Okay - what CBS did sucks, granted - but - the site at this point is still up and when you look at it from a business pov, it makes total sense.
I'm sure the staff feels stabbed in the back - but go to the website and take a look at the announcement.
StarTrek.com had 7 people working on a site for a franchise that has practically ZERO new content. Sure, the new movie is coming out, but that will have it's own branded site in conjunction with the distributing studio, etc...just like every other major motion picture.
Look at the titles of the (former) staff:
1. "The Trek Life" cartoonist
2. Director, Production
3. Content Producer
4. Site Producer
5. Senior Content Producer
6. Production Coordinator
7. Content Producer
I don't mean to dog-pile these folks in the midst of their crappy situation (and it is crappy) and I would also like to mention that I liked StarTrek.com - they did a good job. But seriously, 7 people to run that site? The only new content being added were contests and single page updates with one or two images of the HD-re-releases. So why 4 content producers, two of them senior or management level?? There has been not enough content to justify that kind of overhead.
Title's like 'Producer' & 'Senior Producer' don't come cheap either. There is no way CBS will scrap StarTrek.com. All of the content that everyone is talking about is already built and posted (and useful). They can hire a couple of kids from the local ITT tech or college to take care of the marginal incremental updates StarTrek.com has been rolling out and start re-working the site for the 21st century: a cursory look at the tech on the site seems to be 1998 at best. Everything is HTML - probably all hand-written. This stuff needs to be in a database and will all be pulled dynamically on the new site. It won't take 7 people to run.
Sure, in StarTrek's prime, with 3 shows running simultaneously, movies coming out...I could buy that you would need a full staff to run the thing (again, reference the hand-code HTML argument). But come on...The Trek Life - great as it is, from a management position, just isn't cutting it. ST.com suffered staff bloat. This was a business decision and honestly, probably a good one. I think in a year or so, we will have a better StarTrek.com for it. Because we DESERVE a great StarTrek.com
That was the case then because that was where the computer market was, and just as is the case now, there were two systems. One that was a sweet computer and could do all sorts of cool stuff - Macintosh One that was considerably cheaper and couldn't do 90% of the Mac stuff but it could run VisiCalc.
Computers weren't seen as home devices then, they were for business, so of course, the machine that could excel in the business environment won out.
Today's environment is almost a flip-flop. Computer users know what they want to do with their computer at home now. There is lots of cool stuff that can be done, and unfortunately, Linux just doesn't cut it yet. The corporate and home worlds are spreading further apart in terms of use, expected functionality and control. Your average secretary generally doesn't care or couldn't tell the difference between MS Office or OpenOffice. Just train her to do her job and she'll be happy. But, if you can't get the kiddies pictures downloaded off the new HandyCam, then "What the **** is wrong with the ******* computer? Geek husband!? Can we please have Windows back?! I want to send Jenny's pictures to Granny."
I utimately agree with most./ers though: compromising Linux is stupid and goes against most of what it stands for. A computer is a tool. Some people like to know how their tools work, others couldn't care less. I'm not a car guy. I can't even change my washing fluid. (scratch that, WON'T). It's not that I'm stupid, it's just that I'm lazy and feel I have more important things. I enjoy spending my time other ways. The iPOD generation is a technical generation, raised on the digital edge. Some will gravitate to being interested in how their tools work and for them, there will be Linux. Other's don't give a rip and just want use the thing to interact with all their toys. Proprietary OS for them.
I think some people are missing the 99% likelihood that the movie scripts were based on the novels and new Adams work.
None of that stuff is in "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy". Those are all in "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe"
I am a huge fan, but have never heard the radio stuff. I have seen the BBC series which I thought was technically cheesy, but pretty good overall.
Remember that about the only way anyone born after 1980 will be familiar with this material is through its novel form, so to try and be semi-faithful to that is more appropriate. Especailly when you start talking about sequels and such.
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Okay - what CBS did sucks, granted - but - the site at this point is still up and when you look at it from a business pov, it makes total sense. I'm sure the staff feels stabbed in the back - but go to the website and take a look at the announcement. StarTrek.com had 7 people working on a site for a franchise that has practically ZERO new content. Sure, the new movie is coming out, but that will have it's own branded site in conjunction with the distributing studio, etc...just like every other major motion picture. Look at the titles of the (former) staff: 1. "The Trek Life" cartoonist 2. Director, Production 3. Content Producer 4. Site Producer 5. Senior Content Producer 6. Production Coordinator 7. Content Producer I don't mean to dog-pile these folks in the midst of their crappy situation (and it is crappy) and I would also like to mention that I liked StarTrek.com - they did a good job. But seriously, 7 people to run that site? The only new content being added were contests and single page updates with one or two images of the HD-re-releases. So why 4 content producers, two of them senior or management level?? There has been not enough content to justify that kind of overhead. Title's like 'Producer' & 'Senior Producer' don't come cheap either. There is no way CBS will scrap StarTrek.com. All of the content that everyone is talking about is already built and posted (and useful). They can hire a couple of kids from the local ITT tech or college to take care of the marginal incremental updates StarTrek.com has been rolling out and start re-working the site for the 21st century: a cursory look at the tech on the site seems to be 1998 at best. Everything is HTML - probably all hand-written. This stuff needs to be in a database and will all be pulled dynamically on the new site. It won't take 7 people to run. Sure, in StarTrek's prime, with 3 shows running simultaneously, movies coming out...I could buy that you would need a full staff to run the thing (again, reference the hand-code HTML argument). But come on...The Trek Life - great as it is, from a management position, just isn't cutting it. ST.com suffered staff bloat. This was a business decision and honestly, probably a good one. I think in a year or so, we will have a better StarTrek.com for it. Because we DESERVE a great StarTrek.com
That was the case then because that was where the computer market was, and just as is the case now, there were two systems.
./ers though: compromising Linux is stupid and goes against most of what it stands for. A computer is a tool. Some people like to know how their tools work, others couldn't care less. I'm not a car guy. I can't even change my washing fluid. (scratch that, WON'T). It's not that I'm stupid, it's just that I'm lazy and feel I have more important things. I enjoy spending my time other ways. The iPOD generation is a technical generation, raised on the digital edge. Some will gravitate to being interested in how their tools work and for them, there will be Linux. Other's don't give a rip and just want use the thing to interact with all their toys. Proprietary OS for them.
One that was a sweet computer and could do all sorts of cool stuff - Macintosh
One that was considerably cheaper and couldn't do 90% of the Mac stuff but it could run VisiCalc.
Computers weren't seen as home devices then, they were for business, so of course, the machine that could excel in the business environment won out.
Today's environment is almost a flip-flop. Computer users know what they want to do with their computer at home now. There is lots of cool stuff that can be done, and unfortunately, Linux just doesn't cut it yet. The corporate and home worlds are spreading further apart in terms of use, expected functionality and control. Your average secretary generally doesn't care or couldn't tell the difference between MS Office or OpenOffice. Just train her to do her job and she'll be happy. But, if you can't get the kiddies pictures downloaded off the new HandyCam, then "What the **** is wrong with the ******* computer? Geek husband!? Can we please have Windows back?! I want to send Jenny's pictures to Granny."
I utimately agree with most
I think some people are missing the 99% likelihood that the movie scripts were based on the novels and new Adams work. None of that stuff is in "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy". Those are all in "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe" I am a huge fan, but have never heard the radio stuff. I have seen the BBC series which I thought was technically cheesy, but pretty good overall. Remember that about the only way anyone born after 1980 will be familiar with this material is through its novel form, so to try and be semi-faithful to that is more appropriate.
Especailly when you start talking about sequels and such.