Comment Re:Haven't you heard of lock-in? (Score 1) 22
Why must you be That User? :-)
Comment Re:Haven't you heard of lock-in? (Score 1) 22
More generally, MS has always pursued a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-mover_advantage#Second-mover_advantage strategy.
Unfortunately, mobile devices seem to have higher switching costs.
For example, my 'droid device has a full Navigon suite. If Apple wants my business, they have to convince me to eat that sunk cost.
Unfortunately, mobile devices seem to have higher switching costs.
For example, my 'droid device has a full Navigon suite. If Apple wants my business, they have to convince me to eat that sunk cost.
Romanian Cybersecurity Law Will Allow Warrantless Access To Data 62
jfruh writes: The Romanian Parliament has passed a bill that will allow its security services widespread access to data on privately owned services without a warrant, and once the president signs it, it will become law. The law would have widespread impact beyond Romania because the country is a hub for IT outsourcing.
Comment Re:Supercharger? (Score 2) 128
Am I the only one who read this initially thinking that "supercharger" meant a pump that forces compressed air into an internal combustion engine?
Comment I've managed a team full of H1bs.. (Score 4, Interesting) 552
Not my choice, we got them in a deal with a VC. And I will tell you from experience that they're not all great programmers. A *few* of them were very good programmers, most of them were OK, and a few were very *bad* programmers. Just like everyone else. The idea that the H1B program just brings in technical giants is pure fantasy. This isn't 1980; if a CS genius living in Bangalore wants to work he doesn't have to come to the US anymore, there are good opportunities for him at home..
H1B brings in a cross section of inexperienced programmers and kicks them out of the country once they've gained some experience. I have nothing against bringing more foreign talent into the US, but it should be with an eye to encouraging permanent residency. I think if you sponsor an H1B and he goes home, you should have to wait a couple years before you replace him. Then companies will be pickier about who they bring over.
I have to say, managing a team of H1Bs was very rewarding, not necessarily from a technical standpoint but from a cultural standpoint. Because I had to learn about each programmer on my team and the way things are done in his culture, I think I became closer to a lot of them than I would have to a team of Americans.
Comment Contractors, not W-2 employees (Score 1) 552
People not physically present in the US would fail the substantial presence test and so would be taxed as a non-resident alien.
Unless they're contractors who file tax on the foreign country's equivalent of form 1099.
Comment Haven't you heard of lock-in? (Score 1) 22
I thought Redmond was all about being incompatible, so that you're stuck with their dog food, or pushing jello up a hill with a toothpick if you want to do something else, e.g. Cygwin.
Comment speeds and driving conditions (Score 1) 128
There is a set of speeds and driving conditions where we can confidently drive the Roadster 3.0 over 400 miles.
On a dry oval course at 20 MPH.
[ One caveat to the new improvements, once the car goes above 50 MPH, if it drops below that Speed, it explodes. ]
Comment NCAA (Score 1) 552
To use a baseball analogy, all the farm teams and minor leagues have been shipped out of the country, so where do we get the next generation of major league players from?
Same place NFL and NBA get their players: college.
Comment Who gets the income tax (Score 3, Informative) 552
If they come to the US, the US can tax their income. If they work remotely, their home country gets all the income tax.
Comment Re:Because the brown ones taste different! (Score 1) 85
The brown ones remind Van Halen of a shoddy set builder.
Comment Accidental infringement (Score 2) 336
Would copyright infringement be a valid form of protest if the incumbent music publishers start suing indie songwriters on trumped-up charges of creating a derivative work by accident? (For example, Bright Tunes Music v. Harrisongs Music)
Comment Re:3 in lb? (Score 1) 99
Take a 450 page A5-ish paperback. Hold it in front of you with the spine horizontal & facing you, gripping it at the extreme left or right.
4 inches times 12 ounces.
Comment Re:omg, a store will know where I am (Score 0) 61
Next time you're there look for a keyboard with a working shift key.
P.S. There's no plural of Lego, and even if there was it wouldn't have an apostrophe.
Journal Journal: Merry Christmas! 1
For the first time in nine years I got to see my youngest daughter on Christmas; this is the first Christmas in nine years she didn't have to work. Great Christmas present!
And the second to last pre-publication copies came Christmas eve eve. I finished going through it this morning, and the book itself is ready. What wasn't was the cover; I fixed it and ordered another copy, so Mars, Ho! should be online in a couple of weeks.
