| ActiveMac | Anonymous | Create a User | Reviews | News | Forums | Advertise |
|
|
|
User Controls |
|
New User |
|
Login |
|
Edit/View My Profile |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ActiveMac |
|
Articles |
|
Forums |
|
Links |
|
News |
|
News Search |
|
Reviews |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
News Centers |
|
Windows/Microsoft |
|
DVD |
|
ActiveHardware |
|
Xbox |
|
MaINTosh |
|
News Search |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ANet Chats |
|
The Lobby |
|
Special Events Room |
|
Developer's Lounge |
|
XBox Chat |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ's |
|
Windows 98/98 SE |
|
Windows 2000 |
|
Windows Me |
|
Windows "Whistler" XP |
|
Windows CE |
|
Internet Explorer 6 |
|
Internet Explorer 5 |
|
Xbox |
|
DirectX |
|
DVD's |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TopTechTips |
|
Registry Tips |
|
Windows 95/98 |
|
Windows 2000 |
|
Internet Explorer 4 |
|
Internet Explorer 5 |
|
Windows NT Tips |
|
Program Tips |
|
Easter Eggs |
|
Hardware |
|
DVD |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Latest Reviews |
|
Applications |
|
Microsoft Windows XP Professional |
|
Norton SystemWorks 2002 |
|
|
|
Hardware |
|
Intel Personal Audio Player 3000 |
|
Microsoft Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Site News/Info |
|
About This Site |
|
Affiliates |
|
ANet Forums |
|
Contact Us |
|
Default Home Page |
|
Link To Us |
|
Links |
|
Member Pages |
|
Site Search |
|
Awards |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Credits |
 |
A big deal | |
|
||
| Time: 13:03 EST/18:03 GMT | News Source: Economist | Posted By: Robert Stein | ||
|
SOMETIMES a seemingly modest business deal can change the course of an industry. This is particularly true in high tech. In 1980, IBM licensed an obscure piece of software known as DOS from an unknown start-up called Microsoft—thus creating the conditions for Bill Gates to build the world's largest software firm. Will a settlement announced on May 29th between Microsoft and AOL Time Warner, a huge media conglomerate, one day be seen as the birth of another Microsoft killer application: the platform for delivering music, video and other digital content? | ||
|
Write Comment
Return to News |
Displaying 1 through 25 of 160 Last | Next |
The time now is
3:23:30 AM
ET.
Any comment problems? E-mail us |
| #1 By 7390 (198.246.16.251) at 6/6/2003 2:37:03 PM |
|
To be sure, Microsoft now lags behind competitors in digital-media technology, notably RealNetworks and Apple, which recently launched, with its iTunes Music Store, the first online music service that appears to satisfy both content providers and consumers
What does this have to do with RealNetworks? No, they are not ahead of MS in DRM technology. There is no better media player than Windows Media Player 9. I only wish that it came with the codec for playing DVDs. |
| #2 By 3339 (65.198.47.10) at 6/6/2003 4:26:04 PM |
|
Let's see: Real has the largest online content subscription base, both a proprietary and open source server solution, the ability to support tha majority of standards (both proprietary/individually-controlled and industry standard/open), a decent format of their own, continues to sign exclsuive deals to provide desirable content....
I would say Real still has the lead followed by Apple and MS (both about tied for different advantages/disadvantages). Parker, I'll remind you of your reading lessons again. That's "another Microsoft killer application." As in a "killer app" belonging to MS. Duh. Not that your screed makes any sense anyway. |
| #3 By 3339 (65.198.47.10) at 6/6/2003 5:35:31 PM |
| Again, can anyone explain to me how they can claim WMP the best player ever when if you click rewind you jump to the beginning of the PREVIOUS song? |
| #4 By 135 (209.180.28.6) at 6/6/2003 5:48:47 PM |
|
Rewind doesn't work when playing music... you have to go in and drag the seek bar to where you want to start playing from again.
The button you are probably talking about is the one labeled Previous[aka Previous Song]. So I'm unclear what your complaint is. |
| #5 By 3339 (65.198.47.10) at 6/6/2003 6:21:34 PM |
|
I'm saying that it's retarded even if it is as intended. If I am in the middle of a song, but want to go back to the beginning there is no appropriate option. (Dragging a slider is too approximate and slow.) I have seen no other audio or video interface work this way whether it was hardware or software. The iconography itself seems inappropriate as it suggests that you can "Rewind" to the beginning of a song (hence the arrow and vertical bar (from R to L)--if it's to be previous shouldn't it be arrow, bar, arrow, bar (from R to L) as in go back through this song to the beginning, then go back through the next song to the beginning (since that's the behavior most likely to be produced)? Calling it "Previous" instead of "Back" is a rationalization, but it's not a defense for a retarded design.
But, heh, as I said, how can it be the best player when you're initial comment is "Rewind doesn't work when playing music..." This post was edited by sodajerk on Friday, June 06, 2003 at 18:26. |
| #6 By 3339 (65.198.47.10) at 6/6/2003 7:36:23 PM |
|
Ahh, dude, MS didn't go public until 86. Excel 1.0 didn't come out til the Mac (83/84). And, yes, Microsoft largely lived off of Apple from 76 to 80 but barely at that. Apple got the better of the BASIC deals. But the only MS apps besides ApplesoftBASIC (which was substantiantially rewritten by Apple over the next ten years (licensed in 77) and replaced by the better MacBASIC--which MS got to use in 87 when the ApplesoftBASIC license ran out for old Apple Is and IIs.) were intended for the Apple III that hardly had a substantial life from 80 on... MS was in fact living off of a few licenses that were not that substantial, and Gates' milkmoney from Mommy and Daddy.
http://apple2history.org/history/ah16.html "Back in 1975 and 1976, Microsoft was producing BASIC interpreters for nearly every microprocessor that was produced, in hopes of licensing or selling their BASIC to those who built a computer around that chip." "But by October 1976 they finally had a contract to put this interpreter into the new Commodore PET computer that was being designed... However, the contract Microsoft had with Commodore was no good to them at that time, as far as income was concerned; it stipulated that they would not be paid until some time in 1977, when the computer was to be finished and ready to ship." "In August 1977, Apple made a $10,500 payment to Microsoft for the first half of a flat-fee license that they were able to negiotate. Typically, Microsoft would license its BASIC on a royalty basis; they would be paid a set fee for every copy of BASIC that went out the door -- in this case, with every computer that was sold. The fact that Microsoft was willing to concede and let Apple license their 6502 BASIC on a flat-fee basis is a reflection of the financial straits that Microsoft was under." It did in fact take the contract in 80 to make Microsoft anything. This post was edited by sodajerk on Friday, June 06, 2003 at 19:39. |
| #7 By 135 (208.50.204.91) at 6/6/2003 7:44:14 PM |
|
sodajerk - Interesting. So your basic claim is not that the UI is retarded, but that it doesn't work like CD players. Personally I've never liked having to hit buttons twice to go back to the last song. I don't have to hit buttons twice to go to the next song.
But this certainly raises an interesting discussion about the misconceptions people might have about user interface design. sodajerk is essentially arguing that UI designs should remain stagnant and not change because it's what people are used to. |
| #8 By 3653 (209.149.57.116) at 6/6/2003 8:04:37 PM |
|
"sodajerk is essentially arguing that..."
sodajerk is arguing? Hmm... I didn't notice... as I skipped his comments entirely. If I want to hear hot air, I'll use a hair dryer. |
| #9 By 3339 (65.198.47.10) at 6/6/2003 8:14:24 PM |
|
No, soda, I'm not saying it has to be consistent with a CD player--I am saying no other media player that I have ever seen works this way.
You say 2 clicks is too much, but you are avoiding the functionality that I am asking for (back to beginning). You are arguing about something I'm not asking about. So are you saying click, hold, and drag is easier than one click. After all, to go to the previous song, you can one-click on the track (in WMP as well), or you can double click back--on EVERY other media player. But, in WMP, there is no button to rewind to beginning of song? Why not? I would wager it's much more common that in the middle of a track, that you want to return to the beginning than return to the beginning of the previous track. I don't see any misconception--I'm saying there conception is lousy (whatever its intentions are) and no one else choses to do so. I am not saying it should remain stagnant as this difference doesn't offer anything substantial. I do say it's misleading design as it uses the standard iconography for the standard functionality but uses its own functionality. And I don't see how anyone can argue with this final point--their usage of the rewind/back icon is inconsistent with its behavior in all other applications. This post was edited by sodajerk on Friday, June 06, 2003 at 20:20. |
| #10 By 116 (66.69.198.173) at 6/6/2003 8:30:30 PM |
|
Sodajerk, this has to be the single most lame knock on WMP that i have ever heard.
Congragtulations! Peace, RA |
| #11 By 3339 (65.198.47.10) at 6/6/2003 8:32:49 PM |
| I've got plenty more... But I'll reserve those til someone can explain this retarded behavior. |
| #12 By 3339 (65.198.47.10) at 6/6/2003 8:38:54 PM |
|
What? No kudos on my history of MS either?
I gleaned a few more key milestones in MS history: Allen didn't leave MITS or sign a partnership with Gates until 77. The first year they had revenue of 1 mil was in 78 (still a baby company) They didn't move out of the crappy little office in the desert til 79. Ballmer didn't join the company til 80. Microsoft wasn't incorporated as a private company til 81. So what up, zoony? This post was edited by sodajerk on Friday, June 06, 2003 at 20:39. |
| #13 By 3339 (65.198.47.10) at 6/6/2003 8:54:12 PM |
|
SomeDork, first, tell me of any other app that doesn't "go back to beginning" by clicking the button with a bar and left-pointing arrow.
"The way to "rewind" is to hit Stop." That's your defense? I know how to get what I want, but I wouldn't have even have tried to suggest: "hit stop, then play to rewind" in a million years without laughing my ass off. Yes, that is intuitive--I'm glad they changed the standard behavior. What was I thinking trying to hold them back. And this: "If this were a standard cd player, I'd totally agree with you, but you're way off base (as usual)." How? Why not? As I said, show me any other player that reproduces the MS behavior or explain why this situation is different and provides something new. And, no, it certainly isn't my only complaint. I'll start you off with three... 1) another simple one (the simple ones are the most pathetic in my mind) no loop back and forth [I guess this will be interpreted as further resistence to the tide of innovation--"Repeat" should suffice, right? Well, I guess that's the mistake of combining audio and video together.] 2) simply, why is there no "Rewind"? There is a shortcut for Fast Forward, but there simply isn't an option to "Rewind"--why not? 3) a huge one -- you cannot open multiple players to view mutiple movies simultaneously (as far as I can tell) This post was edited by sodajerk on Friday, June 06, 2003 at 20:55. |
| #14 By 61 (24.92.223.112) at 6/7/2003 12:10:53 AM |
| Or you could just double click on the song in the playlist. |
| #15 By 2459 (69.22.78.22) at 6/7/2003 12:51:10 AM |
|
Quicktime has no Stop button. What's up with that? That isn't exactly intuitive when I have to click Pause, then Previous to go to the beginning of a track (and not have it start immediately playing again). Apparently Apple's aversion to a Stop button carries over to their other Media products as well.
And what's with Apple's resistance to buttons that stay down with one click? It took them over a decade to get "sticky menus" and now this. Why would I want to hold down the rewind or fast-forward buttons the entire time I'm rewinding or fast-forwarding a track. Why can't I click once to start the operation then click again (or click Play) to stop the operation? Rewind and fast-forward lose much of their usefulness anyway because most software players have a seek bar. How is is approximate or slow to click the beginning of the seek area to get to the beginning of the song? It only takes a fraction of a second and one click, no drag, no two clicks. Another gripe: Paying for Full-screen. No other company makes you pay for full-screen. |
|
Write Comment
Return to News |
Displaying 1 through 25 of 160 Last | Next |
The time now is
3:23:30 AM
ET.
Any comment problems? E-mail us |
