Why does a multibillion dollar company have to spend all of it's time chasing everyone else's ideas. Where is the creativity. How about making something new, something we need or solving a problem with software.
This is just plain annoying.
As M$ likes to swallow the goo of every corporation and gouverment that throws a bone it's way. The chances that I will use a site that later can be used for data mining is slim.
I can see the thinking here. Tell all the web citizens of this cool new site (that is no more than a copy of existing services)and make loud comments on how everyone will use it. Set it up as the default page of the next release of Windows$ and say hey look at all the people using it.
It is easy to get fixated on one company and plan you life around it. The better idea is to plan your job around your life. If you are tired of living where you are and think this is going to be a good change go for it. Wiegh out all the factors. Are the people friendly, is the crime rate low, what's the cost of living, how much is car insurance and gas, will you loose money on selling property, do you have a spouse that working and has to find a new job.
If your work is looking to save money. Will you move out west to loose your Job on the next round of cost savings. The best career move you can make is the one you plan, not the one your employeer plans for you.
Granted Monopoly bad, but Apple doesn't claim to play for sure on any devices it doesn't. M$ is no angel here providing free protection (DRM) and infastructure to 3rd parties. It needs DRM for many of it's apps like Office, Exchange, Web services etc. M$ probably doesn't want to get into the fray with devices as it has a bad track record with hardware and the profit margines $$ on small devices aren't good enough. M$ still wants to help it's hardware freinds against the evil dominace of Apple in this area.
All this doesn't change the fact the M$ could do quality control if it is going to brand "PlayForSure" but it is cheaper to not do so and to not verify that OEMs are doing a good job leaves consumer and content providers with asurance of quality on a M$ brand that is not there.
The original test was equivalent to saying "I'll let a thief into my house. Let's see if he can steal anything!"
Your analogy could better. It would be more like you have an apartment in a secure apartment building you shouldn't be able to get into other peoples apartments unless you are the apartment manager. But you find a way and other people and there property are not safe.
But how often do you allow someone into your machine? For A desktop, not often, perhaps never
If Macs are used in library or other public place people could get admin access collect users info or add programs to those machines to do harm. If those machines are in shared areas of a University then students can have finances and property at risk.
You bring up a interesting point. PlaysForSure from what I remember doesn't actually mean what end users think. It just means that the hardware manufacturer of the device has supportted all the required interfaces and network protocals, DRM v10, WMA CBR & VBR a bunch of metadata and some other stuff. Basically content created by online vendors like Napster.
Did M$ test these devices on an end to end scenerio with XP or W2K to verify the devices will be recognized and they can sync musis to them...(Nope)
So how do you know the device will PlayForSure... You don't. Just plug in a IRiver T30 MP3 player with the PlaysForSure logo and watch it not Play DRM media.
I am not a big fan of Apple but I bet the ipod has been through some e2e testing and if I was Napster I'd want to be asociated with a reliable entertainment infastructure.
"The government is responsible for protecting its citizens"
The problem with giving the government wide sweeping powers off control over the people in the guise of protection is the government is corrupt by it's very nature and is not interested in protecting anyone unless there is a good business reason for it (profit).
In order to become elected in high office you must have financial supporters who will fill the re-election chauffeurs(Jack Abramoff). You need the intellectual horse powerful to fend off other politicians and come up with good political strategies(Karl Rove). You need political allies to keep you informed on competitors (Republican Party) and quite a few other items to be successful.
Most of the time this means you come from a strong family (Bush, Kennedy) and go to a affluent school and make the right connections. Your allies have high expectations so you better be ready to compensate them and thus enters the corruption. How can you compensate some of the most affluent people in the country, probably not with a "Hey man your doing a good job". You better be ready with no bid contracts, political positions, corporate friendly laws.
Here are some examples where corruption takes precedence over protection.
So Bush says to the American people you are under unending attack so he creates the department of homeland security and because it's such an important position to protect the US people he puts an individual in charge who has no experience, and when he Facks it up he is told "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."
A Muslin port group (UAE)from a country with strong links to terrorismis is in the process of acquiring US ports. What is more important here US protection or the Billions of dollars that will be coming this way and kick backs if the Republicans can pull it off. What happens when the political winds change like they do every second week in the middle east. (Taliban, Iraq two of our old friends).
If our government can't keep the names of our CIA operatives safe and decide to use them for political gain would they not use corporate and personal information and other spyed info for political gain. So is your information safe and does this add to your protection.
In Iraq after the US people have paid Billions for the contracts for bad water, buildings not completed or started, high paid military contractors, bad flack jacks for our troops and billions of dollars in Military hardware for select companies. What happens if the Democratic Iraq votes in the Hamas party and where do the highly skilled snipers and Muslim war vets go. Are you any safer and was this a good expenditure of money. What about the US troops are bad Flac jackets protecting them.
With coal miners being buried every year for as long as I can remember what has the Mine Safety and Health Administration done to ensure the big businesses supplying coal to our nation is protecting the lives of the miners. The answer not much. With West Virginia implementing requirements for locaters and emergency air supplies on each floor is Mine Safety and Health Administration making this requirements a national standard.
With the release of super size me we can see that even large corporations like McDonald's have Lobbyist looking out for their interests, but wait aren't the politicians looking after your interest like they were elected to. Apparently its ok to sell food to the American people that is unhealthy and if McDonalds just recently discovered their freedom fries are a lot more deadly than the previously though oh well you can't sue them as the government passed a law to protect them. When another few hundred thousand obiese Americans die from heart disease you can ask yourself was this pofit for corporations over protection of the people.
We better wake the fack up and look at our fat asses in the mirror, we'll find our wallets are a bit lighter, we have lost some rights and we have no protection.
Slashdot Mirror
Why does a multibillion dollar company have to spend all of it's time chasing everyone else's ideas. Where is the creativity. How about making something new, something we need or solving a problem with software. This is just plain annoying.
I can see the thinking here. Tell all the web citizens of this cool new site (that is no more than a copy of existing services)and make loud comments on how everyone will use it. Set it up as the default page of the next release of Windows$ and say hey look at all the people using it.
If your work is looking to save money. Will you move out west to loose your Job on the next round of cost savings. The best career move you can make is the one you plan, not the one your employeer plans for you.
ZoOnI
All this doesn't change the fact the M$ could do quality control if it is going to brand "PlayForSure" but it is cheaper to not do so and to not verify that OEMs are doing a good job leaves consumer and content providers with asurance of quality on a M$ brand that is not there.
ZoOnI
Your analogy could better. It would be more like you have an apartment in a secure apartment building you shouldn't be able to get into other peoples apartments unless you are the apartment manager. But you find a way and other people and there property are not safe.
But how often do you allow someone into your machine? For A desktop, not often, perhaps never
If Macs are used in library or other public place people could get admin access collect users info or add programs to those machines to do harm. If those machines are in shared areas of a University then students can have finances and property at risk.
Did M$ test these devices on an end to end scenerio with XP or W2K to verify the devices will be recognized and they can sync musis to them ...(Nope)
So how do you know the device will PlayForSure ... You don't. Just plug in a IRiver T30 MP3 player with the PlaysForSure logo and watch it not Play DRM media.
I am not a big fan of Apple but I bet the ipod has been through some e2e testing and if I was Napster I'd want to be asociated with a reliable entertainment infastructure.
ZoOnI
Does not play well with others.
The problem with giving the government wide sweeping powers off control over the people in the guise of protection is the government is corrupt by it's very nature and is not interested in protecting anyone unless there is a good business reason for it (profit).
In order to become elected in high office you must have financial supporters who will fill the re-election chauffeurs(Jack Abramoff). You need the intellectual horse powerful to fend off other politicians and come up with good political strategies(Karl Rove). You need political allies to keep you informed on competitors (Republican Party) and quite a few other items to be successful.
Most of the time this means you come from a strong family (Bush, Kennedy) and go to a affluent school and make the right connections. Your allies have high expectations so you better be ready to compensate them and thus enters the corruption. How can you compensate some of the most affluent people in the country, probably not with a "Hey man your doing a good job". You better be ready with no bid contracts, political positions, corporate friendly laws.
Here are some examples where corruption takes precedence over protection.
So Bush says to the American people you are under unending attack so he creates the department of homeland security and because it's such an important position to protect the US people he puts an individual in charge who has no experience, and when he Facks it up he is told "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."
A Muslin port group (UAE)from a country with strong links to terrorismis is in the process of acquiring US ports. What is more important here US protection or the Billions of dollars that will be coming this way and kick backs if the Republicans can pull it off. What happens when the political winds change like they do every second week in the middle east. (Taliban, Iraq two of our old friends).
If our government can't keep the names of our CIA operatives safe and decide to use them for political gain would they not use corporate and personal information and other spyed info for political gain. So is your information safe and does this add to your protection.
In Iraq after the US people have paid Billions for the contracts for bad water, buildings not completed or started, high paid military contractors, bad flack jacks for our troops and billions of dollars in Military hardware for select companies. What happens if the Democratic Iraq votes in the Hamas party and where do the highly skilled snipers and Muslim war vets go. Are you any safer and was this a good expenditure of money. What about the US troops are bad Flac jackets protecting them.
With coal miners being buried every year for as long as I can remember what has the Mine Safety and Health Administration done to ensure the big businesses supplying coal to our nation is protecting the lives of the miners. The answer not much. With West Virginia implementing requirements for locaters and emergency air supplies on each floor is Mine Safety and Health Administration making this requirements a national standard.
With the release of super size me we can see that even large corporations like McDonald's have Lobbyist looking out for their interests, but wait aren't the politicians looking after your interest like they were elected to. Apparently its ok to sell food to the American people that is unhealthy and if McDonalds just recently discovered their freedom fries are a lot more deadly than the previously though oh well you can't sue them as the government passed a law to protect them. When another few hundred thousand obiese Americans die from heart disease you can ask yourself was this pofit for corporations over protection of the people.
We better wake the fack up and look at our fat asses in the mirror, we'll find our wallets are a bit lighter, we have lost some rights and we have no protection.