You may care to read a nice little bit of reporting on M$'s attitude to music markets domination, here. Rather worrying, actually.

It coincides with my view that everyone is getting distracted from watching the ball by misinterpreting the intentions of the music industry in their attempts to nail Napster (successful), in that they only want to maintain control of distribution of music, not the music itself. That's why Napster had to go - it was the only true, no cost distribution channel to date that had sprung up outside the control of the industry, and as such represented their biggest threat. If more copies of music are distributed without cost through this path without them recovering their slice than through their own channels, then you can smell the fear some of those record company boys must have felt until the lid was nailed onto the coffin.

One of the few remaining Mk1 owners... #00015

Microsoft don't fear Napster, they fear Fraunhofer. Windows users using Napster aren't paying anyone anything; Windows users using licensed MP3 codecs are (in theory) paying licensing money to patent holders Fraunhofer, and that's what irks Microsoft. The moment Microsoft can get away with shipping a Windows Media Player that doesn't require them handing over some of their Windows revenue to Fraunhofer, that's exactly what they'll do.

He who lives by the sword (the software patent, in this case) dies by the sword.

Of course, despite its name, an empeg is perfectly happy with Microsoft's beloved WMA files as well as with MP3s.

Peter

No, I think you misunderstood my meaning there - I meant the music industry (and their associated distribution mechanisms) were scared of Napster. They had to kill the distribution mechanism that Napster represented. I really don't think they give a t*** about the artists they "support" and "protect" (they're ten a penny and can always be replaced with the "Next Big Thing"). What I also saw in this article was that now M$ is lining up to cream off a chunk of the revenues associated with high-volume music distribution, only in a medium they understand better than the music industry.

Now the question is, is M$ too big to be scared by the big distributors? Would the distributors risk a major suit with M$? Or will M$ do it's usual trick of sidling up to the big boys and offering blow jobs with attractive perks until they have them in their pocket? (remember Apple and M$ when Apple used to sue the socks off anyone? Why didn't M$ get the same treatment over Windoze that Digital Research got with GEM? I wonder...)

I don't like the way this is going, to be honest. It looks like the start of another long-term M$ strategy.

One of the few remaining Mk1 owners... #00015

That's funny. I've been with Microsoft for 5 years now and they never offered me a blow job. The attractive perks however are great! We get to laugh at all the people who think they are righteous and know what they are talking about (usually the same people who believe in the government cover-up of area 51 and spell MS with a "$").

That's funny. I've been with Microsoft for 5 years now and they never offered me a blow job.

You missed out, then. I say, call HR and demand one. You're entitled.

___________
Tony Fabris

Yeah, from what I hear, it arrives after around 5 years' employment (according to Microserfs)

One of the few remaining Mk1 owners... #00015

Oh, er, PS:

How else would you explain it, CruzThs? I am genuinely interested. If you can explain this current "M$" strategy to me in a way that I understand and appreciate (given demonstrated prior predatory practice on the part of "M$") I would be quite willing to cut some slack here.

Before you launch, I have been using "M$" products since 1983, and I worked on customising a version of "M$" Color Basic for an embedded system at GEC in 1985, so don't think I am anti-"M$" just yet. Maybe you would care to ask around some of the old-timers and find out just how it is Windoze survived and GEM (technically superior at that time) didn't?

PPS: What's Area 51?

One of the few remaining Mk1 owners... #00015

I have to say, Rob, that I don't see how Microsoft's choice of dropping MP3-encoding out of Media Player has anything to do with the music industry (at least not directly).

I also don't see how it affects MP3 encoding in general, since there are many different easy-to-use MP3 encoders. In fact, I don't personally know of anyone who's ever used Media Player to encode their MP3s. Everyone I know uses MusicMatch, or AC, or RealJukebox, or some other third-party app.

All it means is that they want their WMA format to be more widely used because its widespread adoption would make them money in the long run. So what?

___________
Tony Fabris

PPS: What's Area 51?

Area 51 refers to an urban myth propogated here in the US. Supposedly, it's the name of a section of a US Air Force base where secret UFO technology is being tested and hidden. It's become synonymous with any government conspiracy or cover-up.

It's become sort of a running pop-culture joke by this point. One of the best variations I've seen of the joke is the scenes in "Independence Day". I especially love Brent Spiner: "As you can imagine, they don't let us out much."

___________
Tony Fabris

From what I saw on the making of that movie they wasn't suppose to mention Area 51 or things about it to get military support for the movie, they got around it & did it anyway, somewheres with the line 'plausable deniability' when the (movie) president asks why he didn't know about it.

#695empeg-car Mk2GRN& a mere 12Gig
"buyers regrets,NO"

PPPS: What's Area 51?

Just to confuse things with the facts. The maps of Nevada show the state broken up in somewhat regular areas labled "AREA 1" to (I forget how high). One of them is actually numbered 51, hence Area 51.

Wether the secret Empeg Aliens have an embassy out there or not... I just hope they arn't the ones working on Ver 1.1

Glenn

Edited by gbeer on 13/06/01 04:15 AM.

From what I saw on the making of that movie they wasn't suppose to mention Area 51 or things about it to get military support for the movie...

Come on, half the film and almost all of pre-release publicity was based on 'Area 51' myth/joke. ID4 (working title) web site consisted mostly of A51 maps and related stuff.

After all, why would military object? The film has shown that those $5000 hammers and $1000 toilet seats were put to good use . (BTW, those ridiculous taxpayer ripoffs and probable paybacks to procurement officers were brought to public attention by a commision led by late David Packard of HP fame; the guy had several hobies: smelter and forge at his ranch, Monterey Bay Aquarium and Oceanograpfic Institute, being assistant secretary of defence.... Nice life )

Dragi "Bonzi" Raos
Zagreb, Croatia
Q#5196, MkII#80000376, 18GB green

For the record...
Whistler XP builds still contain the Fraunhofer codec that the Windows 9x builds carried.
however, you still can't encode anywhere near 128kbps
so it's basicly useless anyhow.

12Gb MKII 080000516 Blue

I believe the 64k limit in MP3 encoding is not in the codec or anything that restrictive. There's a registry setting for the encoding rate. It's global, though, so MP3's and WMA's would both encode at 128k.
That is, IIRC.
Jason

_~= Dearing =~_
"WAY too happy about having #99."

It was some Government body that came up w/the agreement that they not mention or tie Area 51 w/the Government in the movie to get what military support they got, the way it sounded & the way I intended to say it first time. The line I mentioned 'plauseable deniability' was the scene they mentioned as the one part where they went against that agreement. Been awhile since I had heard it but it was in a documentary on the making of ID4.

#695empeg-car Mk2GRN& a mere 12Gig
"buyers regrets,NO"

The army cannot tell a movie-maker what the movie should
be about. The problem with ID4 was that they had a "deal"
with the millitary to use millitary aircraft for some of the scenes. The millitary "demanded" that the area 51 research-facility should be a "civillian research facility".

The movie-makers denied, and the millitary canceled the deal
Therefore, all planes in the movie are either props or computer generated.

Marius (Escort Cab + Mark II)

There is indeed such a registry setting, and it can be set to whatever you like, e.g. 192, 256, etc.

Anyone out there who actually knows about this registry setting? I installed a seperate version of the codec to have Shoutcast Server stream over my LAN with good sound quality (128k). But if upgrading the integrated codec of Win9x/XP/2k can be done with a registry setting, I would be very pleased!

Edwin de Vaan
mk2 rev.7 Trillian # 080000263 6Gb blue/red

Here's the message where I posted the Reg. key info a while ago.
Jason

_~= Dearing =~_
"WAY too happy about having #99."

Is that what M$ spends our $$$ at ? Research into wether or not the people who believe in Area 51 are the same people who spell MS with a "$" ?

It's obvious you are too busy laughing at people (the same people you want to sell your products to) to actually care about their opinion. It's also obvious you are too brainwashed to even be able to venture an objective opinion. Are you really so surprised that people substitute the S in MS for a $ sign considering the size and total value of Microsoft. All of which is revenue made from computer users worldwide (the same people you are now laughing at, yes I have paid for my Microsoft licenses even though I have now moved on) who lately have started to feel like nothing more then milking cows. Not only by Microsoft mind you.

Now I do not want to turn this into a grudge match on this board. Quite frankly, I don't even feel it is worth it. I just do not appreciate the tone of your post for I too have lately (for a long time even) started to write MS with a $ instead of an S.

Hans


Mk2 - Blue - 080000431

considering the size and total value of Microsoft

anyone remember this?

Henno
mk2 6 nr 6

A clearer picture of them MS guys...

Edwin de Vaan
mk2 rev.7 Trillian # 080000263 6Gb blue/red