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blade82

Listed below are comments made by blade82 between Saturday, 22nd August 2009 and Friday, 23rd October 2009.

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A week with Windows 9:09pm on 23 Oct 2009 Just installed Windows 7, having used Vista for the past year, and OSX for 6 years before that (switched so I could get the latest Java updates without needing to update my whole OS, quite critical for a developer)

I must say I am very impressed. Much quicker and a lot less clutter. Libraries are useful (just show me my files!) Yes one could argue that Microsoft took inspiration from the dock, but anyone who knows anything about the history of computing in this country will be well aware of an operating system called RISC OS, which features a bar, very much like the dock, back in the early nineties.
Good job Microsoft. I’m about to slow the whole thing down by installing iTunes *sulks*
The Sidekick Cloud Disaster 1:07pm on 14 Oct 2009 The last time I remember something like this happening was back in 2000 when Microsoft lost the contact lists of many MSN Messenger users.

After that, they added the option to export and import contacts, which is still there today. Of course back then we didn't have the buzzword "cloud" (even though many "cloud" services existed) so it wasn't made out to be some catastrophic realignment of the computer industry as seems to be the case these days.
Say hello, Wave... goodbye? 5:07pm on 09 Oct 2009 How do they make money from it? Is it free and surrounded by adverts? Do we pay? If it's the former, then I always ask myself 'how long for?' , because if at some point in the future there is an internet advertising downturn, will Google still be able offer this service ?
Podcasts, series catch-up... and Kermode 8:16pm on 07 Oct 2009 Glad to hear the show will be staying, and on 5 Live too! I always download the podcast using the RSS feed, and have often wondered why previous episodes aren't available like they are with almost every other podcast elsewhere on the Internet, so it's nice to hear you are looking into this.
The guys often seem pushed for time, so why not make the podcast and/or radio show a bit longer?
What is a web browser? 4:17pm on 07 Oct 2009 I noticed when I browse Google's home page in Internet Explorer I am shown a link offering me the opportunity to download Chrome, but I don't get this when I use Firefox. Is this just me I wonder?
Paying for politics: The Spectator app 8:11pm on 29 Sep 2009 If people were paying that in the past for the magazine, then I should think they would pay a similar amount for it digitally. The difference with a newspaper site is that it's less specialist, and many people probably enter from aggregators like Google News

One could argue that an iPhone app should cost less, since there is no physical object - but I suspect most people throw old issues away anyway so that probably doesn't matter cost wise.
I subscribe to New Scientist magazine, which allows me access to their archive and the current issue online. Would I still pay for it on an iPhone app? Probably not - I look at a screen in some form of another most of my working day, and when I get home - so reading a magazine is a nice change!
Lily unites musicians against file-sharing 5:58pm on 26 Sep 2009 Lily Allen managed to become rich and successful at a time when a lot of media is pirated. So I don't see why she's complaining. Still, she's made something, and should be allowed to profit from it. If the price it too high then people won't buy it, or will turn to the black market (file sharing) - so the price is too high?

I read people here moan about CDs being priced so high, say £10 or so but I bet a lot of the people complaining will happily pay £9 for a to see a film once in a cinema, and then £6.50 for a fizzy drink and some popcorn that probably cost less than £1 to make in total. That's the definition of being ripped off - not buying a piece of music that will make you happy, sad, mad or nostalgic and last forever. It's the free market though, and people are prepared to pay it - so fair play to the business-minds who came up with the idea of selling popcorn!

Many folks here have said "I download songs, but I buy them if I like them" - so they are in essence suggesting the music business becomes a charity, and that buying music is a bit like leaving a tip in a restaurant. Could a restaurant survive on tips only? Would you invest in a restaurant who's business plan was to make money solely through tips? I wouldn't. Could Starbucks survive giving out free coffee by simply selling their branded Mugs in store? Of course not, like the record industry cannot supposedly survive off of ticket sales. It's a crazy idea.

I am happy buying CDs (after all, they work on any device), but I've been using free services like Spotify to try out music for free. That way, I avoid wasting my money, I stay legit, and the person to made the music gets paid. Even Spotify get some money from adverts.

What I do object to is DRM, which thankfully is on the way out for music, but not for video. DVDs and Blu-Ray and all online video stores I've used all use DRM. I own all seven series of The West Wing on DVD. To watch these on my iPhone I would need to buy them again from iTunes an a cost of £140 (£19.99 per season) - shocking when you consider the DVDs were only £50.
That to me, is in inexcusable. The Music/TV/Movie industry need to sort it out. If you buy a film, then you should have legal rights to be able to put it on any device in any format you want.
All eyes on Spotify 9:36pm on 07 Sep 2009 A bit expensive for me considering I can't keep the music or play it on a different device. There's no way I spent £120 a year on music, more like £50 maximum. I'll stick with buying CDs.
Who is batting for file-sharing proposals? 9:22pm on 27 Aug 2009 I recently bought all seven series of The West Wing for £50 on DVD. To watch this on my iPod legally i would have to buy a DRM crippled version from iTunes which are being sold for a whopping £19.99 per season, yes that's an additional £140!

So please get your act together "rights holders" and stop ripping off consumers. If you buy a DVD or download a film, you should legally be able to play it on any device you own. iPod, TV, Microwave - I don't care, I paid for it - just let me watch it.

It's fair enough to charge for an enhanced high quality/remastered version of a film (I bought Blade Runner again last year) but to ask people to pay twice for the exact same thing in a different format is morally wrong, and it's no wonder people don't care about "sealing" from these companies when they lack morality themselves.

If these laws come into place, will Peter Mandelson create a law the protects consumers from being ripped off to balance it out? I doubt it. hence why I am an EX Labour supporter.
Whatever happened to public wi-fi? 12:11pm on 22 Aug 2009 More phone companies need to bundle WiFi access like 02 do. They also need to share access points. After all, running an access point is probably a lot cheaper than running a 3G mast!

The WeatherSpoons pub near me has free wifi but it doesn't let you use Skype. McDonalds does - but who would want to get a laptop out there? Coffee Republic has free wifi when you buy a drink, which is fair enough. Starbucks was stunningly overpriced last time I checked, so I always avoid it.

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