Can you commit an illegal act and just walk away? You are using that as an argument against the right to walk down the street NOT commiting an illegal act without being accosted by law enforcement "for our own protection"? Oh, and I'm using law enforcement in the loosest possible way here, including all security staff, private and public, and the busy body people who use their own prejudices to create suspicion where none may be merited.
"The manager of an amusement park must survey his park in order to control it. The Red Cross at an American Prison can survey all they want, but they don't have any control at all over the prison that the warden doesn't give them."
The red cross can survey and then use public opinion to change the way a warden acts, or even to have the warden removed...they can publicise any wrong-doing they perceive and record. If it's done "justly", this would be a good thing.
Now look at it the other way, a body observing a warden who is humane in his treatment of prisoners, with a well run prison producing a high proportion of reformed individuals. However, the observing body contains someone who has a reason to want that warden removed. The observations are edited to highlight minor issues and make them appear worse, the evidence is selected in such a way to incriminate the warden, footage and evidence of a single bad-apple employee (who may have been removed days after) is highlighted, footage of the way the warden angrily shoos a dog off his lawn is cut to make it seem like he is using hate words against minority children...and another 50 instances of such "evidence" are produced - some of which the warden may be able to counter, but how would he counter the evidence of him on his own lawn unless he has also recorded the incident?
Assuming that the warden has a chance to defend himself...the evidence is shown only to a select few members of the committe responsible for awarding the contract to run the prison. Each of whom see an individually crafted selection aimed at their own personality, which the observer knows as they have also been watching them for a while. Nothing that could be used in court, or likely to be raised in an interview, but what chance has the poor warden of keeping his job the next time the contract to run the prison is up for review?
Now imagine a 50 million dollar contract is the thing at stake, not a wardens livelyhood, reputaion and salary. Would it be worth spending the money to have that done? Imagine that the infrastructure is already in place for most of the surveillance (phone conversations, credit card transactions, cash transactions, vehicle movements all being recorded and analysed; CCTV cameras in many public and private places, but with the possibility of viewing private property as well; a general acceptance of being monitored), and that the cost of doing it is negligible for both private organisations and for your caring government.
Install a copy of MS windows and run software update - you are immediately suspected of being a pirate and investigated by Microsoft to see if they need to pursue their suspicions further.
If they find that they don't have any grounds fro believing you actually are a pirate currently, they will not stop suspecting you of being one. They just wait a while, and investigate you again later.
If they think that they may have grounds to belive you are a pirate, they will stop you from using that installation of windows.
Nice.
On a side note, It's amazing what people will put up with these days...I always tried to do my best in things...my mistake. It's now obvious to me that one should work out what one can get away with to make the most money, then do somethig even more half-arsed and make even more money, hoping that no-one will complain enough to force you to change. What a wonderful value system.
If you insist on using an automotive metaphor, try the comparison of Apple to Volvo instead, you're much more likely to survive in a Volvo, because they are safer, better made and have a little thought behind how they are put together. Oh, and if you're going to mock the speed of Volvos, remenber the T5 turbo.
Yes, Alienware make very fast computers, but have you ever heard of a company called TVR? They're a small british sports car manufacturer who make verrrry fast cars - almost as toys or for professional racers. There's your metaphor.
As for Apples suppliers being the same, yes, you are right, they are. But, the important piece of writing on every apple product is Designed by Apple. This does not just refer to the external prettiness, but to the whole package. Open a G5 PowerMac or iMac, and look at the design of the inside, the thought that went into every part of it from the motherboard to the little catch you use to open the case. Now do the same to any other rival machine (use price or specification to choose which is a rival, it does not matter).
Design in this case means industrial design, which has to conside much more than just how pretty something looks, and in Apples case considers more than "how many of these can we throw out of the door in a given time"
You may not want to have that thought behind the things you buy. Fine, buy a standard light bulb, in fact buy a box of ten. I'll go and buy one energy saving bulb, pay less for power, waste less time stumbling around in the dark changing it and enjoy my life a little more that you (/smugness).
It may only be a little more, but if I put the same thought process behind everything, those "little mores" add up to a much better way of life, thankyou. (oops, I really will turn off the smugness now, sorry).
unfortunately for them and the developers, the reality for most users is
recommended to try out a foss alternative to something
if it exists, and is easy to find, download the installer. If not, don't bother and go back to working
try to install, if it's easy, complete the process. If not, give up and go back to working
try the software
either : software does everything they want it to, carry on.
or : software fails to meet their needs/expectations. Uninstall/give up and go back to working
If they're trying to be productive, they don't tend to have the time to work out what's wrong. Most don't know that they need to file bugs/features, and those that do may not have the time/motivation to find out how to.
Where there's money involved, the producer has the possibility of having the time, motivation and resources to go and gather a bunch of such people, get them to try this process and provide feedback. Many deride the idea of focus groups and consumer sessions, but that's how most producers hear about improvements that actually mean something to the user.
Until a producer starts to go out of their way to find out the issues users have with their software, they won't have the full picture. The user is not there to service your need, they are there to make productive use of software (or unproductive in the case of games). To expect (note, I don't say "do" here, as I know you may not have time/resource) otherwise is to exhibit a lack of understanding of your target, which will never give you world domination.
I know, I know, you're not in it for that, you're just trying to make the best software you can because you enjoy doing it. An admirable thing to do, far be it from me to say anything else. If that's the case, then please do not complain that the user isn't doing what you want them to do. Take some time out of coding and look at what else is needed. If that means downing your tools and approaching users, so be it.
Slashdot Mirror
?
Can you commit an illegal act and just walk away? You are using that as an argument against the right to walk down the street NOT commiting an illegal act without being accosted by law enforcement "for our own protection"? Oh, and I'm using law enforcement in the loosest possible way here, including all security staff, private and public, and the busy body people who use their own prejudices to create suspicion where none may be merited.
Read your own signature and take note.
"The manager of an amusement park must survey his park in order to control it. The Red Cross at an American Prison can survey all they want, but they don't have any control at all over the prison that the warden doesn't give them."
The red cross can survey and then use public opinion to change the way a warden acts, or even to have the warden removed...they can publicise any wrong-doing they perceive and record. If it's done "justly", this would be a good thing.
Now look at it the other way, a body observing a warden who is humane in his treatment of prisoners, with a well run prison producing a high proportion of reformed individuals. However, the observing body contains someone who has a reason to want that warden removed. The observations are edited to highlight minor issues and make them appear worse, the evidence is selected in such a way to incriminate the warden, footage and evidence of a single bad-apple employee (who may have been removed days after) is highlighted, footage of the way the warden angrily shoos a dog off his lawn is cut to make it seem like he is using hate words against minority children...and another 50 instances of such "evidence" are produced - some of which the warden may be able to counter, but how would he counter the evidence of him on his own lawn unless he has also recorded the incident?
Assuming that the warden has a chance to defend himself...the evidence is shown only to a select few members of the committe responsible for awarding the contract to run the prison. Each of whom see an individually crafted selection aimed at their own personality, which the observer knows as they have also been watching them for a while. Nothing that could be used in court, or likely to be raised in an interview, but what chance has the poor warden of keeping his job the next time the contract to run the prison is up for review?
Now imagine a 50 million dollar contract is the thing at stake, not a wardens livelyhood, reputaion and salary. Would it be worth spending the money to have that done? Imagine that the infrastructure is already in place for most of the surveillance (phone conversations, credit card transactions, cash transactions, vehicle movements all being recorded and analysed; CCTV cameras in many public and private places, but with the possibility of viewing private property as well; a general acceptance of being monitored), and that the cost of doing it is negligible for both private organisations and for your caring government.
Do you trust them all to be nice to you?
Install a copy of MS windows and run software update - you are immediately suspected of being a pirate and investigated by Microsoft to see if they need to pursue their suspicions further.
If they find that they don't have any grounds fro believing you actually are a pirate currently, they will not stop suspecting you of being one. They just wait a while, and investigate you again later.
If they think that they may have grounds to belive you are a pirate, they will stop you from using that installation of windows.
Nice.
On a side note, It's amazing what people will put up with these days...I always tried to do my best in things...my mistake. It's now obvious to me that one should work out what one can get away with to make the most money, then do somethig even more half-arsed and make even more money, hoping that no-one will complain enough to force you to change. What a wonderful value system.
If you insist on using an automotive metaphor, try the comparison of Apple to Volvo instead, you're much more likely to survive in a Volvo, because they are safer, better made and have a little thought behind how they are put together. Oh, and if you're going to mock the speed of Volvos, remenber the T5 turbo.
Yes, Alienware make very fast computers, but have you ever heard of a company called TVR? They're a small british sports car manufacturer who make verrrry fast cars - almost as toys or for professional racers. There's your metaphor.
As for Apples suppliers being the same, yes, you are right, they are. But, the important piece of writing on every apple product is Designed by Apple. This does not just refer to the external prettiness, but to the whole package. Open a G5 PowerMac or iMac, and look at the design of the inside, the thought that went into every part of it from the motherboard to the little catch you use to open the case. Now do the same to any other rival machine (use price or specification to choose which is a rival, it does not matter).
Design in this case means industrial design, which has to conside much more than just how pretty something looks, and in Apples case considers more than "how many of these can we throw out of the door in a given time"
You may not want to have that thought behind the things you buy. Fine, buy a standard light bulb, in fact buy a box of ten. I'll go and buy one energy saving bulb, pay less for power, waste less time stumbling around in the dark changing it and enjoy my life a little more that you (/smugness).
It may only be a little more, but if I put the same thought process behind everything, those "little mores" add up to a much better way of life, thankyou. (oops, I really will turn off the smugness now, sorry).
- recommended to try out a foss alternative to something
- if it exists, and is easy to find, download the installer. If not, don't bother and go back to working
- try to install, if it's easy, complete the process. If not, give up and go back to working
- try the software
- either : software does everything they want it to, carry on.
- or : software fails to meet their needs/expectations. Uninstall/give up and go back to working
If they're trying to be productive, they don't tend to have the time to work out what's wrong. Most don't know that they need to file bugs/features, and those that do may not have the time/motivation to find out how to.Where there's money involved, the producer has the possibility of having the time, motivation and resources to go and gather a bunch of such people, get them to try this process and provide feedback. Many deride the idea of focus groups and consumer sessions, but that's how most producers hear about improvements that actually mean something to the user.
Until a producer starts to go out of their way to find out the issues users have with their software, they won't have the full picture. The user is not there to service your need, they are there to make productive use of software (or unproductive in the case of games). To expect (note, I don't say "do" here, as I know you may not have time/resource) otherwise is to exhibit a lack of understanding of your target, which will never give you world domination.
I know, I know, you're not in it for that, you're just trying to make the best software you can because you enjoy doing it. An admirable thing to do, far be it from me to say anything else. If that's the case, then please do not complain that the user isn't doing what you want them to do. Take some time out of coding and look at what else is needed. If that means downing your tools and approaching users, so be it.