E. Zachary Knight 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (1445) comment rss

  • On the post: Don't Complain About Piracy When You Create Crappy Games

    E. Zachary Knight ( profile ), 01 Nov, 2011 @ 01:56pm

    Re: Re: Re: Actually, that exec is right

    As a state contractor, our websites must be compatible with 4 versions of IE, Firefox on PC and Macs, Chrome on PCs and Macs, Safari on Mac. That is 9 browsers.

    Granted that is not near as bad as compatibility of Windows applications, but it is still rough, especially from a Javascript point of view.

  • On the post: White House Petition Against E-PARASITE/SOPA

    E. Zachary Knight ( profile ), 01 Nov, 2011 @ 01:50pm

    Re: I guess you haven't been reading WH responses

    I signed them both.

  • On the post: White House Petition Against E-PARASITE/SOPA

    E. Zachary Knight ( profile ), 01 Nov, 2011 @ 01:49pm

    Re:

    I honestly don't care if he was there representing himself or any other group. Why? Because the position he took there and here is the same as mine.

    So why would someone care? Because they want to find some way to discredit him and his position. It is an act of desperation.

  • On the post: Don't Complain About Piracy When You Create Crappy Games

    E. Zachary Knight ( profile ), 01 Nov, 2011 @ 12:47pm

    Re: Re: Re: give better refunds

    Some very fine arguments against the idea of F2P as fraud. So I won't reiterate them.

    But I will say that some of the best games I have ever played were free. I will also say that some of the worst games I have played, I have paid for. I felt cheated on the latter and wanted more from the former. F2P provides a way to get more.

  • On the post: Don't Complain About Piracy When You Create Crappy Games

    E. Zachary Knight ( profile ), 01 Nov, 2011 @ 12:44pm

    Re:

    Also, if the code is crappy, why would someone pirate crappy software?

    I listed one specific case of someone wanting to test the compatibility of the game.

    Aren't you the one who says that the best content is pirated more than the crappy content?

    I didn't say that. A trio of researchers said it. As for this game, there are no numbers given other than a ratio. So as far as we know they sold one copy and 70 people downloaded it. Or 1000 people bought it and 70000 people downloaded it. Without a number for either side, we don't really know how bad the piracy of the game really was.

    What does that say for the top grossing Android apps, how often are they pirated?

    Haven't really looked into it. But it is probably just as high as any other popular game whether for Android, the PC or iPhone.

    Why, as a developer, should I write apps for a platform that is plagued by piracy?

    Why as a developer would you ignore millions of potential sales just to avoid piracy? We have already talked about Valve's efforts in Russia that has netted them the most profitable country in Europe.

    As I explained here, piracy isn't the problem. It is the lack of effort on the part of the developer to give customers a reason to buy.

    The pirates flock to the Android platform because of the easy access to pirated applications.

    Pirates will pirate no matter what platform they are on. But there are a lot of valuable customers on the Android platform who are willing to pay for quality products. They just need a reason to buy. If you follow the path of Appy here, you will not be giving them a reason to buy.

  • On the post: Don't Complain About Piracy When You Create Crappy Games

    E. Zachary Knight ( profile ), 01 Nov, 2011 @ 12:35pm

    Re:

    Well, that is the Google Marketplace. Other marketplaces have different policies. Find one that has a return and refund policy you like.

  • On the post: Don't Complain About Piracy When You Create Crappy Games

    E. Zachary Knight ( profile ), 01 Nov, 2011 @ 12:32pm

    Re: Re: Re: Actually, that exec is right

    Web have hardware compatibility issues? I see. If your pages looks different because of screen resolution, I suggest you to look for another career path.

    Yes it does. Not all computers render Javascript and flash effectively. It has a lot to do with the amount of RAM available and some CPU usage. Mostly RAM though. If the amount of Javascript you use causes someones computer or browser to lock up, that is a problem. Not really something you can deal with short of turning off Javascript, but the problem is there.

    As for "Windows developer" talking about how Android is great - I can see why post is full of technical nonsense.

    As a Windows developer, I am familiar with the pain of developing for a large and inconsistent swath of hardware. I am familiar with developing for various versions of Windows at various levels of updates. I am familiar with developing for various combinations of third party software that may hinder my application's use.

    None of that is any different than what I am told of Android development.

    You know that Nokia's S40 systems outselling iPhone,Android and Windows Phone _COMBINED_? Does it mean that we must start developing for Nokia 3220?

    I wasn't aware that the Nokia 3220 had the mass market smartphone appeal and capabilities of the iPhone and Android phone.

  • On the post: Ding Dong: Another DRM Is Dead… And With It All The Files You Thought You Bought

    E. Zachary Knight ( profile ), 01 Nov, 2011 @ 11:33am

    Re:

    You mean this story about Rep. Blackburn?

    http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111027/15411816543/rep-blackburn-co-sponsor-e-parasite-explains-why-regulating-internet-is-terrible.shtml

    The front page only lists the latest posts. You need to hit the "More Stories" link at the bottom of the page to get more.

  • On the post: Don't Complain About Piracy When You Create Crappy Games

    E. Zachary Knight ( profile ), 01 Nov, 2011 @ 09:17am

    Re: Re: Re: Know what you're getting into before

    That is not a pyramid scheme.

  • On the post: Don't Complain About Piracy When You Create Crappy Games

    E. Zachary Knight ( profile ), 01 Nov, 2011 @ 06:40am

    Re: give better refunds

    This is one of the reasons that as a game developer, I like the idea behind Free to Play. You get the whole game for free and then you can buy items and levels later on if you want.

    This give people who want to try out the game a chance to do so at no cost to them and then they can choose to support the developer later.

    It works out pretty well.

  • On the post: Don't Complain About Piracy When You Create Crappy Games

    E. Zachary Knight ( profile ), 01 Nov, 2011 @ 06:38am

    Re: Actually, that exec is right

    I have to admit, I am not an Android developer, but I have worked as a Windows and a Web developer, both of which have large hardware and software compatibility issues.

    I could just give up completely because trying to test compatibility into anything even web related is a nightmare, but I don't I just suck it up curse under my breath and do it.

    Does it suck? Yes. Is it worth it in the end? Yes.

    Based on my experience of speaking with developers who are actively working on Android projects, it is much the same. They want to do it and they want to do it right. That is why the complaints that it is hard to develop compatibility falls flat with me.

    As for the comparison to Linux, you might be right if Linux PCs were outselling Windows PCs in the same way Android phones were outselling iPhones.

  • On the post: Don't Complain About Piracy When You Create Crappy Games

    E. Zachary Knight ( profile ), 01 Nov, 2011 @ 06:24am

    Re: Re: Know what you're getting into before

    This seems unwarranted given there is nothing in any of the linked articles mentioning if the app was ever released. Based on the comments by the speaker, it would not be surprising if the app was never released.

    I think it would be very difficult, or nigh impossible, to have a 70:1 piracy to legit sales ratio if the game was never released.

  • On the post: ACLU Sues Los Angeles Police For Harassing Photographers For Taking Photos With No Apparent Aesthetic Value

    E. Zachary Knight ( profile ), 31 Oct, 2011 @ 02:26pm

    Re: Re: No

    Yes, that would be easier, but judging by the article, part of the message was painting it in public outside the subject building.

  • On the post: An Open Letter To Chris Dodd: Silicon Valley Can't Help Hollywood If You First Cripple It With Bad Regulation

    E. Zachary Knight ( profile ), 31 Oct, 2011 @ 02:24pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    Yes. One should never forget the player piano.

  • On the post: An Open Letter To Chris Dodd: Silicon Valley Can't Help Hollywood If You First Cripple It With Bad Regulation

    E. Zachary Knight ( profile ), 31 Oct, 2011 @ 02:23pm

    Re: Re: Re:

    See this is the problem. The legacy industry has no idea what scarcity is. If you were to take their word for it, selling scarcity is the same as selling t-shirts. If that is your idea of scarcity, then yes you will likely fail.

    However, in the real world, scarcity is a huge range of things. On one end you have merchandise and on the other you have public performances.

    In the music industry it is the concert. They don't have to be huge, they can range from home performances to parties to stadium concerts.

    For the film industry it is theatre runs.

    There are other ways of creating scarcity. Take NIN for example. When he sold his Ghosts album, it was a tiered sale. On one end, you could get free MP3s of the first of four disks. On the far end you could get a boatload unique extras with the album. That end sold out faster than most people could log on to buy the rest.

    So in the end, scarcity works, but only if you do.

  • On the post: An Open Letter To Chris Dodd: Silicon Valley Can't Help Hollywood If You First Cripple It With Bad Regulation

    E. Zachary Knight ( profile ), 31 Oct, 2011 @ 02:16pm

    Re: Re: Dear copyright cartel

    And you would have no way to reach your consumers and make money with out us.

    So don't you think it is about time we worked out some reasonable solutions that are mutually beneficial?

    Signed,
    the Techies

  • On the post: An Open Letter To Chris Dodd: Silicon Valley Can't Help Hollywood If You First Cripple It With Bad Regulation

    E. Zachary Knight ( profile ), 31 Oct, 2011 @ 02:08pm

    Re: Re: Re:

    Funny. Because you completely ignore the whole of his rebuttal.

    Is it not true that the movie industry originally fought to block the production and sale of home recording devices (VCR)?

    Is it not true that the movie industry fought to block the introduction of the television?

    Is it not true that the music industry originally fought against the radio and even recorded music itself?

    The music and movie industries are fighting now against the internet and the companies that made it a success. Will the out come today be any different than the outcome of the previous examples? I don't think so.

    But since you brought it up, the Pirate Bay is innovative. It is based on one of the most powerful distributed delivery systems in the world, torrent. This allows for content creators to deliver their product to fans without having to pay for costly hosting and bandwidth services. The pirate Bay is a handy way of finding such content. I use it and several other torrent search sites to find a number of free software, music, movies and games legally.

    By blocking it, the legacy industries are making it more difficult for me and others like me to find and download free and legal content.

  • On the post: Rep. Blackburn, Co-Sponsor Of E-PARASITE, Explains Why Regulating The Internet Is Terrible

    E. Zachary Knight ( profile ), 28 Oct, 2011 @ 01:12pm

    Re: Re: Re: Mike slips in a telling phrase: "ad providers".

    You post the profiles of three people who may or may not be infringing. OK.

    But what about the other 10 million YouTube users who are not? Why should their speech be blotted out from the internet because of a few people in the minority are infringing?

    That was the crux of the Betamax case in the 70s. While the technology can be used for infringement, the fact that it can also be used for noninfringing uses makes it unfathomable to outlaw it.

  • On the post: Rep. Blackburn, Co-Sponsor Of E-PARASITE, Explains Why Regulating The Internet Is Terrible

    E. Zachary Knight ( profile ), 28 Oct, 2011 @ 12:08pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    Very true. To bring in the Libertarian discussion from above, a Libertarian take on Copyrights and Patents is one that adheres to the Constitution. Copyrights and patents would be implemented in a way that "promotes the science and useful arts". Life+70 years does not promote anything. Anything beyond the life of the creator is not promoting the artist or sciences.

    A true Constitutional Copyright is one that expires while the artist still has time to create more. The idea behind an expiration on a copyright is that the creator has a time when they can expect to lose their residual income and must create more in order to keep that income.

    In exchange for the window of opportunity, the public gets complete control of the work after the expiration.

    Under our current copyright, that whole system is thrown out the window.

    On the patent front, a Libertarian version would probably not change much, but there would be regular reviews to determine if progress is being promoted in the sciences, which it clearly is not. So changes would be made.

    That is my take anyway.

  • On the post: Rep. Blackburn, Co-Sponsor Of E-PARASITE, Explains Why Regulating The Internet Is Terrible

    E. Zachary Knight ( profile ), 28 Oct, 2011 @ 12:01pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:

    Yes but the kindness of random citizens is not enough to replace medicare, social security and unemployment.

    No it isn't. That is why Libertarians also believe in personal responsibility and family obligation.

    You have a personal responsibility to save for retirement. You should not be able to retire on the backs of the working class.

    You have a personal responsibility to ensure you are healthy and medical bills are covered. If you can't you have family and friends who can help. If that is not sufficient you have charities.

    You have a personal responsibility to ensure that you have skills that employers need in order to get a job. No one is responsible for your employment but you.

Next >>