Their success with XAML depends upon companies and individuals implementing it. I'm admittedly no expert in the current "Web 2.0" application delivery systems, but I don't see people completely shifting gears from AJAX and the like over to XAML. While I hate to generalize and anthropomorphize, I don't foresee The Web as a whole becoming as proprietary as you fear. Will MS set up their Windows Update page with XAML? Sure. But (as an example) I bet Google won't do that with their web apps.
You have a good point - Apple releases consumer products with sudden fanfare, while Microsoft has a lot of corporate customers.
However, while they have to be as open as they can about Vista, Office, and other corporate necessities, consider projects like the Origami, or a rumored XBox handheld. They could really benefit from an Apple-style buzz and launch.
It's a business like any other. Gotta get efficient, stay in touch, and increase your profits. And when your competition is looking to take you down, you've gotta stay ahead of them. He did pretty well, obviously, for a while...but if he can't be arsed to keep up with the times, it's his arse in the fire.
Certainly not, but I would think that those whose livelihoods and lives depended upon secrecy would be a little more careful with information. Okay, so according to TFA, the guy dropped out of school when he was 8. Maybe he wasn't the sharpest knife in the silverware cabinet - hell, maybe he was a spoon - but he seemed to have some leadership talent. You don't become a "boss of bosses" otherwise. Part of leadership is making sure if you don't know yourself how something important works, you have somebody you trust who does know it. Surely somebody in the organization knew that such a simple code wouldn't hold up...
I did some time at an application service provider a few years back. The model isn't as "failed" as they seem to imply. While it may be useful in only a particular niche, for those companies, it's a very good option. A lot of smaller companies don't have the resources to support a full-fledged IT staff or get a bunch of expensive desktops, and honestly they didn't need that much. They contracted with us, bought terminal PCs, and connected to our datacenter for their applications. This was also a good solution for slightly larger companies with multiple offices or a contingent of travelers.
Back to SaaS, though...We're in the process of implementing some new SaaS at my current company. Having done some work on it, I'm not impressed. It's clunky, slow, and difficult to navigate. It has nowhere near the performance of the current local app we use...and that's with only a handful of users on the server for testing. I don't even want to think about what it's going to be like after rollout to the rest of the company.
The other facet of SaaS is going to be companies trying to get this out to consumers. I don't see it replacing hard-copy software sales just yet. (...For which I am thankful - I'd rather have something physical for my purchase, or at least a download or something I can put on physical media. How do we know how long the service will keep going? With hard-copy at least you can reinstall and use the last good version.) First, performance and features will have to exceed current desktop software in order to convince people to give up their local versions and move to a web-based solution. Some applications will be better at this than others - it's going to take a lot of convincing to get people onto the web-based word processors, I think, while something communicative like XBox Live seems to be a natural fit. Second, we need more broadband penetration. This goes hand-in-hand with performance. People need to be able to get to their application 24/7, and that means web access everywhere, for everyone with a PC/laptop. We're not even close to that.
I just flipped through the photoset and while he had some pictures explaining what the innards were, there wasn't an explicit how-to. I'd be interested as well, if anyone finds anything.
Not everybody wants to invest the time or money in playing a "real friggin' guitar," as you so eloquently put it, when for far less they can have a great time playing Guitar Hero. This guy enjoys the game, enjoys hardware hacking, and made a hell of a cool mod. Just because this isn't your cup of tea doesn't mean it's any less a good job.
we need someone to start a wiki or something... A place where government types can go to learn about the brave new world they are facing and how they can effect a stable government within it.
While I'll admit that you certainly have an interesting idea here, I don't think there is a way to get the politicos to use something like that. They fear what they do not understand and cannot control, and something as open as a wiki is not the way to get the information to them. Yes, it'd be the most up-to-date, but one instance of vandalism and their confidence in the rest of the information is shot. Even that much assumes we can get them to visit it in the first place.
The way to get them information about the brave new world cannot be by our methods. They neither understand nor trust those methods yet, which is why we need to get the information in the first place.
Get used to the idea that cell phones will have cameras built into them. If you don't like that, use land lines.
The problem with that comes in when certain "sensitive" environments ban cameras, as several people have mentioned. Phone companies will either have to produce business models without the cameras, or companies/government installations will have to amend their security policies. Banning cameras may be an imperfect solution without other measures in place (including not allowing USB drives to mount and checking all the outbound emails), but do you honestly believe the Suits will realize that? Pushing through something that will on its face "decrease security" isn't likely to happen, which means people who use cell phones for work won't have many options in the future.
The kind of "dumbass" who doesn't know how computers work and doesn't care, just as long as they do work. In other words...the majority of the computer-using population.
In spite of the fact that I know I should know better, I find myself continually surprised by these execs just...not...getting it. The companies are hanging onto an obsolete business model. Consumers want our digital rights protected, not the company's.
My hope is that one day they screw up and lock things down so tightly and inconveniently that Joe 'Average' Sixpack sits up and takes notice. The Sony rootkit fiasco was a start. That's who we need to convince, because if we get the mass market aware of and against DRM, the companies will face a tougher challenge in restricting our rights.
Slashdot Mirror
Their success with XAML depends upon companies and individuals implementing it. I'm admittedly no expert in the current "Web 2.0" application delivery systems, but I don't see people completely shifting gears from AJAX and the like over to XAML. While I hate to generalize and anthropomorphize, I don't foresee The Web as a whole becoming as proprietary as you fear. Will MS set up their Windows Update page with XAML? Sure. But (as an example) I bet Google won't do that with their web apps.
Dude, don't give them any ideas. They're just crazy-desperate enough to do it.
What's Frist have to do with this?
Circlejerk?
Maybe not, but I'm guessing there'll be plenty of spooning in prison.
However, while they have to be as open as they can about Vista, Office, and other corporate necessities, consider projects like the Origami, or a rumored XBox handheld. They could really benefit from an Apple-style buzz and launch.
What if MS is actually learning something from Apple's success and trying that strategy out?
It's a business like any other. Gotta get efficient, stay in touch, and increase your profits. And when your competition is looking to take you down, you've gotta stay ahead of them. He did pretty well, obviously, for a while...but if he can't be arsed to keep up with the times, it's his arse in the fire.
Maybe, but unfortunately due to dropping out of school at the age of eight, they can't tell the difference between a bullet and a scalpel...
Certainly not, but I would think that those whose livelihoods and lives depended upon secrecy would be a little more careful with information. Okay, so according to TFA, the guy dropped out of school when he was 8. Maybe he wasn't the sharpest knife in the silverware cabinet - hell, maybe he was a spoon - but he seemed to have some leadership talent. You don't become a "boss of bosses" otherwise. Part of leadership is making sure if you don't know yourself how something important works, you have somebody you trust who does know it. Surely somebody in the organization knew that such a simple code wouldn't hold up...
Back to SaaS, though...We're in the process of implementing some new SaaS at my current company. Having done some work on it, I'm not impressed. It's clunky, slow, and difficult to navigate. It has nowhere near the performance of the current local app we use...and that's with only a handful of users on the server for testing. I don't even want to think about what it's going to be like after rollout to the rest of the company.
The other facet of SaaS is going to be companies trying to get this out to consumers. I don't see it replacing hard-copy software sales just yet. (...For which I am thankful - I'd rather have something physical for my purchase, or at least a download or something I can put on physical media. How do we know how long the service will keep going? With hard-copy at least you can reinstall and use the last good version.) First, performance and features will have to exceed current desktop software in order to convince people to give up their local versions and move to a web-based solution. Some applications will be better at this than others - it's going to take a lot of convincing to get people onto the web-based word processors, I think, while something communicative like XBox Live seems to be a natural fit. Second, we need more broadband penetration. This goes hand-in-hand with performance. People need to be able to get to their application 24/7, and that means web access everywhere, for everyone with a PC/laptop. We're not even close to that.
I just flipped through the photoset and while he had some pictures explaining what the innards were, there wasn't an explicit how-to. I'd be interested as well, if anyone finds anything.
Not everybody wants to invest the time or money in playing a "real friggin' guitar," as you so eloquently put it, when for far less they can have a great time playing Guitar Hero. This guy enjoys the game, enjoys hardware hacking, and made a hell of a cool mod. Just because this isn't your cup of tea doesn't mean it's any less a good job.
"I can hear the lights, man...and the music of the colors.."
...do we say "enough is enough"?
While I'll admit that you certainly have an interesting idea here, I don't think there is a way to get the politicos to use something like that. They fear what they do not understand and cannot control, and something as open as a wiki is not the way to get the information to them. Yes, it'd be the most up-to-date, but one instance of vandalism and their confidence in the rest of the information is shot. Even that much assumes we can get them to visit it in the first place.
The way to get them information about the brave new world cannot be by our methods. They neither understand nor trust those methods yet, which is why we need to get the information in the first place.
...is an alarm that goes off at night, forcing you to log in and take care of it.
Secrecy Power Sinks Patent Case
How long before the Corporate Edition gets leaked?
*waves hand* "These are not the documents you are looking for."
The problem with that comes in when certain "sensitive" environments ban cameras, as several people have mentioned. Phone companies will either have to produce business models without the cameras, or companies/government installations will have to amend their security policies. Banning cameras may be an imperfect solution without other measures in place (including not allowing USB drives to mount and checking all the outbound emails), but do you honestly believe the Suits will realize that? Pushing through something that will on its face "decrease security" isn't likely to happen, which means people who use cell phones for work won't have many options in the future.
The kind of "dumbass" who doesn't know how computers work and doesn't care, just as long as they do work. In other words...the majority of the computer-using population.
In spite of the fact that I know I should know better, I find myself continually surprised by these execs just...not...getting it. The companies are hanging onto an obsolete business model. Consumers want our digital rights protected, not the company's.
My hope is that one day they screw up and lock things down so tightly and inconveniently that Joe 'Average' Sixpack sits up and takes notice. The Sony rootkit fiasco was a start. That's who we need to convince, because if we get the mass market aware of and against DRM, the companies will face a tougher challenge in restricting our rights.
I'm sure there are plenty of call-girls out there who're classier than the average lawyer or politician.