TSG 5: Evil Empires Version Cinco

[TechGuy]

Mike, Dan, and Brian discuss Wal-Mart MP3s, the RIAA's mistrial, Apple threatening to shut down iTunes, and Windows 7!

Download the MP3 or Subscribe to the Show for Free!

Welcome to the fifth episode of the Tech Support Guy Show, an audio podcast that is released at least once a month. You can now subscribe to the show using iTunes! Just search for "Tech Support Guy" in the iTunes Music Store. (Don't worry, it's free!) If you're so inclined, check out http://feeds.techguy.org/TechSupportGuyShow for other ways to subscribe.

We had a live chatroom and audio streaming while recording this show. Be sure to join us on Sunday, October 19th around 11:00AM Eastern at www.mogulus.com/techsupportguy

Your hosts are:
Mike Cermak (TechGuy)
Dan McCarthy (linuxphile)
Brian Hansen (handee9)


Links in order of appearance:
DMCA:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Millennium_Copyright_Act

Wal-Mart Shuts Down DRM Servers:
http://forums.techguy.org/tech-related-news/754743-reason-9-358-not-buying.html

Judge Declares Mistrial In RIAA's Only Court Victory
http://forums.techguy.org/tech-related-news/753460-judge-declares-mistrial-riaa-s.html

Jobs Health Rumors Hurt Apple Shares
http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/web/steve-jobs-health-rumours-hurt-apple-shares-473273

Apple to music industry - It’s our way, or iTunes gets the bullet!
http://forums.techguy.org/tech-related-news/755327-apple-music-industry.html

National Music Publishers' Association
http://www.nmpa.org/

Windows 7 Pre-Beta October 27th
http://forums.techguy.org/tech-related-news/753902-windows-7-pre-beta-october.html

Ubuntu Linux
http://www.ubuntu.com/

Ubuntu Billboard:
http://ubuntu.wordpress.com/2006/08/03/first-ubuntu-billboard-spotted/

Candy's Getting Awfully Close to 100,000 Posts!
http://forums.techguy.org/announcements/755624-candy-s-getting-awfully-close.html


We want your feedback!
Please leave a short voice message by calling 1-877-4-TECHGUY. If you don't want your voice on the show, just reply here or email your comments to show@techguy.org.

 

[RootbeaR]

Another good show.

I am hoping you keep it up.

Maybe a separate forum(category) for these shows with some stickies at top of page giving instructions for getting live podcast as well as the chat room simultaneously?
(See how much I know about computers and internet? More proof that anyone can use Linux. )


It was mentioned about Apple having to/should cut their %.

What about the RIAA, or more specifically, the labels themselves?
If I download a song/album from iTunes. What were the production costs for the label?
Overall cost to sell in brick and mortar establishment include making the disc.
It isn't any cheaper to get an album online. Plus, I pay a surtax to the RIAA each and every time I purchase blank recordable media(every type). Whether I use it for music or not.
Also, how many sales are actually needed to break-even? Surely I should be able to buy a thirty year old best seller cheap as most expenses were covered years ago.
They have to have a number in order to come up with a selling price and I doubt that the assumption is for every album to be a multi-platinum seller.


Windows- My understanding is that an OS is the interface that controls the hardware.
What OS was the hardware made to work with?(Referring to comment that newest hardware wasn't compatible with Vista when it was released)
What hardware was Vista made to control? Not the newest and not the previous(at least not well enough to "experience" Vista).


Post count-- I don't feel that is something to celebrate. It endorses others to strive for more posts. People come to the site for help and I have noticed many equate experience with post count. They take advice from a no mind with 20 000 posts(99.9% of which are in Community saying hi and bye) over another with a few hundred. I think that can only lead to a deterioration of the quality of the site as it relates to helping others.
Maybe displayed post count should be broken down into category posted in(Operating Systems, Community). People could still celebrate and would add relevance.

Just my thoughts and opinions.
Nothing personal to any individual.

 

[TechGuy]

Thanks for the feedback!!

1. I think the real point is that the RIAA (or whoever is selling the music) gets to decide how much they want to charge for something. If you don't like it, you don't have to buy it -- but that doesn't give you the right to steal it. Also, I'm pretty sure the RIAA fee for blank media applies only in Canada, but I could be wrong.

2. The OS doesn't control most hardware directly -- it uses software called "drivers," which is actually created by the manufacturer of the hardware. (For example, the drivers that come on CD when you buy a printer, scanner, digital camera, etc. supply the software necessary to make your particular OS work with that hardware.)

3. That's a very good point! I should have also pointed out that not only has AcaCandy reached a huge milestone in the number of posts, but that relatively few of those are in non-tech forums. I agree that there is a serious issue with people posting only for the purpose of watching their post count increase, but AcaCandy is definitely not one of those (and I'm not saying that you were suggesting otherwise). You can tell from my post count that I'm not a believer in it.

 

[ferrija1]

It should be noted that the interface/GUI of Windows operating systems' is created last, so the OS will not look very different in it's alpha and beta versions until the GUI is created, usually better exposing the new features.

Speaking of Ubuntu, Wikimedia is now running it (or starting to) on it's 400 machines that were previously run with Red hat or Fedora.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/pos...pts-ubuntu-for-its-server-infrastructure.html

 

[~Candy~]

Who is this AcaCandy?

 

[new tech guy]

I honestly think with the RIAA thing, between them and the labels the real people getting ripped off here are the artists. As consistatnly stated on the show, why do you think people turn to piracy? That is one reason that because after everyone cuts their share out of it, the artist really dont make anything. The other ties with the itunes issue. Why do i need to buy 2 copies of a movie just to put it on my ipod. And should i get a dvd ripper and try to curcumvent this, some drm crap screws up the movie somehow so it is un-watchable. When one could download the movie with drm already broken, have a perfectly watchable movie for nothing, and do whatever they like with the disc. In essence, the label and RIAA are just shooting themselves in the foot. If they crushed this problem back when it first started in the late 90's they wouldnt be in this predicament.

 

[RootbeaR]

I honestly think with the RIAA thing, between them and the labels the real people getting ripped off here are the artists. As consistatnly stated on the show, why do you think people turn to piracy? That is one reason that because after everyone cuts their share out of it, the artist really dont make anything. The other ties with the itunes issue. Why do i need to buy 2 copies of a movie just to put it on my ipod. And should i get a dvd ripper and try to curcumvent this, some drm crap screws up the movie somehow so it is un-watchable. When one could download the movie with drm already broken, have a perfectly watchable movie for nothing, and do whatever they like with the disc. In essence, the label and RIAA are just shooting themselves in the foot. If they crushed this problem back when it first started in the late 90's they wouldnt be in this predicament.

With all the extortion the MAFIAA, err, legal threats the RIAA has brought about, musicians have not seen any of the monies people handed over.

I backed up all my movies a few years ago when I thought it was still legal. Ignorance is bliss. My better half has only bought a few movies since.

You are using the wrong app. and OS. Admittedly, I did try it on Linux. Mostly because everyone says you can't do on Linux what you can with MS so I had to try it. Works much better and faster on Linux.

 

[RootbeaR]

Who is this AcaCandy?

She is our poster girl.

 

[new tech guy]

Hmm good point. Dad has been doing some experimentation with distros (right now im just on windows cause i need somthing i know how to use for school). But ive been slowly learning it on a beige box and do like the performance difference it has over windows. In any event, if they were even just more fair to the artists i think people would be slightly more ept to buy stuff over pirating. and i guess a thrid reason is that its much more economic to pirate. When you look from that perspective, why would one buy a movie for 20 bucks when for that same 20 bucks you can buy 100 blank dvds that would last a very long time, some jewel cases, then just d/l and burn the movie. Just stupid really

 

[RootbeaR]

Hmm good point. Dad has been doing some experimentation with distros (right now im just on windows cause i need somthing i know how to use for school). But ive been slowly learning it on a beige box and do like the performance difference it has over windows. In any event, if they were even just more fair to the artists i think people would be slightly more ept to buy stuff over pirating. and i guess a thrid reason is that its much more economic to pirate. When you look from that perspective, why would one buy a movie for 20 bucks when for that same 20 bucks you can buy 100 blank dvds that would last a very long time, some jewel cases, then just d/l and burn the movie. Just stupid really

We buy movies used for @ $5. No need to wait very long even for new releases as someone runs short of cash or doesn't like it.

Same for music. Then I rip it and it is brand new.

If it was up to me, I wouldn't buy any, but other half won't listen and keeps supporting them. I could live with what we have.

Edit: Check out PCLinuxOS:
http://spout.ussg.indiana.edu/linux/pclinuxos/pclinuxos/live-cd/english/preview/

It is all I use.

 

[RootbeaR]

When you look from that perspective, why would one buy a movie for 20 bucks when for that same 20 bucks you can buy 100 blank dvds that would last a very long time, some jewel cases, then just d/l and burn the movie. Just stupid really

Who would produce the next movie?

On the other hand, maybe their wages would come back to something more realistic.

I'll need a doctor long before, and much more than, I will ever need a movie star.

Or an athlete for that matter.

Maybe that is why people pirate. That is the value they give it. The price of the DVD and the bandwidth.

 

[new tech guy]

That is a good point, but most people just see it as a cheap way for some decent entertainment. That is why they pirate.