| Friday,
March 10, 2000 The following comes
after an earlier exchange I didn't have time to do properly. My
correspondent doesn't care for Microsoft, and complained that Microsoft
won't let you use Netscape. In exasperation I pointed out that Netscape is
no longer much use...
Thank for you prompt answer.
At home I do not have a fast connexion, so I have to
use Netscape only for one feature: You can turn off download images and
then everything goes far faster. In that mode a new tool in the toolbar
allows you to download all images in one page.
In explorer that is very convoluted to do.
Working like that not only makes things faster but
also spares me from all those anoying banners.
Why Microsoft does not provide an easyer way to do
it? I did not know until I learned that Microsoft is the number one
spender of advertisement on the Internet. Allowing the user not to display
banner is agains its own bussiness.
Anyhow, I can still choose a competitive product to
browse, but Microsoft is working hard to correct that.
Jesús Martin
-----Original Message----- From: Jerry Pournelle [mailto:jerryp@jerrypournelle.com]
Sent: Friday, March 10, 2000 4:32 PM To: Jesus Martin Subject: RE:
Microsoft Monopoly vs. Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson
You can't use Netscape because it isn't any good.
-----Original Message----- From: Jesus Martin [mailto:jmartin@novametrix.com]
Sent: Friday, March 10, 2000 1:01 PM To: jerryp@jerrypournelle.com
Subject: Microsoft Monopoly vs. Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson
Dear Jerry:
I can buy a car from a huge selection of
manufacturers and have no trouble driving it. And indirectly, that
competition makes cars an incredible product. As a matter of fact I can
buy almost everything from different competing suppliers.
But I cannot buy an operating system that is not
Microsoft without "going back to driving school". I have to use
Microsoft Developer Studio (that I hate) instead of far better tool from
Borland, because Microsoft has try everything to make them incompatible.
I use Netscape but it is getting more and more
difficult, because Microsoft wants to be the only provider in the products
they sell.
Microsoft makes a positive effort in being a
monopoly. No clones are accepted.
I can buy computers from different vendors and I
have to look at the back of the box to know who made it. I can even buy
microprocessors that are not Intel and no easy way to notice it.
Don't tell me that Apple or Linux are options
instead of Windows. They are not compatible.
One of the best things that happen to this industry
was the PC-compatibles and the software cloning. But when an attempt was
made to do a compatible DOS (DR-DOS) Microsoft was more than ruthless.
Free market is based in multiple choices of
compatible products. Perhaps Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson does not
understand why he can buy CD's from companies that are not Phillips or
Sony, and fly plains that are not from Boeing but cannot have choices,
without having compatibility problems, when he buys operation systems,
Word Processors, Spreadsheets, Programming Tools, Internet Browsers etc.
He call that a monopoly and he's right on that.
What is the solution? Very simple: Forget about
"Look and feel" copyrights. Allow clones. Everybody can
manufacture cars, plains, TV sets, gasoline, DvD movies etc that are
compatible with the competitors.
Jerry, I hope that you believe that competition is
the engine to innovation.
Very few products in the last century have been
monopolized by the inventor. The only one I can recall was the Xerocopier.
Xerox did not license. They enjoy a monopoly until the patent expired and
that was very good for them (nobody knows who's Rank), but bad for the
consumer. The moment the patent expired we have a boom in xerocopiers
quality. Xerox will have never invented the laser printer. Thank God
patents last only about 17 years.
But Copyrights last more than 75 years, so unless
Microsoft is forced to allow competition we will have lousy products in
the computer software industry.
Sincerely Jesús Martín Software Engineer
p.s.. The first Xerox copiers came with a fire
extinguisher because they used to catch on fire if the paper got stuck in
the fuser. Like any Microsoft 1.0 version. Only acceptable when you have a
monopoly.
I run this press release without comment to see
what readers make of it. I didn't have the reaction the PR agency thought to
cause.
Hi ! We're the PR agency for FOSE 2000, and I wanted
to give you details on FOSE, April 18 to 20 at the Washington DC
Convention Center. FOSE is the largest IT trade show and conference with a
government focus. Over 20,000 attendees have flocked to the show every
year for the last 24 years. FOSE is one of the 8 largest IT shows in the
country.
INTERVIEW WITH GENERAL MANAGER OF FOSE
Would you like to interview Bill Howell, General
Manager of FOSE and Senior VP of Post-Newsweek Business Information, ahead
of time &; have him talk about what's ahead?
PRESS PRE-REGISTRATION Just e-mail us back and we'll
arrange to have your badge waiting for you in the Press Room in the
Convention Center. HIGHLIGHTS We'll have exhibits from 450 technology
companies, 160 new products, and a full conference program focused on the
hottest topics in IT. The complete program and registration is at <http://www.fose.com>
NEW THIS YEAR--IT &; THE DISABLED New this
year is a separate area that will feature exhibits from companies that
make IT products for use by the disabled. "Section 508 @ FOSE"
refers to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act that requires government
agencies after August 7, 2000 to provide for access to IT by the disabled
for government web sites and for employees.
KEYNOTES This year's keynotes are stellar: Tuesday
at 9 AM, 4/18 -- Steve Ballmer, President/CEO of Microsoft Corporation
Tuesday at 12 noon -- Janet Reno, U.S. Attorney General, speaking about
access to the Internet by the disabled Wednesday at 9 AM -- The Federal
CIO Council speaking about "Who Wants to be A CIO?" And on the
last day, Thursday at 9 AM, Terry Bradshaw, Co-Host of NFL Live, speaking
about "Why Not Your Best"
Thanks, Michael Flores Hosky Inc.
202-237-0300 michael@hosky.com
Jerry,
Steve Martin's problem with his Philips CD-RW and a
mixed-media CD made me curious, so I promptly loaded the only mixed-media
CD I own (Mike Oldfield's _The_Songs_Of_Distant_Earth_) into my HP CD-RW.
No problems -- it plays very well. The odd thing is,
the CD's data files are a game... for a Mac. My PC can't see them.
So I don't know if I have contributed to the
solution, or to the problem. But I suspect it's entirely a matter of
implementation on the part of the drive's manufacturer -- that some will
do fine, others won't, and you'll not know without trying.
Troy Loney
Subject: CDRW and multi-track disks. - another data
point.
From: gossg@mindlink.com
I have a "Smart and Friendly" brand
CDRacer. This is a 2/2/24 X CDRW.
I have problems with it. Occasionally it goes into a
weird state where it starts reading slowly and unreliably. Powering the
system off does not fix it. Re-flashing the BIOS does fix the problem. For
a while.
Civilization: Call to Power kicks it into its
"unreliable" state almost every time. I've never really got more
than partway into the tutorial before the machine ground to a halt. I
don't recall whether I've ever tried to load Civ:CTP from my other drive.
It ended up in a shelf marked "copy-protection???".
The previous release of the game, Civ 2 Gold, is a
multimedia disk. It has both music and data tracks. I have no problem
playing Civ2 from that drive, so long as the drive is in its
"reliable" state. I haven't tried copying it. I only make a very
few recordings with it. (drive backups, or music recordings to leave at
the office).
Jerry,
I wrote you about Mr. Martin's problem with CD-RW
drives, and mentioned my experience with Age of Kings on a Yamaha CD-RW.
You mentioned a possible problem might be in drive
letters. Early on in the Win95 installations, I was bitten by Windows'
defaulting the CD drive letters to the first free drive letter after the
hard drives. When you added another hard drive or a Zip drive, the drive
letters shifted, causing problems with all previously installed CD-based
software. So I have made it my default to always start the CD Drives at
the letter "M" to ensure no conflicts. My CD-RW drive was drive
"M", and when I installed the new Asus 40X drive, I made it
drive "M" and made the Yamaha drive "N." All my
previously installed software works fine.
Still haven't had an opportunity to try to copy the
Age of Kings disk. I'll give it a shot today.
Tracy
--
Jerry, In the ongoing saga of Age of Kings:
I attempted to do a copy of the Age of Kings CD
using Adaptec's CD Copier Deluxe. During the Testing phase, I received the
following error:
T7124: TrackWriter error - CD read failed
There were no error message explanations in the
help, in the manual, or, as best as I could tell, on the Adaptec website.
I looked through the website fairly thoroughly, but a search on the
website returned an error, giving a page not displayed error, no matter
what search terms I entered.
My assumption, based on the limited information I
have available, is that some sort of copy protection is employed.
I don't have a problem with vendors doing this, as
CD Media is pretty reliable. I used to be very much anti copy protection,
back when floppy disks were the primary method of distribution, and they
were easily damaged. I'm sure that piracy of games, and the more expensive
software, such as Office, is at an all time high now that CD-R drives are
common. I didn't even consider that when I purchased my CD-RW drive, only
needing an inexpensive method of sending large data files to several
individuals, and a way to permanently record a history of my created
documents.
I realize now that a common use is going to be
duping CDs for illegal distribution.
Sigh.
Trace
(From
View)>to make this useful for the rest of us who don't know how to
use vi on IP chains (and that, let me tell you, is Major Aracana; Roland
downloaded and printed about 200 pages of on-line help stuff before finding
precisely what the problem was).<
I have read most of your books. I was on GEnie and
read most of what you posted on your forum. But this is the single most
humorous statement I think I've ever seen. I was helplessly laughing for
several minutes. Not because what you say is wrong, or bad, but just
because it is so true. Oh god I'm about to collapse again. Tears, in my
eyes,
William Harris williamharri@earthlink.net
And this is how the world ends: from a friend who
is both lawyer and psychiatrist:
From: Edward Hume <ehume@pshrink.com>
Date: Fri, 31 Dec 1999 22:57:00 -0500
Subj: Warning Labels (updated)
Some warning texts from actual packaging around the
world:
In case you needed further proof that the human race
is doomed through stupidity, here are some actual label instructions on
consumer goods:
On Sears hairdryer: Do not use while sleeping.
On a bag of Fritos: You could be a winner! No
purchase necessary. Details inside.
On a bar of Dial soap: Directions: Use like regular
soap.
On some Swann frozen dinners: Serving suggestion:
Defrost.
On a hotel-provided shower cap in a box: Fits one
head.
On Tesco's Tiramisu dessert (printed on bottom of
the box): Do not turn upside down.
On Marks &; Spencer Bread Pudding: Product will
be hot after heating.
On packaging for a Rowenta iron: Do not iron clothes
on body.
On Boot's children's cough medicine: Do not drive
car or operate machinery.
On Nytol sleep aid: Warning: may cause
drowsiness.
On a Korean kitchen knife: Warning keep out of
children.
On a string of Chinese-made Christmas lights: For
indoor or outdoor use only.
On a Japanese food processor: Not to be used for the
other use.
On Sainsbury's peanuts: Warning: contains
nuts.
On an American Airlines packet of nuts:
Instructions: open packet, eat nuts.
On a Swedish chainsaw: Do not attempt to stop chain
with your hands or genitals.
On a child's Superman costume: Wearing of this
garment does not enable you to fly.
Doomed. Doomed I tell you.
Hi Jerry,
I am sending a link to you that might provide you a
moment or two of amusement.
http://www.palminfocenter.com/graveyard/
I have appreciated your column for a number of years
and the perspective you provide when you try things so we don't have to!
Thanks, Steve Zank szank@itis.com
--
Jerry,
You wrote: "I'm glad you asked that question.
Roland runs his life from one of those. I agree that the paper variety
works pretty good too, but it won't let you reschedule your trip when your
airplane gets in late..."
This is why I carry an AE Platinum Card and belong
to the AA Admirals Club. When things come unstuck, I pop into the nearest
Club and have the ticket chicks at the front fix it. They have priority
for some things. AE has a deal with some other airlines so you show the
Platinum Card and a that-day ticket on the airline and you can use their
club too (and get things fixed).
I take the charges as a biz expense.
I hope some folks eMail to tell what they are using
their PDAs for...jim dodd
---
Jerry,
Adding to the discussion of Palm vs. Daytimer, I'm a
relatively long user of both. I'm almost weaned from the Daytimer, but
still need it. I also think the Palm is terrific. If I had to choose, I'd
pick the Palm. But I don't chose (or debate) and use both.
More significantly, I can see the enormous potential
and future uses. I'm almost ready to get a develpment kit and play around
with these ideas myself, but from the information in my Palm about my
calendar, it's clear I don't have the time!
Palm (use Palm III since they came out):
Small and light. I carry it me around all the time.
Useful to hold all phone numbers for having all the time (jot down the
occasional idea or to-do, or phone numbers). Can sort and categories
"to-do's" and keep the list live. This is useful to prioritize
without losing stuff. The BEST is that I can automatically synchronise
with Outlook ... which means it's easy to keep my Outlook calendar up to
date on the company network (which in my company it is expected).
Downside: my employer's "technology police" has found my
Non-Approved synchronisation software on my computer and have insisted I
remove it. I now must synchronise manually. Takes far too much time and I
hardly ever do it. I estimate productivity savings (now lost to me and the
company, of course) of automatic synchronisation at about 1 hr per week (I
don't have a secretary who can/will do this) which at current billing
rates is about $7,000/year. Not a place to write notes in meetings (but
with the new fold away keyboards I read about, this may change) With
AvantGo, supurb to download a selection of web sites (I like New York
Times, Salon, and ExploreZone. When I know I have a heavy day of meetings,
I download about a dozen sites and read it during the meetings. Usually
more interesting/useful than the meeting. Most everyone thinks I'm
thinking hard working on my to-do list and calendar. Cost about
$50-100$/year depreciation (depends on how long I keep it and so far I'm
not pining to buy the newer models) plus about $30/year in batteries.
Almost a wash with Daytimer. I play chess on it during airplane trips
Daytimer (use Desktop (8.5"x5.5") 1 pg/day
format since 1979)
heavier and takes more space in briefcase. (have
tried pocket versions, and have tried the UK Filofax format but too small
to be replacement) Only way to have phone numbers is to print out a copy,
but bulk of binder prevents taking it with me all the time. Supurb for
writing notes (but I have to use my pen and my handwriting is terrible and
I hate using apen when I could be useing a keyboard ... I often use my
laptop in meetings for this anyway). Supurb for filing papers that I want
to carry around (phone lists, contacts, basic info, reference material)
Supurp for writing and keeping "diary" notes "for the
record" ... order numbers, investment transactoins, things my boss or
clients asks me to (what and when), travel records (my US income tax is
complicated and depends on this). I don't try to keep my calendar up to
date in Daytimer (use Palm). Can't get productivity savings by having
automatic synchronisation As I recall, more like $50/year with shipping
and I get the archival version with the binder plus I buy Daytimer's lined
paper which is excellent quality and simply "works"
Rob Schneider London, UK
----
(If you post this to your Web page, please attribute
it to: Paul S R Chisholm <psrchisholm@yahoo.com>
My ("compact") Franklin Covey planner is
almost *exactly* the size of the Sony Magic Cap I had five years ago. The
Franklin planner has good "software" (also available for Windows
and Mac systems), excellent memory expansion, and adequate graphics and
handwriting recognition. (I have a mechanical pencil with a *big* eraser.
I don't understand people who write in their planners in pens; do they
never make mistakes?)
My old Cassiopeia (which I used on the train when I
commuted into Silicon Alley) and my Palm (which I use before falling
asleep at night) have one big advantage over paper: I can compose text
once, then upload it and paste it into e-mail. --PSRC
P.S.: David Farquar's OPTIMIZING WINDOWS (the
"road runner" book from O'Reilly) is *wonderful*. Highly
recommended. You and Bob Thompson should probably reference it heavily in
your "good enough hardware" book.)
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