From: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org (loud-fans-digest) To: loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Subject: loud-fans-digest V2 #175 Reply-To: loud-fans@smoe.org Sender: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk loud-fans-digest Wednesday, May 15 2002 Volume 02 : Number 175 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [loud-fans] a crack, and a warning for Mac users [jenny grover ] Re: [loud-fans] Waxwings [Jeffrey with 2 Fs Jeffrey ] Re: [loud-fans] Waxwings [Bill Silvers ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 23:04:15 -0400 From: jenny grover Subject: [loud-fans] a crack, and a warning for Mac users http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/25274.html Jen ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 23:17:59 -0400 (EDT) From: Michael Mitton Subject: Re: [loud-fans] cd to wav? > Stewart: > > Funny how the WMP in my copy > >of Windows XP comes with such a handy little utility (from a third-party > >company, yet), seeing as how Microsoft is so into protecting its monopoly > >and all... That is funny. If you got a computer that came installed with XP, then my guess is that your computer manufactuerer installed the plug-in, not MS. If you bought XP separately then that is a puzzler since MS made a conscious decision not to include MP3 creation ability on their media player, at least for the initial release of XP. JS: > Hey, but didn't they *lose* their antitrust case? Think maybe they're > required to do little things like that under the current consent decree? I > dunno, I'm asking.... If you're not that interested in legal stuff, you might want to quit reading. If you're crazy enough to be in law school, read on! Depends on what you mean by "current consent decree." They did lose their antitrust case, although everyone is still fighting over the remedies, so there's no consent decree yet from the current case. If you mean the consent decree of a couple years ago, then no, MP3 support isn't the type of thing covered under the consent decree. The main points from the earlier decree kept MS from using "per processor" licenses (that is, charging for windows even if the computer doesn't ship with windows), kept MS from restricting or prohibiting a computer manufacturer from distributing a competing operating system, and also kept MS from conditioning a Windows license on the use of other MS products or products that competed with MS products. But, the current case *does* have everything to do with both MP3 functionality put into Windows Media Player, as well as the bundling of WMP directly into XP. The conclusions of law in the current case (which are made in reference to Explorer, but seem equally applicable to WMP) certainly suggest including a WMP player is a tying arrangement. This isn't (per se) illegal, but MS would need to show that bundling WMP is a definite improvement for consumer (Rule of Reason). As for Explorer, Judge Jackson wrote: "This Court concludes that Microsoft's decision to offer only the bundled--"integrated"--version of Windows and Internet Explorer derived not from technical necessity or business efficiencies; rather, it was the result of a deliverate and purposeful choice to quell incipient competition before it reached truly minatory proportions." (And yes, Jackson's Conlusions of Law are still in force for the current deliberations.) I think the same arguments would apply to WMP, particularly since MS chose not to include support for MP3 even though doing so would have been essentially zero cost. It certainly suggests that they were more concerned with making their file format the standard format (that is, extending their monopoly) than with providing a useful product for consumers, which seems a clear violation of antitrust laws. IMHO, no remedy for MS would be sufficient unless, even if they allow the tying, they prohibit MS from maintaining proprietary control over the file formats. That is, they don't need to include MP3 support (though such support should be available if the consumer wants it) but they do need to give up control of the Windows Media format if they aren't giving equal support to MP3. - --Michael ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 22:29:33 -0500 (CDT) From: Jeffrey with 2 Fs Jeffrey Subject: Re: [loud-fans] a crack, and a warning for Mac users On Tue, 14 May 2002, jenny grover wrote: > http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/54/25274.html For somewhat better news, see: http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/23736.html Also: note that the Apple site linked here explicitly notes that use of such non-CDs invalidates the warranty for any repairs or service that may be necessary to correct this problem (presumably on the grounds that the discs have "not for PC/MAC" or similar phrase printed on them). Guess we should look carefully at our "CD"s before putting them in our computer. (Although I like the Scotch tape workaround...) - --Jeff Jeffrey Norman, Posemodernist University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Dept. of Mumblish & Competitive Obliterature http://www.uwm.edu/~jenor/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 22:35:23 -0500 From: Bill Silvers Subject: [loud-fans] Waxwings Because I know folks here will want to know, I just noticed that the second less-filling disc from Bobsled Records artists The Waxwings, SHADOWS OF THE WAXWINGS, is available through Parasol. b.s. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 22:42:47 -0500 (CDT) From: Jeffrey with 2 Fs Jeffrey Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Waxwings On Tue, 14 May 2002, Bill Silvers wrote: > Because I know folks here will want to know, I just noticed that the second > less-filling disc from Bobsled Records artists The Waxwings, SHADOWS OF THE > WAXWINGS, is available through Parasol. Dammit - they stole my Nabokov reference (the heading at my review of the band's first CD). Anyone know if (like "he do the police..." in Eliot) that's actually a reference to something else (Dickens)? Is Bill Lloyd still here? Seems like he'd probably know... (In Nabokov's _Pale Fire_, the opening line of John Shade's poem is "I was the shadow of the waxwing slain") - --Jeff J e f f r e y N o r m a n The Architectural Dance Society www.uwm.edu/~jenor/ADS.html ::playing around with the decentered self is all fun and games ::until somebody loses an I. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 22:47:35 -0500 From: Bill Silvers Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Waxwings Jeff wrote: >On Tue, 14 May 2002, Bill Silvers wrote: > > > Because I know folks here will want to know, I just noticed that the > second > > less-filling disc from Bobsled Records artists The Waxwings, SHADOWS OF > THE > > WAXWINGS, is available through Parasol. > >Dammit - they stole my Nabokov reference (the heading at my review of the >band's first CD). > >Anyone know if (like "he do the police..." in Eliot) that's actually a >reference to something else (Dickens)? Is Bill Lloyd still here? Seems >like he'd probably know... > >(In Nabokov's _Pale Fire_, the opening line of John Shade's poem is "I was >the shadow of the waxwing slain") Jeff, please don't tell Bob Salerno about this, OK? Things could only get uglier. b.s. ------------------------------ End of loud-fans-digest V2 #175 *******************************