We believe the net effect of this agreement will allow the company to focus on its strategic initiatives, retain sufficient cash to defend its intellectual property, accomplish its corporate objectives and provide greater flexibility in the management of our operations."
Darl sure tries to put a nice spin on this. The key part is the "retain sufficient cash". Basically, they suckered BayStar and RBC here.
I was a grad student at Vanderbilt in a different department but I had some friends in math that really knew this guy. Needless to say, this guy is brilliant. I don't really know much about his work but honestly, I am surprised it took him as long as it did to do this.
Score another for number theory thanks to this dude.
search the brains of the geniuses who are pushing this bill through. I sure would like to know what they think they are accomplishing by limiting something not widely available and something that people have to opt-in to.
will notice the next time they buy a Chrysler, that their cars seem to be missing items, say like brakes?
Oh, I suspect that Darl and company better not get parts from AutoZone either.
AutoZone salesman: Oh, Mr. McBride, you don't want that kind of brake fluid off the shelf. We have a very special bottle behind the counter right here for you.
Notice that the DRM scheme has changed. You can now burn 7 playlists to CD when it used to be 10. However, the flip side is that you can now authorize 5 computers as opposed to the old scheme of 3.
Not a bad tradeoff in my opinion. I can't remember the last time I played a physical CD. Sure, there are going to be those that complain about not having the CD but really, the idea of digital music is so that you don't have to lug around a CD.
Slashdot Mirror
was really the whole Performa line of computers. At the time the Performa's were aimed at the home user and overall they were a decent computer. But the flop part was the fact that there were something like 8,000 different versions! (Of course, I am exaggerating, but only by a little bit.)
I remember going to OfficeDepot and looking at the Performas and they along had like six different models with six different model numbers. Something like 6510, 6511, 6512, 6514, 6515, etc. (I know the actual numbers were different. These are to illustrate my point.) There were just very subtle differences between the models but for whatever reason, it warranted a different number. Basically it was a nightmare trying to remember what was the difference between any two numbers. That whole scheme of trying to provide a range of configurations was a flop. Fortunately, Steve undid that and cut down the product line into four basic models. I, for one, welcomed that.
before this item gets added to that crazy iPod/iTMS lawsuit?
Plaintiff: But your honor, Apple is now in collusion with Motorola to extend their monopoly. Not only am I forced to buy an iPod to use iTMS, but now....I have to buy a phone too! Will the insanity never end?
only 39% of Sun employees use Sun OS??? That seems awfully low to me. Granted, I am sure they do use Windows and Linux (at least their version) for various and sunder things around the office but 39%.....there is something very unusual about that.
If you can't preach to the choir there, how are you going to preach to the masses??
I, for one, truly do welcome our new spamfighting overlords!
By examining the MD5 hash using a sophisticated Fourier schema followed by deconvolution with a bit binary-inequal collision analysis, it is quite obvious I have no freaking clue what this stuff is about.
I am glad somebody does.
Ha Ha!
Just the very nature of the programs are the technological embodiment of Jobs and Gates.
iTunes: Steve Jobs is overall a very straightforward guy who values simplicity over all else. Things should just work without a lot of hassle. We can argue all day if iTunes is the best jukebox or not but at least it represents what Jobs wants out of software. Something that does the job well without a whole lot of fuss.
Windows Media Player: Gates has always played catch-up to Steve Jobs. You know deep down he is envious of Jobs. Gates seems like that kid at school who didn't fit in but tried really, really hard by trying to impress everybody with his gadgets and his knowledge. But overall nobody cares.
Gates wants to desperately wave his hand and say "This IS the media player you are looking for! Why, you ask. One, because I said so! Two, because it does everything you could ever want on a computer. It plays music, movies, it slices, it dices, it makes mounds of juliene potatoes. And three, because I said so bitch! (apologies to Rick James)"
It just always comes across that Gates introduces stuff to try impress people by throwing a lot of stuff into products. Unfortunately, more is not necessarily better. Keep trying Bill.
I really have to wonder why it took so long for Adobe to jump on the Linux bandwagon. Sure, everybody and their mother will say that there is the GIMP and I agree, it is a great program and ver powerful. However, that being said, it is no Adobe Photoshop.
In the election spirit, to paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen
"I have used Photoshop. Photoshop is my friend. Mr. GIMP, you are no Photoshop." (Sorry, I couldn't resist)
Seriously, if Adobe moves into Linux with Photoshop and the other heavy hitters from their lineup (e.g., Illustrator) it will do two things. The first is truly and absolutely, positively legitimatize Linux (but honestly, it didn't really need it but this is a true stamp of approval). Second, they will just further extend their lead in the computer graphics market because it would be hard not to believe that a Linux-optimized Photoshop would do well in terms of marketshare. Also, just as important, when does Macromedia jump into the deep end of the Linux pool? They would almost for certain have to make some kind of move.
Sure, it would cannibalize some of their Mac and Windows market, but I feel pretty confident that there is a significant number of people that are waiting for this offering. While we can argue all day about some of Adobe's policies and other doings, I tip my hat to them on this one.
Why did Darl McBride cross the road?
Because his code had been misappropriated into the chicken which was now on the other side.
As much as I would like to rub the RIAA face in the dirt with this one, the issue is really much much bigger than just the RIAA. Wal-Mart is a ruthless competitor that rivals, if not surpasses, that ruthless competitor in Redmond. They have such retailing clout that when they make you an offer, you have no choice but to take or suffer the perilous consequences.
Vlasic pickles is one fine example of their ruthlessness. Wal-Mart basically forced Vlasic to make the big size containers with more pickles in them than most humans should eat within a reasonable amount of time. Wal-Mart basically forced a price structure on them too with this giant jar of pickles. As a result, you the consumer have a choice. Pay for the giant jar and end up throwing away the vast majority of the pickles, or buy the more expensive jar in the grocery store. Joe Consumer buys the giant jar with the rockbottom price. As a result, Wal-Mart has now forced Vlasic to cannibalize themselves and they end up having to file bankruptcy.
Wal-Mart has a well-established policy of forcing sellers to sell their products for cheaper prices year after year if the product does not change. Wal-Mart argues that if your product does not change, then production costs level off and you should then be able to bring your product to them for a lower cost. Ever notice how many gazillion different kinds of toothpaste and toothbrushes there are at Wal-Mart? That industry has figured that they cannot afford to not be sold at Wal-Mart but yet they have to maintain a certain price structure. Therefore, they "innovate" with toothpaste and toothbrushes. Now you have cinnamon flavor, cinnamon flavor with whitening, cinnamon flavor with tartar control, cinnamon flavor with whitening and tartar control and so on. This will not stop. What is next? Cinnamon flavor with bladder control???? Wal-Mart forces this "innovation" because of their business tactics.
I could list many more examples and this is to not even mention that it is nearly impossible to actually earn a living working at Wal-Mart. They are basically an American sweatshop except they don't actually produce anything. They just peddle stuff and drive competition away.
So as much as I would like to see the RIAA suffer for their deeds, this issue transcends them.
that somebody at Microsoft is getting an award for this idea. It is just the culture of Microsoft that something this stupid is going on.
Marketing Exec One: Let's try selling our stripped-down, crippled version of Windows to stop piracy and stop this "Linux-thingy" in Russia. Nobody there will know the difference
Marketing Exec Two: Brilliant!
One week later in Redmond at a special award ceremony:
Bill Gates: We hereby award this plaque for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Marketing Excellence (apologies to the Simpsons). Marketing Exec One has devised a brilliant plan to stop piracy and the Linux cancer in Russia. Brilliant!
And so life goes on in Redmond.
If SCO had accused IBM of fraud way back when, maybe somebody might have given a rat's ass. But now, honestly, who really cares if IBM committed "fraud" according to SCO.
Hello, SCO, this is the little boy calling...I would like my crying wolf back.
Could Microsoft be considering an Open Source license for Sender ID?
There are rumors of a massive cold front moving towards Hell. Forecasters are predicting temperatures may drop to below 32 degrees F. Stay tuned for more up to date info.
is the fact that Real has already announced that they will lose more money this quarter because of this stunt. (Here is the link to CBS Marketwatch: http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7b 0A42057C-77BB-4F6A-AA44-3BAF401EFEC9%7d&siteid=mkt w&dist=nbs)
Take a look at their stock price today too and see what investors are thinking about this. (see it on the MSNBC link page). While I like the idea of cheaper music, this really smacks of desperation.
The funny thing about the postdoc issue is that it is very much a damned if you do-damned if you don't. In science, if you want a good job, you basically have to have done a postdoc. However, I have known people that have done a postdoc for 5-7 years and then still can't find a job because many will view them with the attitude of "why can't this person get a job after having a postdoc for 5 years".
An unfortunately reality in science, as it is in most of life, is that you have to have connections and you have to have timing on your side. When I was near the end of my postdoc (2 years), the academic job market was good that year. So was the industrial job market. However, two years after that, the academic job market actually shrank as the economy began to wilt and state funding for many schools shrank as well. Timing on my part was critical.
I feel for all those postdocs out there stuck in the rut of that position. I felt it was critical to my development as a scientist but man oh man, there is no way I would ever go back to that.
I hope those in charge of this migration is honest in reporting how the migration goes. I wouldn't expect the migration to go without some hitches somewhere and I hope it is reported what the glitches are. Of course, expect MS to jump all over the problems and say "I told you so!" but overall I hope Munich becomes the standard bearer for a mass migration to Linux.
Basically they should come out and say hey here is how things went, here are the problems and here is how to avoid them. The moral of the story hopefully will be that any large entity can migrate to Linux and get away from the MS lock-in.
Breaking news: the RIAA has appealled to the FCC to help regulate individuals from singing out loud.
An RIAA spokesman, I. M. Prick, has indicated "That people pose a very serious threat to our industry because they are able to reproduce music by vocalization. It appears that if other people hear individuals hear others singing songs illegaly, then they might remember the lyrics, tune and beat and thereby infringe on our copyrights."
As an anonymous poster says below, AAC doesn't have DRM either. It is a layer added by Apple so that they control the specs of the DRM. DRM could easily be added to Ogg Vorbis if someone wanted to do that but I wouldn't count on Apple doing that.
It sure seems that way based on the quote from Darl:
"We're pleased that we are able to repurchase and retire the Series A-1 shares and we believe the agreement will benefit the Company and its shareholders," said Darl McBride, President and CEO, The SCO Group, Inc. "This agreement will eliminate restrictions, covenants, preferences, accruals for dividends, and allow the company greater flexibility to manage key aspects of its strategy moving forward. We believe the net effect of this agreement will allow the company to focus on its strategic initiatives, retain sufficient cash to defend its intellectual property, accomplish its corporate objectives and provide greater flexibility in the management of our operations."
Darl sure tries to put a nice spin on this. The key part is the "retain sufficient cash". Basically, they suckered BayStar and RBC here.
I was a grad student at Vanderbilt in a different department but I had some friends in math that really knew this guy. Needless to say, this guy is brilliant. I don't really know much about his work but honestly, I am surprised it took him as long as it did to do this.
Score another for number theory thanks to this dude.
search the brains of the geniuses who are pushing this bill through. I sure would like to know what they think they are accomplishing by limiting something not widely available and something that people have to opt-in to.
he goes to a jail where his cellmate is named Bubba or Leroy or something like and that his cellmate thinks he has a "real purty mouth".
Then justice will be done!
go get my robot insurance policy renewed!
will notice the next time they buy a Chrysler, that their cars seem to be missing items, say like brakes?
Oh, I suspect that Darl and company better not get parts from AutoZone either.
AutoZone salesman: Oh, Mr. McBride, you don't want that kind of brake fluid off the shelf. We have a very special bottle behind the counter right here for you.
Notice that the DRM scheme has changed. You can now burn 7 playlists to CD when it used to be 10. However, the flip side is that you can now authorize 5 computers as opposed to the old scheme of 3.
Not a bad tradeoff in my opinion. I can't remember the last time I played a physical CD. Sure, there are going to be those that complain about not having the CD but really, the idea of digital music is so that you don't have to lug around a CD.