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* Posts by Jim

4 publicly visible posts • joined 18 Apr 2008

Firefox users caught in crossfire of warring add-ons

Jim

Adverts are not needed

@Bluegreen and @Michael claim the web requires adverts, why?

When I climbed onto the web back in 1996 there were effectively no ads. Granted the web was a much smaller place but, in my onion, it was a much better place. The sites that were there wanted to be there. They had few motives other than the desire to communicate free from the corruption of the big fat liars of the advertising industry.

It was still easy to purchase goods and services. Retailers had their websites so if you wanted to buy something you located their website. You did not need to be conned into buying some shit you never knew you wanted in the first place.

Some will say that there would be no news without ads, possibly meaning no Register, so be it.

I recall places like Tom's Hardware in it's early days as an enthusiasts blog - before that dreadful word was invented. That is the legacy the current rubbish that is Tom's Hardware trades off. It's no longer worth reading since it has been corrupted by advertisers and business.

I want the web back in the hands of the users not the corporations.

It could still happen. The nice thing about the web is that ideas like Adblock can become widely known about so that enough people will start using it, or something like it, to make current web advertising redundant.

Does this make me a Freetard?

If that means the web is freed from the clutches of the unquenchably greedy parasites of big business and advertising, then I will wear the moniker of Freetard as a badge of honour.

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HD media future may be Blu, but it's not rosy

Jim
IT Angle

Who gives a shit?

What has been missed by most commentators is that the mass market could care less about HD... period.

What appears to be misunderstood is that few consumers care about picture and/or audio quality.

Much of what has been said thus far mirrors the letters pages of audio magazines from decades ago. Who wants to listen to a test disc? Audiophiles will but there simply weren't enough of them to sustain a mass market. Similarly who wants to watch a video test card? Maybe some of the commentators hereabouts might but they won't sustain a mass market either.

Once the question becomes who wants to watch something that interests them despite the quality, we can then see why Youtube has been such a runaway success.

Content is king. Formats are for engineers and autistics.

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UK consumers lose £6.6bn a year to unfair treatment

Jim

@Olly

Yes Olly. The free charitable advice agency I work at gets loads of clients like you who want everyone else to hand them stuff on a plate without them having to lift a finger. It doesn't work like that. It never will and nor should it.

One of the reasons the UK has such dreadful customer service is because too many consumers buy on price and/or won't change a supplier because of inertia/idleness.

If you can't be arsed to complain and you're too idle to boycott then why are you surprised when you get taken for a sucker?

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Jim

Consumers don't know how to complain

I work in an advice agency. Most clients don't know how to complain. They think a whine over the phone to the company they are having a problem with is going to resolve matters, it isn't.

Complain formally, in writing, keep copies and send it recorded delivery. If not satisfied with the response, or there is no response, threaten a small claims court action. Still not satisfied then go to court.

If you can't be arsed to do that then the problem isn't that big of a deal just learn from it, boycott the outfit giving you poor service and spread the word. That said Most banks and communication companies have essentially non-existent customer service to keep costs down.

Obviously everyone will not win a small claim but the majority will. District judges are generally understanding and reasonable people who are quite happy to dispense justice in favour of consumers, because the law is framed that way.

Finally, don't buy the cheapest product/service and expect world class customer support. If something is cheap there's a reason and it's almost never a good reason.

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