Hey Google! If the world discovers something bad about your Google Search Engine, will you shut it down? Just trying to figure out if there are any areas where you have actual fortitude. Haven't found one yet.
I do a lot of volunteer technical work, and have accumulated enough reputation that there is a lot more request for my time than any one human can possibly fulfill. I cannot hire people to help me because the work brings in no money.
With Microsoft OSes and compilers being as complicated as they are (order of installation can be very important for no good reason), people ask for help on those, implying a lot of OS and tool installs and teardowns. Per Microsoft license terms, it is mandatory to license each of those instances separately, even if it only exists long enough to analyze a specific problem. Microsoft also has lifetime limits on the number of home/hobby licenses one may have, and since I am not a spring chicken I have used most of those up over the years even though I have mostly avoided Microsoft products. Systems wear out, parents and friends need support, a bit of gaming here and there...
Microsoft has defined a licensing path for people like me: all I have to do is register as a commercial developer and pay for 5 "seats" at full commercial prices at $US 10000 per year (for the 5), which would entitle me to use the OS and tools on multiple systems.
Except... There is no money source for me to pay $US 10000 per year to provide free service to other people. That is not even including my network or hardware costs. This would, by the way, not be tax deductible in any way, as our tax department only permits cost deduction against income (no income from this) unless you can prove that you have a realistic chance of making a profit soon.
So.. I have had to withdraw my services in that technical area. No money to pay the costs to outside people even with paying myself absolutely nothing for this.
Now, Jim, please tell me more about how spineless and low fortitude I am for withdrawing from providing a free service that would cost me more than my disability pension to continue to provide.
Void of Space and Time And who is to go unpaid, and even pay $$$ out of their own pocket, so that other people can have the shiny things that they want (or sometime even need in a meaningful sense) for free? You? Are you offering to work for free for the next decade so that G+ can continue? Free? With so much work to be done that if you were to work 24/7 that you would continue to fall behind? And is it okay if I say that you have no "actual fortitude" if you even hesitate to do so?
Someone has to do the work. It is not unreasonable for those someones to ask enough pay to cover their rent/mortgage, and the Ramen, and network connections, and the occasional new pair of clean underwear when old ones wear out too much. The money has to come from somewhere.
Google is a megacorporation? Tell me: what does the law say about how much corporations must donate in public service? Now, what does the law say about the boards of public corporations being required to maximize shareholder profits?
Walter Roberson The money does come from somewhere. Social media, and the ad agencies the host, (both Google in this situation because of Google ads and the fact they made this social media) make the money this way. Sure, it may not be enough to host the service, but I feel that for G+ it was probably more than enough - they just didn't want to bother with the repercussions of doing something as stupid as hiding a decently sized breach for multiple years. Now, another thing. Youtube still drains their money all the time, and they still run it JUST because it's used and gets them media attention. Sure, that can't be said because of G+'s irrelevance in comparison to other networks, but it goes to show they will run something even if it doesn't make them money.
I'd suggest you don't relate to and try to humanize a megacorp, especially one that's shut down multiple other services for less, even when they were sometimes more popular. (one, to some claims, was a social media very popular in third-world nations that they just shut down after absorbing into their company).
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I think comparing a product with hundreds of millions of users and billions in revenue to a product that has few users and loses revenue isn't fair.
ReplyDeleteGmail, drive, Google doc's, Google photo?
ReplyDeleteI do a lot of volunteer technical work, and have accumulated enough reputation that there is a lot more request for my time than any one human can possibly fulfill. I cannot hire people to help me because the work brings in no money.
ReplyDeleteWith Microsoft OSes and compilers being as complicated as they are (order of installation can be very important for no good reason), people ask for help on those, implying a lot of OS and tool installs and teardowns. Per Microsoft license terms, it is mandatory to license each of those instances separately, even if it only exists long enough to analyze a specific problem. Microsoft also has lifetime limits on the number of home/hobby licenses one may have, and since I am not a spring chicken I have used most of those up over the years even though I have mostly avoided Microsoft products. Systems wear out, parents and friends need support, a bit of gaming here and there...
Microsoft has defined a licensing path for people like me: all I have to do is register as a commercial developer and pay for 5 "seats" at full commercial prices at $US 10000 per year (for the 5), which would entitle me to use the OS and tools on multiple systems.
Except... There is no money source for me to pay $US 10000 per year to provide free service to other people. That is not even including my network or hardware costs. This would, by the way, not be tax deductible in any way, as our tax department only permits cost deduction against income (no income from this) unless you can prove that you have a realistic chance of making a profit soon.
So.. I have had to withdraw my services in that technical area. No money to pay the costs to outside people even with paying myself absolutely nothing for this.
Now, Jim, please tell me more about how spineless and low fortitude I am for withdrawing from providing a free service that would cost me more than my disability pension to continue to provide.
Walter Roberson You're one dude, and Google/Alphabet is a megacorporation. Big difference.
ReplyDeleteVoid of Space and Time And who is to go unpaid, and even pay $$$ out of their own pocket, so that other people can have the shiny things that they want (or sometime even need in a meaningful sense) for free? You? Are you offering to work for free for the next decade so that G+ can continue? Free? With so much work to be done that if you were to work 24/7 that you would continue to fall behind? And is it okay if I say that you have no "actual fortitude" if you even hesitate to do so?
ReplyDeleteSomeone has to do the work. It is not unreasonable for those someones to ask enough pay to cover their rent/mortgage, and the Ramen, and network connections, and the occasional new pair of clean underwear when old ones wear out too much. The money has to come from somewhere.
Google is a megacorporation? Tell me: what does the law say about how much corporations must donate in public service? Now, what does the law say about the boards of public corporations being required to maximize shareholder profits?
Walter Roberson The money does come from somewhere. Social media, and the ad agencies the host, (both Google in this situation because of Google ads and the fact they made this social media) make the money this way. Sure, it may not be enough to host the service, but I feel that for G+ it was probably more than enough - they just didn't want to bother with the repercussions of doing something as stupid as hiding a decently sized breach for multiple years. Now, another thing. Youtube still drains their money all the time, and they still run it JUST because it's used and gets them media attention. Sure, that can't be said because of G+'s irrelevance in comparison to other networks, but it goes to show they will run something even if it doesn't make them money.
ReplyDeleteI'd suggest you don't relate to and try to humanize a megacorp, especially one that's shut down multiple other services for less, even when they were sometimes more popular. (one, to some claims, was a social media very popular in third-world nations that they just shut down after absorbing into their company).