3 posts tagged “cad”
Ok, so it's not really anything complicated but it's a render right? IronCAD just got this new advanced rendering system put into it and I needed to use it today. I'm creating a brochure for a furniture client and needed some pictures done up in our own system.
I was looking at an image the other day. It was a humorous take on social networks, but I got something more out of it. At the center of a massive bubble chart is the person, surrounded by all these links to other people in related networks. However, out in some distant corner is a friend on another network you can't talk to. That's what I mean by saying no one likes the term "proprietary." Proprietary technology can be good. Apple, for example, sells its own computer and makes its own software. That's great when you think compatibility. Everything made by Apple, works on Apple computers. Close the lid on an Apple laptop and it goes into standby. Open it and it comes back. If you do the same on a laptop PC, the results aren't always the same. Windows can't make up for the fact each laptop running it might have different internal hardware. But this is a trade off. Windows-based PCs are much more flexible than Macs. So in the end you're left choosing what benefits you. Everything is give and take after all. No one product is perfect.
But I digress. My example's a little more elaborate than I wanted. Proprietary extends beyond just computers. Think cell phone networks with phones you can't use on competing networks. Sure you can "unlock" a phone. But that's not the standard. File formats too. GIMP (an Open Source image editor comparable to Photoshop) will never be 100% up-to-date on Adobe's PSD file format.
In my job, there's a heated debate on propriety technology and proprietary file formats. I work for a CAD software company. And I watch as other companies, like Autodesk (the makers of AutoCAD), vehemently fight to keep their DWG and DXF file formats out of the hands of the Open Source community. Why? Because if they loose that proprietary edge, hundreds of customers who only use Autodesk products because they have so much data vested in their file formats would leave. Customers displeased with the software, but coerced because the cost of switching to competitors is too much.
In our everyday lives we see it too. Maybe not in money, but in time. Microsoft's Hotmail doesn't let you export contacts. When I switched from Hotmail to Gmail I had to copy, one by one, all of my contacts. And that irritates me. Companies lock you in to using their stuff when what people want is flexibility to make their on choices. It seems today's corporations are all about control and, in the digital age, it's easier to get that. That's why I applaud companies like Google and communities like Facebook. Google believes int he freedom of information. Facebook has opened their API for others to interact and post information. A perfect example is how I can post this blog directly to Facebook but have to re-post it on Myspace. A needless step in my opinion when integration seems so possible.
What people want hasn't changed in years. Convinence. A way to do things easier. Corporations today aren't helping by making their services and technology "proprietary." They're just making life more of a pain each and every day.
Yes, believe it or not, Chinese people are protesting. The issue: China seeks to put a Maglev train near a city close to Shanghai and citizens think it's too close. Since the train uses high-powered magnets, they fear harmful effects from exposure to energy radiating from the system. Also, the train is being built less than 25 meters from some homes. If it derails, guess where it'd crash? Yup, in somebody's front porch.
Protests are slowly gaining steam with protester counts rising from 250 to 2,000. Take note - these are peaceful, silent protests. And when police arrive, protesters leave without incident. Still, I think this shows people's will can't be ignored, even in a communist country like China.
The news was first reported on the 3D CAD News Blog (photos of the protests included). You can check it out here. What's more amazing is citizens from China are actually commenting on another blog, AEC News dot com. It's great to see the internet being used like this. Giving people, who otherwise would not have a voice, a chance to speak out in a situation where they feel wronged.
One last comment. The end-goal of protesters isn't to get China to reverse their decision. It's to embarrass the German company producing the train into withdrawing their bid. Good luck citizens of Xujiahui (the town in question near Shanghai)! You have my support!
