What a load of shit.

If you happen to buy an mp3 player that isn't made by apple, not only does it not "just work" it doesn't work AT ALL and the reason is that Apple hath forbade it. People who want it to be easy and just work usually also don't want to have the technical knowledge to understand that; the fact that they mostly buy ipods and use itunes is a triumph of marketing and lockin, not successful interface design.

"Just works" is not incompatible with open standards; in fact, the 2 go hand in hand. Despite all of the complaints about web standards, the web and the internet in general are the single most successful example of "just works" device and software interoperability in the history of engineering, and it's all based on open standards.

And the only reason they require it is because flash performance is horrible. (at least for YouTube and Hulu, I don't know much about iPlayer). My 6.5 year old system can play anything up to and including 720HD video just fine, but even a 320x240 flash video causes the CPU to grind.

the discussion you two are having has to be one of the few on slashdot of any redeeming value in recent memory. anyhow, i'd like to raise a question and hear your opinion.

the objection i've had to RFID is that it doesn't require you to physically hand over the information; information can be forcibly taken without consent, and perhaps even without the knowledge that the information is being requested. here's an example.

my library recently switched from using barcodes to rfid tags in the books. now, the libraries have only just gotten through fighting very hard to say that they will require a subpoena before they will turn over library records. in the nightmare scenario i have been thinking of, the homeland security agents or whoever who wants to know what books i am taking out sets up a long-range rfid scanner outside the door of the library and watches me come through. now, even though they didn't ask anybody at all (not me, not the library, not a court), they can know what books i'm taking out.

is the situation i'm creating completely bonkers? can rfid not do this? sometimes it's hard to read through the hype.

anyhow, i suppose one way around this is to pass laws saying that this kind of behavior counts as electronic surveillance and mustn't be conducted without a warrant, but of course that doesn't really seem to stop our government nowadays.

by the way, i do think there are some great applications for rfid, for example to help the blind identify items they pick up off the shelf. they have barcode readers that do this, but think how much easier it is for a blind person to use an rfid reader than a barcode scanner.