Please cite and example of a cloud service where this has become an actual problem.

I'm unaware of any cloud files storage service that locks you in such that you can't move to another. They all let you download your files (they'd be fairly useless if they didn't!).

What's the cost of leaving? You just download your files (if you haven't already done so) and move on.

That's *much* cheaper than the cost of doing it yourself if you don't have the spare hardware and have no clue or desire how to even get started, maintain, and secure it. That's why the "iOS attitude" is so popular.

Except for price, convenience, time, maintenance, reliability, expertise...

For most people, "less control" is a worthwhile tradeoff.

By definition.

Absolutely! You will just learn different things.

Is that your metric for whether to put someone down or not? Whether they've learned something to your approval or not?

Strange!

The kid is playing Minecraft, and the dad is writing up articles comparing VPS's with recycled home servers. I don't think either is so strapped for time as yo seem to think. Which is curious, since you are reading and posting on Slashdot, so clearly even your time isn't as important as you seem to be chastising other people for!

It's called "hobbies" and "fun" and "curiosity", you know, nerd characteristics. Quit taking things so seriously!

Sounds like you've quite completely misunderstood the intention. The Minecraft server is the primary requirement, not optional. Saving money is secondary to it. And forced child labor doesn't appear to be an option at all (and a somewhat disturbing suggestion regardless of the rest).

There's value in the actual doing of those arithmetic functions, as well as knowing which ones to do, having hard numbers to put into them, sharing them for others to benefit from, and even simply thinking to do them in the first place.

I don't think it was meant to impress you with its brilliance, was meant to contribute greatly to society, or to help earn a PhD. It seems to me it was meant to answer a question, and by sharing, perhaps answer a question others might have. Not everyone (i.e., you), but some. Nerds, perhaps. On a site for nerds.

So why insult the guy? Is it some sort of affront for someone to post something that doesn't impress you?

I don't understand replies like this. Clearly a Minecraft server is a server. It's right there in the name! And people all have different server needs. Some need ftp (well, ssh), some need http, some need nfs or cifs or dns or teamspeak or...

So why belittle (or chide tease or whatever you are doing) someone for needing a different server service than you? It seems so unnecessarily negative!

"Understocked" as in "they didn't have many available" and "understocked" as in "they made a lot and still couldn't keep up with demand" are two very different things.

And notice how no one uses them or even remembers them until Apple makes one.

It's not, like you seem to think, that Apple is some also-ran that is late to the party, but somehow gets all the credit. It's that Apple tends to put in the inordinate effort required to take a product that is simply neat tech and make it great.

That's why people get excited.

"Sony's making a watch that connects to your phone? That's cool. I probably won't get one (or even see on in person, ever), but it's cool."

"Apple's making one? I can hardly wait to see what they come up with!"

Do you get excited when MS comes up with a new online service? Probably not. What about Google? Yeah, me too. Excitement with Apple and hardware works much the same way.

Foxconn and Hon Hai are manufacturers (like the summary says). Apple (and other tech companies) work with them the same way you'd work with, say, a metal foundry somewhere to have them manufacture some parts you've designed. The main reason for this is you can't just invent something (especially technology), and just ask people to build it for you, they need to be able to.

So, this wrist-contoured glass. It sounds like Foxconn has been working on a new process for this, and have been looking for a way to get customers to pay them to build stuff for them using it. In this case, working with Apple to work it into a new watch.

The engineering for the watch itself will be all Apple. The engineering behind how to manufacture it will be a collaboration between Apple and Foxconn (or whoever), the same way Apple (and everyone else) has always done it. This is similar to how the processes for manufacturing the unibody aluminum enclosures and the iPhone 5 parts matching system was developed.

What you're thinking is a private label system, with some companies engage in (not Apple), where you might see the exact same product that gets labeled with different brands from different companies, similar to how some store brands (especially food and household supplies) are done.

You got your TL;DR wrong, it should have read: "TL;DR: This post is nothing more than an insult"

Why even post something like that?

That's dead enough for me.

Well, a "nice" tablet UI-based Reader app for PDFs.