I love my iPhone, I wouldn't trade it. But my biggest problem is not the software the phone runs (or doesn't run), its being locked in to using iTunes. I hate it, I want to use something else, but Apple has locked me out. Don't want me to run stuff on the phone because the network (ATT) does not want to support it? I almost understand that. Don't want me to run software you haven't checked to make sure the user experience it up to par? Really? Don't want me to use software of my choice to allow two pieces of hardware I own to interact with each other (PC to iPhone)? That's pretty evil.
That was only the first of many companies that will vote with its feet. You can't propose enormous increases in taxation without consequences. Besides, businesses don't pay tax. Never have and never will, its just a pass through. Oh I know about all the demand curve arguments, quantity demanded is simply lower (because price is higher) and the tax companies actually pay is a function of how inelastic the demand curve is. The more inelastic the more of the tax they can pass through.
But think about it. 1) Every dollar in tax paid by a company came from a consumer ultimately. 2) If the company is unable to fully pass through the price increase necessary to compensate for the tax increase and quantity demand decreases, who takes it in the neck? That's right, costs must be cut and that usually means layoffs. So a large group of consumers are going to bear the tax in the form of price increases or a small group will bear the tax in the form of layoffs.
So to this case, either Ballmer finds a way to avoid what is effectively a tax increase, or his customers and employees will pay it.
AvantGo was one of the first things I killed on any of the Treos I used to have. Junkware of the first order. Now they are even worse: SMS advertising and content? Who is dying, I mean just waiting for the hour they can start getting text ads and content?
We already have a ubiquitous, real time conversation tool that allows us to communicate simultaneously with multiple people in a "team". We can use it just about anywhere, any time and get to just about anybody. Its called a phone, its already in your pocket.
I am amazed by my 19 year old college student son. I ask him, "Did you talk to ?" The answer is always that he had an extended conversation, but it was by text or FaceBook. What gives? I find you can accomplish more, in a more nuanced manner, in a 2 minute phone conversation, than in 20 minutes of texting, emailing or waveing.
Just remember if you argue that dog breeds are different species, especially the case of the mastiff and chihuahua, or the teacup yorkie and newfoundland, these different species are verifiably the result of intelligent design. Selection was involved, but not natural selection.
...or most notable "vicitm" of book piracy. In the 19th century, Americans waited dockside for copies of popular English books to arrive and an American edition would be published within hours with no royalties paid to the author. An excellent example of this was the 1823 release of Sir Walter Scott's Peveril of the Peak. The reverse also happened to Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, when 1.5 million copies appeared overnight in England at 6p each without any payment to Stowe.
In consequence, Sir Scott and Ms. Stowe are household names, while you, alas, are not.
Somehow the world, literature, culture and commerce survived literary piracy in the past. Not only survived, but the output from that time to this has increased exponentially. I'm sure we'll figure out how to get by this time too.
the problem is Human Nature. Where ever power accumulates, money and people seeking influence will gravitate there. The more power we give government over our lives, the more people and companies will have to try and influence government. If government had no power (not practical I know) no one would try and influence government officials or curry favor with them. If government is all powerful people and companies would be fools not to try and influence it in their favor by any means available.
Governments can issue monopolies (in the form of patents) that can make or break a business. What actions would you expect a business to take?
You can no more get rid of this tendency by passing campaign finance laws than you can by outlawing gravity. Where there is power, people will find a way to influence the holders of power. If you want to lessen government corruption, lessen its power.
Here's the Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon-Ehrlich_wager
The problem back then was supposed to be population which would drive the cost of scarce materials up. But lo and behold, despite a decade with the largest population growth in history, the prices went down.
I'd bet anyone the same with regard to indium or any other metal. Not only will we not run out in 10 years, but the price will be lower.
Create an Open or Unlimited category where all manner of doping is legal and an Pure category. Let athletes decide which to participate in fans which to watch. My bet is the Pure category dies in 2-3 years from lack of interest.
The Ancient Greeks would not have understood our aversion to doing whatever it takes to win.
Blessed be technology.
As another post noted, the current business model for making money off of music (making recordings and selling them) only came into existence a little over 100 years ago with the invention of the phonograph. Prior to this invention there was no "right" to be able to sell recordings (the technology to make them did not exist). Now technology has changed. Everyone/anyone can make recordings easily and distribute them instantly to a large potential audience. The technology that enabled the business model has been supplanted and the business model must change.
Recording companies now no longer have a reason to exist, anybody can make a high quality recording. Artists need to find other ways to make money than selling recordings, like they did for the 8 or 9 thousand years prior to the phonograph. What we do not need is to have a right to make money the old fashioned way encoded into law. This should be abhorrent to both those who value personal freedoms and those who value the decision making and resource allocation power of free markets.
Thunderbird also needs more robust address handling, and the ability to sync with palm and other handhelds before it can adequately compete with Outlook.
Slashdot Mirror
I love my iPhone, I wouldn't trade it. But my biggest problem is not the software the phone runs (or doesn't run), its being locked in to using iTunes. I hate it, I want to use something else, but Apple has locked me out. Don't want me to run stuff on the phone because the network (ATT) does not want to support it? I almost understand that. Don't want me to run software you haven't checked to make sure the user experience it up to par? Really? Don't want me to use software of my choice to allow two pieces of hardware I own to interact with each other (PC to iPhone)? That's pretty evil.
That was only the first of many companies that will vote with its feet. You can't propose enormous increases in taxation without consequences. Besides, businesses don't pay tax. Never have and never will, its just a pass through. Oh I know about all the demand curve arguments, quantity demanded is simply lower (because price is higher) and the tax companies actually pay is a function of how inelastic the demand curve is. The more inelastic the more of the tax they can pass through.
But think about it. 1) Every dollar in tax paid by a company came from a consumer ultimately. 2) If the company is unable to fully pass through the price increase necessary to compensate for the tax increase and quantity demand decreases, who takes it in the neck? That's right, costs must be cut and that usually means layoffs. So a large group of consumers are going to bear the tax in the form of price increases or a small group will bear the tax in the form of layoffs.
So to this case, either Ballmer finds a way to avoid what is effectively a tax increase, or his customers and employees will pay it.
That was certainly my first thought. Its not about pirates, its about Linux (and BSD et al too).
AvantGo was one of the first things I killed on any of the Treos I used to have. Junkware of the first order. Now they are even worse: SMS advertising and content? Who is dying, I mean just waiting for the hour they can start getting text ads and content?
We already have a ubiquitous, real time conversation tool that allows us to communicate simultaneously with multiple people in a "team". We can use it just about anywhere, any time and get to just about anybody. Its called a phone, its already in your pocket. I am amazed by my 19 year old college student son. I ask him, "Did you talk to ?" The answer is always that he had an extended conversation, but it was by text or FaceBook. What gives? I find you can accomplish more, in a more nuanced manner, in a 2 minute phone conversation, than in 20 minutes of texting, emailing or waveing.
Just remember if you argue that dog breeds are different species, especially the case of the mastiff and chihuahua, or the teacup yorkie and newfoundland, these different species are verifiably the result of intelligent design. Selection was involved, but not natural selection.
...or most notable "vicitm" of book piracy. In the 19th century, Americans waited dockside for copies of popular English books to arrive and an American edition would be published within hours with no royalties paid to the author. An excellent example of this was the 1823 release of Sir Walter Scott's Peveril of the Peak. The reverse also happened to Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, when 1.5 million copies appeared overnight in England at 6p each without any payment to Stowe. In consequence, Sir Scott and Ms. Stowe are household names, while you, alas, are not. Somehow the world, literature, culture and commerce survived literary piracy in the past. Not only survived, but the output from that time to this has increased exponentially. I'm sure we'll figure out how to get by this time too.
...between putting language in a license and collecting money for your work.
the problem is Human Nature. Where ever power accumulates, money and people seeking influence will gravitate there. The more power we give government over our lives, the more people and companies will have to try and influence government. If government had no power (not practical I know) no one would try and influence government officials or curry favor with them. If government is all powerful people and companies would be fools not to try and influence it in their favor by any means available. Governments can issue monopolies (in the form of patents) that can make or break a business. What actions would you expect a business to take? You can no more get rid of this tendency by passing campaign finance laws than you can by outlawing gravity. Where there is power, people will find a way to influence the holders of power. If you want to lessen government corruption, lessen its power.
(np)
NT
....tomorrow a truly giant casemod.
Or maybe good taste is relative and not an absolute.
Here's the Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon-Ehrlich_wager The problem back then was supposed to be population which would drive the cost of scarce materials up. But lo and behold, despite a decade with the largest population growth in history, the prices went down. I'd bet anyone the same with regard to indium or any other metal. Not only will we not run out in 10 years, but the price will be lower.
I don't run browsers that can't run adblock or similar. Thanks though.
Global Warming.
I'm shocked I tell you, shocked.
Create an Open or Unlimited category where all manner of doping is legal and an Pure category. Let athletes decide which to participate in fans which to watch. My bet is the Pure category dies in 2-3 years from lack of interest. The Ancient Greeks would not have understood our aversion to doing whatever it takes to win.
Until it will sync calendar and contacts with my cell phone. Until then I'm joined at the hip to MS and Outlook.
Corrupt Russian Government officials in collusion with shady Russian underworld types? Who'd a thunk it?
Blessed be technology. As another post noted, the current business model for making money off of music (making recordings and selling them) only came into existence a little over 100 years ago with the invention of the phonograph. Prior to this invention there was no "right" to be able to sell recordings (the technology to make them did not exist). Now technology has changed. Everyone/anyone can make recordings easily and distribute them instantly to a large potential audience. The technology that enabled the business model has been supplanted and the business model must change. Recording companies now no longer have a reason to exist, anybody can make a high quality recording. Artists need to find other ways to make money than selling recordings, like they did for the 8 or 9 thousand years prior to the phonograph. What we do not need is to have a right to make money the old fashioned way encoded into law. This should be abhorrent to both those who value personal freedoms and those who value the decision making and resource allocation power of free markets.
Looks better, is available today, is free and just works.
Thunderbird also needs more robust address handling, and the ability to sync with palm and other handhelds before it can adequately compete with Outlook.
how much of the new release is functionality derived from opensource projects? HMMM.
this quote from McNealy in 2001:
McNealy, whose company makes most of its money from high-end hardware sales, had said that "software is a feature [of hardware], not an industry,"
He predicted at that time exactly the reverse of what Sun is postulating now.
HMMMM.