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posted by martyb on Friday November 03 2017, @11:11PM   Printer-friendly
from the took-a-wrong-turn dept.

The Web began dying in 2014. André Staltz writes about how and why. In a nutshell, traffic from mobile and tablet devices now surpasses that from regular desktop computers and of that traffic the overwhelming majority goes to either Faecebook or Google. Amazon is also in there. None of them have any interest in defending the open Web any more. Rather the situation is the opposite, they are aiming to carve out a section and establish very isolated walled gardens. Net Neutrality, or the lack thereof, lie at the heart of their plans based on the direction they have moved since 2014.


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  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by Arik on Saturday November 04 2017, @01:07AM (18 children)

    by Arik (4543) on Saturday November 04 2017, @01:07AM (#591974) Journal
    "The big driver was of course "mobile", which is largely the industry's polite way of saying "Not Windows.""

    I thought it was the industries way of saying 'fuck you, humanity.' But I guess I can see how you read it that way too.

    Gargle took the linux kernel and managed to build an OS that was even less Free than Windows using it, while touting a supposed corporate motto of "don't be evil." The *chutzpah* was breathtaking. And Apple? Wow. Stole the name from Cisco and the important stuff from BSD (ok, not stole, the hippies gave it to them for Free, granted) and made a system that was EVEN MORE consumer hostile. With better marketing. People, by and large, love it. Even after you point out how it spies on them day and night and doesn't actually recognize them as owner, despite the expensive purchase.

    You want to kill the monsters? You have to convince your fellow people, who aren't always the most far-thinking, to quit feeding them. At one level, it really is as simple as that.

    Unfortunately, at this point, they've managed to make themselves so integral to such a large portion of our effective technology, that 'quit feeding them' is virtually impossible. They've reached a sort of apex-predator position, where even if you go around and deliberately patronize new and disruptive companies that compete directly against them, all that happens is those companies get absorbed and you find yourself holding stock in gargle.

    --
    If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
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  • (Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Saturday November 04 2017, @01:27AM (6 children)

    by MichaelDavidCrawford (2339) Subscriber Badge <mdcrawford@gmail.com> on Saturday November 04 2017, @01:27AM (#591988) Homepage Journal

    They licensed it

    --
    Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Arik on Saturday November 04 2017, @01:51AM (5 children)

      by Arik (4543) on Saturday November 04 2017, @01:51AM (#591998) Journal
      OK, fair enough. I'd like to see a link though if you can.

      I've looked for a licensing agreement or even announcement a few times and not found it.

      The lack of a lawsuit was still a fair reason to suspect it.

      Still, the mental gymnastics are incredible. 'Yes, I know I agreed to an insanely one-sided arrangement where I pay for the hardware but they still own it, they'll probably give me service but this is entirely at their discretion, they'll spy on me in every way imaginable and sell my info to anyone that will pay for it, and this is all contributing to the ultimate destruction of our society and doubtless untold human suffering. But I need to do 'x' and I'm in a hurry.'

      --
      If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
      • (Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Saturday November 04 2017, @03:12AM (4 children)

        by MichaelDavidCrawford (2339) Subscriber Badge <mdcrawford@gmail.com> on Saturday November 04 2017, @03:12AM (#592043) Homepage Journal

        As there are no longer any barbers, I get my hair cut at hair salons.

        During one such haircutting session, the hairdresser realized I had an iPhone 4, and begged me to sell it to her. It's not like she couldn't get one at the mall. No she had to have mine and RIGHT NOW.

        I contemplated offering it in return for a blowjob, but decided that would be uncouth.

        --
        Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
        • (Score: 1) by Arik on Saturday November 04 2017, @03:18AM (1 child)

          by Arik (4543) on Saturday November 04 2017, @03:18AM (#592049) Journal
          "As there are no longer any barbers, I get my hair cut at hair salons."

          You should move back to America, we still have barbers here.
          --
          If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
        • (Score: 2) by stretch611 on Saturday November 04 2017, @01:32PM (1 child)

          by stretch611 (6199) on Saturday November 04 2017, @01:32PM (#592149)

          As there are no longer any barbers, I get my hair cut at hair salons.

          Barbers are a dying breed... there are a few left but not many.
          I took a different solution... I started shaving my head.

          --
          Now with 5 covid vaccine shots/boosters altering my DNA :P
          • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Saturday November 04 2017, @11:43PM

            by Phoenix666 (552) on Saturday November 04 2017, @11:43PM (#592307) Journal

            I don't know what you guys are even talking about. I never have a problem finding a barber. I have noticed though that the trade seems to have been handed off from the Italians to the Azerbaijanis.

            --
            Washington DC delenda est.
  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by c0lo on Saturday November 04 2017, @02:09AM (8 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Saturday November 04 2017, @02:09AM (#592005) Journal

    Unfortunately, at this point, they've managed to make themselves so integral to such a large portion of our effective technology, that 'quit feeding them' is virtually impossible.

    The next best thing, feed them garbage in large amounts.

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 4, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 04 2017, @02:24AM (7 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 04 2017, @02:24AM (#592015)

      And thus our Greco-tragic hero Aristarchus is fighting the good fight.

      • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Saturday November 04 2017, @03:13AM (6 children)

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Saturday November 04 2017, @03:13AM (#592046) Journal

        His battle may be honourable, I... don't know why, but I just have this nagging feeling the battlefield is wrong.

        --
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
        • (Score: 2) by aristarchus on Saturday November 04 2017, @07:19PM (5 children)

          by aristarchus (2645) on Saturday November 04 2017, @07:19PM (#592266) Journal

          孙子兵法:

          九地:
          孙子曰:用兵之法,有散地,有轻地,有争地,有交地,有衢地,有重地,有圮地,有围地,有死地。

          犯之以事,勿告以言;犯之以利,勿告以害;投之亡地然后存,陷之死地然后生。夫众陷于害,然后能为胜败,故为兵之事,在于顺详敌之意,并力一向,千里杀将,是谓巧能成事。

          有死地, c0lo, 有死地!!

          • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Sunday November 05 2017, @08:54AM (4 children)

            by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Sunday November 05 2017, @08:54AM (#592430) Journal

            Beyond the time I have available to find the translation, magister.

            --
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
            • (Score: 3, Insightful) by aristarchus on Sunday November 05 2017, @09:25AM (3 children)

              by aristarchus (2645) on Sunday November 05 2017, @09:25AM (#592436) Journal

              When you find yourself in the cultural orbit of an ancient civilization that is not one of the roots of your own, it behooves you to become at least moderately literate? I, myself, have learned English, much to my Dismay, and Latin, before that. So you cannot look up Sunzi, Art of War, chapter nine? Oh, you tire me, c0lo!

              One of the earlier translations, thus out of copyright [mit.edu]:

              XI. The Nine Situations

              1. Sun Tzu said: The art of war recognizes nine varieties of ground: (1) Dispersive ground; (2) facile ground; (3) contentious ground; (4) open ground; (5) ground of intersecting highways; (6) serious ground; (7) difficult ground; (8) hemmed-in ground; (9) desperate ground.

              We are interested in the Last. The Roman strategist Vegetius, in his work De re militari [wikipedia.org], which you may be familiar with, suggested that you always should offer your opponent an easy way out, a "golden bridge", as it were. What you never wanted to do was to back you enemy into a corner, from which they had no way out but to fight. And on the contrary, if you had no other choice, to put your own troops into the "death ground", literally, 有死地, they would have no other way out but to fight their way to victory. This is where we are, my dear c0lo, at the end of the world, with no way out but to continue to punch Nazis in the face, lest they send us to the ovens. I am very clear about this, and I hope some difficulty in languages Nem jut el az úton.

              Oh, if you are still too lazy to use the resources of the internets, that last part, in English, is:

              57. Confront your soldiers with the deed itself; never let them know your design. When the outlook is bright, bring it before their eyes; but tell them nothing when the situation is gloomy.

              58. Place your army in deadly peril, and it will survive; plunge it into desperate straits, and it will come off in safety.

              59. For it is precisely when a force has fallen into harm's way that is capable of striking a blow for victory.

              60. Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to the enemy's purpose.

              61. By persistently hanging on the enemy's flank, we shall succeed in the long run in killing the commander-in-chief.

              62. This is called ability to accomplish a thing by sheer cunning.

              63. On the day that you take up your command, block the frontier passes, destroy the official tallies, and stop the passage of all emissaries.

              64. Be stern in the council-chamber, so that you may control the situation.

              65. If the enemy leaves a door open, you must rush in.

              66. Forestall your opponent by seizing what he holds dear, and subtly contrive to time his arrival on the ground.

              67. Walk in the path defined by rule, and accommodate yourself to the enemy until you can fight a decisive battle.

              68. At first, then, exhibit the coyness of a maiden, until the enemy gives you an opening; afterwards emulate the rapidity of a running hare, and it will be too late for the enemy to oppose you.

              Wow, Giles can be wordy in his translation! But I suppose you get my drift. This is the battlefield. If we lose here, we lose everywhere. I am glad to have you as my comrade in arms, and appreciate you misgivings. But this is it. It starts here, with 6000 Soylentils. And once we prevail, the world will be saved.

              • (Score: 3, Insightful) by c0lo on Sunday November 05 2017, @11:59AM (2 children)

                by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Sunday November 05 2017, @11:59AM (#592478) Journal

                When you find yourself in the cultural orbit of an ancient civilization that is not one of the roots of your own, it behooves you to become at least moderately literate? I, myself, have learned English, much to my Dismay, and Latin, before that. So you cannot look up Sunzi, Art of War, chapter nine? Oh, you tire me, c0lo!

                Hooves or behoovs, I found many of them, oh magister, but translations are plenty and not all absolutely convergent.
                And no, I don't have enough life in me to learn mandarin, or cantonese, or even pinyin, at least not enough to understand Sun-zi in original.
                I'll remain a barbarian, come to that, the best I can is to handle the chop-sticks but not the brush.

                This is where we are, my dear c0lo, at the end of the world, with no way out but to continue to punch Nazis in the face, lest they send us to the ovens.
                ...
                And once we prevail, the world will be saved.

                I doubt it, magister. You jumped too far into the script, are you sure you tried all you could on the line of "Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."?
                Are you even sure you identified the generals of the enemy's army and not consume yourself in a useless skirmish?
                I mean, look, you are fighting for some years already. May I remind you of "In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns."?
                Doesn't it sound strange, like you've been played into this position, so that you waste yourself?

                ---

                Oh, if you are still too lazy to use the resources of the internets...

                This (to cite a future planet of fighters or an old religious order based on mysticism) is Ghafla [wikia.com] - there may be more than one reason I was asking you to be more (westerny) specific, why did you assumed that one?
                It it wise to recognize Ghafla and acquire the discipline to reject it - it should be much easier than Sun-zi, as it is something that may grown in you.

                --
                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
                • (Score: 3, Insightful) by aristarchus on Sunday November 05 2017, @12:13PM (1 child)

                  by aristarchus (2645) on Sunday November 05 2017, @12:13PM (#592480) Journal

                  Ah, but c0lo, what did you think "death ground" could possibly mean? And yes, even Sun-zi was well aware of this. The only winning move, is not to play? Or, one might think, to play a different game than your enemy/partner thinks they are playing? We will carry on, will we not?

                  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by c0lo on Sunday November 05 2017, @12:52PM

                    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Sunday November 05 2017, @12:52PM (#592491) Journal

                    Or, one might think, to play a different game than your enemy/partner thinks they are playing?

                    Oh, magister, really... do you even need to ask?

                    --
                    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
  • (Score: 1) by Yaa101 on Saturday November 04 2017, @02:26AM

    by Yaa101 (4091) on Saturday November 04 2017, @02:26AM (#592020)

    Smartphone==Heroïne so good luck trying to keep people from using...

    --
    No comment...
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 04 2017, @06:08PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 04 2017, @06:08PM (#592240)

    ai will probably have to decide what is best(rank who the experts really are instead of who has money?) then the herd wont be dependent on whoever happened to have used/stole/whored his way to the top. right now the ignorant herd just listens to whoever is on top whipping them. it would be nice if the boss was at least a fellow cow or sheep instead of a laughing wolf.