Comments for entry "Things That Feel Ancient" at Dilbert.com Blog

Comment from Dingbat

TuePMCSTE_Rthth

The cartoonist doth protest too much? I don't think so. In ten years, I believe the world is going to be much closer to the scenario he lays out than most people imagine. With Disney leading the way, the rest of the world is bound to follow: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/07/business/media/at-disney-parks-a-bracelet-meant-to-build-loyalty-and-sales.html?_r=0

Comment from delius1967

TuePMCSTE_Rthth

The cartoonist doth protest too much, methinks. If Windows is such hell to use, why do you use it? There's nothing you can do in Windows that you can't also do on a Mac. It's interesting that you contrast the iPhone with a PC, when the two are completely separate markets. (If I recall correctly, back when you were challenged to compare them, you thought WP7 was superior, in experience anyway, to the iPhone.) And honestly, after reading the whinier parts of this post, I can only picture George Costanza exploding about how "we mustn't disturb the delicate genius!" Personally, I can't stand Apple. It's got nothing to do with their products, which are fine (though overpriced), and everything to do with the arrogance and condescension that oozes out of Cupertino like the Great Molasses Flood of 1919. I've only used one Apple product in the last twenty years, and that was to get the iPad that my in-laws brought with them on my home network, which required me to find its MAC address, an exercise in utter frustration. It seemed to be made deliberately hard to find, buried away somewhere deep inside the OS settings, because, after all, those poor, dumb users shouldn't be worrying their pretty little heads about such things. It didn't help that it was in Chinese. My laptop is set to automatic updates. The virus filter etc. does indeed update all the time (the Windows Update history shows ten downloads since the start of the year) but I never see it happen, so I don't care. Much less frequently -- the last one was more than a month ago at this point -- a Windows download happens that requires that I reboot the machine. By far the most annoying program in this regard is Adobe Acrobat, which not only constantly updates itself but has no option for doing so silently. It's hard to see how that is the fault of Windows.

Comment from AM04

TueAMCSTE_Rthth

People are becoming stupid at a much faster rate than phones are becoming smarter.

Comment from lny98

MonPMCSTE_Rthth

A couple of comments: 1. Passwords. Passwords do suck, but there really hasn't been a good replacement for the "what you know" part of security. The scenario mentioned, includes "what you have" (phone) and biometric/what-you-look-like (facial recognition) may be good enough for your frequent shopper credit at the supermarket, but sure don't want that at my bank. 2. Windows: don't blame the OS, blame the users (for buying/using software with too many updates) or the developers. Windows has always given users FREEDOM to hang themselves so to speak, on bad software. iOS (iPhone) is more stable, but you're giving away that freedom to apple. For example, try installing a better on screen keyboard. Can't. There are no bugs, or updates for software you can't install.

Comment from MisterBeefhead

MonPMCSTE_Rthth

This is how the world ends. As humans enter the final phase of smart-phone mating they become sensitized to inconvenience. Soon the slightest disturbance will send them into a tizzy of gentle phone stroking. Have you ever seen a tizzy of gentle phone stroking? Because ITS YOUR FUTURE!!!

Comment from Dingbat

MonPMCSTE_Rthth

I was sidetracked there by my affinity for goats and honey. Anyway, I'd like to see Internet access function like a utility. Right now, I'm very happy with my high-speed FIOs line - which cost me $60/month. I work from home, participate in video conferencing and often need to share large files. I could not do what I do without good Internet access. Still - the rules seem a bit bizarre. I just dropped my phone service from the FIO's bundle. For some reason the the highest speed access is only available for bundled services.... I dropped the phone because I wanted to port my number to a service that gives me more options for blocking spam calls. I'd have stayed with Frontier and paid more than necessary for phone service if they would just stop pretending to be an analog provider. They want to charge me for each number blocked! I have a low-income, housebound relative who is perfectly capable of working from home - but he lives in a remote area with limited internet access. Right now he is a net drain on the economy. Affordable broadband could turn that around. Also - the potential for transforming access to education is dizzying. If we could inspire kids in lousy school districts to "play" online educational games -and then slowly move them into more sophisticated online education options - we capture a lot more human potential for productive work -and improve lives. There would have to be some clever thinking around incentives, etc. but I believe it could be done - as long as the government does not take the lead on the program itself. I'd rather see the government ensure access to the technology - and then others come up with the education programs.

Comment from usmdj

MonPMCSTE_Rthth

Go ahead and stick your SIM card in your head and the cloud will upload your thoughts directly into your brain and you won't have to worry about anything ever again.

Comment from meblackstone

MonPMCSTE_Rthth

Scott, I have similar problems with my home Windows computer but not my work computer. Near as I can tell, it's a bloatware issue. Sony dumped so much garbage I don't need on it it's slow and duplicates functions. If I got ambitious, from what I understand if I wipe everything and install from Windows instead of Sony, it's a whole new world. But I'm not ambitious.

Comment from willywizz

MonPMCSTE_Rthth

Apple computers assume that you are too stupid to work anything out for yourself. That is why you should get one, and preferably before OS X becomes victim to as many viruses as windows has.

Comment from bulkmarketplaza

MonAMCSTE_Rthth

interesting blog Bulkmarketplaza

Comment from djvanderhoeven

SunPMCSTE_Rthth

I reject your position that it actually worked well for us to mandate phone lines and the electric grid. The result was so much unremoved bloat that a basic landline service still cost me $32/mo until I recently switched to a cell plan with unlimited minutes. $20 of that was the price AT&T directly charged. The other $12 was fees and taxes- and you know what? Any competition in land line services had the same price- great system we had there! Note that this was for local only, zero add-on services (I used it only to call toll-free numbers for conference calls when working from home). Did you not read how Google Fiber decided not to add voice services because of all the ridiculous legal loopholes they'd have to jump through if they started to be a phone service? That failure of government is tied at the hip to the government's mandate of land line service for all. Could an ideal government deliver the benefit without the horrible problems? Yes, perhaps- but we don't live in that world. Anyway, I've been on Windows 8 for however long its been out, and I've had maybe a once-a-month update from Windows, that it does when I shut down (and they no longer recommend frequent shut-downs / restarts, though it's a force of habit with me). I no longer use anti-virus software because I'm so cloud based that I'm pretty sure I could get back up-and-running in a short amount of time even if I got a death virus that required me to restore my entire computer to factory conditions. Your phone/computer idea is a good one- the Linux phone coming up has possibilities, and I'd bet someone could come close to doing it today with an Android phone. Meanwhile Apple insists on using proprietary technology to make sure they don't play well with others, and stifle competitive innovation. Have fun with that ecosystem. I only recently (with Republic Wireless) joined the smart phone revolution, and I was amazed how well it worked. I booted up my phone for the first time, typed in my google credentials and connected to my home wifi....and all my email was on my phone. It was pretty amazing.

Comment from EMU

SunAMCSTE_Rthth

Dingbat: I see :-) Wish it were possible too...

Comment from Dingbat

SatPMCSTE_Rthth

EMU: I compartmentalize well. I'm all for encouraging a lively trade in both goats and mead while clinging to my MacBook and iPhone with every last ounce of strength in my body. Definitely good with modern dentistry!

Comment from EMU

SatPMCSTE_Rthth

Dingbat: How old? Before or after cavity-ridden teeth were pulled by the travelling barber? :-) Sorry, couldn't resist...

Comment from Dingbat

SatPMCSTE_Rthth

Speaking as someone who raises both goats and honey bees, I vote for a return to the old days.

Comment from Chenlambec

SatPMCSTE_Rthth

Scott, While this is a nice ideal I have to say it's rather foolish. For two main reasons: The first, petek66 covered well enough, so I won't go into that. The second which I find to be of vastly greater concern is the fact that no grid is perfect. Allow me to explain that. While you live in a well to do area where blazing fast wireless internet is apparently a reality, quite a few of us struggle to watch youtube at low res. However, on a note more relevant to you, the idea you propose is a disaster multiplier. Sandy comes to mind, on a system such as the one you propose, parts of New York would have almost literally trading goats for mead. The power grid can and does fail, for a multitude of reasons, let's not even go into the data networks. While it's true we are already very entrenched in a need for those grids, when they shut down we currently have alternatives while they are repaired. Our finances are not completely frozen, and our files, data, and records are have not evaporated. Now imagine just one week with absolutely no access to currency or even your own files. Not unlikely under this scenario.

Comment from petek66

SatPMCSTE_Rthth

My concern about the Cloud is that the corporations can shut off access on a whim. Example- when I got Netflix streaming I thought I could get rid of some of my DVDs. But then I realized that every few weeks some licensing deal ends and *poof*, movies in my queue disappear. Once physical media and drives go away we'll be at the mercy of the studios. Same will happen with software, music, books, etc.

Comment from petek66

SatPMCSTE_Rthth

My iPhone pesters me for app updates far more than Windows.

Comment from Phantom II

SatPMCSTE_Rthth

Oh, and one more thing - I keep forgetting how young most of you are. You hate software updates? I love them, unless they don't work. Gather 'round, children, and sit at ol' granpaw Phantom's feet. Let me tell you how it used to be. In the old days, software updates would come out around once every six months. When they came out, they had two things in them, basically: bug fixes and new features. Installing them was not only a pain in the butt, but you would have to determine if the time and expense of doing the upgrade was worth the benefit. If you decided to install the upgrade, it was a giant pain to have to test, retrain, install, switch over. . . ARGHHHH!!!!! Nowadays, all you have to do is say "yes" to the "Install now?" question. The upgrades are small, and done incrementally. If one of them causes your system to take a poo, you can simply and easily back the darned thing out. YOU YOUNG WHIPPERSNAPPERS DON'T KNOW HOW GOOD YOU HAVE IT!!!! Phew. Ol' gramps Phantom feels better now. Time to go take my rheumatiz medicine and try to make it up the stairs.

Comment from Phantom II

SatPMCSTE_Rthth

There you go again. You start off great: describing problems that arise from incompatible systems. Then you once again spiral out of control by recommending that government step in to "solve" things. They've done such a great job with the DMV, why not let them take over software development, too! Great idea, Scott! This statement in particular has me stymied: "I'd be okay with a constitutional amendment making it a basic right to have Internet access and a smartphone by the year 2020 or so. It worked for landline telephones and the energy grid." I'm not an expert on the Constitution, but I have at least a layman's understanding of it. Yet I am at a loss to find the amendment that made it a basic right to have a landline telephone or electrical energy. I'd be very interested in knowing which amendment has made phones and electricity a "basic right." As a slight digression, the word "right," in this context, gets thrown around much too often, and just as often incorrectly. Rights do not get bestowed by government, they only get restricted by government. Government can't give you any rights; all they can do is either take them away or guarantee in some way that they won't. That's what the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, were all about. They were government's absolute, firm-clad guarantee that the rights therein elucidated would never be abridged - and we all see how well THAT'S worked out. Back to your point: you have obviously never been a member of any kind of software standardization group. Simply said, it doesn't work. People become zealots for their particular little point of development. In some cases, it's because they have proprietary systems that they want to become standard. In others, it's because they worship their particular way of doing things. When token-ring networking was working to be standardized, there was a huge fight over the data-checking algorithms. One method, which was more precise, would only allow 80 MB/sec speeds, while the other, while slightly less perfect, allowed 100 MB/sec speeds. While the standards committee was taking years to slug this one out, the Ethernet folks just chuckled and kept improving their technology and going for market share. The result? Well, when was the last time you saw a token-ring network? There was a big push toward standardization through object-oriented systems about ten years ago. The idea was to develop this huge piece of software called an Object Request Broker, and then make every other piece of software in the world work with it. The ORB would exist in what we now consider to be the cloud, and it would interconnect requests for services that would also be distributed over the web. Say your software needed a sort routine - it would just make a request to the ORB; the ORB would then find what you needed, and allow your software to access it. Perfect compatibility. Everything working with everything else. Simple. Pure. Nirvana. There were standards committees up the wazoo trying to work out those pesky little details. It foundered in a sea of angry fights over every little piece of the ORB (which was called CORBA, for Common Object Request Broker Architecture, by the way). There was another problem as well - standardization kills innovation. Standardization is cement; innovation is water. You can't make cement flow, and you can't make a building out of water. So far, it seems that the best compromise we have is competition and the free market. The good ideas will rise to the top, while the bad ones will die out. What the market place will support, will grow; just as true is the opposite. Scott, if you really think that a group of bureaucrat lawyers in Washington can dictate how software should work, then you should try letting them take control of your health care. Oh, wait. . . If government had controlled the software industry, we'd all be using command line interfaces. Government doesn't make things better. It doesn't improve situations. It just regulates them, taxes them, and then pats itself on the back for !$%*!$%* everything up. If that's really what you want, then I suggest you go to one of the wonderful government-run countries like North Korea or Venezuela. I'm sure your ideas would be embraced with open arms there.