Does anyone honestly think anyone is not optimising their product for the products favourite benchmarking programs? Does anyone honestly think they aren't using every dirty trick in the book to get a few points more?
I have no trouble believing that Samsung has optimised their phones for benchmarking, the same as I have no problem believing that Apple optimises their phones for benchmarking (Apple would be even worse, blocking benchmark applications that dont give them favourable results). The only difference is that someone is calling out Samsung.
ATI, Nvidia, Intel, IBM, Apple, HTC... Everyone is doing it because you (the general you, no the parent) have made these benchmarks important to decision making.
Also it's trivial to over clock an android phone. So an easy test for this would be to get an SGS4 and sert it to 480 MHz, test it then OC it to 532 MHz, test it again and compare both results to a non OC'd SGS4.
And here is where you need to understand the intent rather then the method. Regulations can be and are often used as important tools for safety, regulations prohibit engine destroying additives being added to fuel, encourage electrical systems to have devices that prevent electrocution, lower prices by fostering a single standard that is available for everyone.
OTOH, regulations can be used for evil, to lock out competition and fix prices for example.
So you cant say all regulations are evil without being extremely ignorant. It's the intent, not the method that determines if something is helpful or harmful.
And yes, I've lived in a country with very few regulations... This makes building anything to be a full time job just making sure they put the plumbing and electrics in right, so the house doesn't burn down.. We're not even considering the time checking and chasing up on shonky plastering jobs.
I want my fridge to know what I have so that I literally never have to think about buying food again. It tracks what I use an orders more. Someone drops it off at my door and I put it back in the fridge. I *can* do all of that manually, but there's no benefit to my participation so I'd rather have the free time and brain power to spend on something else. And the fridge can actually do it better than me, because it can look at use rates and determine if an order for more milk is required today or if it could wait until Thursday when I'll also be out of bread.
Meanwhile, the fridge calls the store, tells the store you're out of cheetos and cookie dough whilst the store notices that a machine is doing the ordering and jacks up the price of cheetos and cookie dogh. Finally the fridge just hands over your CC details. You get shafted by two automated systems.
However the number 1 reason I wont automate my food shopping is the loss in quality. I wont order fresh food online as you're guaranteed to get the crappiest fruit, veg and meat they have. At the very best it will be random but more likely it will be the stuff that didn't sell yesterday. Checking quality, colour and the used by date is very important.
The second reason is that buying most of my non-perishables in bulk directly from a distribution centre is a lot cheaper.
I check every time and I have never been caught wanting paper in my life.
Wont do you any good when your layabout housemate used the last of the bog roll and didn't get any more.
Solution is
1. Keep the spare rolls in the bog.
2. Keep a spare pack of rolls in a cupboard outside the bog.
3. When you run out of rolls in the bog, get the pack of rolls from the cupboard and replace that pack next time you go to the shop.
4. Kick the arse of the useless housemate for the $4 of bog roll he used.
Metadata isn't a buzzword. It's a basic feature of schema design.
Unfortunately it's been co-opted by MBA's and marketing types and turned into a buzzword.
MBA 1: We need to synergise our metadata and sync it into a distributed private cloud. MBA 2: Yes, we need to cut the clutter and bring more to the table as our long term strategic goals depend on dynamic metadata in a cloud synergy.
can government stop bit coin... Yes.
Can the Thai government stop bit coin. Weeeeellllll lets list a few things that are also illegal in Thailand.
1. Drugs (including OTC pseudoephedrine and codeine).
2. Prostitution.
3. Taking statues of Buddha out of the country.
4. Riding a motorcycle without a helmet.
5. Riding a motorcycle with more than two passengers.
6. Operating a vehicle whilst intoxicated.
7. Buying Alcohol between 12 and 3 PM (IIRC, the hours may incorrect, but you get the idea).
Yet these things happen every day, in the case of number 2, often several times a day. The thing is that Thailand has lots of laws and not a lot of honest cops. Even if things were implemented for good reasons (the alcohol sale ban was to prevent kids from drinking) they are simply not properly enforced, if enforced at all. Above this, even if you get caught riding without a helmet, you simply "donate" a few hundred Baht to officer Somchai's "tea money" fund and carry on your merry way.
The SS weren't strictly military, the SS had a military arm, the Waffen SS but the SS in general was largely a political organisation. The SS infiltrated everything from the military and police to universities, radio, theatre and the arts to science and espionage to make sure it was all in line with Nazi ideals.
A man alerts you to how you're being ripped off by the people who claim to be working for you, and you take the side of the people ripping you off.
Try explaining to an Apple fanboy how much Apple rips them off.
The fanboy will turn around and defend what has been done to them. They do this because they cant stand to have two conflicting ideas in their head (1. Apple is the best thing ever and nothing bad can be said, 2. Apple are abusing them), this is commonly known as cognitive dissonance, the idea that they like the least must be expunged.
People in general are not logical or reasonable. Especially when the beliefs they like to hold are challenged.
Quite the opposite, if you file and are granted a patent for something that is later ruled invalid, there should be substantial penalties for the filer, because the purpose of a patent application is a government granted monopoly, leveraging the legal power and force of government to suppress other business. If you tell the government that you've done something novel that isn't, and prevent competition through that mechanism, there are substantial social costs (none of the benefits of invention, but all of the costs of a monopoly).
In other words, no small inventor would ever again dare filing a patent, due to the risk of bankruptcy if the patent is later found invalid. Only the largest companies will be able to find patents.
This is why you make the punishment in proportion to the crime.
Companies that file 100's of frivolous patents to in a shotgun approach to prevent competition need to get fined out of existence. A company who accidentally files a patent that is too obvious and is later revoked shouldn't be punished severely.
As always the intent of the crime comes into it. Apple has been filing patents to use as weapons against their competitors. As the patent system currently stands, no small inventor would risk inventing anything because patent trolls like Apple have everything and sundry patented in an overly broad patent that will be used as a cudgel to beat small inventors over the head with so they can steal their inventions.
Compared to this, no small inventor ever filing for a patent is a vast improvement.
Of course the US patent office could do something as logical as invalidating all software patents and enforcing some rules on obviousness.
Are you doing this as a consumer or as a retailer? Are you buying them for further distribution?
Retailers can do this. The problem is distributors are doing everything in their power to stop them. JB HiFi (an Australian electronics retailer) has been gray importing camera equipment for over a year now. When importing on that scale, you need to pay GST on the goods but that's it (GST is basically sales tax).
Are you sure that the publishers aren't being partially held over the barrel by distributer X in Australia
Absolutely certain.
First off, most distributors are not Australian companies.
Secondly, Australian distributors have openly said they cant import from the publishers for less than what they do. They've been trying to do this because they keep losing customers to overseas web stores and drop shippers.
So I say again, and I do hate repeating myself, publishers dictate prices.
It seems you dont know much about what is actually happening here and seem to be making it up whatever supports your pre-existing bias.
May I cordially ask which country is it? (Germany is my 1st bet...)
From his posting history I'd say Australia is a safe bet - but same here in Norway. Currently they don't have a wall clock where I work so I'm awarded five minutes on the online check-in to compensate me for the time to take the elevator, get to my office, log in to my computer and sign in. So if I check in at 8:05 AM wall time, it registers as if I arrived at 8 AM sharp. First place I've worked that actually have a clock system though, usually I've just filled out time sheets manually.
Yep, Australia.
Not quite as good as Norway when it comes to workers rights.
I'm covered by an agreement that specifies if I work, I get paid (but my employer is a bit of a special case). Other Enterprise Bargaining Agreements (EBA) in Oz give you time off in lieu rather than overtime pay but compensation for time worked is enshrined in law here. Some EBA's are abusive even though the courts crack down on it as much as they can.
Even though we get clocked by the security system, we still do timesheets to account for when we take breaks (which are also paid).
hiring people to work in your store who can't afford the product.
Ford paid his workers well so they could afford his card.
Apple store has to search it's workers to prevent theft. Maybe if they paid them better they wouldn't have to worry about this.
Ford made the car affordable and raised workers wages. Apple has done the opposite.
As an airline pilot I do not get paid while I wait in line and am checked by the TSA. I do not get paid while I wait in line for customs. I do not get paid while I get the flight paperwork and verify it is safe and legal. I do not get paid while preparing and inspecting the airplane for flight. I do not get paid while I wait for everyone to get on the plane and coordinate with gate, ramp, fuel, maintenance and catering to ensure an on-time departure.
Do you get paid by the hour?
If not these duties are part of your regular salary. Get a better union and negotiate
If so, get a better union and make sure you get paid for it.
I've got no sympathy for an employee who wont stand up for themselves. At least these retail staffers are willing to fight for fair pay and conditions.
2/3rds of loss in retail is from employee theft. At a place like Apple outlets, where the products are small, expensive, and easily turned over for cash to friends or pawn shops, I'd imagine it's even higher. Not that this fact excuses forcing unpaid overtime on your workers, but I'm not surprised they're doing bag checks.
The bag check isn't the problem.
Employers reserve that right even in countries with real employer protection. What isn't Kosher is the fact they have to do it unpaid. If an employer wants to screen you on your way out that time must be paid for by the employer.
Same for when an employee takes a break. In retail environments your breaks are timed (I've even heard they are even unpaid in the US), so a screening should not be permitted to detract from that time.
I work in a secure facility, I clock on from the first the moment I enter the building. Even if it takes me 5 minutes to get to my desk. Then again I work in a country that punishes employers for taking advantage of employees.
300GB is expensive to store?
What year do you live in?
You can get 3TB drives for $115. Building a Raid out of these is cheap and easy. Besides by the time these come out you will be able to likely transcode the video to a better type and save lots of space. As we do now with transcoding dvds to h264.
Please tell me you dont run backup systems.
The finance department in any small business has to store information for 7 years, law requires that this information is regularly backed up. Basically I have to make a new copy of this data every month. The data is only a few 100 MB but I have to make sure it's:
1. Safe for 7 years
2. Unmodified in case the tax dept asks for it.
So magnetic and optical discs can do #1 if stored correctly but magnetic discs make it hard to do # reliably. Auditors love to pick on little details like #2.
Above this, any accountant would choke on the idea that we need to pay $50 per month for backups when it can be done for $20 per year.
Beyond this, if I wanted to send 12 GB's interstate to another company I have 3 options.
1. Slow copy via the internet (will likely take days).
2. A flash drive at A$20 (if I'm lucky, if I need it today its more like A$35).
3. 3 DVD's worth about A$0.30.
Anyone who thinks optical media doesn't have a place is kidding themselves. It might not be the primary means of storage any more, but if you want portable storage you dont care about losing or storage that cant be modified, optical is still king.
Really? Take a burned DVD over 5 years and try to read it.
Just did.
Doctor Who 2005 Eps 1-4. Burned in 2006. Files can still be read fine in 2013.
I've got even older DVD's with earlier seasons of Stargate SG1. 2002-3 vintage. Trading burned DVD's of AVI's is how we "seeded" before we had widespread ADSL in Oz.
I've got CD's from the 90's, C&C 95 disk still works, a vintage Nirvana "Muddy Banks" CD (bought on the week of release), Star Control 2 (re-released on CD) and Nicklebacks very first albumn (still in mint condition because it's never been played... I have never let that relative buy me gifts again).
If you think 5 years is a long time, vacate my garden covering immediately. A DVD kept properly will last a decade or more, probably over 2 decades.
OTOH, sunlight can kill a disk in a matter of days here in Oz. Dont leave them on your dashboard.
Isn't this because of one of the import restrictions essentially placing the final retail price in the hands of some Australian company, and it actually being illegal to sell for less than what they set the price at?
OK, this myth needs to die.
Testing, 1.. 2.. Testing, this is for the record.
AUSTRALIA HAS NO RESTRICTIONS ON IMPORTING SOFTWARE.
Sorry about the shouting, but this message needs to be made clear.
Australian companies don't dictate prices to steam, that directive comes from higher up the chain. Publishers dictate prices to Steam and local distributors. It's the publishers who say Australians aren't permitted to pay the same as Americans or English.
I can import games from the UK, Asia or the US. In fact I regularly do but for businesses who need support and dont have time to wait for games to be shipped from the other side of the world, they are stuck over a barrel (especially if Adobe or Microsoft decide to add GeoIP detection to software activation). Steam isn't the problem, it's the publishers. A lot of Indie games get competitively priced.
Adding restrictions on imports deliberately removes Australia from global pricing from software and sets it up as a segmented market
What restrictions?
Who modded this tripe up.
Australia has no restrictions on importing software. This is why I can buy games in the UK and have them shipped over. This is why dropshippers exist, this is why I bought my camera from Hong Kong and had it shipped to Oz. The laws on restricting imports are only for very specific things like Alcohol, Tobacco and Food (Dutiable goods, prohibited goods and dangerous goods in legalese). Software is not dutiable, prohibited or dangerous, therefore not restricted.
The problem is that the software distributors have segmented Australia. I cant get a copy of Windows from anyone else but Microsoft (Erm, a legit copy). MS chose to charge me 50% more, I didn't force MS to charge me more and we dont have a choice thanks to IP/Copyright laws that were foisted on us by a series of lop sided "free" trade agreements between Australia and the US.
It isn't that ridiculous. Capitalism is all about maximizing profit.
This part is correct.
I'll fix the rest for you.
If Australians can be forced to pay 50% more for a product that cant be purchased from anywhere but the supplier and their chosen distributor
Thanks to US copyright treaties, we dont get a choice about software. We aren't willing to pay extra, we're forced to by the fact we have no alternative.
But as predicted, this inquest was as powerful as a fart in a cyclone. Their recommendation was for businesses to attempt to circumvent GeoIP blocks, what business has time or the knoweledge to do that. Microsofts, Adobes, et al distribution channels are still protected and their prices are unaffected.
Australians are already used to this pricing mode thanks to idiotic import laws for physical goods
What import laws do you speak of.
We have some of the most lopsided free trade agreements in the world. We can import almost anything from the US, China or Thailand without duties with a few big exceptions like Alcohol and Tobacco. Hell, for personal imports under A$900, we dont even have to pay GST (sales tax) on the item. Oh and GST (Goods and Services Tax) is only 10%, so this doesn't account for a 50% price discrepancy.
Kindly learn about Australia, before spouting crap about Australia.
Slashdot Mirror
Maybe they just need to rename the benchmarking binary (I vote quack.exe)?
I jest, but only partly. You see, there is truly nothing new under the sun.
This.
Does anyone honestly think anyone is not optimising their product for the products favourite benchmarking programs? Does anyone honestly think they aren't using every dirty trick in the book to get a few points more?
I have no trouble believing that Samsung has optimised their phones for benchmarking, the same as I have no problem believing that Apple optimises their phones for benchmarking (Apple would be even worse, blocking benchmark applications that dont give them favourable results). The only difference is that someone is calling out Samsung.
ATI, Nvidia, Intel, IBM, Apple, HTC... Everyone is doing it because you (the general you, no the parent) have made these benchmarks important to decision making.
Also it's trivial to over clock an android phone. So an easy test for this would be to get an SGS4 and sert it to 480 MHz, test it then OC it to 532 MHz, test it again and compare both results to a non OC'd SGS4.
Regulations = safety... right?
You declared it.
You should have said
Regulations == Safety.
And here is where you need to understand the intent rather then the method. Regulations can be and are often used as important tools for safety, regulations prohibit engine destroying additives being added to fuel, encourage electrical systems to have devices that prevent electrocution, lower prices by fostering a single standard that is available for everyone.
OTOH, regulations can be used for evil, to lock out competition and fix prices for example.
So you cant say all regulations are evil without being extremely ignorant. It's the intent, not the method that determines if something is helpful or harmful.
And yes, I've lived in a country with very few regulations... This makes building anything to be a full time job just making sure they put the plumbing and electrics in right, so the house doesn't burn down.. We're not even considering the time checking and chasing up on shonky plastering jobs.
I want my fridge to know what I have so that I literally never have to think about buying food again. It tracks what I use an orders more. Someone drops it off at my door and I put it back in the fridge. I *can* do all of that manually, but there's no benefit to my participation so I'd rather have the free time and brain power to spend on something else. And the fridge can actually do it better than me, because it can look at use rates and determine if an order for more milk is required today or if it could wait until Thursday when I'll also be out of bread.
Meanwhile, the fridge calls the store, tells the store you're out of cheetos and cookie dough whilst the store notices that a machine is doing the ordering and jacks up the price of cheetos and cookie dogh. Finally the fridge just hands over your CC details. You get shafted by two automated systems.
However the number 1 reason I wont automate my food shopping is the loss in quality. I wont order fresh food online as you're guaranteed to get the crappiest fruit, veg and meat they have. At the very best it will be random but more likely it will be the stuff that didn't sell yesterday. Checking quality, colour and the used by date is very important.
The second reason is that buying most of my non-perishables in bulk directly from a distribution centre is a lot cheaper.
Just check it before you sit down.
I check every time and I have never been caught wanting paper in my life.
Wont do you any good when your layabout housemate used the last of the bog roll and didn't get any more.
Solution is
1. Keep the spare rolls in the bog.
2. Keep a spare pack of rolls in a cupboard outside the bog.
3. When you run out of rolls in the bog, get the pack of rolls from the cupboard and replace that pack next time you go to the shop.
4. Kick the arse of the useless housemate for the $4 of bog roll he used.
Metadata isn't a buzzword. It's a basic feature of schema design.
Unfortunately it's been co-opted by MBA's and marketing types and turned into a buzzword.
MBA 1: We need to synergise our metadata and sync it into a distributed private cloud.
MBA 2: Yes, we need to cut the clutter and bring more to the table as our long term strategic goals depend on dynamic metadata in a cloud synergy.
can government stop bit coin... Yes. Can the Thai government stop bit coin. Weeeeellllll lets list a few things that are also illegal in Thailand. 1. Drugs (including OTC pseudoephedrine and codeine). 2. Prostitution. 3. Taking statues of Buddha out of the country. 4. Riding a motorcycle without a helmet. 5. Riding a motorcycle with more than two passengers. 6. Operating a vehicle whilst intoxicated. 7. Buying Alcohol between 12 and 3 PM (IIRC, the hours may incorrect, but you get the idea). Yet these things happen every day, in the case of number 2, often several times a day. The thing is that Thailand has lots of laws and not a lot of honest cops. Even if things were implemented for good reasons (the alcohol sale ban was to prevent kids from drinking) they are simply not properly enforced, if enforced at all. Above this, even if you get caught riding without a helmet, you simply "donate" a few hundred Baht to officer Somchai's "tea money" fund and carry on your merry way.
I just came here to say, fuck that.
The Wehrmacht and the SS also were military.
A bit of a simplification here.
The SS weren't strictly military, the SS had a military arm, the Waffen SS but the SS in general was largely a political organisation. The SS infiltrated everything from the military and police to universities, radio, theatre and the arts to science and espionage to make sure it was all in line with Nazi ideals.
A man alerts you to how you're being ripped off by the people who claim to be working for you, and you take the side of the people ripping you off.
Try explaining to an Apple fanboy how much Apple rips them off.
The fanboy will turn around and defend what has been done to them. They do this because they cant stand to have two conflicting ideas in their head (1. Apple is the best thing ever and nothing bad can be said, 2. Apple are abusing them), this is commonly known as cognitive dissonance, the idea that they like the least must be expunged.
People in general are not logical or reasonable. Especially when the beliefs they like to hold are challenged.
This day happened years ago. Some would even say decades (ye olde Look and Feel lawsuit).
Quite the opposite, if you file and are granted a patent for something that is later ruled invalid, there should be substantial penalties for the filer, because the purpose of a patent application is a government granted monopoly, leveraging the legal power and force of government to suppress other business. If you tell the government that you've done something novel that isn't, and prevent competition through that mechanism, there are substantial social costs (none of the benefits of invention, but all of the costs of a monopoly).
In other words, no small inventor would ever again dare filing a patent, due to the risk of bankruptcy if the patent is later found invalid. Only the largest companies will be able to find patents.
This is why you make the punishment in proportion to the crime.
Companies that file 100's of frivolous patents to in a shotgun approach to prevent competition need to get fined out of existence. A company who accidentally files a patent that is too obvious and is later revoked shouldn't be punished severely.
As always the intent of the crime comes into it. Apple has been filing patents to use as weapons against their competitors. As the patent system currently stands, no small inventor would risk inventing anything because patent trolls like Apple have everything and sundry patented in an overly broad patent that will be used as a cudgel to beat small inventors over the head with so they can steal their inventions.
Compared to this, no small inventor ever filing for a patent is a vast improvement.
Of course the US patent office could do something as logical as invalidating all software patents and enforcing some rules on obviousness.
Errata, I said 320i, not 318i.
Retailers can do this. The problem is distributors are doing everything in their power to stop them. JB HiFi (an Australian electronics retailer) has been gray importing camera equipment for over a year now. When importing on that scale, you need to pay GST on the goods but that's it (GST is basically sales tax).
Absolutely certain.
First off, most distributors are not Australian companies.
Secondly, Australian distributors have openly said they cant import from the publishers for less than what they do. They've been trying to do this because they keep losing customers to overseas web stores and drop shippers.
So I say again, and I do hate repeating myself, publishers dictate prices.
It seems you dont know much about what is actually happening here and seem to be making it up whatever supports your pre-existing bias.
If by 10 seconds,
to say a car is "a 10 second car" means it takes 10 seconds to go from 0 KPH to 100 KPH.
If you have trouble with that measurement, please stop talking about cars now.
highly modified M3
You may also noticed I said "318i" not "M3".
There is no Mazda 3 that can do that
Mazda 3 MPS, 0-100 in 6.1 sec
Your Mazda 3 Neo (cheapest Mazda 3 you can get) is in the low 8's.
May I cordially ask which country is it? (Germany is my 1st bet...)
From his posting history I'd say Australia is a safe bet - but same here in Norway. Currently they don't have a wall clock where I work so I'm awarded five minutes on the online check-in to compensate me for the time to take the elevator, get to my office, log in to my computer and sign in. So if I check in at 8:05 AM wall time, it registers as if I arrived at 8 AM sharp. First place I've worked that actually have a clock system though, usually I've just filled out time sheets manually.
Yep, Australia.
Not quite as good as Norway when it comes to workers rights.
I'm covered by an agreement that specifies if I work, I get paid (but my employer is a bit of a special case). Other Enterprise Bargaining Agreements (EBA) in Oz give you time off in lieu rather than overtime pay but compensation for time worked is enshrined in law here. Some EBA's are abusive even though the courts crack down on it as much as they can.
Even though we get clocked by the security system, we still do timesheets to account for when we take breaks (which are also paid).
hiring people to work in your store who can't afford the product. Ford paid his workers well so they could afford his card. Apple store has to search it's workers to prevent theft. Maybe if they paid them better they wouldn't have to worry about this.
Ford made the car affordable and raised workers wages. Apple has done the opposite.
No sympathy whatsoever.
As an airline pilot I do not get paid while I wait in line and am checked by the TSA. I do not get paid while I wait in line for customs. I do not get paid while I get the flight paperwork and verify it is safe and legal. I do not get paid while preparing and inspecting the airplane for flight. I do not get paid while I wait for everyone to get on the plane and coordinate with gate, ramp, fuel, maintenance and catering to ensure an on-time departure.
Do you get paid by the hour?
If not these duties are part of your regular salary. Get a better union and negotiate
If so, get a better union and make sure you get paid for it.
I've got no sympathy for an employee who wont stand up for themselves. At least these retail staffers are willing to fight for fair pay and conditions.
2/3rds of loss in retail is from employee theft. At a place like Apple outlets, where the products are small, expensive, and easily turned over for cash to friends or pawn shops, I'd imagine it's even higher. Not that this fact excuses forcing unpaid overtime on your workers, but I'm not surprised they're doing bag checks.
The bag check isn't the problem.
Employers reserve that right even in countries with real employer protection. What isn't Kosher is the fact they have to do it unpaid. If an employer wants to screen you on your way out that time must be paid for by the employer.
Same for when an employee takes a break. In retail environments your breaks are timed (I've even heard they are even unpaid in the US), so a screening should not be permitted to detract from that time.
I work in a secure facility, I clock on from the first the moment I enter the building. Even if it takes me 5 minutes to get to my desk. Then again I work in a country that punishes employers for taking advantage of employees.
I've got some 33 1/3 RPM albums that load and play just fine and some of them are over 40 years old
I also recommend not leaving one of those on your dashboard too :)
300GB is expensive to store?
What year do you live in?
You can get 3TB drives for $115. Building a Raid out of these is cheap and easy. Besides by the time these come out you will be able to likely transcode the video to a better type and save lots of space. As we do now with transcoding dvds to h264.
Please tell me you dont run backup systems.
The finance department in any small business has to store information for 7 years, law requires that this information is regularly backed up. Basically I have to make a new copy of this data every month. The data is only a few 100 MB but I have to make sure it's:
1. Safe for 7 years
2. Unmodified in case the tax dept asks for it.
So magnetic and optical discs can do #1 if stored correctly but magnetic discs make it hard to do # reliably. Auditors love to pick on little details like #2.
Above this, any accountant would choke on the idea that we need to pay $50 per month for backups when it can be done for $20 per year.
Beyond this, if I wanted to send 12 GB's interstate to another company I have 3 options.
1. Slow copy via the internet (will likely take days).
2. A flash drive at A$20 (if I'm lucky, if I need it today its more like A$35).
3. 3 DVD's worth about A$0.30.
Anyone who thinks optical media doesn't have a place is kidding themselves. It might not be the primary means of storage any more, but if you want portable storage you dont care about losing or storage that cant be modified, optical is still king.
Really? Take a burned DVD over 5 years and try to read it.
Just did.
Doctor Who 2005 Eps 1-4. Burned in 2006. Files can still be read fine in 2013.
I've got even older DVD's with earlier seasons of Stargate SG1. 2002-3 vintage. Trading burned DVD's of AVI's is how we "seeded" before we had widespread ADSL in Oz.
I've got CD's from the 90's, C&C 95 disk still works, a vintage Nirvana "Muddy Banks" CD (bought on the week of release), Star Control 2 (re-released on CD) and Nicklebacks very first albumn (still in mint condition because it's never been played... I have never let that relative buy me gifts again).
If you think 5 years is a long time, vacate my garden covering immediately. A DVD kept properly will last a decade or more, probably over 2 decades.
OTOH, sunlight can kill a disk in a matter of days here in Oz. Dont leave them on your dashboard.
Problem solved! (cracks open a Fosters)
Haha, nice try mate, but we Aussies don't actually drink that crap!
Fosters is only for export.
Nothing is too bad for the rest of the world (chokes down a TED).
Isn't this because of one of the import restrictions essentially placing the final retail price in the hands of some Australian company, and it actually being illegal to sell for less than what they set the price at?
OK, this myth needs to die.
Testing, 1.. 2.. Testing, this is for the record.
AUSTRALIA HAS NO RESTRICTIONS ON IMPORTING SOFTWARE.
Sorry about the shouting, but this message needs to be made clear.
Australian companies don't dictate prices to steam, that directive comes from higher up the chain. Publishers dictate prices to Steam and local distributors. It's the publishers who say Australians aren't permitted to pay the same as Americans or English.
I can import games from the UK, Asia or the US. In fact I regularly do but for businesses who need support and dont have time to wait for games to be shipped from the other side of the world, they are stuck over a barrel (especially if Adobe or Microsoft decide to add GeoIP detection to software activation). Steam isn't the problem, it's the publishers. A lot of Indie games get competitively priced.
Adding restrictions on imports deliberately removes Australia from global pricing from software and sets it up as a segmented market
What restrictions?
Who modded this tripe up.
Australia has no restrictions on importing software. This is why I can buy games in the UK and have them shipped over. This is why dropshippers exist, this is why I bought my camera from Hong Kong and had it shipped to Oz. The laws on restricting imports are only for very specific things like Alcohol, Tobacco and Food (Dutiable goods, prohibited goods and dangerous goods in legalese). Software is not dutiable, prohibited or dangerous, therefore not restricted.
The problem is that the software distributors have segmented Australia. I cant get a copy of Windows from anyone else but Microsoft (Erm, a legit copy). MS chose to charge me 50% more, I didn't force MS to charge me more and we dont have a choice thanks to IP/Copyright laws that were foisted on us by a series of lop sided "free" trade agreements between Australia and the US.
It isn't that ridiculous. Capitalism is all about maximizing profit.
This part is correct.
I'll fix the rest for you.
If Australians can be forced to pay 50% more for a product that cant be purchased from anywhere but the supplier and their chosen distributor
Thanks to US copyright treaties, we dont get a choice about software. We aren't willing to pay extra, we're forced to by the fact we have no alternative.
But as predicted, this inquest was as powerful as a fart in a cyclone. Their recommendation was for businesses to attempt to circumvent GeoIP blocks, what business has time or the knoweledge to do that. Microsofts, Adobes, et al distribution channels are still protected and their prices are unaffected.
What import laws do you speak of.
We have some of the most lopsided free trade agreements in the world. We can import almost anything from the US, China or Thailand without duties with a few big exceptions like Alcohol and Tobacco. Hell, for personal imports under A$900, we dont even have to pay GST (sales tax) on the item. Oh and GST (Goods and Services Tax) is only 10%, so this doesn't account for a 50% price discrepancy.
Kindly learn about Australia, before spouting crap about Australia.