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It just makes me feel uneasy not owning a hard copy of a game I legally posess.

In the case of Steam-purchased software, you can make as many backups of the GCF files as you like, however you like. It's even got features for sizing backup files for CDR or DVD.

There is still the slight matter of the online authentication, but I suppose with all the datafiles not being encrypted and not tied to any one machine, there had to be some way to lock things down...

Steam's quite interesting as a working implementation of DRM for software. You get a surprising number of 'fair-use' privileges (you can make backups, you can install on as many machines as you like from just a username and password so long as you only play on one at a time, etc.) but there are some serious failings (it's all tied to Valve's authentication system, the offline system is somewhat lacking, and it's very difficult to lend or sell the purchased software to someone else).

Dave Coffin's open source dcraw RAW converter has been mentioned here a couple of times, but it's worth pointing out that the latest version already supports decryption of Nikon D2X white balance data. There's a brief discussion of the decryption algorithm here, and Photoshop developer Thomas Knoll points to the relevant section of code here.

As far as I know, Nikon has not threatened to invoke the DMCA over decryption of the data - this looks more like a rather lame attempt to obfuscate one of the key image parameters to make life difficult for 3rd party developers (who Nikon can then claim have 'incomplete' support for the NEF format if the camera's white balance settings can't be extracted). Of course this doesn't rule out the possibility that Nikon is deliberately playing games with Adobe, since the Photoshop developers have to choose between implementing decryption that might be actionable under the DMCA, and leaving out support for 'as shot' white balance (it seems like they've gone for the latter, for now). Smaller fish like Bibble are already including white balance decryption, which could leave Adobe at a disadvantage if they continue to believe that this is a legal risk (and who knows the details of the DMCA better than Adobe?!). Meanwhile, Nikon presumably hopes to sell more copies of Nikon Capture (though to be fair, Nikon View, which even comes with a rudimentary Photoshop plugin, can also handle these files and is a free download for Nikon users).

Disconnecting the ethernet cable connecting my PC to the Internet got me the same results as the parent poster. However, I did find a way that gave me more reliable results, and I did not need an internet connection.

From Steam's official FAQ

It's actually quite easy to make Steam fall back into offline mode with almost no delay.

1. go to network properties

2. right-click on your internet connection "local area connection"

3. disable it

4. start Steam - it only takes about 2 seconds to pop up to the start in offline mode.

5. then re-enable your connection and you can play on LAN.

One warning, XP might get upset if you disable your NIC and think that you are changing the hardware in your computer (happens when you re-boot, so enable the NIC before rebooting!).

Example:

here

From the page, and I'll put interesting stuff in bold:
Question
What is the agreement that Blockbuster has recently made to enhance the End of Late Fees program?

Answer
Blockbuster has worked with a negotiating group representing several states to further clarify and enhance the End of Late Fees program. We were asked to provide more information about the program and how it works, and although we believe our original communications were clear, we're happy to do whatever we can to improve our communications to further enhance our customer experience.

BS. That's just one example. I'd like to say that I rent from Hollywood Video, get fair prices, no marketing gimmick BS, 5 day rental, etc, never a problem. Screw the marketing antics of blockbuster.

From Blockbuster FAQ page

Question:
What do you mean by "the end of late fees?"
Answer:
For any reason, if you are unable to return the movies or games by their due date, you won't be charged additional fees for keeping them an extra day or two.


Says a lot about the clarity of the ad campaign!

This suck big time.

Just after the launch, many fans here expected it to get a 10 or a 9.5 from GameSpot. When they gave it a 9.2, I wasn't surprised. It still had some quirks, and that damn StutterBug was hardly acceptable (though I was running it on a proc just 0.1 GHz below minimum). If anything, I'm glad it got the 9.2--it seemed awesome, but a bit too creaky to me. Steam's memory-hogging (since it uses .NET I believe but IANA Steam expert) didn't help either.

http://voicepulse.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/voicepulse. cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=77&p_created=1 097635679&p_sid=jljcAWAh&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPSZwX 3NvcnRfYnk9JnBfZ3JpZHNvcnQ9JnBfcm93X2NudD0xMjkmcF9 wYWdlPTE*&p_li=

If that link doesn't work check out their knowledgebase. But no increasing the number of inbound calls currently. (I'm sure demand will prompt them to hurry it up though).

They only allow you an "extra day or two".

To quote their difficult to link to FAQ: "If you still have a movie or game seven (7) days after the due date shown on your receipt, we will convert your rental to a sale. The movie or game will be sold to you at the selling price in effect at the time of rental, which is either the retail price, or, when available, at the previously-rented selling price, less the initial rental fee you paid."

I'll stick with NetFlix, Thank you.

First off, every news story I read or heard about the "no late fees" policy explained the caveat that it didn't mean you got to keep the movie forever, no strings attached. I guess I'm naturally distrustful too, so I even read the FAQ's about it on their website. They all said you got 1 week past your due date gratis. After that you automatically "bought" the movie, and it would be charged to the credit card on your account. If you returned the movie after that, the full charge would be refunded minus a restocking fee. This doesn't seem underhanded or tricky at all. In fact, it beats the hell out of Best Buy's "restocking fee" bullshit. I know I'm renting from Blockbuster, and keeping the movie forever is breaking that contract. Your movie is still due on the due date. Just because you don't have to pay a late fee for returning it late doesn't mean the movie doesn't have a due date any more.

Secondly, I know Blockbuster is a franchise system, so not every store is owned by the company. And every time I see an ad for them (or any other franchise system like McDonalds or Subway or something), they always feature the disclaimer "at participating locations." So I didn't assume that every store was going to follow through -- and sure enough, I heard news reports that some stores (to the dismay of the corporate parent) said they weren't going to participate. The stores near me all had big "The End of Late Fees" signs in the window, so that's how I knew they were participating.

Finally, I've been bitten by the late fees thing before. I know when I check out that the clerk always tells me when it's due ("Monday by noon" or whatever), and when I have the movie at home, I keep the receipt in the case as a reminder of when it's due -- so when I forget to return it, I know it's my fault for forgetting. Now I don't have to worry about forgetting occasionally. Recently, I rented a new release (2 day rental) and I only watched half the movie on the first night -- when the due date came and I forgot to return it, I could still watched the second half and return it the next day without paying a fee. To me, that's fantastic.

If Blockbuster hadn't posted a full terms and conditions or if they said something like "no strings attached", then, yes, I would say they were being deceptive. But they didn't do that. They listed their full T&C -- they even posted easy to read FAQ's on the details, and every PR interview or press release they put out disclosed the "automatic purchase" and "restocking fee" disclaimers.

IMHO, it's bullshit lawsuits like this that lead to crap laws like the one Congress just passed. There are people out there suffering real physical harm because corporations want to save $0.03 on a pool drain cover or hide the results of clinical tests that show their drugs are unsafe. There's factories out there that belch carcinogens into the air or drain PCBE's into the ground and some people get their panties in a knot over a $1.75 because they kept "Dodgeball" out for a month? If some little girl has her intestines ripped out by a pool drain, I want the motherfuckers to pay. But I could care less if some 30 year old guy thought he could keep his rentals forever because he was too lazy to read the fine print.

f you still have a movie or game seven (7) days after the due date shown on your receipt, we will convert your rental to a sale. The movie or game will be sold to you at the selling price in effect at the time of rental, which is either the retail price, or, when available, at the previously-rented selling price, less the initial rental fee you paid.

The same question keeps popping up about Half-Life 2 and Steam. By all rights, once we buy a game, we should be able to sell it to another person if we don't want the game. With Half-Life 2, anyone can buy the CD/DVD in the store and that same person can turn around and sell it to Joe Blow after they're done playing. Unfortunately, for Joe Blow, he's screwed, and the original person can keep on playing.

Valve tries to compensate by allowing you to send in $10 and some information. But, in the long run, you're boned either way.

This kind of thing is going to keep cropping up over and over as companies like Valve and Blizzard test just how far they can abuse consumers. With such a young, unknowledgeable and apathetic targetted market group, it's just going to get worse until someone looks over the EULA and finds some way to sue the companies.

Like someone once mentioned, companies simply don't like us selling our used games once we're done. I think there was even a lawsuit a long time ago about the used market for CD's. The premise was that since the CD's don't wear out like cartridges, that they are considered, "like-new," condition and the companies should receive their cut of the profits. That would mean that I would have to give a cut of the profits to American Greetings every time I purchased a MIB Strawberry Shortcake Doll from eBay. Damn flawed logic if you ask me.

I'm glad to see they made this more user-friendly, but this is like someone using a belt instead of a hammer to give you a beating. Nice, but I'm supposed to be grateful?

Here is the updated process for offline mode. Notice the "unplug from the network" instructions? WTF? Any software that requires me to unplug my network cable to work is a hack, IMO.

Many people have already pointed out that you only have to connect to Steam once to check authorization, and after that you can play single-player in offline mode all you want.

Very true. However, the procedure to play HL2 in offline mode is inconvenient as hell. Log onto Steam, make sure your game works, and then exit Steam without logging off. Then, unplug your computer from the Internet (or disable your NIC) and start Steam again. It will fallback into offline mode and you'll be able to play.

You must remember to disable your NIC or unplug your network cable every time you want to play the game. Just blocking ports isn't enough; Steam sees the active network connection and goes into on-line mode and then hangs at the "Looking for updates..." screen.

That's not a method. That's a hack. And a pretty messy one, at that.

I thought the hassle of being online became irrelevant years ago? All you need to do is be online, login to Steam and then don't logout of Steam. A simple 1 minute find on Steams site reveals the mystery that seems to elude people.

As far as abusing DRM, it's all a matter of perspective. If Valve didn't protect their interests, people would steal HL2 with wreckless abandon, but since they do, now they are abusing DRM simply by ensuring you paid for the game.

I wanted to verify this. I downloaded and attempted to install the Steam/Half Life 2 demo. It says, and I quote, "your computer will NEED to be connected to the Internet to play any Steam games."

Believe me, Half Life 2 works in offline mode. I know, I've tried it. The problem with your quote is that natural language is ambiguous and people don't always say exactly what they mean. The fact is, once you "activate" your copy of Half-Life 2 using Internet access, you can save your login information and play offline.

I don't like the Steam authentication system any more than you do, but I am not blinded by ideology either. Here is an *official* link from Steam about playing offline:

http://steampowered.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/steampowe red.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=213&p_crea ted=1094245645&p_sid=cyOpivuh&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNo PSZwX3NvcnRfYnk9JnBfZ3JpZHNvcnQ9JnBfcm93X2NudD0yOD AmcF9wYWdlPTE*&p_li=

#3 teflon, plastics

#1 the computer you're using now -- space exploration pushed the microelectoronics revolution

A) Most people who has been there since the beginning has left.
I joined years after the beginning, yet my account is 74 months old. It would be quite a surprise if a considerable number of people had stayed for seven years playing the same game.

B) The developers have made changes I don't approve of (paraphrased).
*Shrugs* Hardly proof positive that the game is dying. The fact that people are paying loads of real money for items in the game is not a proof that people are loosing faith in it, quite the contrary.

E) They only accept credit cards!
Wrong. There are four options avaible. However, the poster's local shop have stopped selling game time coupons. He claims that's the main reason why he doesn't play the game any longer.

His solutions doesn't seem like ways to resuscitate a dying game. He suggests that a vast amount of new land is added, for housing. UO has a 1 house per account rule, so he's actually complaining of overcrowding.

His other arguments are either vague ( There is some evidence to suggest that the game's current programmers are frustrated with the age/possible obsolescence in some respects of the game's codebase.) or about minor things ( EA's "Return to Britannia," campaign last year did not instill confidence in me).

Did you even try and look for these answers? I had exactly the same ones and found them out VERY QUICKLY:

"If I download the game and my hard drive crashes, can I reinstall it via Steam to a different hard drive?"
Yes: I want to move my Steam installation to a different disk or computer, how can I do this?

"Can I install it to more than one computer if I only play one at a time (ie my desktop machine and my laptop)?"
Yes: Can I use my Steam account on other computers?

"Does it cost anything to have a Steam account other than the initial cost of the game?"
No: " Is Steam really free?

At least try and find these things before bitching the information is not available... that took me longer to cut and past the hrefs than it did to find those answers....

All you had to do was go to Support and type your question. I've had no problem with downloading all the Steam content onto my computer, then copying it over to my brothers (he only has dial up)... and that was it. He now has and is playing HL2, and when he is done with it, I just fire up Steam and away I go... it's already there for me to play. Excellent stuff!

Did you even try and look for these answers? I had exactly the same ones and found them out VERY QUICKLY:

"If I download the game and my hard drive crashes, can I reinstall it via Steam to a different hard drive?"
Yes: I want to move my Steam installation to a different disk or computer, how can I do this?

"Can I install it to more than one computer if I only play one at a time (ie my desktop machine and my laptop)?"
Yes: Can I use my Steam account on other computers?

"Does it cost anything to have a Steam account other than the initial cost of the game?"
No: " Is Steam really free?

At least try and find these things before bitching the information is not available... that took me longer to cut and past the hrefs than it did to find those answers....

All you had to do was go to Support and type your question. I've had no problem with downloading all the Steam content onto my computer, then copying it over to my brothers (he only has dial up)... and that was it. He now has and is playing HL2, and when he is done with it, I just fire up Steam and away I go... it's already there for me to play. Excellent stuff!

Did you even try and look for these answers? I had exactly the same ones and found them out VERY QUICKLY:

"If I download the game and my hard drive crashes, can I reinstall it via Steam to a different hard drive?"
Yes: I want to move my Steam installation to a different disk or computer, how can I do this?

"Can I install it to more than one computer if I only play one at a time (ie my desktop machine and my laptop)?"
Yes: Can I use my Steam account on other computers?

"Does it cost anything to have a Steam account other than the initial cost of the game?"
No: " Is Steam really free?

At least try and find these things before bitching the information is not available... that took me longer to cut and past the hrefs than it did to find those answers....

All you had to do was go to Support and type your question. I've had no problem with downloading all the Steam content onto my computer, then copying it over to my brothers (he only has dial up)... and that was it. He now has and is playing HL2, and when he is done with it, I just fire up Steam and away I go... it's already there for me to play. Excellent stuff!

Did you even try and look for these answers? I had exactly the same ones and found them out VERY QUICKLY:

"If I download the game and my hard drive crashes, can I reinstall it via Steam to a different hard drive?"
Yes: I want to move my Steam installation to a different disk or computer, how can I do this?

"Can I install it to more than one computer if I only play one at a time (ie my desktop machine and my laptop)?"
Yes: Can I use my Steam account on other computers?

"Does it cost anything to have a Steam account other than the initial cost of the game?"
No: " Is Steam really free?

At least try and find these things before bitching the information is not available... that took me longer to cut and past the hrefs than it did to find those answers....

All you had to do was go to Support and type your question. I've had no problem with downloading all the Steam content onto my computer, then copying it over to my brothers (he only has dial up)... and that was it. He now has and is playing HL2, and when he is done with it, I just fire up Steam and away I go... it's already there for me to play. Excellent stuff!

well ... try your luck here or see the complete FAQ here...

well ... try your luck here or see the complete FAQ here...

you can install it on as many machines as you want, but you can only use one at a time. that's part of the point of online validation.

http://steampowered.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/steampowe red.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=10&p_creat ed=1092152126&p_sid=8Q8hbfrh&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoP SZwX3NvcnRfYnk9JnBfZ3JpZHNvcnQ9JnBfcm93X2NudD0yNjI mcF9wYWdlPTE*&p_li=

you prove you own a downloaded version by having a steam account, which is necessary to download in the first place. you log in as yourself. valve has a record of your purchases.

Waah waah waah.

Every time Half-Life 2 has a story, whiners like you pipe up and complain about Steam. Okay, so it took a long time to download at sub-optimal speeds. Perhaps it would have been a good idea to PRELOAD it then? Instead of waiting until after release when the servers are bound to be loaded with thousands of new players?

Oh, I'm sorry, I guess you couldn't preload it as you were on your high horse at the time and not installing steam. What ever happened to you passing on this game due to privacy concerns?

'...I will pass on the game for privacy concerns, and in protest.'

Once installed, you don't need an internet connection to play. So it doesn't need to connect to anywhere. Hey, it might actually connect if you have an internet connection available (I haven't verified this myself, mainly because I don't care). However you can always go into offline mode and play to your hearts content, without contacting valve/steam anymore.

No, it's true: You can't switch to offline mode if you have an active connection. read it in the faq I just tried it! The worst part: If you have a local LAN but no internet connection to STEAM, it will take several MINUTES until it gives up and offers you offline mode - EVERY SINGLE TIME, because offline mode is not sticky: You start in online mode every time if you have a LAN connection.

Hopefully your friend was seeking support here and not on the forums?

The support team for Valve has consistently told people to route support requests through the support link, and many people ignore that, and then get all pissy when their post on the forums goes unviewed/unanswered.

Unfortunately doesn't there seems to be any plans on releasing it for linux, at least they claim so here

One activation code - yes, and then forever more you allow *reactivation* on other machines.

This doesn't apply to Steam.

With Steam, you can run your games on any machine, so long as you log in with your username/pass on that machine. You just can't run the game with that username on more than one machine at a time. Product registration is tied to Steam accounts, not individual machines.

Also, Steam has an offline mode, though it admittedly requires the computer to have been online at some point to work.

ME TOO! this is my problem and their 'solution' for me

http://steampowered.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/steampowe red.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=235&p_crea ted=1095126034&p_sid=cFjGYAnh&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNo PSZwX3NvcnRfYnk9JnBfZ3JpZHNvcnQ9JnBfcm93X2NudD0yND ImcF9wYWdlPTI*&p_li=

from.. http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=125069&cid=104 84759

http://steampowered.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/steampowe red.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=235&p_crea ted=1095126034&p_sid=cFjGYAnh&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNo PSZwX3NvcnRfYnk9JnBfZ3JpZHNvcnQ9JnBfcm93X2NudD0yND ImcF9wYWdlPTI*&p_li=
ok, it wasnt directly in the link. but it isn't fables. this is EXACTLY my case.
the faq i linked to is just full of other abuses.

"The most common format of music on an iPod is 'stolen'."

The current iPod has audio support for these formats:

AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 (32 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible, AIFF, WAV and Apple Lossless.

I'm certain Apple pays it's licensing fees for the formats it does not own. Ballmer's comments are nothing but spin to attarct attention to MS.

Valve will rest your key
You need:

1. The original printed CD-Key. This must include the original packaging the CD-Key was printed on (e.g. the CD jewel case). No copies, photos or scans will be accepted.

1. The original CD for the Valve product.

1. Your email address and mailing address.

1. The Steam Account Name that you want the CD-Key assigned to.

1. $10.00 (US Dollars). Only money orders or a bank cashier check will be accepted

See this link (note to moderators: Kormoc's is not correct so this is not redundant)

The headline is incorrect, Roxio's Easy CD is not affected. The actual article states emulation software such as... ROXIO

The only emulation software from Roxio is packaged with their european product called WinOnCD which has a portion that mounts disc images as drives, this doesn't affect most people.

you don't buy it until

Getting off topic here but something I will ALWAYS check for first is what copy prevention methods they use. I just got burned with Sims2. It will refuse to load if you have any "CD/DVD emulation applications installed", that means CloneCD, Nero, or Roxio installed on the computer. I am not talking trying to use the virtual CD to run the game, it will refuse to run from the original CD because it detects that software. The FAQ states to unload those applications and then play the game. I have CloneCD and Nero. I could not get the game to work unless I completely uninstalled CloneCD through control panal, not just "disable" it by removing the virtual drive option. The FAQ states there is a compatibility issue between virtual cd software and Sims2 which is COMPLETE BULLSHIT and a complete f**king lie, what they really mean is there is a chance that with those programs installed, you might be able to play the game with out the CD in the drive. I now either have to install/uninstall CloneCD all the time, sit and look at a $50 disc I purchased from EA, or wait until I can get a crack for the game I already bought. I should have just waited for the crack and not even bought the game to begin with. I tried to take the game back but of course, they refused because I opened it. I am still waiting back from EA tech support for what I can do with the game I just bought. I have a feeling I will get a canned response that it conflicts with the game or some other canned response that basically says tough shit sucker, you are out $50. What that means to me is don't buy any more games from EA, just wait for them in alt.binaries.games, you'll have a better chance of them working correctly.

You don't need to log on to steam every time you want to play an offline game. You only have to log in once in your entire life to authenticate your HL key. From then on, you can run offline any time you want..... I mean come on, whats the problem? If you don't want to use the technology, you and your offline mates can play the old style using the released mods, and live with it.

Steampowered website - Exhibit A

T-Mobile is the best about that among US carriers though. Just email your customers details and IMEI to through the customer service form on the site and they'll send you the unlock codes.

Spinning the DVD is likely to be the costliest in terms of power, so let's copy the movie to the hard disk.

A couple of posts have made this statement, but such is not the case. For example, this DVD drive draws less than 5 watts under continuous read. Early optical drives drew lots of power (early CD boom boxes ate batteries for breakfast for example) due to low quantum efficiency of their lasers, but this apparently has improved. I suspect that deeper RAM buffers permit looser speed control so the spindle motors now run with almost no torque load, saving power there. If you budget 5W for the DVD, 5W for decode, and 5W to the display, a 60 watt-hour laptop battery will last over 3 hours, so you could play The Right Stuff on a single charge.

Whether you can stay interested that long is another matter.

Real addresses the issue of upgrades like this:

"It is also recommended that you not start iTunes with your iPod connected to your PC because Apple may automatically install new software on your iPod that could prevent it from being able to play songs you may have already purchased from the RealPlayer Music Store.

Why not buy tunes for $.49 at Real while it lasts, burn them to an audio CD , rip them in iTunes, and transfer them to an iPod, DRM-free? Any real quality loss there? darobu

Copy/Pasted:

Question

When I launch the game I get the error "CD/DVD Emulation Software has been detected."

Answer

If you have the CD burning software Alcohol 120% installed you need to turn off all of the emulation options.
1) Go to File > Options.
2) Click on Emulation in the menu to the left.
3) Uncheck all options in the window to the right.

If you have CloneCD you need to turn off the Hide CDR media setting. This setting is accessable from the task tray icon for clone CD. Right-click on the icon and uncheck Hide CDR media. If it is not accessable or greyed out you need to do the following:

1. If the CloneCD Tray icon is running, right-click on it in the system tray and select Exit to close it down.
2. Go into Windows Control Panel, then open Regional and Language Options.
3. Change your Language setting from "English (United States)" to some other English country like "English (United Kingdom)" or "English (Canada)". Click, OK to save the language setting change. Note: you must change the Language, NOT the "Location" setting. The "Location" setting has no effect on this issue.
4. Now start the CloneCD Tray icon back up from the CloneCD start menu program group.
5. Right-click on the CloneCD icon in the system tray and you'll notice the "Hide CDR Media" option is no longer grayed out and has a checkmark next to it.
6. Select the "Hide CDR Media" option to remove the checkmark and disable the option.
7. Close the CloneCD Tray icon again (right-click and select Exit).
8. Go back into Regional and Language Options in Control Panel and set the language option back to "English (United States)", then click OK to save the language settings.

Hold down the left shift key when inserting the game disc.

Make sure you have 32 bit drivers for your CD-ROM drive.

Set the CD-ROM cache size to zero.

Change the DMA setting on the CD-ROM drive.

Make sure the drive letters for the CD-ROM is set correctly.

Make sure that the location for CD music to play is set correctly.

Make sure your system can successfully play Audio CD's.

Turn off Auto Insert Notification.

If you have disabled the options within your cd emulation software, and it is still causing a conflict. You may want to contact the software manufacturer. They may know which settings need to be disabled. If you do not wish to contact the manufacturer and you can't figure out which settings to turn off you should uninstall the software and attempt to reinstall without the cd emulation portion of the program.

Carry your complete Firefox install on your USB stick, from which it will run fine.

I do have firefox on a USB key and I find it handy to have at times. This is excellent advice in most situations and therefore anyone who'd interested in doing so I point to the Firefox help site

Unfortunately, due to the cheapskates that they are - easyinternetcafe does not support USB and a lot of locations their USB ports have been disabled so in these cases a download of the fox is the only thing to do.

Every so often when I need to log into the office and I've not got my laptop I go to easyInternet Cafe which is one of the tacky cut price business ideas of Stelios the easyJet guy. However, they're quite handy - loads of them around the city.

Their setup is Windows 98 and IE6, you can install what you want on the machines because they get automatically reimaged after you log out (or it crashes). Their motto is cheap, they won't do anything they don't have to if it costs money (there's no staff on site), but adding Firefox to their images wouldn't cost them anything, they seem to update IE when required.

After emailing their customer services requesting firefox, I got an email back saying they had no plans to put it on the default image, but I had a good taste in browsers and they knew a lot of their customers downloaded and used it (presumably looking at the logs in the proxy server).

So if you ever have to use that place, let them know you use Firefox and you'd rather not have to download it each time.

As far as I know (and as far as this article says) Rhapsody does use WMA for streaming. Real simply bought it, and, while they certainly do want it to use Real format, the upgrade is simply not there (also try go to their help section and enter "what codec" into question field -- result says WMA and is updated 01/08/2004 06:49 PM )
Which makes the fact that Real sued Microsoft even more funny, and wish to cozy up to anyone but Microsoft somewhat more logical.

Use the following topic and sub-topic to make sure it gets routed to the right people:
Topic: Products and Services
Sub-topic: GSM & Smart Card Technology

I had two earlier phones (Nokia & Motorola) unlocked via the e-mail, and I recently had my Nokia 3650 unlocked via the above form.

Just make sure you've been a customer for at least 6 months, and that you are STILL a customer.

Check it out at dolby.

It's basically : Left, Center, Right; SurroundX(left,rear left, rear right, right). Total overkill IMHO, 5.1 is good enough for me.

Call of Duty from Activision/Infinity Ward has this problem as well. You can see on their support site here their recommendation to shut down both Alchohol and Clone CD's virtual drives. This was indeed the necessary fix to get it to run on my machine.

That's interesting, except that you're a big fat liar.

Dont believe everything you read.

The real reason may begin with $$$$$$. Consider the following from Activision's own site: here. Why is the content thing listed after the part about payola? Decide for yourself.

A bunch of people are also using the X10 protocol to control lights/appliances in there home... Wait, there is no interference with broadcast signals!

X10 inserts data into the 60Hz frequency of Alternating Current in your home wiring. So, any signal generated is already at the frequency of AC, which the whole world has had to filter out of RF sensitive boxes for years. X10 "interferes" with AC, which no one tries to listen to anymore.

There are plenty of things that interferes with X10, by the way, as many who have used it have had to trouble shoot. This link has some of them. RF interference can be very hard to pinpoint, and the more congested the area the harder it is to figure out. This is why pollution of RF spectrum is what whole government agencies are supposed to protect. Hams are usually the first to squawk since they have the expertice and spend their lives trying to pick up tiny, low power signals out of the air.