bigthboy

I have to agree with you, when it comes down to the internet, its all about the ease of distributing information about whats happening RIGHT NOW. Take most of the technology blogs, and even HN for example. A great portion of what's on here or coming through the blogs is an overview or look at whats happening right now, today, or information about what somebody did TODAY. I also use these sources everyday as a primary source of what's going on. However, when I want a full fledged story about not only what is happened but what has happened and why it happened I tend to go to other sources, the Wall Street Journal for example.

However, what you need to notice is that even the more complex periodicals are also moving online. Newsweek, the WSJ itself, the New York Times, and so on and so forth. I think it truly is just a matter of time before even these move to a totally online system. No more Time Magazine delivered every day to your mailbox, instead its in your inbox.

<grunt> bigthboy not amused... buttons make bigthboy angry! <roar>...

but in all honesty, what is the true point behind this? I am aware of people's addiction to press buttons, but if you can convince someone to pay you in order to press a button then you've got something. Without that, I really just don't think this is anything more than a time-sink for those who are procrastinating, and most certainly not a start-up. =P

Everyone is going slap happy with these open app platforms! Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Facebook, Apple...

<sarcasm>Developers their best chance to stay in the game? Ballmer knew that a long time ago... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMU0tzLwhbE </sarcasm>

I don't think its right that he is being brought with three felony charges AND suspended from school. I could see some sort of school related reprimand...but really...fifteen years old and he shows them up and their best response is lets press federal charges.

Now, assuming that it is true that he has had disobediance problems previously, attempted to break security previously, and was not acting in the form of a white-hat, something should definitely be done. However, that's like saying you're pressing charges against someone for logging into your computer when your password is on a sticky note at the edge of your screen. Not just schools but everyone has to do their own part in order to protect information and the school didn't do their part. I don't have the facts but it would appear that the student did no extraneous work in accessing the information.

I have to say that I, in a way, relate to this situation. When I went to High School I was pretty much watched like a hawk due to my well known understanding and skill on the computer. I was attempted to be blamed numerous times for when something would happen, mostly by a specific administrator who had a grudge against me. Luckily, nothing to this extreme ever happened and its not like I did anything wrong anyways. I ended up working for the school as an Assistant IT Coord my last couple of years.

I'd also like to bring comment to a point made by another comment on here. As far as poor technology policies and idiotic administration, that's one of the things my venture is trying to work on. Understanding that most of the reason these very restrictive policies are there is because of a lack of understanding compounded with a lack of control for what they don't understand. The other major source is fear of reprocussions and dangers. My venture is focused in the area of Educational Technology and part of what we're doing, especially in southern Illinois at the moment, is trying to create tools/programs/systems and structure policies with schools that alleviate the problems both on the administrative side and the student side. Policy work and simplistic administrator friendly systems are something that are a necessity to persuade uptight school districts into not only accepting technology but being more open with students use of it.

...I may have ended up a little off-topic. :P

I agree with the article, it would be a good move for Microsoft overall...however, I'm not sure how happy the userbase would be if any the comments to the article are to be any representation. I don't understand why some people are so hardcore "if Microsoft touches it, I don't want it!"

I'm interested to see how well the service fairs when it launches and I'm just as interested in seeing the response from those developers who are being able to test the platform. I think that this could potentially be a "step in the right direction" for Microsoft to stay relevant in a world that's changing how and where data and processing is handled. However, unlike many speculators who talk about how someday the "Cloud will completely engulf the world," I don't think that will happen anytime soon. As available as the Internet is and the number of providers grow, there still is going to be a need for localized data processing and handling to a certain extent. This is one of the places that I agree with Microsoft in saying that it needs to be "Local + Cloud." The concept of it all strikes me as something best used to enhance local applications to have access to more information, seamlessly, and dynamically, and be able to tailor that information to meet the needs of the end-user.

For me, I learned by obsvering my mother who owns a small retail shop and how she did accounting. I also took a course at my high school.

I've not really done much of online accounting research so I don't know where would be the best place to point you. However, some of the major accounting programs are rather simplistic to use and can, usually, step you through it.

The most important thing early on is to just keep a good record of who you owe, how much, and why. If you don't have any employees that are paid yet you really don't have much to worry about. Simple budgeting should get you through.

When you start selling things and start having employees is when it starts to get complicated. Other than that just keep a record of what you bought from who and how much it cost.

I AM NOT A CERTIFIED ACCOUNTANT AND MY ADVICE SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN AS THAT OF A PROFESSIONAL. I AM RELAYING INFORMATION BASED ON MY OWN EXPERIENCES.

Under standard circumstances, it's always important to understand where the money is going and how it gets there :). Whether or not its your job to constantly track it at every stop and all the related tasks is a different situation. Generally, I feel its important that you know your basic accounting and bookkeeping and be able to understand it to a sense that you can do it during the early stages. Once you're founded, in the US, you do have financial and tax responsibilities that you have to be aware of and you likely don't have the money to pay an accountant to do it. Once you grow a little bit and have the money to spend on a professional accountant, if you're not really good at it (and even if you are) its generally best you get someone to do that for you, just follow along with everything that's going on.

However, being you're in China I'm not even going to step in advising you on how to go about your country's laws and financial regulations because I just don't know. China is its own animal and can't easily be dropped into the cookie-cutter systems of the US and UK. In my opinion and very limited experience that is, anyways.

I think Steve Jobs is right in saying that it will likely remain a hobby for this upcoming year, but in the same sense I believe thats because nobody is really taking a truly proactive, innovative, or scalable approach to it, Apple (and Boxee) included.

The industry has before been isolated because of the lack of content. However, more recently there has been an explosion of content availability. But further adding to the problem has been the usability of that content.

I, personally, own a Media Center PC which I built myself for the purpose of exploring the idea of accessing my TV over the internet. I must say that I've gone away from that route because everything was bulky and much more complicated than using my Satellite receiver that I already had. This is a problem that could be overcome if the effort was put forth to actually overcome it.

What needs to be done is someone needs to create a single simple box that includes the DVD player, USB ports, infarred, Ethernet port, various A/V input, and S-Video, Composite, and HDMI outputs. On this device load a very simplistic, efficient software base which can do the following... Load DVD, Load External Signal, Load "Full Internet", Watch "NET TV"... I quoted NET TV because it is something that would need to be treated different than the Internet. NET TV we could think of it as going to certain content website (like Hulu, YouTube, or even iTune's music store, NetFlix, etc.) and browing them through a simplified interface (rather than their traditional interface) and navigating through them to find the shows you want. This would be done, in a way, like tailoring sites to mobile phone users, only this would be to TV users. Included could be a new service which is truly "Live Stream" from the various news sources.

Just a concept btw...

I didn't compete in it but I was very impressed with what some of these people pumped out, and some of them looked like they didn't even really have any history on the scene and they still made impressive apps.

Congratulations to another YC start-up which has made their mark in not only a consumer world but the business world itself it would seem. May we hope that they are successful in carrying out their operations.

Now, who's next? =D

Add: I would also like to add that they do seem to have a good idea. I know that I agree with their logic of how annoying it is to be expected to fill out surveys months, days, or even hours later when I'm at home on my computer and take up my own time. This is the kind of product that would have potential to become as prevalent as credit card processors at most retail chains. While you're waiting for everything to get bagged, or even that damn receipt to print, just fill out this survey on a sleek and simple device.

Sometimes those mistakes don't come from competency of the program writer but rather the translator...

"All your base are belong to us!"

The Windows addition is saying something. I think this clearly represents that Amazon is wanting to stay up with it and is, in a way, preparing for the "Windows Strata" announcement that supposed to come at the developers convention. I'm curious to see how well it all works out, I've never personally thought of Windows Server as much of a "cloud-ready" server O/S... if you will.

This is the most outragous story I've ever read. It's insulting and definitely says something about corporate structure today. I wonder if any of these companies are on the "Best Places to Work" list...

I'm technically a millennial and I don't feel entitled to anything. The points this story brings up are actually things that have been shown to improve productivity if done correctly. Look at Google and numerous other successful high tech companies. People work better when they aren't forced into a suit, get to do non-distracting personal enjoyments at work, have time to sit back and just flat out think and relax during their work day.

What this article shows is that some companies really are full of stiffs who have a superiority complex and are forcibly conformists to their employees. It should be investigated why these companies are tetering on personal rights violations rather than why their employee's don't bow down to their boss's power.

Fascinating... I'm definitely interested in seeing what comes out of that "think tank." I also agree with the "Sandbox Corporation" classification... maybe shortened to "Sand Corp" or just "Sandy"....

Personally, I think its likely to turn into something like an incubator for businesses that are in Gate's area of interest (such as those areas the Gates Foundation focuses on, only for-profit). Then again, maybe I'm just hoping... =P

I'm not saying they all work out I'm saying that some are good. In your example of the soup kitchen closed because it couldn't install some fancy-pancy fire extinguisher system, yeah, that's a bad law and a bit of an overkill. Telling someone that they can't legally take other people 700 feet below the water in a sub that isn't certified is a bit of a different story.

He may have barely have been making a profit but the fact of the matter is it would've cost him $100,000 to get papers/certified but he instead spent $200,000 on a new sub. It just seems like the kind of thing that would actually be considered an investment because it could make you more profitable and definitely adds more credibility.

I, like many of those who commented in the article, think the guy is pretty smart. I mean he did build his own submarine from scratch and furthermore made it profitable. However, I also agree that the bull headed and risky approach he has with the whole thing is a bit... unnecessary. I would like to see him approach it not thinking he's better than everyone and that he can simply get around the law. For as many dumb laws there are there are at least half as many good ones. Not allowing people to take other people to dangerous places without being certified and having insurance is one of those good ones.

In my current venture, we're not yet to the point where we have very many support questions, we're mostly still in "Friends and Family" testing. However, prior to this venture I worked on some other projects, specifically in gaming / gaming server management and for some small hosting companies. With them, responding to support "tickets" if you will was one of our top priorities. However, rather than using an e-mail support system we relied mostly on forums and, for the game, in-game support message systems.

Every company is different and for most of these we were just a bunch of hackers running free communities (with the exception of the web host provider - which was free with premium memberships). However, the importance of answering support quickly was still the same. In terms of the free service, when things didn't work right or we wern't able to instantly respond we were able to write it off as "we're not paid to be here." That didn't always stick though. You might also consider making sure people know what times you guys are generally available. Letting people know that you're not available from midnight to 6am in your local time is a good thing for your users to know.

Depending on what it is you're offering, looking at a message board / forum as a means of technical support might not be such a bad idea. It allows not only you and your team to answer questions (and quickly from almost anywhere you have net access) but it also gives your other users ways to contribute as well. Most importantly, it's an active way to build a knowledgebase, if done correctly. It also saves you from having to necessarily answer the same e-mail's over and over. Even with an e-mail contact available, you could easily put in an auto-responder that lets them know you got it and gives them a link to your support forum for them to browse for a solution in the mean time.

Note: If you use forums, make sure you find some method of making your support posts easy to manage and your official team members easy to spot.

From my personal perspective, I'm half expecting Yahoo to end up just like AOL. A subsidiary of a media conglomerate that is just used when making bad jokes and referencing the past. Their current position definitely indicates this, and I'm talking both on the internal company side of things (in terms of products, innovation, and market reach) and on the public side of things (shares).

I can't help but feel that Yahoo! signed its own death certificate when they so loudly fought off Microsoft's handsome buyout offer. Would Yahoo have taken this offer, at least Yahoo would have the potential to still exist and be recognized. It would've been interesting to see how it played out. In a round about way, we can even look at Yahoo as a modern Netscape... they stood up to Microsoft and bit the bullet in the end.

AOL is probably most remembered for their annoying "Free Dial-Up Internet Trial" CDs in the mail that were more cumbersome than spam, what is Yahoo going to be remembered for?

Good analogy. It pretty much hits the nail on the head, question is... by Tiger was he referring to another larger company or is he talking specifically about the colorful names that Apple gives its OS X models?

I'd vote for myself if I could, I'd love to do it! However, looking past the Nanoscopic chance of that happening, I would have to say Bill Gates. Gates, while aging, is a powerful and loud person when it comes to the use of technology in a modern society. He understands not only the needs but the potential for technology in our world. Unfortunately, Microsoft being the mammoth it is, you haven't seen him much able to maneuver it over the past few years.

I liked the video, he did a great job of holding my attention, as someone noted, for 10 minutes and at the end of part 1 I can say I clearly understood what he was talking about, and that's critical both when presenting to customers and presenting to partners/investors.

Good luck to all the entrants and may the force be with PG in looking through them all! Perhaps my group will be lucky enough to be a finalist invited to the meeting, despite not having an active demo that they have access to.

I applied last week with a proof of concept ready and a prototype on the horizon (it would be done before the meeting if we got selected to come). Problem is A, it's not all online and the parts that are online aren't quite ready to be seen just yet (plus they don't really make sense unless you see the whole picture.)

When reading this I begin to remember an article I read on MSNBC some time ago about a sting operation in which several criminals (not violent ones, just ones wanted for robberies of various sorts) were identified and traced but were evading law enforcement. To solve this problem, police sent them priority mail, from the Police Department mind you, informing them that they had all won brand new 42" HDTVs, among other prizes, and that they needed to show up at a local mall at such and such date/time in order to claim their prize. Every single one of them showed up and were arrested upon walking in the door.

Personally, I think Vista should have kept the name "Longhorn" from development. I like the sound of "Windows 7" but I too am a bit concerned with how Windows in itself will fare with a future that looks like Vista which was, in my opinion, a step away from the enterprise class that Windows has always had a firm grasp on. As someone who works in IT for a university and has worked for other schools in the past, I found Vista showed no reasons to be used in an enterprise setting. Vista tailored WAY too much to a home user perspective. All pretty pictures and no power.

Windows 7, we can perhaps expect a step back in the right direction. I've seen rumors but nothing official that suggested Windows 7 was going to be Microsoft's first Operating system since Windows 2000 to not use the NT core? Anyone care to confirm that?

Also... just some funnies... http://venturebeat.com/2008/10/13/windows-7-the-search-for-a...

As it works here in the US, you can take anything you've personally wrote and go your own way with it unless the following exists... You've signed or >>cleary<< declared that you are relinquishing ownership of it to them, they own a patent to the work you're doing for them and thus they have priority over it, or you've been paid and on the terms of payment was that you were providing them with code. The last one about being paid is still arguable but worth noting as you can argue that they were paying you for a license to the code you were writing and you just happen to be more open to share information and listen to their opinion on the matter.

In a situation like this, if the idea is stellar enough (and you understand it enough) that you could do the idea without them and it would likely be successful, I would take it and form your own company, potentially file for patents on anything new, and look immediately for investors.

In the world of business there are two key things which separate one from another, and both must be present. The first is material, code, visual/displayable proof of concept, prototype, or product. The second is money to execute and grow the material and code. With those two things, you'll have the upper hand against them at any time. Some will argue in the long run, if they manage to survive being beaten out in the beginning by product and money, that they may have a greater vision or business sense to execute it more efficiently, but the success would be unlikely. From your description of them I would think they would quickly crumble under the matter and the fact that you did what he's so scared of and he drove you to do would render him utterly useless/dysfunctional.

THAT IS JUST MY POSITION AND TAKE ON IT. I AM NOT A LAWYER AND DO NOT CLAIM TO BE CURRENT OR ABSOLUTE IN MY LAW KNOWLEDGE. THE ABOVE IS JUST MY OPINION AND VIEWPOINT ON THE TOPIC IN QUESTION.

I've played the game for 2.5 years and then some on and off, and I just recently stopped playing regularly as I started getting more involved with both school and my venture. Like I said, I won't disagree with you that gold farmers are ruining the game (though you used the term harassment and I've never been harassed on anything besides buying gold), but that's besides the point.

They're still suing a company for doing something they didn't do. They're going off on them on the DMCA which they didn't go against and the EULA (which they also didn't go against). That really would be the gold farmers and besides the gold farmers I'm sure nobody would complain about doing something about them specifically. Rather than taking care of the problem with farmers and direct cheaters, they're going after a mere background entity. Taking out WoWGlider, especially in the way they are, isn't going to stop the farmers in any way shape or form and it isn't going to stop people from cheating... all they're doing is ruining people's lives for creating something that is completely legal in its isolated form.

thank-you