Re:Is Microsoft boiling the users to death, by not boiling t...
by SubiculumCode on Saturday March 18, 2017 @09:26PM
(#13904587)
You are not wrong, but I think you are missing the point: It's a rule of thumb.
Its a reminder to be aware of of probable commercialization of their personal data by 'free' apps. Not a logicians proof.
Re:Is Microsoft boiling the users to death, by not boiling t...
by marcosdumay on Saturday March 18, 2017 @10:26PM
(#13904805)
> It's a rule of thumb.
It's a very flawed rule of thumb for information products, as the MS debate clearly shows.
Re:Is Microsoft boiling the users to death, by not boiling t...
by Jordrok on Sunday March 19, 2017 @12:06AM
(#13905115)
Not at all. The rule doesn't state that paying for software guarantees that you're not still the product, just that if you're not paying for it, it's significantly more likely that the difference will be made up for somewhere else.
Re:Is Microsoft boiling the users to death, by not boiling t...
by EGreg on Sunday March 19, 2017 @02:09AM
(#13905571)
But in a free marketplace, the difference is usually made up by charging commissions on a volunary transaction by both sides, which both sides enter into because they believe benefits them. In this case, who is the product exactly? Both sides are equally "the product" and often would welcome their positions / profiles being indexed and matched together with a corresponding offer to facilitate a deal. The rest is details.
"If something is given to you for FREE then the product is YOU."
You can be the product either way. They could be selling value to both sides. Why stop monetizing someone just because they paid you?
Also you could be a user without being a product if they get their value elsewhere. Yes, user numbers are an input to their bottom line but that's it.
Basically a MARKETPLACE has two sides. As long as one side is paying you can call the other side a "product"!