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1. Comment - Novell Sues Microsoft Over WordPerfect

   (Nov 13, 2004 - 11:18 AM)

   I am not a M$ lover, let me just state that for the record. In fact, their software has infuriated me at times. Having said that, I have used, (either by choice or because it was all there was at a particular location/employer,) their software for many, many, many years.
   (I have also had occasion to use others: Linux, Unix, OS2, WordPerfect, Lotus etc etc. In fact, I am typing this through my Firefox browser.)
   
   The truth of the matter (IMHO) is M$ does make, 'generally' better software, even if they sometimes have to pitch it at the lowest common denominator. Sometimes, admittedly, they make turkeys, like Internet Explorer, but then they use business tactics, marketing, and general skullduggery to turn it into a success anyway!
   
   It would appear, to my British eye, that the commercial legal framework in the States and now, more recently, the EU, is set-up to pander to the losers in commerce by dint of placing totally unfair laws in the way of shrewd (read: dirty & machiavellian) business-persons.
   
   I know that sounds extremely inflammatory, and i'll probably be flamed to hell and back but come on... if one business person says to another one:
   "This is my product, that is your product, if you want to sell yours WITH mine, don't put 'their' product with it. Otherwise, no deal."
   ...what the heck is the harm? No-one is forcing B to sell A's product. It's just that A & B BOTH know that, thanks to A's skullduggery and shrewd marketing, that more of B's product will be sold if they are sold with A's product too!
   
   The three businesses in the scenario (the third being, the whining, losers,) are all IN BUSINESS, not in government, nor are they CHARITIES. So long as one business does not use violence, theft, murder, rape, insider dealing, or anything else that truly HARMS the consumer, the taxman or each other, then WHAT THE HELL IS THE PROBLEM?!
   
   Government should be in place to protect the nation from physical harm and little else. As it is, it also wishes to foist education, welfare, media regulation etc etc etc yada yada yada on us and there really is little else we can do about that. But it goes too far when it tells one company, "you are too successful, you should not be setting rules by which your products are sold." I qualify the statement with 'too successsful' because less successful companies do it ALL THE TIME! (Look around you, how many stores/retailers/dealers sell BOTH competitors' products? In all industries? Some, yes, but not all. Now ask yourself why?)
   
   So, when company C finally starts suffering and needs to inject either capital into it's coffers or raise it's profile a little, out come the long-held records, (which it strangely did not act on before,) and the run bleating to the nanny state.
   
   GROW UP CORPORATE AMERICA!
   If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen! (Or, alternatively, make a better product, or sell it better...)

2. Comment - Death Knell Sounds for Nullsoft, Winamp

   (Nov 13, 2004 - 10:35 AM)

   Whilst WinAMP 5 has the marvellous facility to provide me with literally thousands of pro and amateur radio stations 24/7 with little resource drain then it'll have a loyal fan for life in me.
   
   SHOUTcast was WinAMP's ace in the hole and whist one media player may play video better, and another may organise better, (though I doubt it,) and a couple more even feature radio, (albeit either paid for or very lacking in choice,) there is absolutely nothing that comes close to WinAMP for sheer, all-round, beauty.
   
   It even has the best damned visualisations on the planet! Let's face it, in it's current incarnation, (or even at 2.x for the die-hards,) it plays most formats well and without hogging, it has plug-in architecture, (that cannot be taken away and allows others to add to its' portfolio of features,) it's skins are k.e.w.l. as hell, and if it never sees another revision, thanks to those nice people at AOHELL, it'll still be the best 'all-rounder' on the planet.
   
   N.B. I even use mine with an alarm plugin to wake me up every morning to a jazz station from across the globe. For parties, I wire it up to a 42" plasma screen with some trippy vis such as MilkDrop or R4 and stream a funky station that announces the artist and track on screen...
   The list goes on... Long live WinAMP!