One huge downside to a subscription system is that every subscriber is a paying customer, so if you have thousands of individual paid subscribers then you also need an additonal staff of customer service reps to help and support all those customers. Sure, you could farm all that to some other company who handles that sort of business for you but how much is that going to cost you? There's a certain break-even point where the cost to support a large base of subscribers makes the endeavor pay for itself and then some, so we seriously doubt we could even make a subscription service even pay for itself on any OSDN let alone make it profitbale.
I like the idea you pitched of posting a reason why the ad is being turned off, that's helpful. Also I would strongly object to sharing user contact info with advertisers, that'd be like selling Slashdot's user database, a total violation of trust with an audience that is too valuable to us.
Interstitials, pop-ups, and anything other than the plain banner ad are ideas that have been kicked around and tested for years and still haven't proven any better than plain banner ads, in fact they are each five times more annoying than banner ads and will drive your audience away.
The reason most banner ads don't get clicked is simply because the creative sucks. I mean if you actually look at and read a few banners you can't even guess what the hell they are advertising in the first place. Taking that same lack of creative talent and putting it in a pop-up window isn't going to make it any more effective. Another problem is simply demographic: putting ads in front of an audience that doesn't care about whatever is being advertised.
So I think a novel new idea for web advertisers would be to create a few ads that send a clear message worth clicking on.
I'm guessing you're trolling, which yo've been known to do, but I'll bite anyway.
Calling slashdot and k5 "enemies" is immature schoolyard drivel. Many of the people I work with know/love kuro5hin and read it often.
Rob explained several times that Slashdot's submission queue is not open because trolls (ahem) would turn it into a game. There however several hidden forums where you're free to create your own and post anything you want.
We have an Arrowpoint load balancing switch in the front of six web servers and whenever a web server stops responding the load balancer stops passing requests to it, but it make take a minute or so for the load balancer to actually take that machine out of rotation. It's not perfect and we're always tweaking it. I workaround it by hitting reload and that usually randomly hits the "next" web server.
I don't know and I won't bother trying to benchmark that bit of code in MySQL, but for systems as complex as SourceForge or Slashdot you really need to have a database backend to manage the relationships between all those pieces of data. I'm sure it would perform even better if you wrote it all out in assemebly language, but who wants to do that?
After a brief skim of the description of Apple II's sub-pixel rendering and the ClearType abstract I guess the best way to summarize the situation is Microsoft took anti-aliasing a step further by adding some math and taking into account the nature of LCD displays. Rather than linearly avergaing the RGB values of neighboring pixels (your basic anti-aliasing alogrithm) instead a larger area is sampled and FFT analysis applied to find the "optimal" RGB combination so the human eye detects the least amount of "image error". So I'm not so quick to doubt that Microsoft has come up with some new math for anti-aliasing, not that I think it's worthy of a Nobel Prize, but to call it "innovative", maybe. I'm not an anti-aliasing expert (INAAAE) so I can't say for sure.
So why only LCDs? What about CRTs? I suspect what Microsoft is really after here is the handheld market. They'd like for PocketPCs leap ahead of Palm OS at least as far as display clarity goes. It may seem like a minor battle but Joe Consumer standing in Best Buy looks at chunky Palm OS two-color screen then sees bright and crisp PocketPC screen and buys that instead.
What I find curious is ClearType has been presented at a few conferences and white papers submitted to IEEE yet I don't see any clear statement on how/if ClearType will be treated as a public standard, or released under some sort of licencse, or jealously protected by zealous IP lawyers. Could it be a case of adopt-now-and-we'll-bill-you-later? Maybe I just can't find a link to the license agreement. Whatever.
Ah you're right. Microsoft also has plans to rent its applications over the net. Microsoft is one of those software companies that obsesses over imaginary revenue lost due to piracy so they're eager to push some sort of pay-per-use revenue model. Several companies have tried that and failed already. Can Microsoft make it work? Remains to be seen.
But it's funny how Gates scoffed at the idea of a network computer a couple of years ago when "network computer" was the buzzword of the month.In his NYT column he said NC's did not make sense and the PC is here to stay. He more or less said that the idea of applications being served from a network server was an obsolete scheme being marketed by Sun and Oracle because they sell servers. He stuck to his guns that Microsoft was all about the PC and power to the user, blah, blah, blah. Now Microsoft suddenly has this "new" idea of becoming an applications service provider. So in other words Windows clients would more like stripped-down applications clients... kind of like a network computer. So I guess if the thought never occured to you before then it must be a "new" idea.
I see NWGS as nothing more than a distraction to keep developers in the Microsoft camp. I used to be a MSDN subscriber and Windows programmer (forgive me, for I have sinned) so I know how the game works:
I don't pick the stories that are posted here so I don't know. I never noticed a pattern of more or less linkage to Salon. These opinions are my own. Slashdot authors who post stories may fell differently than I do. I don't know.
Slashdot has changed because the staff has changed and the industry has changed and will continue to change. I just think it's funny how some people see a milestone and think it is a gravestone. Like that Salon columnist, Andrew-whats-his-name, who lamented the death of Slashdot when the VA/Andover deal was first announced. That was months ago and Slashdot is still here and more popular than ever.
I like how Andy Rooney said it at the closing of one of his bits on "60 Minutes":...and for those of you who wrote me and said you'd never watch 60 Minutes again, we'll see you here again next week, same time, same channel. *grin*
Dude, I know you're trolling but for those who don't, I feel compelled to take your bait. So I'll be nice to your young and innocent sheldon persona (don't want hurt his feelings) and simply say that Lars asked not be edited, and I personally appreciate Lars' candor as do many other readers here.
I'm working on it. Right now the Andover.Net ad rotation system works on an Apache module written in C. The ad data is stored in text files locally on each web server (or NFS server for clustered web sites like Slashdot) and hourly cron jobs on each server count number of impressions per ad then create new ad rotation lists. I don't know whether to be proud or ashamed that the system is still based on flat text files and string parsing -- I like to keep things simple for the sake of reliability. We're currently working on moving all of the ad serving logic into a CORBA server that talks to a database -- so much for simplicity.
Anyway, if you're still interested, even after I've shamefully confessed that it's all based on flat text files, please email me and I'll let you know when I've got a SourceForge project ready for it.
ROBLIMO: Not after we demonstrate the power of this station. In a way, you have determined the choice of the web site that'll be slashdotted first. Since you are reluctant to provide us with a URL, I have chosen to test this station's slashdotting power... on your home page on iVillage!
AC: No! iVillage is peaceful. We don't flame Linux on iVillage. We only discuss travel and mystery novels. You can't possibly...
ROBLIMO: You would prefer another target? A commercial target? Then name the URL!
Roblimo waves menacingly toward AC.
ROBLIMO: I grow tired of asking this. So it'll be the last time. What is the URL?
AC: (softly) pcweek.com.
AC lowers her head.
AC: The FUD piece was posted on pcweek.com.
ROBLIMO: There. You see Lord Taco, she can be reasonable. (addressing Hemos) Continue with the operation. You may post when ready.
The VA boxes all came with Red Hat preinstalled, so we installed Debian on them, expcept for the 3500 machines (one is our SQL server) because VA had some extra drivers 'n stuff installed so we left it mostly as is.
Slashdot Mirror
One huge downside to a subscription system is that every subscriber is a paying customer, so if you have thousands of individual paid subscribers then you also need an additonal staff of customer service reps to help and support all those customers. Sure, you could farm all that to some other company who handles that sort of business for you but how much is that going to cost you? There's a certain break-even point where the cost to support a large base of subscribers makes the endeavor pay for itself and then some, so we seriously doubt we could even make a subscription service even pay for itself on any OSDN let alone make it profitbale.
Yes! Being able to bookmark ads! That's cool idea. One could have a single page listing hte ads they bookmarked for later.
I like the idea you pitched of posting a reason why the ad is being turned off, that's helpful. Also I would strongly object to sharing user contact info with advertisers, that'd be like selling Slashdot's user database, a total violation of trust with an audience that is too valuable to us.
I like the t-shirt or other prizes idea, I din't think of that right off just for the sake of simplicity. Thanks for suggesting that.
The reason most banner ads don't get clicked is simply because the creative sucks. I mean if you actually look at and read a few banners you can't even guess what the hell they are advertising in the first place. Taking that same lack of creative talent and putting it in a pop-up window isn't going to make it any more effective. Another problem is simply demographic: putting ads in front of an audience that doesn't care about whatever is being advertised.
So I think a novel new idea for web advertisers would be to create a few ads that send a clear message worth clicking on.
Calling slashdot and k5 "enemies" is immature schoolyard drivel. Many of the people I work with know/love kuro5hin and read it often.
Rob explained several times that Slashdot's submission queue is not open because trolls (ahem) would turn it into a game. There however several hidden forums where you're free to create your own and post anything you want.
We have an Arrowpoint load balancing switch in the front of six web servers and whenever a web server stops responding the load balancer stops passing requests to it, but it make take a minute or so for the load balancer to actually take that machine out of rotation. It's not perfect and we're always tweaking it. I workaround it by hitting reload and that usually randomly hits the "next" web server.
That's a good idea. I'll submit it and see if they don't reject it. Thanks.
I don't know and I won't bother trying to benchmark that bit of code in MySQL, but for systems as complex as SourceForge or Slashdot you really need to have a database backend to manage the relationships between all those pieces of data. I'm sure it would perform even better if you wrote it all out in assemebly language, but who wants to do that?
Andover's ad delivery system is GPL'ed too. Available for download here.
So why only LCDs? What about CRTs? I suspect what Microsoft is really after here is the handheld market. They'd like for PocketPCs leap ahead of Palm OS at least as far as display clarity goes. It may seem like a minor battle but Joe Consumer standing in Best Buy looks at chunky Palm OS two-color screen then sees bright and crisp PocketPC screen and buys that instead.
What I find curious is ClearType has been presented at a few conferences and white papers submitted to IEEE yet I don't see any clear statement on how/if ClearType will be treated as a public standard, or released under some sort of licencse, or jealously protected by zealous IP lawyers. Could it be a case of adopt-now-and-we'll-bill-you-later? Maybe I just can't find a link to the license agreement. Whatever.
But it's funny how Gates scoffed at the idea of a network computer a couple of years ago when "network computer" was the buzzword of the month.In his NYT column he said NC's did not make sense and the PC is here to stay. He more or less said that the idea of applications being served from a network server was an obsolete scheme being marketed by Sun and Oracle because they sell servers. He stuck to his guns that Microsoft was all about the PC and power to the user, blah, blah, blah. Now Microsoft suddenly has this "new" idea of becoming an applications service provider. So in other words Windows clients would more like stripped-down applications clients... kind of like a network computer. So I guess if the thought never occured to you before then it must be a "new" idea.
I see NWGS as nothing more than a distraction
/* FIXME: Memory leak. Maybe free ($new_API_name) here? Ah screw it. Tell users to buy more RAM. */
to keep developers in the Microsoft camp.
I used to be a MSDN subscriber and Windows
programmer (forgive me, for I have sinned) so
I know how the game works:
while(1) {
$new_API_name = new GlitzGlamName;
rename($old_API_name, $new_API_name);
hype($new_API_name);
delay($new_API_name);
enforce($new_API_name);
change_spec($new_API_name);
orphan($new_API_name);
$old_API_name = $new_API_name;
}
Same ol' song and dance.
Gecko feet stick using Van der Walls forces (weak electrical forces at the molecular level) and due credit to kuro5hin for posting this earlier today.
I don't pick the stories that are posted here so I don't know. I never noticed a pattern of more or less linkage to Salon. These opinions are my own. Slashdot authors who post stories may fell differently than I do. I don't know.
formkey column in DB wasn't wide enough. PatG fixed it just now.
Slashdot has changed because the staff has changed and the industry has changed and will continue to change. I just think it's funny how some people see a milestone and think it is a gravestone. Like that Salon columnist, Andrew-whats-his-name, who lamented the death of Slashdot when the VA/Andover deal was first announced. That was months ago and Slashdot is still here and more popular than ever.
I like how Andy Rooney said it at the closing of one of his bits on "60 Minutes": ...and for those of you who wrote me and said you'd never watch 60 Minutes again, we'll see you here again next week, same time, same channel. *grin*
Do a search on the new server setup story -- it's all linux machines.
Typo in previous post. It's http://modadbanners.sourceforge.net/
...and if anyone cares I released the Apache module mentioned here this week: http://modabanners.sourceforge.net/
Dude, I know you're trolling but for those who don't, I feel compelled to take your bait. So I'll be nice to your young and innocent sheldon persona (don't want hurt his feelings) and simply say that Lars asked not be edited, and I personally appreciate Lars' candor as do many other readers here.
I don't know a damn thing about the music industry.
Anyway, if you're still interested, even after I've shamefully confessed that it's all based on flat text files, please email me and I'll let you know when I've got a SourceForge project ready for it.
while () {
s/KURT/MARTIN/;
s/Andover/Adam/;
}
ROBLIMO: Not after we demonstrate the power of this station. In a way,
you have determined the choice of the web site that'll be slashdotted
first. Since you are reluctant to provide us with a URL, I have chosen
to test this station's slashdotting power...
on your home page on iVillage!
AC: No! iVillage is peaceful. We don't flame Linux on iVillage.
We only discuss travel and mystery novels. You can't possibly...
ROBLIMO: You would prefer another target? A commercial target? Then name the URL!
Roblimo waves menacingly toward AC.
ROBLIMO: I grow tired of asking this. So it'll be the last time. What is the URL?
AC: (softly) pcweek.com.
AC lowers her head.
AC: The FUD piece was posted on pcweek.com.
ROBLIMO: There. You see Lord Taco, she can be reasonable. (addressing
Hemos) Continue with the operation. You may post when ready.
The VA boxes all came with Red Hat preinstalled, so we installed Debian on them, expcept for the 3500 machines (one is our SQL server) because VA had some extra drivers 'n stuff installed so we left it mostly as is.