Um, no they don't.
My generation "needs" broadband. A lot of older people,
especially the elderly, have no need or desire for the internet.
I suspect that when I am in my eighties, I will have
much less desire to communicate with the world or check the news on a minute by minute basis.
Just because some of us use the internet on a regular basis, that
doesn't mean that everyone would be better off for it.
My anecdotal evidence suggests you are incorrect. My 80 year old father regularly surfs the net via his broadband connection while sitting in his recliner with his laptop (wireless of course). He falls asleep and drops his laptop occasionally, but nothing has died yet. My 74 year old mother sits upstairs and uses email and google talk to communicate with her children and grandchildren.
Some day soon, high speed connectivity will be as normal as electricity is in the developed world.
I used to work on a news website and edited and posted an average of 80 stories a day, by myself, and I would have been embarrassed to publish 1/10th the errors theese guys do.
However, I'm pretty sure that simply sitting still for 20 days straight will kill you. Human blood circulation system is designed for a moving being; it doesn't work properly if you stay still. Blood is returned to heart by gravity and muscle movements. Failing to move your legs will cause blood to pack there and stay still, which will eventually lead to clots forming; then, when you move your legs, the blood starts flowing again and the clots get to your heart and clog some major arteries -> bang, you're dead.
POW's during the Vietnam war spent significantly more time motionless. Weeks, months, years even, and a percentage did not die. I'm not sure it was just the 20 days or the noodles. It's probably a combination of things, including those factors.
As of a year ago, the basic system cost $27,000 USD, Granted, the linked article is a year old, but my guess is that the average/. reader is not going to go out and buy a couple of these.
I think you are conviently ignoring the last part of my post. Here it is again:
How hard is it for "Average Joe" to play a PC game online? In most instances, here's the process:
* Install the game
* Select Multiplayer Game from the start screen
* Choose a server from the list that pops up
It's really that simple.
I was what you would consider an "Average Joe" gamer the 1st year. Really, all I did was what I mentioned above. Honestly, the PC can give you the no effort play-the-game-and-keep-in-touch-with-your-friends experience you mention. As a matter of fact, it already does and has been doing it long before Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo or ANY console manufacturer even thought about implementing it.
I'll admit to not being the "Average Joe" gamer now. However I play quite a bit with people who are the "Average Joe" gamer. The only similarities I have with them is that we both have PC's and we both have the same games.
Uh, yes. Because the PC online experience for your average Joe is *crap*. Live is about getting
- average Joe to play. No dice with PC games
- having a universal friends system. (I don't see that on the PC. And don't say GameSpy. POS)
- having universal voice chat. How many different voice chats do you have on the PC?
- Micropayments for content.
- Authenticated content only. Let me just say goatse....
Gee, I don't know about the PC gamer's online gaming experience being crap. I've only been PC gaming online for 4 years now, and a member of an online gaming clan for 3 of those years. We have two 24 person gaming servers (COD:UO and COD2), a voice server (ventrilo) and a website. On an average weekday night, our servers are full from about 5PM-1AM (PST). Total cost for all that? 13 bucks a month per clan member (25 members). The average age of our clan is probably 32 years old. Most of the clan would classify as "Average Joe" gamers.
So what does each member get for our 13 bucks a month ($156 a year)? We get private slots on our servers. We get remote control of the gaming servers. If somebody if giving us greif or not following our simple rules (no swearing, no whining) they get the kick/ban. We get voice chat (Ventrilo) that allows me (and my clanmates) to decide who gets on the voice server. If somebody is an asshole, they don't get the password for the voice server. Period. In short, we get CONTROL. I can't see Microsoft giving ANYBODY control of any part of the Live gaming experience.
How hard is it for "Average Joe" to play a PC game online? In most instances, here's the process:
* Install the game
* Select Multiplayer Game from the start screen
* Choose a server from the list that pops up
Probably because Redhat has never been a "desktop linux" company.
RHEL WS (Red Hat Enterprise Linux WORKSTATION). Red Hat does have workstation options also. They even push it. The installer has options for a default install for a desktop (workstation) install.
They have tried pushing RHEL WS as a viable desktop. IMHO, it's only been a suitable desktop replacement for a short while (within the last year).
My work computer is a Dell workstation running Red Hat, with VMWare as my prefered Windows solution. Works fine, but it is limited. I'd love a Mac, but we can't afford it at the moment.
Marketing... I am getting tired of people claiming it is because of the marketing that made the ipod so sucessful. Ever think it is a great MP3 player?!?! Guess what.. it is!
Did you ever think that good marketing of a good product might help sell it? The world is littered with superior technology that was marketed so poorly that nothing could save it (Beta vs. VHS comes to mind). Yes, the iPod is a great product. However, it would not have been succesfull had it not been marketed properly.
Re:Its a matter of perspective
on
Pay vs. Happiness
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
My Mother. After Law School, three law degrees, 18 odd years as a lawyer and five as a Judge. She suddenly quit and went to culinary school to become a pastry chef.
Some people can be happy with just a big paycheck and extra letters after their name but mostly they are the minority.
Ah yes, the person who has spent 20+ years working their ass off to save their money to do what they want. It's easy to jump ship and change jobs on a whim when you have the financial security to do so.
I'd be happy with a big paycheck and extra letters after my name for about 5 years. Then I could quit and do whatever I want also.
Samba a son of a bitch to setup? What are you smoking? Samba was the easiest thing I ever setup on a Solaris box. On top of that, I didn't even attempt to use Swat to configure it.
If you are trying to integrate Samba into an AD environment, then good luck. Basic file and print sharing is BRAINLESS to get working with Samba. Hell it took me all of 20 minutes to setup Samba as a NT 4 compliant PDC and convert 10 W2K boxes to operate as domain members.
I couldn't agree with you more. While looking for work last year, 7 years of Solaris and Linux experience wasn't able to get me past the HR fool who was tasked with finding a AIX/Solaris sys admin. Even with a job description that said they were looking for a AIX OR Solaris admin, they couldn't get past the fact that I didn't have AIX experience.
It's quite interesting to look at job descriptions these days in tech fields. It's almost like you have to be one of three people in the world that has the experience they are looking for. The problem lies in that they already have 2 of those people employed, and the 3rd one just quit. That's why they are looking for a replacement.
I can't think of ANY japanese car company that DID'NT start out making junk. The first japanese cars sold in this coutry were CRAP. It was only after 20+ years of persitant re-engineering and a commitment to changing their business practices did they start to produce high quality automobiles.
Ever wonder how the Japanese turned their business fortunes around after WW2? W. Edwards Deming (and american no less) had such a profound infulence on Japanese business that The Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers (JUSE) named an award after him (The Deming Prize).
Don't kid yourself, the japanese didn't just "magically" start making quality. They learned it.
Slashdot Mirror
Um, no they don't. My generation "needs" broadband. A lot of older people, especially the elderly, have no need or desire for the internet. I suspect that when I am in my eighties, I will have much less desire to communicate with the world or check the news on a minute by minute basis. Just because some of us use the internet on a regular basis, that doesn't mean that everyone would be better off for it.
My anecdotal evidence suggests you are incorrect. My 80 year old father regularly surfs the net via his broadband connection while sitting in his recliner with his laptop (wireless of course). He falls asleep and drops his laptop occasionally, but nothing has died yet. My 74 year old mother sits upstairs and uses email and google talk to communicate with her children and grandchildren.
Some day soon, high speed connectivity will be as normal as electricity is in the developed world.
I would be embarrased also.
I'd give their system a try, but "How much does it cost" is not in their FAQ
/. reader is not going to go out and buy a couple of these.
Google. DVD Jukebox Maker gets sued
As of a year ago, the basic system cost $27,000 USD, Granted, the linked article is a year old, but my guess is that the average
Another good article points out that it's basically a repurposed enterprise storage device.
I was what you would consider an "Average Joe" gamer the 1st year. Really, all I did was what I mentioned above. Honestly, the PC can give you the no effort play-the-game-and-keep-in-touch-with-your-friends experience you mention. As a matter of fact, it already does and has been doing it long before Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo or ANY console manufacturer even thought about implementing it.
I'll admit to not being the "Average Joe" gamer now. However I play quite a bit with people who are the "Average Joe" gamer. The only similarities I have with them is that we both have PC's and we both have the same games.
RHEL WS (Red Hat Enterprise Linux WORKSTATION). Red Hat does have workstation options also. They even push it. The installer has options for a default install for a desktop (workstation) install.
They have tried pushing RHEL WS as a viable desktop. IMHO, it's only been a suitable desktop replacement for a short while (within the last year).
My work computer is a Dell workstation running Red Hat, with VMWare as my prefered Windows solution. Works fine, but it is limited. I'd love a Mac, but we can't afford it at the moment.
Your 60 hour week doesn't exist if the sales guy doesn't get the account.
/.
How hard is it to understand that no sales = no money = no jobs? Wait, I forgot this is
Did you ever think that good marketing of a good product might help sell it? The world is littered with superior technology that was marketed so poorly that nothing could save it (Beta vs. VHS comes to mind). Yes, the iPod is a great product. However, it would not have been succesfull had it not been marketed properly.
My Mother. After Law School, three law degrees, 18 odd years as a lawyer and five as a Judge. She suddenly quit and went to culinary school to become a pastry chef.
Some people can be happy with just a big paycheck and extra letters after their name but mostly they are the minority.
Ah yes, the person who has spent 20+ years working their ass off to save their money to do what they want. It's easy to jump ship and change jobs on a whim when you have the financial security to do so.
I'd be happy with a big paycheck and extra letters after my name for about 5 years. Then I could quit and do whatever I want also.
Samba a son of a bitch to setup? What are you smoking? Samba was the easiest thing I ever setup on a Solaris box. On top of that, I didn't even attempt to use Swat to configure it.
If you are trying to integrate Samba into an AD environment, then good luck. Basic file and print sharing is BRAINLESS to get working with Samba. Hell it took me all of 20 minutes to setup Samba as a NT 4 compliant PDC and convert 10 W2K boxes to operate as domain members.
I couldn't agree with you more. While looking for work last year, 7 years of Solaris and Linux experience wasn't able to get me past the HR fool who was tasked with finding a AIX/Solaris sys admin. Even with a job description that said they were looking for a AIX OR Solaris admin, they couldn't get past the fact that I didn't have AIX experience.
It's quite interesting to look at job descriptions these days in tech fields. It's almost like you have to be one of three people in the world that has the experience they are looking for. The problem lies in that they already have 2 of those people employed, and the 3rd one just quit. That's why they are looking for a replacement.
Ever wonder how the Japanese turned their business fortunes around after WW2? W. Edwards Deming (and american no less) had such a profound infulence on Japanese business that The Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers (JUSE) named an award after him (The Deming Prize).
Don't kid yourself, the japanese didn't just "magically" start making quality. They learned it.