... the lawyers put the thumbscrews on the production company and not on Discovery then? Wow, what a difference that makes. Boy, I feel the sudden urge to get an RFID implant.
They did pay for the war. Whether the consumer ends up paying for the outcome is another matter. Of course they'll try to screw us over. They're Big Business. It's their job.
But you don't have to buy a Blu-Ray player. In that case you won't be paying for anything. Although if you do you can be pretty sure that your favourite movie will be released on a Blu-Ray disc and not exclusively as another format that's incompatible with your player.
So apart from still getting screwed over one way or another, as a consumer the end of the format war gives me consolation. Now I now what I get when I decide to pay for it. At least I'm more sure than before the war ended and half of the movies would be released on HD-DVD and the other on Blu-Ray.
... that HD-DVD is dead. With all those articles claiming "shady business practices" that led to Blu-Ray winning the format war. I don't care. At least it's over. Yes, I would definitely have prefered no region codes but the end of the format war is a victory for the consumer in any case. And yes, I know that having multiple options to choose from basically means more freedom for the consumer - but what good is this freedom if you had to buy multiple players in the end just to be sure that you would have been able to watch your favourite movie? There would always have been "exclusives" for Blu-Ray or HD-DVD. I, for one, am glad that this is over.
So now please just stop those "Blu-Ray only won because they cheated" articles. If Microsoft *really* wanted to push HD-DVD over downloads what do you think they would have done? They would have shoved it down our throats as well. And our rectums just to be sure. That's just how these things go. It's a dirty business. Liars, thieves, backstabbers, greedy bastards. We all know that. Now let's just be glad that *they* paid for the war and not us.
Well at least not all of us. I am very sorry for those who bought HD-DVD players and feel cheated but come on, early adopters should damn well know the risk. Especially since it was obvious that sooner or later one format would bite the dust.
Disclaimer: I might not be totally neutral since I've wanted to buy a PS3 for quite some time now and Blu-Ray winning was the final reason for me to go for it. But if the format war would have continued I would have waited a while longer I guess.
Otherwise I would suggest that you take a good look into the mirror and read your comment again.
I might be a bit touchy regarding this subject but this is what it sounds to me like:
"it's great fun... to shoot people... kill them... this... is war"
Then again, thanks for proving my point that software patents in general tend to be highly aggressive, amoral and actually endanger peoples lives. Shooting and killing, my ass.
You are right about the reasons for the rejection of the constitution but I say the reasons are of no relevance. In Germany (as in several other countries) the people weren't really informed about the consitution and the gouvernment accepted the proposal without any kind of public discussion. The least the gouvernment could have done would have been to allow people to read the consitution before the vote, like sending out a copy of the consitution to every household. But since there was no way to take any influence on the consitution they did not even bother with informing the public. Yes, you could say people today should be as self dependent as to inform themselves about such issues - but we all know this is not the case. And since the European consitution contradicts our national constitution in several areas the public should have had the chance to discuss it. It didn't happen. And this is exactly how the EU works at the moment. And that sickens me.
I agree wholeheartedly with you that the council is the basic problem of the EU and the real power should be in the hands of parliament. Being from Germany I guess you could say I'm a federalist as well - Germany is a federal republic after all. And it works pretty well, I must say - I would really like to see something like a Federal Republic of Europe. Would make for a nice acronym as well.
The EU has been stomping all over us citizens right from the start. Thanks to the data retention act we're all going to be under constant surveillance, non-European lobbyists fight to gain influence over our legislation and the clear rejection of the European constitution by several key member countries has been downplayed, ridiculed or straightly ignored by European politicians. The EU is not a democracy, it is an oligarchy. And it is the breeding ground of an aggressive elite of tycoons who dream of building a new feudal system. What hurts me most is that I do feel like an European. I love the idea of an European Union. I love the people of the European countries. I think we are truely getting close to becoming one nation. But I'm not playing along anymore. The EU has failed on every level. There is only one option - let the EU rest for at least 10 to 15 years and then let it all start over again. Let the countries recover from the complete fuckup that is the EU in it's current state.
Sadly, the only political parties that actually propose leaving the EU are total nutters. I guess my only viable option is to sit back and watch a handful of neo-feudal megalomaniacs smashing everything to pieces that has been achieved after those darkest years that were the first half of the 20th century. I see a storm coming and it's not going to just go away. Let's just hope it won't be as bad as the last time someone tried to shape Europe after his lunatic vision.
> Such block-voting recommendations also make it easier for people to write this kind of idiocy.
I admit that I'm not very good at politics and economics but what troubles me most about said idiocy is that a website about free markets ("Where Free Markets Meet Technology") patronises software patents. I've always thought of patents to be monopolies sanctioned by the gouvernment. Not quite my idea of a free market.
I think it's websites like this that are responsible for me getting a nervous twitch every time I hear politicians and lobbyists using the term "free market". And somehow it makes me want to read Animal Farm. Strange.
Alright, mea culpa. Humour is a difficult beast with all this paranoia going on.
I don't see how an antitrust case could be brought against MS for destroying OpenGL as OpenGL is not a completing business. The last antitrust case hasn't stopped MS from doing anything either so that's not a solution.
Destroying OpenGL would basically bar competitors from using 3D accelerated graphics on non windows platforms. I think that would well justify an antitrust suit that should force MS to at least open up Direct3D for other platforms if they destroyed OpenGL.
And the European antitrust case did force MS to produce an XP edition without their Media Player. Wouldn't call that nothing.
Oh, for crying out loud, drop that tinfoil hat, will ye?
That article is dated January 2002. I don't recall MS taking any steps in 'crushing' OpenGL in the last three years. Why should they? Sadly enough (OpenGL fanboy, me), Direct3D reigns supreme in Windowsworld and that's pretty much everything MS cares about.
But you of all people should know there's still another rather big world out there. Do you think Apple would sit tight and watch OpenGL being 'crushed'? And I might be wrong there, but OpenGL ES is getting quite popular in mobile gaming, methinks. Or what about Sony? I would presume they're using OpenGL in their consoles.
Believe you me, if MS tried to 'crush' the only more or less competing 3D accelerated API besides Direct3D, there'd be another antitrust suit faster than Ballmer can spell out innovation. Don't think MS would want to be fined another 500 million by the (currently) sw-patent free EU.
Besides, if SGI goes the way of the Dodo, it would hardly influence OpenGL one bit. After all, OpenGL began to flourish the moment SGI seemed to have lost interest in it. And by now, as mentioned before, it's mostly Nvidia, ATI and 3DLabs that are responsible for it.
Back to watching Doctor Who now...
Slashdot Mirror
'Whether or not I agree with the guidelines, we have to follow the rules,' said school superintendent Jack Ellis.
... fuck Godwin's law.
Everytime someone says something like that, all I can think is
... the lawyers put the thumbscrews on the production company and not on Discovery then? Wow, what a difference that makes. Boy, I feel the sudden urge to get an RFID implant.
They did pay for the war. Whether the consumer ends up paying for the outcome is another matter. Of course they'll try to screw us over. They're Big Business. It's their job.
But you don't have to buy a Blu-Ray player. In that case you won't be paying for anything. Although if you do you can be pretty sure that your favourite movie will be released on a Blu-Ray disc and not exclusively as another format that's incompatible with your player.
So apart from still getting screwed over one way or another, as a consumer the end of the format war gives me consolation. Now I now what I get when I decide to pay for it. At least I'm more sure than before the war ended and half of the movies would be released on HD-DVD and the other on Blu-Ray.
... that HD-DVD is dead. With all those articles claiming "shady business practices" that led to Blu-Ray winning the format war. I don't care. At least it's over. Yes, I would definitely have prefered no region codes but the end of the format war is a victory for the consumer in any case. And yes, I know that having multiple options to choose from basically means more freedom for the consumer - but what good is this freedom if you had to buy multiple players in the end just to be sure that you would have been able to watch your favourite movie? There would always have been "exclusives" for Blu-Ray or HD-DVD. I, for one, am glad that this is over.
So now please just stop those "Blu-Ray only won because they cheated" articles. If Microsoft *really* wanted to push HD-DVD over downloads what do you think they would have done? They would have shoved it down our throats as well. And our rectums just to be sure. That's just how these things go. It's a dirty business. Liars, thieves, backstabbers, greedy bastards. We all know that. Now let's just be glad that *they* paid for the war and not us.
Well at least not all of us. I am very sorry for those who bought HD-DVD players and feel cheated but come on, early adopters should damn well know the risk. Especially since it was obvious that sooner or later one format would bite the dust.
Disclaimer: I might not be totally neutral since I've wanted to buy a PS3 for quite some time now and Blu-Ray winning was the final reason for me to go for it. But if the format war would have continued I would have waited a while longer I guess.
Otherwise I would suggest that you take a good look into the mirror and read your comment again.
... to shoot people ... kill them ... this ... is war"
I might be a bit touchy regarding this subject but this is what it sounds to me like:
"it's great fun
Then again, thanks for proving my point that software patents in general tend to be highly aggressive, amoral and actually endanger peoples lives. Shooting and killing, my ass.
Thank you, you have made some good points.
You are right about the reasons for the rejection of the constitution but I say the reasons are of no relevance. In Germany (as in several other countries) the people weren't really informed about the consitution and the gouvernment accepted the proposal without any kind of public discussion. The least the gouvernment could have done would have been to allow people to read the consitution before the vote, like sending out a copy of the consitution to every household. But since there was no way to take any influence on the consitution they did not even bother with informing the public. Yes, you could say people today should be as self dependent as to inform themselves about such issues - but we all know this is not the case. And since the European consitution contradicts our national constitution in several areas the public should have had the chance to discuss it. It didn't happen. And this is exactly how the EU works at the moment. And that sickens me.
I agree wholeheartedly with you that the council is the basic problem of the EU and the real power should be in the hands of parliament. Being from Germany I guess you could say I'm a federalist as well - Germany is a federal republic after all. And it works pretty well, I must say - I would really like to see something like a Federal Republic of Europe. Would make for a nice acronym as well.
Seriously.
The EU has been stomping all over us citizens right from the start. Thanks to the data retention act we're all going to be under constant surveillance, non-European lobbyists fight to gain influence over our legislation and the clear rejection of the European constitution by several key member countries has been downplayed, ridiculed or straightly ignored by European politicians. The EU is not a democracy, it is an oligarchy. And it is the breeding ground of an aggressive elite of tycoons who dream of building a new feudal system. What hurts me most is that I do feel like an European. I love the idea of an European Union. I love the people of the European countries. I think we are truely getting close to becoming one nation. But I'm not playing along anymore. The EU has failed on every level. There is only one option - let the EU rest for at least 10 to 15 years and then let it all start over again. Let the countries recover from the complete fuckup that is the EU in it's current state.
Sadly, the only political parties that actually propose leaving the EU are total nutters. I guess my only viable option is to sit back and watch a handful of neo-feudal megalomaniacs smashing everything to pieces that has been achieved after those darkest years that were the first half of the 20th century. I see a storm coming and it's not going to just go away. Let's just hope it won't be as bad as the last time someone tried to shape Europe after his lunatic vision.
> Such block-voting recommendations also make it easier for people to write this kind of idiocy.
I admit that I'm not very good at politics and economics but what troubles me most about said idiocy is that a website about free markets ("Where Free Markets Meet Technology") patronises software patents. I've always thought of patents to be monopolies sanctioned by the gouvernment. Not quite my idea of a free market.
I think it's websites like this that are responsible for me getting a nervous twitch every time I hear politicians and lobbyists using the term "free market". And somehow it makes me want to read Animal Farm. Strange.
Destroying OpenGL would basically bar competitors from using 3D accelerated graphics on non windows platforms. I think that would well justify an antitrust suit that should force MS to at least open up Direct3D for other platforms if they destroyed OpenGL.
And the European antitrust case did force MS to produce an XP edition without their Media Player. Wouldn't call that nothing.
Oh, for crying out loud, drop that tinfoil hat, will ye?
That article is dated January 2002. I don't recall MS taking any steps in 'crushing' OpenGL in the last three years. Why should they? Sadly enough (OpenGL fanboy, me), Direct3D reigns supreme in Windowsworld and that's pretty much everything MS cares about.
But you of all people should know there's still another rather big world out there. Do you think Apple would sit tight and watch OpenGL being 'crushed'? And I might be wrong there, but OpenGL ES is getting quite popular in mobile gaming, methinks. Or what about Sony? I would presume they're using OpenGL in their consoles.
Believe you me, if MS tried to 'crush' the only more or less competing 3D accelerated API besides Direct3D, there'd be another antitrust suit faster than Ballmer can spell out innovation. Don't think MS would want to be fined another 500 million by the (currently) sw-patent free EU.
Besides, if SGI goes the way of the Dodo, it would hardly influence OpenGL one bit. After all, OpenGL began to flourish the moment SGI seemed to have lost interest in it. And by now, as mentioned before, it's mostly Nvidia, ATI and 3DLabs that are responsible for it.
Back to watching Doctor Who now...