The biggest issue is this is: would the quality remain the same if Apple released its OS X for general x86 use? I think the answer is no, and I'll tell you why.
The biggest thing windows has against it now is the multitude of hardware it must support. Any average joe company can build a horrible piece of hardware for a pc and code crap drivers for it. An end user may not even realize that the horrible english translation on the box and rock bottom price means to be cautious. They install it, and BAM...windows sucks.
If the mac had to support the same myriad hardware that windows does, I'm willing to wager that while it may not be AS bad, it would be a far cry from the stable OS we know it as today. Hardware controls and great software integration MAKE the OS X experience.
I second this point. I'll stick with Apple hardware just because of the (generally) superior design quality/looks. But I will definitely be wanting to slap windows/linux on it as well.
The "Apple Approved" label would be great too, both for Apple (licensing), and for hardware manufacturers who could then brag about their product's "superior reliability". With the Mac so often lauded for its stability, I think most people when offered the choice would go with the Apple Approved stuff, if the price wasn't outrageous.
Disclaimer: I totally agree with you. I personally would much rather listen to top quality rips that I perform myself than the trash you can get off any P2P service.
Still, what is the difference between my "more than a million" and your "at least 5 people you know"? Both are numbers pulled almost entirely out of thin air. But if you are going to use my thin-air numbers to determine that "A million Internet users violating copyright law is still a very tiny portion of total 'Net users", then I can use your thin-air number to determine that as small as that million may be, your 5 legal users is a heck of a lot smaller.
I forget exactly what it was we started arguing about, but I'll be happy if we can agree on the thin-air numbers;) BTW, thanks for the civil response...don't read too many of those, quite refreshing.
So you know of at least 5 people who rip music and never, ever share it with anyone...friends, family, etc. Last time I looked at Kaaza, I saw more than a million users who actively engage in illicit sharing.
So I would say what constitutes "almost 100%" is more than a million users that I know of sharing illicitly, as opposed to your 5 legal rippers. So almost 100% ~= 99.9995%, based on what the two of us have personally observed.
I think that the problem with cracking copy protection or reverse engineering software is not in you doing it for yourself - after all, if you did it only for yourself, no one would ever find out about it and sue you.
It's the fact that almost 100% of the copy protection cracking/etc is done so the product can be freely distributed that has software/music/movie companies up in arms.
Apple may be doing well in the home computer market. But if you're going to compare the two of these companies, consider the corporate market as well.
Dell can afford to sell its home computer stuff so cheap because it's making more money on the high-end stuff. Don't forget, Dell produces (or at least brands) backup systems, storage solutions, servers, racks, etc. You name it, Dell makes it for your business. They have captured a ton of that market, and their sales structure for businesses of all sizes makes it easier to buy there again.
So I think financially, Dell is doing very well...when you consider that solid corporate market.
First of all, let me start by saying I love my mac. Typing this out on my 12" powerbook right now, actually.
Apple is, at this point, no longer a computer company. Now obviously they produce computers, etc. But their primary product is no longer computers - it's the iPod. What you see with Apple is the rare case where what you would normally consider an accessory has become the primary product. People buy Mac computers to go with their iPod, or because they bought an iPod, etc. But for the most part, people just looking for a computer will be wooed by the lower prices of Dell - not to mention Windows, which everyone knows.
Well, good to know there are still hypersensitive people in the world today! Ah, I long for the days when you could express an opinion in a joking manner and not upset the faint of heart.
However, you do have mastery over creating HTML links and l33t h4x0r talk...your "skillz" do offset the faint hearted-ness a bit.
I suspect you often take the opportunity to massage your ego by posting pointless replies to messages that were obviously meant as a joke!
Maybe you should be practicing law instead of wasting your time...?
From TFA: "Governments have not really understood the inner workings of the Internet," said Mr. McKnight. In the past two years, "they have gotten educated and now they want to get their hands on the levers."
This reminds me of a child just shown how to do something new. They see Dad riding a bike or working on the car and they want to try. How often are their attempts at emulating the actions of an experienced person successful? Would you really allow your child to poke around the engine compartment of your car? There is a reason why important jobs generally require years of experience...not just an education.
Before I acquired my most recent job, I worked for a company where I was in a similar situation. No raise/bonus/promotion in sight, etc. More importantly, however, I didn't feel like what I was doing was important.
Companies need defined ways of moving ahead. Performance reviews, raises to acknowledge good work, yearly bonuses for the staff - all great ways to help people feel motivated to go the extra mile. But in addition I would argue that you have to make their job feel needed - like they are the only ones who can do it, specialists in some way. Knowing people rely on you is a good feeling, and one that will make most people work harder and better.
The article does go on to say that many editors use macs, which would be one good reason why coverage would be a little more pronounced. But the fact that Apple makes a few products (their own) for a few systems (their own, for the most part) helps some too, I think. People are used to seeing innovation from Apple - products that at the very least look sleek and stylish, and in the best cases do amazing things as well.
The "press" is human as well, and I would find it hard to fault them for acting that way. To sum it up - a company that generally has interesting media events has another coming up. Wouldn't you be inclined to pay attention?
Microsoft again proves it knows how to sell a product. Not that graphical changes/updates are a bad thing - far from it, I like my eye-candy as do most. The most important thing about it, however, is that looks sell.
Now maybe since the thing looks prettier, they'll start working on adding some revolutionary functionality. I think that consumers valuing function over appearance are the minority of those who will be spending money, however.
You can fault Microsoft for not being much of a software company if you wish, but their business/marketing/money-making talent is second to none.
There will be no split. As was suggested in a previous/. post on the subject, no politician in his/her right mind will do anything that could possibly disrupt internet service to so many of their citizens. It would be a suicide decision, politically.
This is simply posturing to see if the US will back down, not a definite threat. This whole deal reminds me of a common saying - "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".
Photo-realistic graphics will only go so far toward immersing a player in the game, when those graphics are displayed on a flat screen several feet/inches in front of the gamer's face. Looking at pictures on my computer rarely, if ever, makes me feel like I am in that place where the photo was taken.
The thing that will make games more immersive is holographic technology - when a 3D image can be thrown all around you rather than on a comparatively small rectangle in front of you.
Exactly what I was thinking. Perfect, amazing graphics are good, but if that's all you aim for as a developer, you're missing the point. My dreams may look awesome, but it is always the content that determines the quality and "realism".
Microsoft does an amazing job marketing and promoting their products. With "leaks" like this, they get people to download and look at their software who wouldn't normally do so if it were an "authorized" release/preview.
Not to mention the fact that with leaks like this, they keep the Vista name in the news...no matter if it's politics or selling products, name recognition is one of the most important things you can shoot for.
What it comes down to, for the majority of the population, is how good does it look?
When I am looking for a product or service which I am fundamentally unsure about, I will generally buy what "looks" the best. You know what I'm talking about - few people are swayed by those horrible cheap TV commercials for used cars or whatever, but a well put together commercial, looking spiffy, will at least pique your interest in the product.
I think the same is true of computers, and computer apps. For those who are not familiar with what certain features do, or mean, it comes down to how nice it looks.
To communicate with someone online, I don't need smileys and "nudges" and other nonsense, but that's not the point. Despite their lack of functionality, people will be swayed towards products that will give them the "glitz".
I think the main reason Dell prefers not to sell linux to the average home used it because then Dell must support them. The cost of training their support people to handle the increased complexity of troubleshooting Linux would easily be higher than what they would save by not offering MS.
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The biggest issue is this is: would the quality remain the same if Apple released its OS X for general x86 use? I think the answer is no, and I'll tell you why.
The biggest thing windows has against it now is the multitude of hardware it must support. Any average joe company can build a horrible piece of hardware for a pc and code crap drivers for it. An end user may not even realize that the horrible english translation on the box and rock bottom price means to be cautious. They install it, and BAM...windows sucks.
If the mac had to support the same myriad hardware that windows does, I'm willing to wager that while it may not be AS bad, it would be a far cry from the stable OS we know it as today. Hardware controls and great software integration MAKE the OS X experience.
Haha, if you say that ANYTHING is better than anything else it'll be likely to start a flame war...regardless of supporting evidence.
But I replied to point out that your last sentence is an amazing example of common sense that isn't so common. Excellent thought.
I second this point. I'll stick with Apple hardware just because of the (generally) superior design quality/looks. But I will definitely be wanting to slap windows/linux on it as well.
The "Apple Approved" label would be great too, both for Apple (licensing), and for hardware manufacturers who could then brag about their product's "superior reliability". With the Mac so often lauded for its stability, I think most people when offered the choice would go with the Apple Approved stuff, if the price wasn't outrageous.
Disclaimer: I totally agree with you. I personally would much rather listen to top quality rips that I perform myself than the trash you can get off any P2P service.
;) BTW, thanks for the civil response...don't read too many of those, quite refreshing.
Still, what is the difference between my "more than a million" and your "at least 5 people you know"? Both are numbers pulled almost entirely out of thin air. But if you are going to use my thin-air numbers to determine that "A million Internet users violating copyright law is still a very tiny portion of total 'Net users", then I can use your thin-air number to determine that as small as that million may be, your 5 legal users is a heck of a lot smaller.
I forget exactly what it was we started arguing about, but I'll be happy if we can agree on the thin-air numbers
So you know of at least 5 people who rip music and never, ever share it with anyone...friends, family, etc. Last time I looked at Kaaza, I saw more than a million users who actively engage in illicit sharing.
So I would say what constitutes "almost 100%" is more than a million users that I know of sharing illicitly, as opposed to your 5 legal rippers. So almost 100% ~= 99.9995%, based on what the two of us have personally observed.
I think that the problem with cracking copy protection or reverse engineering software is not in you doing it for yourself - after all, if you did it only for yourself, no one would ever find out about it and sue you.
It's the fact that almost 100% of the copy protection cracking/etc is done so the product can be freely distributed that has software/music/movie companies up in arms.
Apple may be doing well in the home computer market. But if you're going to compare the two of these companies, consider the corporate market as well.
Dell can afford to sell its home computer stuff so cheap because it's making more money on the high-end stuff. Don't forget, Dell produces (or at least brands) backup systems, storage solutions, servers, racks, etc. You name it, Dell makes it for your business. They have captured a ton of that market, and their sales structure for businesses of all sizes makes it easier to buy there again.
So I think financially, Dell is doing very well...when you consider that solid corporate market.
First of all, let me start by saying I love my mac. Typing this out on my 12" powerbook right now, actually.
Apple is, at this point, no longer a computer company. Now obviously they produce computers, etc. But their primary product is no longer computers - it's the iPod. What you see with Apple is the rare case where what you would normally consider an accessory has become the primary product. People buy Mac computers to go with their iPod, or because they bought an iPod, etc. But for the most part, people just looking for a computer will be wooed by the lower prices of Dell - not to mention Windows, which everyone knows.
Well, good to know there are still hypersensitive people in the world today! Ah, I long for the days when you could express an opinion in a joking manner and not upset the faint of heart.
However, you do have mastery over creating HTML links and l33t h4x0r talk...your "skillz" do offset the faint hearted-ness a bit.
I suspect you often take the opportunity to massage your ego by posting pointless replies to messages that were obviously meant as a joke! Maybe you should be practicing law instead of wasting your time...?
Saves time...saves money...and it's what a terrorist deserves. The idea has my vote!
From TFA: "Governments have not really understood the inner workings of the Internet," said Mr. McKnight. In the past two years, "they have gotten educated and now they want to get their hands on the levers."
This reminds me of a child just shown how to do something new. They see Dad riding a bike or working on the car and they want to try. How often are their attempts at emulating the actions of an experienced person successful? Would you really allow your child to poke around the engine compartment of your car? There is a reason why important jobs generally require years of experience...not just an education.
Before I acquired my most recent job, I worked for a company where I was in a similar situation. No raise/bonus/promotion in sight, etc. More importantly, however, I didn't feel like what I was doing was important.
Companies need defined ways of moving ahead. Performance reviews, raises to acknowledge good work, yearly bonuses for the staff - all great ways to help people feel motivated to go the extra mile. But in addition I would argue that you have to make their job feel needed - like they are the only ones who can do it, specialists in some way. Knowing people rely on you is a good feeling, and one that will make most people work harder and better.
The article does go on to say that many editors use macs, which would be one good reason why coverage would be a little more pronounced. But the fact that Apple makes a few products (their own) for a few systems (their own, for the most part) helps some too, I think. People are used to seeing innovation from Apple - products that at the very least look sleek and stylish, and in the best cases do amazing things as well.
The "press" is human as well, and I would find it hard to fault them for acting that way. To sum it up - a company that generally has interesting media events has another coming up. Wouldn't you be inclined to pay attention?
Microsoft again proves it knows how to sell a product. Not that graphical changes/updates are a bad thing - far from it, I like my eye-candy as do most. The most important thing about it, however, is that looks sell.
Now maybe since the thing looks prettier, they'll start working on adding some revolutionary functionality. I think that consumers valuing function over appearance are the minority of those who will be spending money, however.
You can fault Microsoft for not being much of a software company if you wish, but their business/marketing/money-making talent is second to none.
There will be no split. As was suggested in a previous /. post on the subject, no politician in his/her right mind will do anything that could possibly disrupt internet service to so many of their citizens. It would be a suicide decision, politically.
This is simply posturing to see if the US will back down, not a definite threat. This whole deal reminds me of a common saying - "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".
Photo-realistic graphics will only go so far toward immersing a player in the game, when those graphics are displayed on a flat screen several feet/inches in front of the gamer's face. Looking at pictures on my computer rarely, if ever, makes me feel like I am in that place where the photo was taken.
The thing that will make games more immersive is holographic technology - when a 3D image can be thrown all around you rather than on a comparatively small rectangle in front of you.
Exactly what I was thinking. Perfect, amazing graphics are good, but if that's all you aim for as a developer, you're missing the point. My dreams may look awesome, but it is always the content that determines the quality and "realism".
Microsoft does an amazing job marketing and promoting their products. With "leaks" like this, they get people to download and look at their software who wouldn't normally do so if it were an "authorized" release/preview.
Not to mention the fact that with leaks like this, they keep the Vista name in the news...no matter if it's politics or selling products, name recognition is one of the most important things you can shoot for.
What it comes down to, for the majority of the population, is how good does it look?
When I am looking for a product or service which I am fundamentally unsure about, I will generally buy what "looks" the best. You know what I'm talking about - few people are swayed by those horrible cheap TV commercials for used cars or whatever, but a well put together commercial, looking spiffy, will at least pique your interest in the product.
I think the same is true of computers, and computer apps. For those who are not familiar with what certain features do, or mean, it comes down to how nice it looks.
To communicate with someone online, I don't need smileys and "nudges" and other nonsense, but that's not the point. Despite their lack of functionality, people will be swayed towards products that will give them the "glitz".
I think the main reason Dell prefers not to sell linux to the average home used it because then Dell must support them. The cost of training their support people to handle the increased complexity of troubleshooting Linux would easily be higher than what they would save by not offering MS.