PROJECT ROME

interesting new "free for now" Toy

tries to connect to the web too much  IMHO

Cheers

Yeah, I don't really dig on all this stuff wired into the internet.  Or at least leave it optional. There is a time and place for it, certainly.  I don't want to Word Process online or Design HTML online.  I can handle my backups at home too :)

People used to say similar things about disk and tape drives. There was a time when "personal computers" didn't have them and were usable without having to connect them to these annoying devices. giggle

Yeah well BB a tape drive not working is an annoyance. Internet drop outs in the middle of a project you're doing on-line is a completely different matter now isn't it? derp

Well, it does say work online or off.  Phoning home is an issue with a lot of programs, including some older versions of Poser. (Remember connecting to Content Paradise at start-up?) Online backup can be a lifesaver, such as when someone breaks into your house and steals everything, including CD's/DVD's and backup devices. Happened to a Bryce mod just last week. Same thing in a flood or fire.

That being said, I'm not crazy about any more contact with Adobe than absolutely necessary.

Everything goes in cycles. Computing used to mean terminals tethered to a mainframe. “Personal” computers became popular, at least in part, because they gave people personal control of their computing. The whole “cloud” computing thing is just the revenge of the mainframes IMO.

There are advantages to be sure. Microsoft would probably rather run Office in their data centers and rent time than sell individual copies. Individuals for the most part don’t have to worry about installations,  backup etc. Even from an environmental standpoint it’s probably a big win. Personally I don’t care for it. A big part of it is that, like Netherworks, I too prefer to control my own resources. A lot of people find the utility computing model is just the ticket though. If you’re on the go, being able to access everything from anywhere on a lightweight device is ideal.

The very concept of “personal computing” was bound to change though as the concept of what “personal” means is changing. Old notions of privacy and individuality are giving way to the socially connected, instant meme producing, always plugged into the hive mind 21st Century shuffle. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a like button stomping on a human face for ever. Please close my bunker door as you leave ÷)

The road to fail is paved with cloud computing. American broadband companies are far too stupid and greedy for cloud computing to be truly feasible for quite a long time.

OT - I see that China now has the world's fastest supercomputer, albeit using American cpus - for now. The cloud doesn't matter if they will be using theirs for education & commerce while we use ours to keep up with Paris Hilton's latest 'It wasn't my coke' hijinks.

Such negativity. Nothing works perfectly. The electric goes out every once in a while. Water mains break. Gas mains leak (and explode). Even phone landlines have the occasional outage. Why should internet connections be any different? Even working off line, programs crash at odd moments.

As for usage... I'm sure there are a couple of people in China uploading weird YouTube videos, and a few in the US using them for business and education... Just saying...

"...I'm sure there are a couple of people in China uploading weird YouTube videos..."

Yes, but they will be viruses designed to sap the purity and essence of our natural... fluids.

Quote - "...I'm sure there are a couple of people in China uploading weird YouTube videos..."

Yes, but they will be viruses designed to sap the purity and essence of our natural... fluids.

Isn't that the whole purpose of You Tube?

Attached Link: Smith Micro Integrates Outlook Plug-In Into Its Secure, Cloud-Based File Delivery Service

 And it may all be headed our way, sooner than to others, as Poser's current landlord is strongly invested in Cloud development.

(link above to press release on their site)

a) Does anyone still use Outlook?!!

b) SendStuffNow... OMG. Who does their marketing, Pee Wee Herman?

Attached Link: Candy-Colored Bow-Tied Redemption

Probably a good portion of corporate America and a few million home users as well I imagine. The closest thing I found in a few minutes was a survey on mobile email with Outlook leading globally, at 31% and GMail at 25%. http://www.cnetdirect.com/resources/mobile_phone_survey.htm

I'm guessing that the desktop numbers are even more heavily in Outlook's favor. A lot of businesses use it in conjunction with their Exchange server backend. and from what I've read, a lot of Mac users were happy that Microsoft brought back Outlook in the latest Mac version of Office. So yes a lot of people still use Outlook.

b) SendStuffNow... OMG. Who does their marketing, Pee Wee Herman?

I use YouSendIt, not catchy either but it helps people understand (and remember) what the product does as opposed to some hip, kitschy nonsense name that says nothing. Sometimes in marketing, simple is better. - kinda like oh, 'Poser' :-)

Didja hear that Pee Wee is making a big comeback! (See link)

I know Prof. Clayton Christensen of Harvard Business School. I remember a conversation with him in which he praised the name "Sawzall" for an electric saw. He said it was a company that had no product distinction, but the name shot their sales through the roof. He learned from that the importance of straightforward names for products - the best being this kind where its name is what it does. When you look for a tool, you say what you want to do. The one with that has that as its name is automatically perceived as the best fit and gets the most market share as long as it works at all.

I'm still bothered by Stuffit. Irritating product with undertones of the company's attitude. Corporate America does love Outlook. Mine recently switched back to it from a secure service, and was immediately hit with, guess what?, a virus-laden email. I guess it's good for IT job security, because it keeps them hopping, cleaning all that up.

Sawzall? Never heard of that one. Makita, DeWalt, but not Sawzall.  Billy Mays would have liked the name, though, and he was good at selling... stuff.

I like Pee Wee. What he was ostracized for is pretty tame compared to what public figures routinely do today. coughcharliesheencough.

Heh, heh, I was going to mention the "Stuffit" name. But, it's an established brand that people recognize and in fairness to SM they didn't name the thing, they just bought it AFAIK.

My email is virus checked before it ever hits the client. I don't think Thunderbird, Eudora etc. will help if you don't have sensible security in place. Online email usually does that for you but a lot of people/companies prefer a full fledged email client. The online services are starting to provide more features, but I actually switched back to Outlook because I have a slow connection and online was taking forever to load what with all the desktop mimicking features they added - each to their own.

Yeah, Pee Wee got the shaft - no pun intended. Part of it was the times but it was also the fact that he was a kid's show host which creeped some people out even more. They don't like explaining where babies come from, much less what Uncle Pee Wee was doing to get busted.

Charlie just had a bad reaction to his cough, "meds." Still can't figure out where he thought the girl was hiding his cellie and wallet since she was naked at the time :-)

Yes, well, if he can pay 12K for champagne, surely the girl should cost at least that much. I say take all his money, donate it to a deserving person (me), and give him a purpose in life: earning a living. Dang, he's making Mel Gibson look sane.

I use an email AV scanner at home, but at work they figure being an intra-net is enough. Guess not. Don't get me started on the bloated AV they chose.