it calls into doubt the validity of many past and future ISO standards
Including ODF, so now we just go back to the situation we had before all of this ISO standard document talk, back to MS Office again. What has changed? Oh right, nothing, which is pretty much what MS's goal was in all of this. They win either way.
So maybe we need to change politics a little so instead of the position of president being highly desirable because of the power, it would instead be more conducive to making objective decisions. This is just a made up scenario, feel free to add your own:
The president earns minimum wage, as it is what is expected to suffice for the cost of living. - During the presidency, the president would not be able to posess anything outside of what they are able to purchase with their salary, and they cannot accept any gifts or extra-salary compensation, as with police. - The president would have to be under 24h surveillance, including phone taps, computer and mail logging, etc. I understand it's difficult to imagine, but it is for 4 years, not life, and they are not forced to accept the presidency. It's for the safety of the country. Just because you're president doesn't mean you're not subject to temptations, and humans aren't infallible.
Anyway it's just a suggestion, but how could the position of presidency be made to be more conducive to serving the public and the country?
So MS have achieved their goal, either way ODF is not going to be used by businesses, because either the ISO is distrusted so it means nothing that ODF is an ISO standard anyway, or the ISO is trusted and MSOOXML is considered approved and so businesses will just continue to use what they're using now either way. The only other option is if MS is untrusted because of this, but considering that people are still using their products after the EU and US antitrust, as well as numerous other court cases they have settled and not won, or just lost, why would anything change just because of this?
The article says a ministry spokesman alluded to possible legal action against the club.
To what ends? You can't deter it as it's already happened, and you can't suppress it, as even the method for tricking the security system is widely known. If the security system is broken, you can't legalize it into working again. The security system was built in order to keep things safe, and now we have to keep other things safe from the security system itself.
Businesses should look at it as splitting the cost and effort of stuff that they'll all each be using anyway. In an extreme case, businesses could even eliminate Microsoft as the middleman between them and their computers if they got together and funded work on operating system software that they would each be using anyway, and in the end they would be more free to customize it for their own needs.
Shouldn't they be doing this anyway in order to be producing maintainable code? Shouldn't the engineers be commenting in it for whoever has to see/work on the code? Shouldn't the hardware's specifications already be documented? Otherwise you're right, the result is worthless.
There's no reason to think a Blu-Ray drive would sell any better
There are many reasons. Blu-ray is now the decided format for HD video on disc, and users can now commit. The growing availability of movies will guarantee that more people in general want to watch high def movies as well. The fact that it would prevent users from considering the purchase of a PS3 alone should be motive enough for MS, but as it is now a lot of people are considering the PS3 when they never would before. A Blu-ray add-on would be cheaper than buying a PS3, so it would be a more attractive choice to gamers who were content with the 360 alone. New gamers who may be more likely to buy a PS3 than a 360 if they feel they are getting more value from the fact that it saves them from having to buy a movie player as well. Gamers who are going for the PS3 and 360 are more likely to have or plan on getting the high definition screens to take advantage.
The videos are only 720p, the bitrate is not high, and it's a problem to transport the videos to bring to someone else's house to watch (you have to bring your 360) much less another room in the house. You can't purchase movies and keep them, and it costs $6 to rent one. You need a Live account. The selection is not that great. Although it might be a good companion, it's just not a suitable replacement for Blu-Ray.
So you won't go to Vista because "you enjoy a certain degree of control", but you *would* buy a Mac ?
The thing is, this is showing the affect of Vista on this person. They dislike it so much they just want something non-Microsoft.
What do you think Vista is going to stop you doing ?
Maybe they feel that using Vista is getting them further entrenched into Microsoft's vision and not necessarily their own idea proper of what they want to do with their computer. They just know someone else is in the driver's seat and this time it's clear Microsoft don't have the user's interests in mind.
Because my MacBook has one really big gesture pad combined with a single big button.
Mine doesn't let me do that in OSX even.
I thought the whole benefit of Open Source and Linux is that if there is something you don't like, you are free to improve it yourself.
Yeah I agree, I'm looking into it. Just saying though. I bought a Mac because of the hardware, not the software, it's just too bad a lot of stuff doesn't support the special hardware:)
Agreed, the only thing PC has done for people is provide them a universal way of sidestepping any important opportunity for discussion or understanding between people who feel they need to say something PC. People are afraid to say a lot of shit and even ask people questions because they feel everything is "taboo" or afraid of coming off as malicious, and nobody is getting closer to one another. It's pretty sad how many people I see of the same race discussing amongst each other if they did the PC thing or not, and are they in the clear of offending anyone. Nobody's comfortable around anyone if there's PC issues involved. It's really ridiculous.
Why not just have 4 buttons on the remote, so 4 users can be assigned a button. Another can bring up a full list of users. When the user wants to watch some TV, they just press that button to turn on all the devices they will typically want (sound system, TV, cable box, etc) and load their settings.
Wii still looks good on an HDTV. Mario Galaxy, Smash Bros Brawl, Metroid Prime 3 Corruption, all these games and more have details that are difficult to make out on an SDTV but that pop off the screen on an HDTV just due to the fact that it's in progressive scan and that the details aren't blurred together due to the use of an RCA connection or similar. The combination of interlacing and blurring really make it difficult to see even the full quality of the Wii's picture. In Mario Galaxy it's the easiest to tell, because most textures in that game have a dot pattern on them with subtle colour changes that you don't really get to appreciate or even see on a 480i CRT.
I have no desire to tinker. I want it to "just work".
That's my experience too with Ubuntu. I don't have to hunt down any drivers on CDs or on the web. Applications tend to support each others' file formats so I can get right to work instead of converting it or using some unrelated middleware to accomplish my goals. All of my applications are updated with a single tool, and I'm notified once for all updates instead of having to check individual applications or web sites. I install/uninstall all applications with that tool as well and any required software is automatically installed for me. The installation procedure is the same for 99% of applications and I don't have to check in fear that the installation procedure may have hijacked certain settings or that some resident tool is going to enforce certain settings. I am sure I can legally download or bring over on a USB key my software to use on other PCs, and most of the time it's available for any platform so I'm sure I can do my work anywhere.
Also, yes it's anecdotal, but I find troubleshooting easier with Ubuntu than Windows. I get error messages I can understand and do something about. Yeah, there may be some know-how involved, but I find a lot of people have trouble following an installation procedure on Windows and always ask me to install software for them, and they don't even know how to accomplish their goals with software in general all of the time and require some tutoring. I don't see why error messages have to be so generic on Windows sometimes, and the details usually barf out a stack trace or something. In Linux, at the very worst, I have to start the program from a terminal and see what messages come out. Oh, it can't write to that folder. Oh, the folder doesn't exist. Etc. Usually the problem is not that big a deal if there is ever any problem with anything, and even then these issues get resolved.
True, I agree, complete control IS why I use Linux. I'm happy to know I can convert any format of anything into anything else. All applications will talk to my file formats. I can use data from one application in another if I really want to, even if it isn't built-in. I have peace of mind in knowing that if I really wanted to, I would be able to use this exact set of software and be just as productive in the future because it will be available... whether in an emulated virtual instance, or whatever... because it is under the GPL and/or BSD and will simply just be available. No nags, no system tray icons trying to vie(sp?) for my attention, no time limits, no applications installing themselves under the company's name in my menu... Oh it's just so much nicer.
I don't really feel like paying for games I can only download online from any provider on any system. I don't have a hard copy, and I can't borrow a friend's. I can't rent such a game. I don't care about being able to download demos or play trials. I don't want any content locked down to one platform, because in the future there's no guarantee I'll be able to use it. My system may be broken. It may be a hassle to hook up to new TVs or even to get it out of storage and hook it up just to play for 5 minutes. I may lose my only copy* and the provider may refuse for whatever reason to get me another without hassle on my part. Copyrights or legal restrictions may affect distribution in the future and if my only copy bit the dust, or the only system I can play it on, then I won't be able to use what I paid for. There will also be no way for me to re-gain any of my investment, it won't even really be an investment anymore because there's no way to re-gain any value from it. You can't sell it on eBay if you wanted to. Who would buy a DRM'd file they can't do anything with? I really need a hard copy. Sorry guys but I won't be buying any WiiWare, or any PlayStation Network or Live Arcade shit either.
They can offer it online, I just want to have the choice.
* Yes I know you can make backups, but if I buy a copy from a company at least I'm guaranteed disc quality and minimal errors in the manufacturing process compared to a CD-R I choose at the store and may not know any better about what brand, or it depends on what I have around at the time sometimes, and maybe my burner is messing up and it won't be readable on other machines, or maybe there is some weird fungus growing inside my disc and in 2 years it'll be unusable. This is all extra hassle, and I just want a freakin' hard copy that I can get at retail.
The NYTimes covers the development from the practical standpoint of Verizon's agreement with P2P company Pando Networks, which will be involved in distributing NBC television shows next month. So the network efficiencies will accrue to NBC's content, not to non-sanctioned P2P such as distributing open source software, free software, music, videos, and art in the public domain and licensed under creative commons, or to help distribute software updates for packages such as Azureus.
Slashdot Mirror
Should be: "'Terrorists' are still a good excuse to go on witchhunts"
it calls into doubt the validity of many past and future ISO standards
Including ODF, so now we just go back to the situation we had before all of this ISO standard document talk, back to MS Office again. What has changed? Oh right, nothing, which is pretty much what MS's goal was in all of this. They win either way.
So maybe we need to change politics a little so instead of the position of president being highly desirable because of the power, it would instead be more conducive to making objective decisions. This is just a made up scenario, feel free to add your own:
The president earns minimum wage, as it is what is expected to suffice for the cost of living.
- During the presidency, the president would not be able to posess anything outside of what they are able to purchase with their salary, and they cannot accept any gifts or extra-salary compensation, as with police.
- The president would have to be under 24h surveillance, including phone taps, computer and mail logging, etc. I understand it's difficult to imagine, but it is for 4 years, not life, and they are not forced to accept the presidency. It's for the safety of the country. Just because you're president doesn't mean you're not subject to temptations, and humans aren't infallible.
Anyway it's just a suggestion, but how could the position of presidency be made to be more conducive to serving the public and the country?
So MS have achieved their goal, either way ODF is not going to be used by businesses, because either the ISO is distrusted so it means nothing that ODF is an ISO standard anyway, or the ISO is trusted and MSOOXML is considered approved and so businesses will just continue to use what they're using now either way. The only other option is if MS is untrusted because of this, but considering that people are still using their products after the EU and US antitrust, as well as numerous other court cases they have settled and not won, or just lost, why would anything change just because of this?
The article says a ministry spokesman alluded to possible legal action against the club.
To what ends? You can't deter it as it's already happened, and you can't suppress it, as even the method for tricking the security system is widely known. If the security system is broken, you can't legalize it into working again. The security system was built in order to keep things safe, and now we have to keep other things safe from the security system itself.
I intend on distributing my music through the web, how can I get in on those payments?
Seriously, how else are we supposed to have an authentic mad fold-in experience on the web?
Businesses should look at it as splitting the cost and effort of stuff that they'll all each be using anyway. In an extreme case, businesses could even eliminate Microsoft as the middleman between them and their computers if they got together and funded work on operating system software that they would each be using anyway, and in the end they would be more free to customize it for their own needs.
Shouldn't they be doing this anyway in order to be producing maintainable code? Shouldn't the engineers be commenting in it for whoever has to see/work on the code? Shouldn't the hardware's specifications already be documented? Otherwise you're right, the result is worthless.
There's no reason to think a Blu-Ray drive would sell any better
There are many reasons. Blu-ray is now the decided format for HD video on disc, and users can now commit. The growing availability of movies will guarantee that more people in general want to watch high def movies as well. The fact that it would prevent users from considering the purchase of a PS3 alone should be motive enough for MS, but as it is now a lot of people are considering the PS3 when they never would before. A Blu-ray add-on would be cheaper than buying a PS3, so it would be a more attractive choice to gamers who were content with the 360 alone. New gamers who may be more likely to buy a PS3 than a 360 if they feel they are getting more value from the fact that it saves them from having to buy a movie player as well. Gamers who are going for the PS3 and 360 are more likely to have or plan on getting the high definition screens to take advantage.
The videos are only 720p, the bitrate is not high, and it's a problem to transport the videos to bring to someone else's house to watch (you have to bring your 360) much less another room in the house. You can't purchase movies and keep them, and it costs $6 to rent one. You need a Live account. The selection is not that great. Although it might be a good companion, it's just not a suitable replacement for Blu-Ray.
Guess I'll play devil's advocate...
So you won't go to Vista because "you enjoy a certain degree of control", but you *would* buy a Mac ?
The thing is, this is showing the affect of Vista on this person. They dislike it so much they just want something non-Microsoft.
What do you think Vista is going to stop you doing ?
Maybe they feel that using Vista is getting them further entrenched into Microsoft's vision and not necessarily their own idea proper of what they want to do with their computer. They just know someone else is in the driver's seat and this time it's clear Microsoft don't have the user's interests in mind.
Because my MacBook has one really big gesture pad combined with a single big button.
:)
Mine doesn't let me do that in OSX even.
I thought the whole benefit of Open Source and Linux is that if there is something you don't like, you are free to improve it yourself.
Yeah I agree, I'm looking into it. Just saying though. I bought a Mac because of the hardware, not the software, it's just too bad a lot of stuff doesn't support the special hardware
The whole dig at the single mouse button is so 1980's, since all serious Mac users have been using three button (or more) mice for decades.
Too bad my powerbook only has one mouse button built-in... When I boot to Linux, ctrl+click doesn't really work.
That PC crap hits my nerves
Agreed, the only thing PC has done for people is provide them a universal way of sidestepping any important opportunity for discussion or understanding between people who feel they need to say something PC. People are afraid to say a lot of shit and even ask people questions because they feel everything is "taboo" or afraid of coming off as malicious, and nobody is getting closer to one another. It's pretty sad how many people I see of the same race discussing amongst each other if they did the PC thing or not, and are they in the clear of offending anyone. Nobody's comfortable around anyone if there's PC issues involved. It's really ridiculous.
Why not just have 4 buttons on the remote, so 4 users can be assigned a button. Another can bring up a full list of users. When the user wants to watch some TV, they just press that button to turn on all the devices they will typically want (sound system, TV, cable box, etc) and load their settings.
Yeah but why change the rules now just for this instance? And why should we not allow for mistakes? Or should we be acting on errors?
Thank you for being the exception, my friend. I wish there were more like you.
Heh it was just a joke
Jadakiss fallin' off but Sheek Louch holdin' down d-block.
Wii still looks good on an HDTV. Mario Galaxy, Smash Bros Brawl, Metroid Prime 3 Corruption, all these games and more have details that are difficult to make out on an SDTV but that pop off the screen on an HDTV just due to the fact that it's in progressive scan and that the details aren't blurred together due to the use of an RCA connection or similar. The combination of interlacing and blurring really make it difficult to see even the full quality of the Wii's picture. In Mario Galaxy it's the easiest to tell, because most textures in that game have a dot pattern on them with subtle colour changes that you don't really get to appreciate or even see on a 480i CRT.
I have no desire to tinker. I want it to "just work".
That's my experience too with Ubuntu. I don't have to hunt down any drivers on CDs or on the web. Applications tend to support each others' file formats so I can get right to work instead of converting it or using some unrelated middleware to accomplish my goals. All of my applications are updated with a single tool, and I'm notified once for all updates instead of having to check individual applications or web sites. I install/uninstall all applications with that tool as well and any required software is automatically installed for me. The installation procedure is the same for 99% of applications and I don't have to check in fear that the installation procedure may have hijacked certain settings or that some resident tool is going to enforce certain settings. I am sure I can legally download or bring over on a USB key my software to use on other PCs, and most of the time it's available for any platform so I'm sure I can do my work anywhere.
Also, yes it's anecdotal, but I find troubleshooting easier with Ubuntu than Windows. I get error messages I can understand and do something about. Yeah, there may be some know-how involved, but I find a lot of people have trouble following an installation procedure on Windows and always ask me to install software for them, and they don't even know how to accomplish their goals with software in general all of the time and require some tutoring. I don't see why error messages have to be so generic on Windows sometimes, and the details usually barf out a stack trace or something. In Linux, at the very worst, I have to start the program from a terminal and see what messages come out. Oh, it can't write to that folder. Oh, the folder doesn't exist. Etc. Usually the problem is not that big a deal if there is ever any problem with anything, and even then these issues get resolved.
True, I agree, complete control IS why I use Linux. I'm happy to know I can convert any format of anything into anything else. All applications will talk to my file formats. I can use data from one application in another if I really want to, even if it isn't built-in. I have peace of mind in knowing that if I really wanted to, I would be able to use this exact set of software and be just as productive in the future because it will be available... whether in an emulated virtual instance, or whatever... because it is under the GPL and/or BSD and will simply just be available. No nags, no system tray icons trying to vie(sp?) for my attention, no time limits, no applications installing themselves under the company's name in my menu... Oh it's just so much nicer.
I don't really feel like paying for games I can only download online from any provider on any system. I don't have a hard copy, and I can't borrow a friend's. I can't rent such a game. I don't care about being able to download demos or play trials. I don't want any content locked down to one platform, because in the future there's no guarantee I'll be able to use it. My system may be broken. It may be a hassle to hook up to new TVs or even to get it out of storage and hook it up just to play for 5 minutes. I may lose my only copy* and the provider may refuse for whatever reason to get me another without hassle on my part. Copyrights or legal restrictions may affect distribution in the future and if my only copy bit the dust, or the only system I can play it on, then I won't be able to use what I paid for. There will also be no way for me to re-gain any of my investment, it won't even really be an investment anymore because there's no way to re-gain any value from it. You can't sell it on eBay if you wanted to. Who would buy a DRM'd file they can't do anything with? I really need a hard copy. Sorry guys but I won't be buying any WiiWare, or any PlayStation Network or Live Arcade shit either.
They can offer it online, I just want to have the choice.
* Yes I know you can make backups, but if I buy a copy from a company at least I'm guaranteed disc quality and minimal errors in the manufacturing process compared to a CD-R I choose at the store and may not know any better about what brand, or it depends on what I have around at the time sometimes, and maybe my burner is messing up and it won't be readable on other machines, or maybe there is some weird fungus growing inside my disc and in 2 years it'll be unusable. This is all extra hassle, and I just want a freakin' hard copy that I can get at retail.
The NYTimes covers the development from the practical standpoint of Verizon's agreement with P2P company Pando Networks, which will be involved in distributing NBC television shows next month. So the network efficiencies will accrue to NBC's content, not to non-sanctioned P2P such as distributing open source software, free software, music, videos, and art in the public domain and licensed under creative commons, or to help distribute software updates for packages such as Azureus.
There, fixed that for you.