I don't think Apple should/would want to become the exclusive producer and seller of iPod stuff. There will always be the $.99US iPod skins (with $19.99US shipping, of course!) and straps and such. That said, Apple would likely want to gain additional revenue by offering its own bits and bytes of accessories. Apple will surely pick up some sales of iPod accessories if they are sold co-located with iPods - because many folks reason that the accessory will be "more compatible" if made by the same company as the product for which the accessory is built.
It would be quite self-defeating for Apple to squish the aftermarket accessories makers - they are making the iPod product intrinsically more interesting by offering things that will help one with one's iPod, and even make them more visually individual.
I, for one, am very glad they're making steps to opening the API to outside developers.
But one critical question comes to mind: In the past, AOL has been very picky and fussy about "non-authorized" tools and processes accessing their "IM network infrastructure." Their TOS does not (or, at least, did not) allow anything other than genuine AOL AIM clients to access their infrastructure.
Does this new development opportunity change the TOS such that non-AOL AIM clients can now access the infrastructure (while remaining within the boundaries of acceptability)? Several companies have banned anything other than genuine AIM clients because of AOL's AIM TOS. Has this changed?
I don't think the PDA pen-small-computing thing will evaporate at all. It will just evolve into something else that remains useful. Be they watches, phones, wallets, traditional PDA palmtops, something-not-yet-thought-of, etc., the PDA will stick with us for a long time.
On another note, I've always enjoyed messing with HP stuff - it's generally interesting and sometimes even esoteric... BUT... If I were trying to get my product into the world's consciousness, I wouldn't name it iPaq xr4900Bni6lQwlTurbo2.0qnPDA (or even the shorter version in TFA). Easy-to-remember names are much better than alphabet soup.
We R Toys thought they were getting an exclusive wrap on all the toy-sales-hookup at Amazon.com; Amazon.com thought it was picking up brand recognition from We R Toys.
In the end, Amazon.com was selling toys from other mechanisms, and We R Toys wasn't kicking the profits to the moon with the joint adventure.
In the end, both parties (IMHO) have lost something here. Instead of just agreeing to void the contract and going their separate ways, they had to fight it out in an ugly and public way. Interestingly enough... of the many folks to whom I have spoken (over the past few years), at Christmas time, they didn't even know they were actually buying the toys from TRU - they thought they were shopping at Amazon.com. It's interesting how that whole deal morphed out.
I'm glad this has been found and is being proffered to the public to read.
It is important that the public is aware when this type of thing is smothered in mind-numbing pages of legal pap. If it makes you mad, write your representative/senator. I did.
So perhaps maybe Microsoft can build a search engine solution that is "better" than Google. Of course, there's no way to know until it is useable.
However - and this is big - how can Microsoft change the habits and behavior of many millions of users? Google has almost become synonymous with "web search" in the hearts and minds of millions. Particularly among the folks under 20 (lots and lots of people in my life), the phrase "Google it" is used maybe more than once a day. I like to use much of Google as it is - familiar, reliable (as much as I need it to be), and always extremely quick.
Can Microsoft become more important and more used than Google? I guess anything's possible, but I think time might tell us otherwise.
I found TFA to be interesting and stimulating. Although I don't agree with all of it, it makes great food for thought. Indeed, corporate IT/Engineering could learn a great deal from the better-cared-for OSS projects - no doubt.
The one very most important thing to add is this:
while(ossDocumentation != caredfor){
anOSSProject.doGreatDocumentation();
}
Seriously - I have a HUGE amount of respect and owe a great debt to many, many OSS projects (thanks, folks!), but the documentation created by most corporate IT spanks OSS documentation (note that I said most). I am fortunate enough to work for a great software company that knows the benefits of good care and feeding of both the documentation crew and the documentation - I guess I'm spoiled, in that regard.
Although there will always be a need (or at least a desire for easy top level tools that user-persons can control, edit, and use), I don't think critical systems should have engineering input from inexperienced individuals of any job function. These individuals should spend their time better defining and documenting what they need to be done for them, not how something should be done.
It seems to be a cyclical thing - where some particular language/technology/idea is going to revolutionize business processes and eliminate the need for most software developers... I have yet to see such a tool/technology/language/idea work on a long-term basis.
The bottom line is that there is no substitute for trained/experienced minds wrapped around a software development effort - even basic things like development patterns (formal or intuitive) are not generally within the grasp of Joe/Jane non-developer.
In summary, I applaud folks for continually trying to improve development processes... but I think that users should deal with user "scripty" stuff, and leave the critical/long-term/important software development to folks who understand the task best. Similarly, if there is someone who "blurs the line" between developer and user, and does a good job of building maintainable solutions - I think they are really heading towards software development anyway.
The tutorial is concise and clean - a must for folks like me that don't have tons of time... I appreciate the post to./ about this... my son has been asking about Ruby, and neither he nor I have had time to do anything with it at this point.
I agree that the article should be attributed. It's important to give credit where credit is due. It's also interesting that the article mentions http://macromates.com/">TextMate. TextMate is a nice concept.
Simple tutorials like this are critical to the adoption of many technologies - but it would be nice to see better documentation about the everyday use of Ruby and ROR {nudge, nudge}.
To pre-empt nuclear (or as the prez sez: new-queue-lurr) return strikes, let me say this: Tools like Ruby can be a real treat. I love the use of many languages (Java, Smalltalk, ObjC, etc.), but other, more lightweight tools make things come together in a big way for lots of jobs - use the tool and/or environment that works best, and do your best to work your craft the best way you can. It isn't about platforms or languages - its about design, solving problems for the users, and maybe getting to make a living along the way.
Investment in small artists (by major labels, anyway) is not nearly what it was. When the musical artist greats of yesteryear were doing their thing, record companies would fund an album or two, then hope to recoup on later albums (when the artist would be hopefully viable). At this point in time, the labels are more concerned about shareholders than making money the old fashioned way (by making products that people want and are willing to buy).
It is my opinion that most of the larger labels want an album that is hugely profitable out of the gates, and only if the album and/or group can be mass-marketed at the very start.
DRM is not helping the proliferation of music (or other art forms). It is a huge cost to both producer and consumer - a cost that could be used in investments for more/better/more interesting/more innovative art production.
What's the answer? I don't have the "right" answer. However, it seems like good steps might include: 1)build confidence and rapport with the FANS; 2)Build up the distribution and education of new/different/innovative musicians/artists with investments that (gasp!) might fail - but are worth a shot; 3)Foster a trusting relationship with the FANS; 4) Fight piracy through education, research, information campaigns, and through trying to deliver VALUE in the product - instead of assuming that the customers are all thieves.
My main concern is consumer confusion, yes. Imagine going to buy an OS, or going to buy a new PC, and being confronted with pricing "ladders" based on Vista version. Most folks just want the stuff to work... most don't really understand the complicated logic behind the release of many sub-versions of Vista.
Another concern I have is the total cost of ownership for businesses (large and small businesses). Will companies' IT departments have to support a myriad of Vista versions (on top of the typical legacy width and breadth)?
MagLev is interesting technology. It has been proven (at least mostly viable) many times over with things like trains. I think it is actually a pretty good idea for the military to see if it fits in the movement of machines and heavy loads.
An advantage of the military trying to make something work long-term and heavy-duty-scale is that the developments for the military could probably trickle down to use in civilian life. Many technologies have taken just such a development path. Especially those where business had not wanted to fund research and development as a private project - but was happy to do so for the military. Maybe they'll finally come up with those flying/floating cars I was promised in the 60s?
PayPal and eBay are both very successful venues and means. They've become (at least, in the US) universally known and serve as the Kleenex tissue of online payments and the Styrofoam foam of online buy/sell/auction, respectively.
I do believe that it would be nice to get some real competition going for these companies - and perhaps Google has the chutzpah to pull it off (not to mention the cash). I, for one, would love to see some new ideas in the auction/sell/pay space. It could also keep the costs of these services relatively in check, as well.
It costs a very large percentage of a sale to sell something on eBay (that is, unless you are a super-seller who can get away with selling an item for.99 with $19.99 shipping {nudge, nudge}) and accept payment through PayPal at this point. It would be nice to see an alternative.
I can appreciate the passion of some of TFA's statements. Some of the assumptions in TFA are close to the mark, but I feel that I have to look at things differently.
We have to look at our music purchases in one very important way: do you enjoy it, and do you enjoy it where you want to enjoy it? Yes, a format or DRM scheme may be gone before you know it. Eight tracks, compact cassettes, and 45/78 RPM vinyl are essentially for collectors at this point. Yes, they were good for the general masses for their time (in one way or another), but they're gone now. The general masses enjoyed them to no end, right up until the time that they were generally not available for new releases.
I agree that some DRM schemes (especially the awful draconian, PC-screwing ones) are bad stuff for the average consumer (the fans just want to listen!). However, if one is to have to put up with it, at least it is often (iTunes, Yahoo!, etc.) in a format with which the vast majority of the fans can deal, and it is something that can still be burned to an audio CD (with most schemes, anyway) to make it DRM independent.
I wish I had the answer to what would make audiophiles, average Janes, and the music business happy. In the meantime, however, I don't think that the customers of iTunes (or Yahoo!, or Virgin, etc.) are really suckers. In the end, they are listening to music that can be enjoyed and managed. The bottom line: current electronic distribution might not be ideal or even what we would all like to see, but it is at least better than the old audio cassettes of ubiquity, or even of low-grade eight-tracks. Plus: Fans can now pick the stuff they like and leave the rest behind.
Technology has been a part of sea changes to business, work, and life - no doubt. However, I'm not sure that technology has been the cause of these changes. I believe that technology is woven into the evolution of business and work, yes, but I don't think it is everything. Perception, it seems, is everything.
During my father's lifetime (and before), even big cities "shut down" at a given time of night. Further explained, stores (other than bars and such) closed after dinner time (and on most of Saturday and all of Sunday), services were not available after a certain time of the afternoon, people went home after work and did home stuff. Society spent more time in non-work mode.
Technology (going back to the steam engine, maybe before) gave us processes that could stretch around the clock. Technology gives us means to access information, human (non face-to-face) interaction, entertainment, and even shopping, all day long and through the night. Technology didn't make us 24-hour-per-day people, it allowed us to be as such.
I don't think technology is heading us to downfall - I think it is one of many pieces of our life-evolution.
First of all, I'm very glad that, at least some of the time, powers that be are looking out for the health of their "constituents." However...
This person is largely misguided. I can understand concerns over unproven risk/benefits of living directly under a huge power transit tower (or right next to a transforming station) - because (opinion to follow, not fact) I don't think definitive knowledge has yet been gained as to the effects of magnetism/electrical fields on humans. But... signals from WiFi transmission are less strong than things like solar radiation and other ubiquitous natural bombardments.
Mr. Unversity official: Thank you for caring, but please talk to some people who have reasonable knowledge on the subject - and allow WiFi to be transmitted.
My mother and father-in-law both use AOL. Neither of them can stand open Internet connectivity because it is different, transparent, and doesn't have the lovely ultra-over-crowded Welcome screen. This is not derision, it is a factual observation.
When my father-in-law moved, he purchased DSL through the local phone company. He loves the speed. We tried to wean him off AOL, but have been unsuccessful. Quoth he, "Web mail is terrible, and Thunderbird is horrible!" [read:it doesn't have my familiar-of-7-years filing cabinet, and I have to actually start an application after he's "started" the internet.] "I don't 'see' the Internet!" [read: He feels warm and comfortable with the AOL main window as the portal, and using all these 'loose' applications gives him no warm fuzzies.]
It isn't that he's not smart (he's got multiple Dr. degrees), it isn't that he doesn't understand... it is how he feels that matters. This is the nut of the AOL user base.
None of my tech-enabled friends uses (or would consider) AOL - I think AOL has become a cultural ubiquity.
I'd like to see this come to full fruition. As was said before, aesthetically pleasing interfaces are more than just a little thing. If I have to look at it all day long, it's nice for it to be pleasant or at least easily discernable.
Ogg Vorbis is great (IMVHO)... unencumbered by patents and licensing, yet functional and easy to use. The Wiki commons libraries are full of useful and interesting.ogg files (including one of my own!). Cool Stuff...
...Radio Shack had parts and adaptors and other things that you just couldn't get anywhere. There were zillions of times I went to Radio Shack to get some bizarre audio adaptor - and not only would they have what I needed, they'd have three different types that would do the job.
Ever wired a commercial audio job at some remote site in East Belt Buckle [insert state here]? In the middle of the job, there was always some part needed, or something that would not work right - and even East Belt Buckle would have a Radio Shack - problem solved...
Spin the time machine to the present... the CEO isn't quite what was sold to the company... The product line is thin, cheap, and out of step with the times. The sales clerks demand your life's personal information if you want to buy a $.25 resistor or some wire, or if your wife just went there to buy an odd-size battery. They are not in the consciousness of the public (along the lines of CompUSA, Best Buy, Circuit City, et. al.). Their prices are not anything to write home about. Their hours are generally not as flexible as the Huge Mart stores against which they compete. And to top it all off, the cool little DIY parts are getting so thin that you can't go to RS and dream up a little cool electronic thing any more.
Earth to Radio Shack: Do more than get rid of one or two brass... Figure out what America is after and then adapt to that. I don't like to nay-say the health of a company, but even I can see that Radio Shack has become the Kodak(TM) Instant Film and the 8-Track superstore that no-one needs it to be.
Ladies, germs, and other types of keyboard users...
I appreciate folks that are willing and able to take the time to work towards reasonable means of managing Intellectual Property (we weren't talking about Internet Protocol, were we?). Without hard-working folks where the rubber meets the road, awareness would be low and reason might actually be lacking.
Do I think we should have folks chaining themselves to filing cabinets, patent office doors, and the like? Well, I don't know... If a fundamental and important issue is getting slammed by a troll or by someone who's only interested in the money - then, maybe it is important to be an activist. OTOH, if one believes that militant behavior is the only way to handle all Intellectual Property issues, then I think over-the-top behavior is not appropriate.
I don't think that burning Hummers is quite the right approach - I think being an active participant in the process to lend intelligence and reason is probably the right approach.
I've always enjoyed a little gnome (SORRY, couldn't resist!) [karma gets blown for really terrible joke]
For someone like me (very technical, but has a family and can't do all the hacking around I used to do), a digest like this is good. Thanks for posting...
I'm looking forward to the features. With two "cubs" in the house, the lockdown feature is a great idea. The kids are great, but sometimes machines won't boot if they're not in managed accounts. They enjoy tinkering with Linux, but sometimes can be tinking where they shouldn't be tinking... (To all you admins, I know that you can set up some pretty good stuff on the 'line, but, as I said, I just don't have the time).
Deskbar looks very interesting... I'd like to see it in action... Writing to remote files - a nice feature I've seen in some editors (Slick, Crimson, others). This is A Good Thing...
Preferred applications - cool!
Can one of you much smarter-than-me-folks please tell me, is Nautilus faster in this upcoming release? Also, is this going to be ported to SPARC boxes any time soon?
I think that PDFs aren't quite represented accurately in this information... however...
I think folks that try to innovate with new document formats and rich content (easily-distributable rich content, that is) should be lauded for trying to improve users' experiences. The concept sounds neat, especially if it can become as ubiquitously supported as PDF documents. I think it is fun to watch new technologies unfold - especially if they are intended to make things easier for Jane and Joe Doe.
My questions are: What about security? What about unkind things like Trojan code, malware, or other things that aren't about improving the users' experiences? Are these doc-u-application-web-page-rich-experience documents running in a strong enough sandbox?
Slashdot Mirror
I don't think Apple should/would want to become the exclusive producer and seller of iPod stuff. There will always be the $.99US iPod skins (with $19.99US shipping, of course!) and straps and such. That said, Apple would likely want to gain additional revenue by offering its own bits and bytes of accessories. Apple will surely pick up some sales of iPod accessories if they are sold co-located with iPods - because many folks reason that the accessory will be "more compatible" if made by the same company as the product for which the accessory is built.
It would be quite self-defeating for Apple to squish the aftermarket accessories makers - they are making the iPod product intrinsically more interesting by offering things that will help one with one's iPod, and even make them more visually individual.
I, for one, am very glad they're making steps to opening the API to outside developers.
But one critical question comes to mind: In the past, AOL has been very picky and fussy about "non-authorized" tools and processes accessing their "IM network infrastructure." Their TOS does not (or, at least, did not) allow anything other than genuine AOL AIM clients to access their infrastructure.
Does this new development opportunity change the TOS such that non-AOL AIM clients can now access the infrastructure (while remaining within the boundaries of acceptability)? Several companies have banned anything other than genuine AIM clients because of AOL's AIM TOS. Has this changed?
I don't think the PDA pen-small-computing thing will evaporate at all. It will just evolve into something else that remains useful. Be they watches, phones, wallets, traditional PDA palmtops, something-not-yet-thought-of, etc., the PDA will stick with us for a long time.
On another note, I've always enjoyed messing with HP stuff - it's generally interesting and sometimes even esoteric... BUT... If I were trying to get my product into the world's consciousness, I wouldn't name it iPaq xr4900Bni6lQwlTurbo2.0qnPDA (or even the shorter version in TFA). Easy-to-remember names are much better than alphabet soup.
Sometimes I miss having my Newton 100 around...
Twofold:
We R Toys thought they were getting an exclusive wrap on all the toy-sales-hookup at Amazon.com; Amazon.com thought it was picking up brand recognition from We R Toys.
In the end, Amazon.com was selling toys from other mechanisms, and We R Toys wasn't kicking the profits to the moon with the joint adventure.
In the end, both parties (IMHO) have lost something here. Instead of just agreeing to void the contract and going their separate ways, they had to fight it out in an ugly and public way. Interestingly enough... of the many folks to whom I have spoken (over the past few years), at Christmas time, they didn't even know they were actually buying the toys from TRU - they thought they were shopping at Amazon.com. It's interesting how that whole deal morphed out.
I'm glad this has been found and is being proffered to the public to read.
It is important that the public is aware when this type of thing is smothered in mind-numbing pages of legal pap. If it makes you mad, write your representative/senator. I did.
Karma be darned!
Some of us geeks haven't had this particular issue. Some of us actually have children.
I laughed until tears when I read this. Thanks for making my day.
So perhaps maybe Microsoft can build a search engine solution that is "better" than Google. Of course, there's no way to know until it is useable.
However - and this is big - how can Microsoft change the habits and behavior of many millions of users? Google has almost become synonymous with "web search" in the hearts and minds of millions. Particularly among the folks under 20 (lots and lots of people in my life), the phrase "Google it" is used maybe more than once a day. I like to use much of Google as it is - familiar, reliable (as much as I need it to be), and always extremely quick.
Can Microsoft become more important and more used than Google? I guess anything's possible, but I think time might tell us otherwise.
I found TFA to be interesting and stimulating. Although I don't agree with all of it, it makes great food for thought. Indeed, corporate IT/Engineering could learn a great deal from the better-cared-for OSS projects - no doubt.
The one very most important thing to add is this:
while(ossDocumentation != caredfor){
anOSSProject.doGreatDocumentation();
}
Seriously - I have a HUGE amount of respect and owe a great debt to many, many OSS projects (thanks, folks!), but the documentation created by most corporate IT spanks OSS documentation (note that I said most). I am fortunate enough to work for a great software company that knows the benefits of good care and feeding of both the documentation crew and the documentation - I guess I'm spoiled, in that regard.
Although there will always be a need (or at least a desire for easy top level tools that user-persons can control, edit, and use), I don't think critical systems should have engineering input from inexperienced individuals of any job function. These individuals should spend their time better defining and documenting what they need to be done for them, not how something should be done.
It seems to be a cyclical thing - where some particular language/technology/idea is going to revolutionize business processes and eliminate the need for most software developers... I have yet to see such a tool/technology/language/idea work on a long-term basis.
The bottom line is that there is no substitute for trained/experienced minds wrapped around a software development effort - even basic things like development patterns (formal or intuitive) are not generally within the grasp of Joe/Jane non-developer.
In summary, I applaud folks for continually trying to improve development processes... but I think that users should deal with user "scripty" stuff, and leave the critical/long-term/important software development to folks who understand the task best. Similarly, if there is someone who "blurs the line" between developer and user, and does a good job of building maintainable solutions - I think they are really heading towards software development anyway.
Previous: link to TextMate got munged by post comment tool. Should be: http://macromates.com/ not something from ./ ...
The tutorial is concise and clean - a must for folks like me that don't have tons of time... I appreciate the post to ./ about this... my son has been asking about Ruby, and neither he nor I have had time to do anything with it at this point.
I agree that the article should be attributed. It's important to give credit where credit is due. It's also interesting that the article mentions http://macromates.com/">TextMate. TextMate is a nice concept.
Simple tutorials like this are critical to the adoption of many technologies - but it would be nice to see better documentation about the everyday use of Ruby and ROR {nudge, nudge}.
To pre-empt nuclear (or as the prez sez: new-queue-lurr) return strikes, let me say this: Tools like Ruby can be a real treat. I love the use of many languages (Java, Smalltalk, ObjC, etc.), but other, more lightweight tools make things come together in a big way for lots of jobs - use the tool and/or environment that works best, and do your best to work your craft the best way you can. It isn't about platforms or languages - its about design, solving problems for the users, and maybe getting to make a living along the way.
Investment in small artists (by major labels, anyway) is not nearly what it was. When the musical artist greats of yesteryear were doing their thing, record companies would fund an album or two, then hope to recoup on later albums (when the artist would be hopefully viable). At this point in time, the labels are more concerned about shareholders than making money the old fashioned way (by making products that people want and are willing to buy).
It is my opinion that most of the larger labels want an album that is hugely profitable out of the gates, and only if the album and/or group can be mass-marketed at the very start.
DRM is not helping the proliferation of music (or other art forms). It is a huge cost to both producer and consumer - a cost that could be used in investments for more/better/more interesting/more innovative art production.
What's the answer? I don't have the "right" answer. However, it seems like good steps might include: 1)build confidence and rapport with the FANS; 2)Build up the distribution and education of new/different/innovative musicians/artists with investments that (gasp!) might fail - but are worth a shot; 3)Foster a trusting relationship with the FANS; 4) Fight piracy through education, research, information campaigns, and through trying to deliver VALUE in the product - instead of assuming that the customers are all thieves.
My main concern is consumer confusion, yes. Imagine going to buy an OS, or going to buy a new PC, and being confronted with pricing "ladders" based on Vista version. Most folks just want the stuff to work... most don't really understand the complicated logic behind the release of many sub-versions of Vista.
Another concern I have is the total cost of ownership for businesses (large and small businesses). Will companies' IT departments have to support a myriad of Vista versions (on top of the typical legacy width and breadth)?
MagLev is interesting technology. It has been proven (at least mostly viable) many times over with things like trains. I think it is actually a pretty good idea for the military to see if it fits in the movement of machines and heavy loads.
An advantage of the military trying to make something work long-term and heavy-duty-scale is that the developments for the military could probably trickle down to use in civilian life. Many technologies have taken just such a development path. Especially those where business had not wanted to fund research and development as a private project - but was happy to do so for the military. Maybe they'll finally come up with those flying/floating cars I was promised in the 60s?
PayPal and eBay are both very successful venues and means. They've become (at least, in the US) universally known and serve as the Kleenex tissue of online payments and the Styrofoam foam of online buy/sell/auction, respectively.
.99 with $19.99 shipping {nudge, nudge}) and accept payment through PayPal at this point. It would be nice to see an alternative.
I do believe that it would be nice to get some real competition going for these companies - and perhaps Google has the chutzpah to pull it off (not to mention the cash). I, for one, would love to see some new ideas in the auction/sell/pay space. It could also keep the costs of these services relatively in check, as well.
It costs a very large percentage of a sale to sell something on eBay (that is, unless you are a super-seller who can get away with selling an item for
I can appreciate the passion of some of TFA's statements. Some of the assumptions in TFA are close to the mark, but I feel that I have to look at things differently.
We have to look at our music purchases in one very important way: do you enjoy it, and do you enjoy it where you want to enjoy it ? Yes, a format or DRM scheme may be gone before you know it. Eight tracks, compact cassettes, and 45/78 RPM vinyl are essentially for collectors at this point. Yes, they were good for the general masses for their time (in one way or another), but they're gone now. The general masses enjoyed them to no end, right up until the time that they were generally not available for new releases.
I agree that some DRM schemes (especially the awful draconian, PC-screwing ones) are bad stuff for the average consumer (the fans just want to listen!). However, if one is to have to put up with it, at least it is often (iTunes, Yahoo!, etc.) in a format with which the vast majority of the fans can deal, and it is something that can still be burned to an audio CD (with most schemes, anyway) to make it DRM independent.
I wish I had the answer to what would make audiophiles, average Janes, and the music business happy. In the meantime, however, I don't think that the customers of iTunes (or Yahoo!, or Virgin, etc.) are really suckers. In the end, they are listening to music that can be enjoyed and managed. The bottom line: current electronic distribution might not be ideal or even what we would all like to see, but it is at least better than the old audio cassettes of ubiquity, or even of low-grade eight-tracks. Plus: Fans can now pick the stuff they like and leave the rest behind.
Technology has been a part of sea changes to business, work, and life - no doubt. However, I'm not sure that technology has been the cause of these changes. I believe that technology is woven into the evolution of business and work, yes, but I don't think it is everything. Perception, it seems, is everything.
During my father's lifetime (and before), even big cities "shut down" at a given time of night. Further explained, stores (other than bars and such) closed after dinner time (and on most of Saturday and all of Sunday), services were not available after a certain time of the afternoon, people went home after work and did home stuff. Society spent more time in non-work mode.
Technology (going back to the steam engine, maybe before) gave us processes that could stretch around the clock. Technology gives us means to access information, human (non face-to-face) interaction, entertainment, and even shopping, all day long and through the night. Technology didn't make us 24-hour-per-day people, it allowed us to be as such.
I don't think technology is heading us to downfall - I think it is one of many pieces of our life-evolution.
First of all, I'm very glad that, at least some of the time, powers that be are looking out for the health of their "constituents." However...
This person is largely misguided. I can understand concerns over unproven risk/benefits of living directly under a huge power transit tower (or right next to a transforming station) - because (opinion to follow, not fact) I don't think definitive knowledge has yet been gained as to the effects of magnetism/electrical fields on humans. But... signals from WiFi transmission are less strong than things like solar radiation and other ubiquitous natural bombardments.
Mr. Unversity official: Thank you for caring, but please talk to some people who have reasonable knowledge on the subject - and allow WiFi to be transmitted.
My mother and father-in-law both use AOL. Neither of them can stand open Internet connectivity because it is different, transparent, and doesn't have the lovely ultra-over-crowded Welcome screen. This is not derision, it is a factual observation.
When my father-in-law moved, he purchased DSL through the local phone company. He loves the speed. We tried to wean him off AOL, but have been unsuccessful. Quoth he, "Web mail is terrible, and Thunderbird is horrible!" [read:it doesn't have my familiar-of-7-years filing cabinet, and I have to actually start an application after he's "started" the internet.] "I don't 'see' the Internet!" [read: He feels warm and comfortable with the AOL main window as the portal, and using all these 'loose' applications gives him no warm fuzzies.]
It isn't that he's not smart (he's got multiple Dr. degrees), it isn't that he doesn't understand... it is how he feels that matters. This is the nut of the AOL user base.
None of my tech-enabled friends uses (or would consider) AOL - I think AOL has become a cultural ubiquity.
I'd like to see this come to full fruition. As was said before, aesthetically pleasing interfaces are more than just a little thing. If I have to look at it all day long, it's nice for it to be pleasant or at least easily discernable.
.ogg files (including one of my own!). Cool Stuff...
Ogg Vorbis is great (IMVHO)... unencumbered by patents and licensing, yet functional and easy to use. The Wiki commons libraries are full of useful and interesting
And now for something completely different...
I, for one, am really looking forward to this. I'm a fan from the Flying Circus days...
One must always keep Python in perspective (the people, not the language or the reptile)... They're not the messiah... they're very naughty persons!
...Radio Shack had parts and adaptors and other things that you just couldn't get anywhere. There were zillions of times I went to Radio Shack to get some bizarre audio adaptor - and not only would they have what I needed, they'd have three different types that would do the job.
Ever wired a commercial audio job at some remote site in East Belt Buckle [insert state here]? In the middle of the job, there was always some part needed, or something that would not work right - and even East Belt Buckle would have a Radio Shack - problem solved...
Spin the time machine to the present... the CEO isn't quite what was sold to the company... The product line is thin, cheap, and out of step with the times. The sales clerks demand your life's personal information if you want to buy a $.25 resistor or some wire, or if your wife just went there to buy an odd-size battery. They are not in the consciousness of the public (along the lines of CompUSA, Best Buy, Circuit City, et. al.). Their prices are not anything to write home about. Their hours are generally not as flexible as the Huge Mart stores against which they compete. And to top it all off, the cool little DIY parts are getting so thin that you can't go to RS and dream up a little cool electronic thing any more.
Earth to Radio Shack: Do more than get rid of one or two brass... Figure out what America is after and then adapt to that. I don't like to nay-say the health of a company, but even I can see that Radio Shack has become the Kodak(TM) Instant Film and the 8-Track superstore that no-one needs it to be.
Ladies, germs, and other types of keyboard users...
I appreciate folks that are willing and able to take the time to work towards reasonable means of managing Intellectual Property (we weren't talking about Internet Protocol, were we?). Without hard-working folks where the rubber meets the road, awareness would be low and reason might actually be lacking.
Do I think we should have folks chaining themselves to filing cabinets, patent office doors, and the like? Well, I don't know... If a fundamental and important issue is getting slammed by a troll or by someone who's only interested in the money - then, maybe it is important to be an activist. OTOH, if one believes that militant behavior is the only way to handle all Intellectual Property issues, then I think over-the-top behavior is not appropriate.
I don't think that burning Hummers is quite the right approach - I think being an active participant in the process to lend intelligence and reason is probably the right approach.
I've always enjoyed a little gnome (SORRY, couldn't resist!) [karma gets blown for really terrible joke]
For someone like me (very technical, but has a family and can't do all the hacking around I used to do), a digest like this is good. Thanks for posting...
I'm looking forward to the features. With two "cubs" in the house, the lockdown feature is a great idea. The kids are great, but sometimes machines won't boot if they're not in managed accounts. They enjoy tinkering with Linux, but sometimes can be tinking where they shouldn't be tinking... (To all you admins, I know that you can set up some pretty good stuff on the 'line, but, as I said, I just don't have the time).
Deskbar looks very interesting... I'd like to see it in action... Writing to remote files - a nice feature I've seen in some editors (Slick, Crimson, others). This is A Good Thing...
Preferred applications - cool!
Can one of you much smarter-than-me-folks please tell me, is Nautilus faster in this upcoming release? Also, is this going to be ported to SPARC boxes any time soon?
I think that PDFs aren't quite represented accurately in this information... however...
I think folks that try to innovate with new document formats and rich content (easily-distributable rich content, that is) should be lauded for trying to improve users' experiences. The concept sounds neat, especially if it can become as ubiquitously supported as PDF documents. I think it is fun to watch new technologies unfold - especially if they are intended to make things easier for Jane and Joe Doe.
My questions are: What about security? What about unkind things like Trojan code, malware, or other things that aren't about improving the users' experiences? Are these doc-u-application-web-page-rich-experience documents running in a strong enough sandbox?