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I was once a Facebook fool

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Re: I was once a Facebook fool

#171

Post by Duff »

randomdata wrote: post #78
Duff wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huh? Sharecropping exists when landowners have limited access to capital, but extensive land holdings and abundant access to indigent labor. It was a technique devised to keep the tenant around until after harvest time. Poor farmers have lots of children, and the large resulting labor force gives the landlord an incentive to evict the tenant or jack up the rent immediately after harvest. It was popular in places like…

Sharecropping is an arrangement with a land owner who rents out their land to a farmer for the payment of a percentage of the crop instead of cash. It reduces the risk for the farmer because they only have to pay based on what they are able to grow instead of a fixed amount as seen in most cash-rent arrangements. The landowner stands to lose if the crop is a failure, but can make more if the crop is a success. The te…

If I overreacted, I apologize. I've heard of farmers leasing land, but I've never heard the term "sharecropper" used in a modern setting.

My grandfather's family were sharecroppers in Ireland, so I grew up with view of the practice that may be somewhat one-sided.

Re: I was once a Facebook fool

#172

Post by jerf »

danmaz74 wrote: post #154
jerf wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And when Facebook says to either remove your widget from Google+, or it will be removed from Facebook? Diversification is at their pleasure too.

Then you should contact the antitrust authorities: This is a blatant anti-competitive behavior if there is one...

True, but to adapt the old Wall Street saying, the courts can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent.

Re: I was once a Facebook fool

#173

Post by dreww »

joebadmo wrote: post #117
res0nat0r wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think comparing Facebook to having access to water or power is a bit of a reach.

I don't think he's comparing FB to water, he's comparing social networking/communication/connection to water. Facebook would then be the utility company, with a de facto monopoly, but no check on its power. (Personally I think competition is the check, and I'm on team Google.)

don't you ever question the strange phenomenon of these giant inhuman corporations manipulating us to the point where we choose one as a team, adopting our allegiance to them as an salient feature of our identity?

they don't give a fuck about us, at all - by definition, they are incapable of doing so.

Re: I was once a Facebook fool

#175

Post by gbog »

nitrogen wrote: post #134
chrischen wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think he's saying Facebook is like water. I think he's saying facebook is NOT like a stable utility like water or power.

From the top-level comment: " this is very basic and very global stuff, similar to water or power, and you shouldn't have to question its integrity. " So yes, unless my English fails me, he is indeed saying that social networking is (or should be) like a utility.

For me a better comparison is emails. Social content should be produced and consumed with the tool of your choice, like emails. cf http://www.douban.com/note/174513094/

Re: I was once a Facebook fool

#176

Post by wnight »

bstrand wrote: post #90
jseliger wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is not endemic to Facebook. It applies to any platform. Apple, eBay, Amazon, etc. I'm not sure this is really true. If you build a regular application for Windows, Linux, or OS X, Microsoft, Red Hat, or Apple can't control whether I install your application. No one "approves" Firefox for OS X. Curated, for lack of a better term, applications only appear on particular platforms -- cell phones, sub-sections of web…

The desktop is moving in this direction as well. Your example of OS X is shaky in particular, given the App Store. Even if it's still _possible_ in the future, acquiring apps outside the official channel will be exceptional, done only by enthusiasts.

This is why I always help people crack their devices, even if they're mainly interested in warez. We need to ability to work around censorship which we'll lose if we let ourselves be locked down.
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