Comments on: Olympics online, with a hook

By: MLV

MLV — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 07:09:42 +0000

#22 – M Scott

They don’t stop you from viewing any of the online events just because of what cable/satellite provider you may or may not have. They only reason they ask for that is because they want to be able to show you listings for TV so you’ll actually tune in.

Stop being paranoid.

By: ECA

ECA — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:39:27 +0000

Flash dont need activeX, so WHY do so many sites REQUIRE you to use ACTIVEX to watch Flash?

By: gquaglia

gquaglia — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 04:42:51 +0000

Unless Microsoft does something underhanded

Oh, you mean like get everyone using silverlight, then pull the rug out and make it only viable for Windows. Remember how many sites required Active X to work right, how many still do. You people have to be blind not to see this is a long term plan to make users need to have Windows to enable to watch streaming video.

By: bill

bill — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 03:51:02 +0000

I just watched the freestyle relay on my iMac… Silverlight is very impressive… I want a version form my iPhone..
ha!

By: M.Scott

M.Scott — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 03:30:58 +0000

All I know is that it seems as if Microsoft or NBC don’t want EVERYONE to be able to experience the Olympics the way we should be able to. They want to tightly control our viewing and in doing so, control who sees their lousy advertising.

We shouldn’t be THAT surprised that Microsoft is forcing their wares on us. They do have quite a stake in NBC and so can do what they please. I’m not defending their choice. Don’t get me wrong. Linux users shouldn’t be left out, much in the same vein as antenna viewers. It seems like someone is getting left out no matter what.

By: hhopper

hhopper — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 01:24:32 +0000

Silverlight beats the crap out of any Flash that I’ve seen. The picture quality is excellent and the streaming is faultless.

By: ECA

ECA — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:34:24 +0000

21,

read the PRINT..
MSNBC
MSN
MS

Flash is FREE. works on Any OS.

22.
Scott..
When i first signed up..
They wouldnt LET ME, as I had an antenna..
I Bitched to them..
I tried a couple different selections..
Including the CABLe company HERE..and it wouldnt let me..
Finally gave info to PDX, and it popped up..

ITS STUPID..

By: M.Scott

M.Scott — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:52:54 +0000

What about the crap of asking what cable provider you’re using? You may not be able to watch ALL the extra garbage if your provider isn’t a partner of NBC? What about those of us who use an antenna? I lied just to see, because that wasn’t even an option. What? If I’m not paying some huge corporation wads of dough, I can’t enjoy the same coverage as others? Bullshit!

By: Chainring

Chainring — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:34:22 +0000

So, they were supposed to use flash and therefore require users to download a competitor’s product? That’s stupid. I don’t see anti-trust… besides, it’s not Microsoft’s “market muscle” they’re using. It’s NBC’s. So, you could accuse Microsoft of colluding with NBC to get Silverlight out into the world, but that’s not a monopoly. That’s a partnership.

By: ECA

ECA — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:19:34 +0000

Frag,
you are getting the point.

WHO remembers when Windows media player, PLAYED alot of formats??
I LOVe installing 6-8 programs JUST to play most things.
It makes it so much fun that I could Puke.
NOW we add another format to this selection.

By: FRAGaLOT

FRAGaLOT — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:50:57 +0000

#3
It’s still not a big fucking deal. Just because Microsoft is pushing their own technology won’t stop other websites from using Flash or Quicktime, nor stop users from using Flash or Quicktime.

Unless Microsoft does something underhanded by making it cumbersome to use Flash and Quicktime (which is something they DID do to Netscape back 10 years ago) then it is a Big Fucking Deal.

For now it’s just yet another webapp plugin we have to install to use the internet. Same with Flash, Quicktime, Shockwave, Realplayer, and any number of web-based multi-media apps. And in the case with Silverlight, it’s not proliferant enough for most people to care.

By: moss

moss — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:44:22 +0000

I trust Silverlight about as much as I trust Real.

I won’t allow the latter on any computer of mine – and I’ll wait and see if any of y’all succeed in uninstalling the former a couple of times without a “magic” reappearance.

By: gquaglia

gquaglia — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:34:58 +0000

UPDATE: The streams will not work on Linux AT ALL. They are using a 2.0 version of Silverlight and Moonlight only supports version 1.0. So, you have to run Windows in a VM.

Exactly what I was talking about.

By: John C Dvorak

John C Dvorak — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:09:43 +0000

I personally like the technology. What I hate on the NBC/Olympics site are the lame ads for GE.

By: OmegaMan

OmegaMan — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:06:58 +0000

How is it stifling competition if anyone can develop applications that use Silverlight at no cost?

As a developer, why do I have to buy QuickTime or Adobe development kits and pay licenses for that or the usage of what I create? Support from Adobe…sheesh non-existent for the developer. I know, I posted and got zip.

Why can’t what I create in QT or Real be easily converted to .divx? No dice….

Maybe if those companies screaming Anti-Trust on MS would focus that lawyer money to development to figure how to make things work on Windows/Vista, their products might be the hands down favorites…but now pay the lawyers to talk, talk, talk, talk….

Not until we all slink to the slowest ship in the convoy Linux or linus whatever it is; will the Nay saying Nabobs of Negativism be happy.