Wired's 2004 Vaporware Awards

l3pYr writes "Based on user submissions, Wired Magazine has posted its 2004 Vaporware Awards. Duke Nukem Forever has garnered the 'Lifetime Achievement Award,' so it doesn't - officially - make the list. Some of the lucky winners this year are: Alienware, Valve, Microsoft, Apple and TiVo."

Comments

My favorite piece of vaporware is GNU/HURD

[Anonymous Coward]

Seriously. Does anybody actually use the beta/alpha version of it for anything? RMS has been promising it for such a long time.. especially after Linux took the GNU team by surprise.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware is GNU/HURD

[m50d]

Yes. A friend had a fileserver running on it. More importantly, it is definitely non-vapor, in that the code is there and does work.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware is GNU/HURD

[The_Dougster]

I have it installed on my system also, although I don't recall booting it anytime recently. It does boot though. It has X, you can compile programs, I think it runs Emacs, it definately runs vi, there might even be a couple games ported to it now. It's a turtle, but definately not vaporware.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware is GNU/HURD

[Anonymous Coward]

I have a leaked copy of the source code to Duke Nuke 'em Forever. It doesn't do anything near to what it was supposed to do. It is in no way vapor! Anyhow, I'll share it here for all to see:

/* forever.c- FIXME: This file is not completed yet */
#include <stdio.h>

int main ()
{
/* Comment out below line before release -EDW */
printf ("Duke Nuke 'em Forever v0.001 Alpha Release\n");

/* Uncomment out below line when game is written */
/* main_loop (); */

return 0;
}

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware is GNU/HURD

[uebermts]

Well, HURD is about to reach V1.0 ... in the meantime, Linus wrote some other OS:

===
From: torva...@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Linus Benedict Torvalds)
Date: 5 Oct 91 05:41:06 GMT
Subject: Free minix-like kernel sources for 386-AT

[...]
I can (well, almost) hear you asking yourselves "why?". Hurd will be
out in a year (or two, or next month, who knows), and I've already got
minix.
[...]
===

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/comp.os.mini x/ msg/2194d253268b0a1b

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware is GNU/HURD

[grumbel]

### Does anybody actually use the beta/alpha version of it for anything?

I installed it over a year ago, worked without to much problems, sure not really production quality and a bit crashy here and there, but it there, not much complicated to install (at least not harder then gentoo) and basically works. Hardly vaporware, but sure neither much of a Linux-killer, however I found it more interesting to toy around with then any of the BSDs. And GNU/Hurds translators for sure are quite cool, Linux userspace-filesystems are still not quite there.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware is GNU/HURD

[fm6]

Yeah, they've been working on the GNU's Not Unix OS since 1983. (How many Slashdotters are older than that?) What's particularly pathetic is that everything except the kernel has been in place for something like 10 years. How long does it take to write a kernel? You can buy a poster with every line of source code for the Linux kernel. But of course, that's old old-fashioned macrokernel, only microkernels are cool...

No, what's really pathetic is that the HURD kernel has been in "final stages" since 2000 or so. How can we expect the industry to take "Free Software" seriously when the founder of the movement can't even complete such a simple project?

Compared to that, a video game that's six years behind schedule is nothing.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware is GNU/HURD

[barneyfoo]

I just beat soldier of fortune 2 using wine (free version).

Wine really works... so what? There aren't many proprietary applications linux users want to be using day in and day out anyway... move on.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware is GNU/HURD

[andreyw]

An operating system kernel is now "a simple project?" Especially one that breaches new territory in kernel design?

If HURD gets the vaporware award, then you get the dumbass award.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware is GNU/HURD

[andreyw]

And as an afterthought... Have you even ever *tried* writing a kernel?

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware is GNU/HURD

[Bri3D]

Hello...this IS Linux. Read Linus's semi-auto biography and you will see :-). Or use google...

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware is GNU/HURD

[fm6]

It was for Linus Thorvalds.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware is GNU/HURD

[andreyw]

First of all its "Torvalds," and secondly, it wasn't easy in the sense of 'any dumbass can write one.' Plus, a more attractive development model (read: less philosophising about theory... HURD really is more like a research project) and a more practical 'lets get this weird device to work' approach led to the effective relegation of the HURD to the boondocks. It [Linux] really is a simpler and straight-forwarder design too.

My first incarnation of EKP was a simple monolithic kernel and if I stuck with it I would be already porting GNU CC to it. Alas, my curiosity led me astray down the path of micro- and exo-kernels, so instead I am filling my garbage can with flawed designs.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware is GNU/HURD

[evilviper]

It's a turtle, but definately not vaporware.

I don't know about that... If a company promised me a flying car, and only turned out Geo Metros, saying they'll be able to fly one-day, I'd call it vaporware...

Where?

[AtariAmarok]

Where's my Atari 1450 XLD? Still waiting....

Re:Where?

[crow]

Oh, boy, did I ever want one of those.

If you look very closely at some of the photos in Creative Computing or Compute! you'll see that the alleged 1450XLD had a nameplate on it calling it a 1250XLD. My guess is that there was another earlier project that was canceled, and since they didn't have any of the new ones ready, they used photos of the old one.

Apparently there were a few 1400XLs that got out, but there's as rare as an 815.

Re:Where?

[isecore]

Or how about that fabled DOS-version where SysRq had some function?

I remember (well, not literally) how Microsoft put the pressure on IBM to add the SysRq-button on the keyboard. IBM sez "why?" and Microsoft says because they're gonna release some Voodoo-magic DOS that uses it.

I still don't understand why keyboard-makers actually put the SysRq-label on that button.

Re:Where?

[hesiod]

> I still don't understand why keyboard-makers actually put the SysRq-label on that button.

Or Pause/break. I haven't touched that key in years... since ctrl-break actually did something.

Re:Where?

[mmkkbb]

Windows-Pause brings up System Properties.

Re:Where?

[PDA_Monkey]

I often use pause to stop the bootup process long enough for me to review the BIOS output. In fact I did so just this Tuesday when upgrading my Mom's friend's computer RAM.

I also just found out today that Ctrl-Break will stop the build process in MS Visual Studio once it's begun.

Re:Where?

[isecore]

Windows-Pause brings up System Properties.

WOW! Now that's a keyboard shortcut that I have use for every day!

Re:Where?

[Carnildo]

Back in the days of MS-DOS games, the "Pause" key would -- guess what -- pause the game! A very useful feature.

Re:Where?

[Jaysyn]

It will also stop whatever you are doing in AutoCAD.

Jaysyn

Re:Where?

[flink]

During POST, hit the pause key unshifted to pause the process. Hit space to resume. I believe the Linux kernel also respects the pause key before it launces init. ctrl-break still sends a break, but ctrl-c is usually easier.

Re:Where?

[mmkkbb]

Oh, another driver developer, I see.

Re:Where?

[lordofthechia]

To heck with that, I still want my SEGA Neptune, I'm really tired of having to connect that clumsy 32 x to my Genesis to enjoy many of my 32x titles.

Re:Where?

[soft_guy]

At the time, I was in junior high and I had an Atari 400 with a 410 program recorder. We needed to upgrade and my parents decided that the 1450 XLD would be the right machine for us. My dad told me, "Find someplace that has one and I'll order it right away."

We spent a year waiting for that damn thing before we bought an 800XL and an Indus GT.

Damn right .. Still dont know what a TIVO does

[sundru]

Vaporware ..damn rt i still dont know what a TIVO does thats so different from any other service. :-)

Re:Damn right .. Still dont know what a TIVO does

[akac]

You sound like an Amish man looking at a BMW 5 series and saying "I still don't get it, what so different from any other horse?"

Sarge

[gihan_ripper]

Though they keep us hanging, Debian Sarge cannot be considered vapourware as Debian don't give release dates till they're good and ready.

(But I still want it now!)

Re:Sarge

[baryon351]

Technically as another poster replied, it is out now.

I do consider it 'released' as it was released the day it was created. It's been there for download & use for years.

While it's labelled "testing", and woody is the current "stable" in reality I find very little difference between the two. Both have been rock solid for me, although Sarge has had issues of the kind where a config file changes and there's unexpected behaviour, or a package will be updated from version 1.0 to 1.2 and change its behaviour simply by the way it works. That's life on ANY constantly updated operating system.

For most purposes I'd recommend Sarge as the normal, everyday Debian for people to use. It's kept updated, it works, it's solid, and the nice apt tools work fine. Stable is for people who need absolute consistency, those aiming for the five nines.

Debian needs better marketing in release names :). Don't let the moniker of "Stable" given to Woody make you think Sarge is inherently "Unstable" in the traditional sense. That's the job of Sid.

Re:Sarge

[Urban Garlic]

You may have it now. I've had it for weeks. The installation CDs are on the site, and you can point your apt-list at the "sarge" subtree, and have it on your system.

Of course, what you probably meant was that you want it to be finished with potential breakage from updates. I want that, too.

-- A.

Re:Sarge

[peterpi]

[this post is -1 Redundant]

I know you're only kidding, but Debian Sarge is out there right now. I spent all of today in front of a sarge desktop ssh-ed into a sarge server.

Don't be put off by the 'testing' label. Debian Sarge is the most stable linux distro I've used (Woody didn't like my laptop much)

Re:Sarge

[xenocide2]

Except that developers are even afraid of releasing anything dangerous into Sid, lest they break developer's guis or something. Hence the "experimental" distro. I've used sid for a long time and the only real problem I ever had was a bumpy transition from gnome 1.4 to the 2.x series. Even then, I still had something like twm to fall back on, and everything i needed still worked. I think that Debian really needs a push in the back to shake things up a bit. Part of the problem is that a lot of Debian is simply Done, and the Debian Developers mostly focus on scratching their own backs. For example, compare debian.org to alioth. I think a lot can be learned from the success of gentoo, but Debian leadership typically wants to handle the status quo. Basically, Debian needs better marketing in general.

You troll you.

[AtariAmarok]

Seriously, the Slashdot visual design ranks among the best, except for that category that immitates the "Aqua" look of white letters on a very pale background (cannot be read). If you want very bad, go to aintitcoolnews.com To read that site, you need to copy and paste text into a text editor.

Re:You troll you.

[Reignking]

Absolutely -- I was looking for something on Batman Begins, and IMDB didn't help much. So, I checked out aintitobnoxious yesterday, for about 1 minute. I couldn't wade through all of the crap...

Re:You troll you.

[AtariAmarok]

"both in content and in antiquated visual design"

If by antiquated, you mean "has legible text", so be it! It is antiquated in a good way, like Google is. "Modern" trends like lavender letters on maroon backgrounds leave something to be desired.

You troll you!

Apple and IBM should share credit

[Logic Bomb]

I think it's fair for Apple to be on the list with the 3 Ghz claim, though they should have shared the honor with IBM. After all, Apple was just going off whatever they were told by IBM's R&D folks.

Re:Apple and IBM should share credit

[FatherOfONe]

Are you sure that someone at IBM told Apple that?

They probably said something like "We could scale this chip up to 3GH by the end of the year if needed." Which ment something like "If you build a new fab, and invested BILLIONS of dollars we could probably get this thing up to 3Ghz."

At least we have a G5 laptop though :-)

Re:Apple and IBM should share credit

[catalupus]

Dunno about anywehere else, but at my place of employment, we want to see manufacturable silicon before we even design 3rd party products into our designs, let alone announce to the public.

Re:Apple and IBM should share credit

[johnpaul191]

the iTunes issues are purely a legal snag. nobody can tell what will happen when a bunch of lawyers go at it....... well we can guess time delays will happen. the technical aspect of opening iTMS in another country/region is minimal. if Apple sells online there, they could set up the store in no time.

it seems most of Apple's delays are component shortages. they try to keep things under wraps so they do not fall prey to other glitches. i guess in the past they also would try to time releases for MacWorlds or other big events instead of calling for a media event just to release something new.

Re:Apple and IBM should share credit

[mbbac]

Steve was so unlucky on that one. The one product he pre-announces turns out to be vaporware.

Re:Apple and IBM should share credit

[PhotoBoy]

Good point! It's unusual for Apple to have announced it like that. I guess that's why they're being extra careful this year and suing anyone talking about the new stuff being unveiled at Macworld! ;)

Re:Apple and IBM should share credit

[akac]

That's exactly what they did. IBM built a brand new fab specifically to build very fast 970s and other 13 nm and smaller chips.

That was the whole point.

Re:Apple and IBM should share credit

[UnknowingFool]

They probably said something like "We could scale this chip up to 3GH by the end of the year if needed." Which ment something like "If you build a new fab, and invested BILLIONS of dollars we could probably get this thing up to 3Ghz."

Scaling up an existing processor doesn't always mean building a new fab. Most of the time, an existing fab is modified. Even then, the modifications might be minor: new masks, new steps, etc.

Increasing the numbers of chips usually invovles a new fab. Sometimes chip companies do both at the same time by opening a new fab. For example, AMD might open a new fab to handle their latest version of their 64 bit. They could modify another fab to handle the new chip; however orders for their older chips have not diminished so they can't convert without hurting production of those chips. Now if they had an underutilized fab, they would convert.

Re:Apple and IBM should share credit

[Anonymous Coward]

"fab"

Fabrication plant. where chips are made.

Re:Apple and IBM should share credit

[justins]

I think it's fair for Apple to be on the list with the 3 Ghz claim, though they should have shared the honor with IBM. After all, Apple was just going off whatever they were told by IBM's R&D folks.

What makes you believe that? It's Steve Jobs who has the "reality distortion field" reputation, not IBM microelectronics.

I'm sure they'd like to blame IBM, of course.

Re:Apple and IBM should share credit

[FatherOfONe]

Ok then where are the 3Ghz chips? They should have been here 6 months ago according to the article. It is one of a few possibilites.
1. Steve lied to everyone.
2. They can't do it.
3. They can do it but won't for some reason.

Lets assume it is option 3 above. What do you think their reason is for not giving out faster machines? Are the ones they have now selling great? Are they stuck in the channel and they want to clear out all the 2.x Ghz machines first? If so then wouln't 6 months be long enough?

Now please understand that I am a HUGE PPC fan and want nothing more than to see the PPC crush all X86 chips out there, but I am a bit skeptical about the future of PPC in PC's. I know first hand that Apple HATES putting two processors in their systems just to be competitive witht the X86 machines.

I would also be curious to see what will happen if the difference in performance gets worse than it is now. Specifically now that Intel has jumped on the X86-64 bandwangon and will start to focus their efforts on that chip, and AMD is not sitting still. I also wonder what the heck is in it for IBM? Granted their server chips will get better, but I can't see them caring much about the desktop market, and thus they will end up screwing Apple.

Lastly I wonder how long it will be before we see an X86-64 Macintosh. It will be a sad day but if the difference in performance continues to grow then they will be forced to do something, and shipping four way boxes isn't the answer...

I almost wonder if Sun/AMD/Apple should merge in to one company. Heck throw Novell in there as well.

Re:Apple and IBM should share credit

[new500]

Ok then where are the 3Ghz chips? They should have been here 6 months ago according to the article. It is one of a few possibilites.
1. Steve lied to everyone.
2. They can't do it.
3. They can do it but won't for some reason.

Lets assume it is option 3 above. What do you think their reason is for not giving out faster machines? Are the ones they have now selling great? Are they stuck in the channel and they want to clear out all the 2.x Ghz machines first? If so then wouln't 6 months be long enough?

Actually, from my reading of Apple history, I'd say it was #1 as well as #3.

. . .

== Attr. Winston Churchill : "The truth should at all times be accompanied by a bodyguard of lies". But I bet some advertising guy said it first. ==

My favorite quote:

[Anonymous Coward]

Somewhere, Microsoft programmers are spending their entire careers on a single piece of vaporware

That must be depressing...

Re:My favorite quote:

[MPHellwig]

Mine was near there: Steven "Harley" Davidson said, "If Microsoft keeps on pushing back the dates for Longhorn and removing features from it, they might as well just promise to bundle Duke Nukem Forever with the OS."

Re:My favorite quote:

[Omega]

My favorite is:

Microsoft's successor to Windows XP was originally promised to ship in 2004, though the company subsequently pushed the launch date to 3015 or something. Obviously, Microsoft won't be able to finish the code until it's had a peek at Apple's forthcoming Tiger.

Ahh, saying what we're all thinking... :)

Re:My favorite quote:

[sootman]

And Wired got that joke from Apple itself (themselves?) at last summer's WWDC.

Re:My favorite quote:

[McLoud]

Ja! And to just to quote it a bit more and make it the complete joke:

Bill Restemeyer suggested it be renamed "Longwait."

Maybe the horn is so big that will take ages to grow ? Wondering in whom's head it is...

Re:My favorite quote:

[Mshift2x]

What's even worse, is that the successor they're talking about is blackcomb (the successor to longhorn). Longhorn was supposed to be an intermediate release which was to be out in 2002. so much for time tables.

Re:My favorite quote:

[michaeldot]

Surprised the fanbois haven't modded you Troll!

But copying Tiger is far too recent for a 2006 release. Last Avalon demonstration I saw, the audience was still oohing and ahhing over the MS geekgirl's demo of double buffered alpha-channeled windows.

They're still working on the 2001 technology, my friend.

What is the min delay for vaporware?

[shawn(at)fsu]

#10 lists the product from Alienware that was supposed to be delivered in Q4 2004 (If I read it right). My question is this: How long must something be delayed to be considered vaporware? Obviously products like Duke Nukem and the Phantom qualify but what is the minimum amount of time needed?

Even if I was mistaken on #10 I still would like to hear what you all think.

Re:What is the min delay for vaporware?

[Ansonmont]

I would say a one quarter delay doesn't really make it vaporware, just a bit late. We'll see if it transitions to true vapor status though.
-A

Re:What is the min delay for vaporware?

[ShamusYoung]

As I've always understood it, "Vaporware" refers to products that do not exist, and are thus all "vapor" and hype. Once you show a demo or have a working model that does what you claimed it would do from the outset, it ought not be called Vaporware, even if it has been delayed.

DNF is a great example, since after a decade we havn't even seen a working demo, a gameplay video, or even any (recent) screenshots. I think labeling products as "vaporware" when they are just late is a bit unfair. Many products miss ship dates and experience delays, but it takes a special kind of bastard to start a marketing campaign before they've even written a line of code or built a prototype.

Re:What is the min delay for vaporware?

[aztektum]

Other than Longhorn and Valve's new TF game, all these products at some point were supposedly going to be on shelves in 2004. I wouldn't say this list is a "Most Vaporous of All-Time" thing. Just the biggest entries promised in 2004 that never materialized.

Re:What is the min delay for vaporware?

[phillymjs]

As I've always understood it, "Vaporware" refers to products that do not exist, and are thus all "vapor" and hype. Once you show a demo or have a working model that does what you claimed it would do from the outset, it ought not be called Vaporware, even if it has been delayed.

No. Anybody can fake up working model and/or show a rigged demo. Even an officially-released product is technically vaporware until it ends up in the hands of at least one customer.

~Philly

Re:What is the min delay for vaporware?

[AviLazar]

but what if nobody wants to buy it? Is it still vapor ware or is it considered shitty ware?

Re:What is the min delay for vaporware?

[rsmith-mac]

At this point, the definition of Vaperware is going to be splitting hairs. Alienware is no longer going to produce a Video Array solution on their own, as Nvidia's SLI was announced after VA was, and for obvious technical/practical reasons, Alienware has adopted SLI and dropped end-user VA. At this point, all they're doing is shopping around, seeing if any video card company is interested in the tech(ATI, anyone?). So is something vaporware if it's replaced by a better technology ahead of time? The answer to that is going to be the answer on if it's Vaporware or not.

Re:What is the min delay for vaporware?

[Anonymous Coward]

Vaporware and shitty ware combine to... fart ware!

Re:What is the min delay for vaporware?

[KevinIsOwn]

As long as it is released it is no longer vaporware. Wired points out in one of its editions regarding vaporware that even if everyone thinks the item released is a gigantic piece of crap, it cannot be regarded as vaporware anymore.

Re:What is the min delay for vaporware?

[rbullo]

No matter how bad something is, somebody will buy it. I can assure you that somebody bought tickets to a certain movie that was "so bad, it's good"(I would give a name, but I forgot how to spell it).

Re:What is the min delay for vaporware?

[TheRaven64]

DNF is a great example, since after a decade we havn't even seen a working demo, a gameplay video, or even any (recent) screenshots.

Actually, I recall seeing a rolling demo of it a few years back. At that time, it was based on the Max Payne engine. I think it's (allegedly) changed engines twice since then, and still seems no closer to completion.

Re:What is the min delay for vaporware?

[charleste]

I think the parent is refering to actual working demos/prototypes based on the actual design. Not the "smoke and mirrors" so commonly used to get funding. Most often, these are "built" just for the dog and pony show, and often have had no design/architecture in place. It is just for The Big Shew.

Re:What is the min delay for vaporware?

[jandrese]

No, Daikatana is not vaporware anymore. QED.

Re:What is the min delay for vaporware?

[iabervon]

That's not as bad as TiVoToGo being #4, despite having already been released only a few days outside the specified window. And the X800 got #5 despite being scheduled to be in transit at press time and having previously available to reviewers.

Re:What is the min delay for vaporware?

[That's Unpossible!]

underware

Re:What is the min delay for vaporware?

[BrynM]

No. Anybody can fake up working model and/or show a rigged demo. Even an officially-released product is technically vaporware until it ends up in the hands of at least one customer.

Fine Example: Duke Nukem Forever Screenshots

Re:What is the min delay for vaporware?

[xenocide2]

Valve's new TF game was supposed to be on shelves in 2000 or so. Remember, Halflife is now five years old. I guess they spent to much time and effort on their HL mod community (Counter-Strike, Day of Defeat, Gunman Chronicles (wtf)) that it just wasn't as profitable to do something with TF2.

Re:What is the min delay for vaporware?

[kisrael]

Do we suspect there are any programmers actually working on it? When does it move from vaporware to cancelled project? Does there have to be an official announcement?

Re:What is the min delay for vaporware?

[Lars T.]

Well, apart from merely existing, it should also do something resembling what was promised, shouldn't it?

Re:What is the min delay for vaporware?

[endx7]

I got the impression from the article that the alienware product was supposed to be demo'd at E3 too, but wasn't. Not showing a product at E3 does lend some vapor to the product.

However, it could just be 2 months late along the entire time line. This would make them miss their E3 appearance...and then later miss their release deadline.

Or it could be vapor. I have no idea.

Re:What is the min delay for vaporware?

[rsmith-mac]

Will you marry me?

How much money do you have? ;-)

Wired!!

[sameerdesai]

Wow another Wired news!! Wow they got that free subscription going to use eh!!

Yes, I am Karma whoring.

[Ssbe]

10. Alienware's Video Array
9. Intel's Pentium 4 at 4 GHz
8. Apple Computer's G5 Chips at 3 GHz
7. Team Fortress 2: Brotherhood of Arms
6. Gran Turismo 4
5. ATI's Radeon X800 series of video cards
4. TiVoToGo
3. Microsoft's Longhorn
2. CherryOS
1. Phantom Game Console

Re:Yes, I am Karma whoring.

[Valafar]

The only one that doesn't make sense is #5. I have an x800.. So unless I'm in an alternate universe, that's a bogus claim.

Re:Yes, I am Karma whoring.

[SoVeryWrong]

I think it was more of a tongue-in-cheek addition more than anything else. They're not really vaporware, but production seems to be really really slow.

Re:Yes, I am Karma whoring.

[Nogami_Saeko]

I don't know where they got #5 from... I'm running an X800 right now and I didn't have any problem finding one / buying one.

I was under the impression that for something to be vaporware, it had to be almost completely unavailable. Going into a local computer store and picking up one off the shelf would seem to negate this...

N.

Re:Yes, I am Karma whoring.

[BobPaul]

5. ATI's Radeon X800 series of video cards

Vaporware?... Um, Hello??

Newegg has 1 out of 20 manufactures in stock... can you /really/ call that vaporware??

Re:Yes, I am Karma whoring.

[endx7]

Thanks for the completely useless link.

Let's try a link that works.

Re:Yes, I am Karma whoring.

[endx7]

On second thought, the first link works, it just takes forever to load.

As in > 2 minutes.

You can't possibly expect me to wait that long!

Re:Yes, I am Karma whoring.

[BobPaul]

yeah, but it doesn't seem to link to what it used to link to, probably a cookie or form issue... I had done a search on "X800 XT" and meant to post the results. It worked when I clicked it immediately after posting, but I also hadn't closed firefox since running the intial search...

Your link is significantly better.

Bah!

[OECD]

They're not really handing out any awards! They're just making it up!

Re:Bah!

[gstoddart]

They're not really handing out any awards! They're just making it up!

No. Honestly. A friend works work them and he assures me they'll be handing out the awards real soon now. ;-)

Re:Bah!

[mrjb]

> They're not really handing out any awards! They're just making it up!

Hey, what did you expect? They're *vaporware* awards.

Re:Bah!

[Tharian]

Myabe they're just waiting for the recipients to arrive and actually give acceptance speeches before they start handing out the awards?

This years winners are..

[Anonymous Coward]

And this years price for the "Worst Article and Poor journalism" -award goes to... Wired!

Also special commendation on "How to build a website almost rivaling Geocities in how horrible it looks like" -award goes to Wired!

Re:This years winners are..

[grub]

"How to build a website almost rivaling Geocities in how horrible it looks like"

Nahhh, I don't think Wired is close yet. Wait until they start embedding MIDI music and have l337 animated flaming skulls. Then we can talk.

Kind of sad: Alienware?!?

[revery]

Apparently your product is now vaporware if it slips a quarter. I think by that definition every computer game I've ever played has at some point been vaporware...

--
Was it the sheep climbing onto the altar, or the cattle lowing to be slain,
or the Son of God hanging dead and bloodied on a cross that told me this was a world condemned, but loved and bought with blood.

Re:Kind of sad: Alienware?!?

[Snowbeam]

Ummm... yea! Stop stating the obvious.

Re:Kind of sad: Alienware?!?

[EvilOpie]

Yeah, I agree. Maybe they are hurting for things to call vaporware though. I mean they say that TiVoToGo was released on January 3rd, so they called it vaporware for 2004. 3 days late...

I always thought that vaporware implied that the product either didn't exist, or wasn't even close to shipping. So taking a product from non-existent to shipping in 3 days is quite a feat.

Then again (and it surprised me to see a definition for this already) Merriam-Webster defines vaporware as a new computer-related product that has been widely advertised but is not yet available . But even by that definition, TiVoToGo would not be vaporware since it has been shipped before the article was written. Ah well... now I'm just getting to the point of splitting hairs I guess.

Re:Kind of sad: Alienware?!?

[Bastian]

Apparently. Especially since two of the items on their list are on the market right now - GT4 just came out in Japan, and TivoToGo has been out since the beginning of this week.

Re:Kind of sad: Alienware?!?

[stratjakt]

I have a friend with an ATI Radeon X800 card, he's had it a few weeks, and he bought it from some retailer, it's not a review or engineering sample, it's an actual card.

Apparently being really hard-to-find and expensive makes it vaporware.

Re:Kind of sad: Alienware?!?

[almostmanda]

They asked for nominations/votes about two weeks ago--TivoToGo was still vaporware at that point. The rankings are based on how many people write in about it. I think people are inclined to declare vaporware based on not only the timeliness of a product but the demand as well. It doesn't matter if it's only a quarter late..if a company gives an October release date, rabid fans expect it in October, and they get kinda pissed when it's not out.

Company Lifetime Achievement Award

[gmuslera]

This year they should give that award to Microsoft. 3DRealms are there just because Duke Nukem Forever, a single vaporware product, but Microsoft still making big merits since more than a decade ago (the WinFS in particular have a history that goes back to '94 and maybe earlier) and with most of the "big" announced features.

Also could be fit in the "vaporware" realm some of their claims, i.e. the "safe" feature is strongly attached to any of their products, be windows 95, internet explorer from the firsts versions, office, servers, etc).

Re:Company Lifetime Achievement Award

[Timesprout]

Actually using this logic Desktop Linux wins hands down. Every year its arrival is trumpeted yet we still wait.

Re:Company Lifetime Achievement Award

[Daniel Dvorkin]

Actually using this logic Desktop Linux wins hands down. Every year its arrival is trumpeted yet we still wait.

There's a difference, though. The Year Of Linux On The Desktop(tm) is something that users and pundits keep predicting, not something any one company, or even any group of companies, is promising. In fact, there are a number of distros which meet the requirements for a usable desktop OS, and this has been the case for a couple of years now; if these fail to live up to people's inflated expectations for commercial success, that's the fault of the people with the expectations, not the fault of the people delivering the (very solid) products. This is utterly different from Microsoft's continual promises of secure, stable, feature-rich software that always seems to be Right Around The Corner.

Re:Company Lifetime Achievement Award

[Kurt Gray]

What makes 3DRealms special is that they have tantalized all of us with something we actually wanted, there was market demand, unlike Microsoft's vaporous offerings which usually no one is asking for and no one cares about.

Re:Company Lifetime Achievement Award

[Waffle Iron]

You'd have to give the award to the users who don't bother to switch, not the OS. I've been using Linux as a desktop for years.

Re:Company Lifetime Achievement Award

[Chandon Seldon]

I'm running desktop linux. Works for me.

Based on user submissions, eh?

[Anonymous Coward]

WAAAA! Your promised me I could buy $piece_of_crap by Q4 2004. Its already January 7th of 2005! Oh, the humanity!
IWANIT!!IWANIT!!IWANIT!!IWANIT!!IWANIT! !IWANIT!!IW ANIT!!IWANIT!!IWANIT!!IWANIT!!IWANIT!!IWANIT!! /spoiled brat mode

who cares...

Re:Based on user submissions, eh?

[rynthetyn]

Besides, I know of at least some companies who's Q4 ends January 31st. That means that products that are promised in Q4 2004 could still have 24 days to materialize. They aren't even technically vaporware yet.

Award for Default Secure Windows?

[NoSuchGuy]

Where is the award for a default secure windows?

Longhorn

[mislinux]

I went to the movie theater to watch the 2nd Matrix movie the day it came out (so that tells you about the time it was) and there was a guy running Longhorn on his laptop. Me and an ECE friend of mine went over to ask him about it. He was raving how great it was and blah blah blah. My friend asked him, "So what's different about it, beside the GUI?" And this guy was like, "Um...it is just neat, and you don't have it." Cause it was without the new file system (which won't be on longhorn anyway) and without a ton of stuff. But it did look pretty...pretty confusing. Stuff was everyone. The desktop looked like a dumping ground. Taskbar at the bottom. Some kind of toolbar on the side, similar to Mac's toolbar at the bottom, and then some other media toolbar. Just cluttered. And so we asked him to show us some stuff. There was nothing. So I was thinking about it. All it really didn't have was the newest Media Player and the new file system. Well now you can download the newest media player and they aren't adding the new file system, so I guess in 2006, they will release basically the same version that guy had back two years ago. LOL!!

Re:Longhorn

[Shiftlock]

Here's a link to some Longhorn screenshots, for those that have not seen it.

Re:Longhorn

[RzUpAnmsCwrds]

You were probably looking at one of the early Longhorn builds, which were remarkably similar to XP. The WinHEC build is much more "out there".

Compared to XP, current Longhorn betas have:

- A considerably updated Explorer UI
- An entirely new, GUI-based installer
- A new Plug-N-Play system
- A new 3D accelerated GDI
- A new search system (yes, WinFS is in the betas and it will be in the final Longhorn release - just not the network component)
- Better filtering and grouping in the GUI
- A new notification system
- Contact and hardware viewing in the browser

I don't get why Intel and Apple are on the list

[antifoidulus]

for not meeting their projected processor speed targets. Granted, they were over-hyped but the real reason they did not meet the targets is because both Intel and IBM ran into a lot of unforseen roadblocks when they went to 90 nm technology. I would hardly call that "vaporware".
Unlike Duke Nukem Forever, they were both going into uncharted waters, and it's really no surprise that they didn't make it to their destination as fast as they had wanted to....

They Forgot

[JamesP]

I think that copy protection scheme that said the CD "contained no Vapourware" shoud have been awarded something.

Hey, at least they DIDN't have Vapourware.

Elite 4

[The_Dougster]

David Braben and Frontier Development Inc., have been dangling this tasty morsel before us poor space sim fans for some years now.

What is it about the unlucky version 4? Duke Nukem 4ever -- Elite 4(ever)? Maybe version 4 should be skipped entirely by software developers.

Re:Elite 4

[jimicus]

What is it about the unlucky version 4? Duke Nukem 4ever -- Elite 4(ever)? Maybe version 4 should be skipped entirely by software developers.

Microsoft did. Windows 3.11 to Windows '95, anyone?

Re:Elite 4

[sootman]

Skipping 4 might not be enough--Windows went from 3 to 95, just to be extra-extra safe, and look where it got them. They didn't make any real progress until they skipped 99 through 1999.

After that, the numbers got so high they jumped to a base-36 system (0-9,A-Z) with XP. (Ha ha, just kidding. 'XP' is only 1,213 in base-36. I don't really know where XP came from. But they obviously need to get back up above 2000 if they want to get anywhere.)

Re:Elite 4

[panaceaa]

No no, you have it all wrong. In 2003 they jumped to a base-1305 system. XP actually stands for 31338. Yes, that's right: it's beyond elite.

Re:Elite 4

[panaceaa]

My math was wrong. XP base 1305 is 31336. It's not even elite :(.

That's it, I'm switching to Linux.

Re:Elite 4

[ip_fired]

That's hilarious. If I ever got mod points (which I haven't for months..what the heck is going on /.) I'd mod you up :).

Re:Elite 4

[TheRaven64]

MS went through a whole phase of skipping version 4 products. They went from Windows 3 to 3.1, to 3.11, to 95. They went from DirectX 3, to 3a, to 5 (maybe via 3b). MS Word jumped straight from version 2 to version 6. Interestingly (or not) Psion did the same thing, releasing a Series 3, a 3s, a 3a, a 3c, a 3mx and a Series 5.

In Microsoft's case, I suspect it was just a bad association with the number 4 from the old DOS days (remember DOS 4? Remember being told to stick with 3.x and wait for 5.x?), but it may also have had something to do with catering for the Japanese market - in Japan the number 4 is associated with death, and is considered unlucky. They seem to take this quite seriously - when I was over there I noticed that chop sticks were on sale in packs of 2 or 5 (when are 5 chop sticks ever useful?) to avoid packaging them in packs of 4.

Re:Elite 4

[DrWhizBang]

Ha ha, just kidding. 'XP' is only 1,213 in base-36

ah, but if they were using a base 128 system (a la ASCII) then it would be 11344. Definitely more version inflastion than 490 in Roman numerals, (if the scribe slipped up a little on the "P")

On second thought, no, I've got no idea what they were thinking.

Re:Elite 4

[jd]

The original Elite was a work of sheer genius, combining unique elements, an unheard-of split-resolution mechanism, a staggering level of complexity and microscopic binaries by today's standards.

Virus and Virus 2000 showed a lot of the phenominal mind of David Braben, with impressive graphics and a complex realistic flying system.

In addition to that, he's one of the VERY few coder/designer/CEOs who ALSO are willing to spend the time answering people's questions on USENET. He also ran a survey to see if there was interest in a Linux version of Elite, at the request of fans. That kind of response is rare, but very much appreciated.

Unfortunately, Braben's promises of Elite 4, the debacles over Frontier and FFE, the failure to market Virus 2000 in the US, allegations that he was involved in the killing-off of the clone "Elite: The New Kind", alleged harassment of Ian Bell over his Elite website, etc, suggest that there is a less welcome side to his character.

Most of these are beyond fixing today. Elite 4 is not. But people won't remember the Elite series forever. There's only so big a timeframe to operate in. If he needs help, ideas, support, whatever - that's fine, we can all understand that, but he's not going to get any of those if he doesn't ask, and he might well not get as good as is there, if he's seen as secretive and hostile.

Elite 4 is vaporware, right now, and one of the worst examples of it. If it's done right, though, AND released, it could be a serious killer app in the games market. Even if it's "perfect" and the ultimate product ever written, nobody is going to care if they can't ever see it.

Re:Elite 4

[cpeterso]

5 chopsticks would be useful if you had 2, but 1 broke. If you could buy odd lots, you would not have to throw out the perfectly good unmatched chopstick! :)

Re:Elite 4

[zemoo]

It means you read Slashdot too much: if you do, you'll never get mod points (from the FAQ). Try taking a 1 week break, when you come back you'll probably have points.

Re:Elite 4

[ThousandStars]

MS Word jumped straight from version 2 to version 6.

Much as I like to bash Microsoft and see them based, this isn't fair. The Mac version went up to 5.1, which MS ported, and thus christened the new Windows version 6.

Re:Elite 4

[taernim]

I know you're joking, but XP actually comes from eXPerience.

Hence, the Windows Experience. :-)

Re:Elite 4

[toddestan]

Well, there is Windows NT 4.0. Whatever that says about the NT line of products, I don't know.

Re:Elite 4

[thoth]

Just in case anybody is curious about this... one of the ways to say 4 in Japanese is "shi". The verb "to die" is "shinu". Thus, the number 4 can sound like the verb "to die".

Well, that's superstition for you!

Re:Say what you will about /. design...

[Thud457]

Re: Aintitcool

Talk about vaporware! Interestingly enough, the site has news of a new Buckaroo Banzai book coming out. Where's "Buckaroo Banzai vs The World Crime League"?!!! That's got DNF beat by an order of magnitude!

Soundtrack issues

[DxM02r]

I secretly think Duke Nuke 'Em has been waiting for the forthcoming Guns and Roses CD as it's soundtrack...I blame Axl...

Radeon x800 Mac Edition...

[Trurl's Machine]

...is to be showcased at MacWorld San Francisco next week, at ATI's own booth (#2217). Personally I'm more anxious to see it that all the alleged "headless eMacs" and "80G iPods". I'm not sure if you can call it vaporware, it was rather a product that missed its deadline for a couple of weeks (and since it was mid-December, availability was delayed to early January).

I resent this!

[elecngnr]

For the CherryOS award, the Wired article stated:

In October, a hitherto-unknown Hawaiian company, Maui X-Stream, rocked the tech world with news of CherryOS, a Mac emulator for Windows PCs that supposedly ran wicked fast and cost only $50. The software was offered as a download, but the stampeding hordes of closet Apple lovers at Slashdot crashed the servers before anyone could get it.

I resent being called a closet Apple lover....I am in fact a flaming Apple lover.

Re:I resent this!

[ViolentGreen]

Well true Apple lovers would have no need to emulate the PPC. Only the closet apple lovers would.

Re:I resent this!

[nkh]

But CherryOS does exist! You can download it for free here. If what is said is true, it's just a modified version of PearPC.

Duke Nukem Forever?

[El_Smack]

DN4 would be nice, but I'm still waiting for a *working* copy of BattleCruiser 3000 AD.
Working being the operative word here.

In other news....

[mstefanus]

Alienware CPU with Intel Pentium 4 4GHz, 2 ATI X800 video cards with Alienware Video Array enabled, running Microsoft Longhorn bundled with Duke Nukem Forever & Cherry OS (Capable of emulating Power PC G5 3GHz) will be available shortly* in computer stores near you...

*) Time is relative

P.S.: There are rumours that if you buy two, you will get the Phantom console for free.

Re:In other news....

[Momoru]

Dont forget that you can also use TivoToGo on that system, so you can watch all the shows you Tivo'ed while playing Gran Turismo 4.

Secret of Vulcan Fury

[Genady]

I'm still waiting for The Secret of Vulcan Fury. Okay so they put the Trekies out out our misery and cancelled it, but still, this looks better than any old dumb Duke Nukem.

Vaporware?

[Titusdot Groan]

Alienware slips by a quarter? Apple and Intel under deliver by a few hundred Mhz?

They were *really* stretching to get this list to 10 ... I guess things are pretty good in the world of vaporware given the bottom 3.

Re:Vaporware?

[ThousandStars]

Apple and Intel under deliver by a few hundred Mhz?

It's not the failure to delivery by 500 Mhz -- or, in other words, make a product more than 20% faster than their current high-end -- it's the grandiose promise in conjunction wtih the sheepish failure to deliver that makes Apple in particular deserve that vapor award.

Re:Vaporware?

[stonedonkey]

I tend to agree, considering that Gran Turismo 4 is out in Japan and has preview builds circulating in the States.

#1 Phantom spotted at CES

[bstadil]

Apparently a working? unit is being presented at the CES going on in Las Vegas right now

Link to Story

Re:#1 Phantom spotted at CES

[DeeFresh]

Although that article you linked to claimed that it was running games, another site says that the console was never plugged in during CES. Link to Article here

The article does mention that the Phantom was part of a display for Windows Embedded Devices, which I guess means someone at Microsoft has seen this thing running, but it still seems a little suspicious to me.

Re:#1 Phantom spotted at CES

[Cybervoid]

It was there last year too, but the only news I ever hear about it are lawsuits and money problems, no release date.

Re:#1 Phantom spotted at CES

[DrWhizBang]

The headline from the article you linked:

Phantom is unveiled at CES - sort of
Rob Fahey 14:43 09/01/2004

It seems you're looking at an article about last year's CES. Compare the photos in the articles - definitely not this year's box.

Well, it's the thought that counts...

Re:#1 Phantom spotted at CES

[rayde]

check the dates. Your article is from 09/01/2004, while today is 7 January 2005. I believe your article is referring to CES 2004, not this year's Expo.

Alienware and 4MHz Pentium

[91degrees]

Okay, these are both a little late, but isn't it a little unfair to call them vaporware? I mean, we can expect to see them eventually (at least the 4MHz CPU), and a delay of about 3 months is nothing like the delay we've suffered waiting for the Phantom. They wouldn't have qualified for these awards if their release date was Q2, and they just came out. Surely an annual award should wait for at least most of a year for a delay.

Re:Alienware and 4MHz Pentium

[Harassed]

I had a 4MHz PC in about 1990. It was a Tulip machine with an NEC V20 processor running at (iirc) 4.88MHz with a whole 20MB hard drive...

Re:Alienware and 4MHz Pentium

[91degrees]

Doh! I'm showing my age. I keep getting my M's and G's mixed up.

Re:Alienware and 4MHz Pentium

[Martin Blank]

You'd have to seriously underclock your system to get a 4MHz Pentium anything. Did you find some hidden 1/400 multiplier in your BIOS?

Alienware..

[Loco3KGT]

Seems to me that giving a vaporware award to something due out in Q4 2004 is a bit harsh. "Shit happens".

It is official: Amiga is dead

[tmk]

Kast year was AmigaOS 4 vapourware number 9. This year there is still no release of the new OS for Amiga, but it is not on the list anymore.

When Amiga can not even produce vapourware, the legend is gone.

Re:It is official: Amiga is dead

[macdaddy357]

It's official? Has Netcraft confirmed it?

Four is unlucky... IN JAPAN!

[tepples]

Maybe version 4 should be skipped entirely by software developers.

A Japanese word for "four" is shi, which sounds like the word for "death". Japanese fear of four seems to parallel American fear of thirteen, where American casinos often do not offer any gambling on the unpopular thirteenth floor of a building.

Re:TivoToGo

[echocharlie]

According to Tivo Newsletter 62 which I received yesterday:

TiVoToGo Has Arrived!
So you want to transfer your recorded programs to your PC so you can watch them anywhere, right? Done! As part of your regular paid TiVo service subscription, all TiVo Series2? boxes -- except those with DVD recorders -- will be automatically updated through a scheduled rollout process to include TiVoToGo?, a brand-new home media feature only available with TiVo service! Remember: you'll need to have your TiVo box connected to your home network for this feature to work.

• In fact, some of you may have it already. You can find out if you've received the new software update here.
• If you haven't but are jonesin', add your name to the priority list so we know you're ready-and-waiting.

Learn more about the TiVoToGo feature.

Coming soon! Build your own media library by burning TiVoToGo transferred shows to DVD with the purchase of Sonic's MyDVD software. TiVo subscribers can try it free on or around 1/15/05. Sign up now to be notified when the free trial is available.

More Useful Links:
TivoToGo
Tivo Newsletter subscription

ATI x800 xt

[craw]

ATI's Press Release

Okay, so this is technically 2005 and the awards were for 2004.

WMD ?

[Blarfy_Snarflepoop]

They were promised - and no one's seen them!

Is anyone really working on a new duke3d?!

[Anita Coney]

How long does it really take to make a 3d game when you're using someone elses engine?! First, it was supposed to use the Quake 2 engine. Then it switched over to the Unreal engine. It must have switched again because the Unreal engine is ancient by any standard.

My guess is that the owners of 3D Realms have enough money where they just don't give a rat's ass.

Does anyone here actually work for 3D Realms?! What's going on over there?!

Re:Is anyone really working on a new duke3d?!

[me at werk]

All I can hope is that it's working on the Unreal 3 engine, because by the time it comes out, everyone's computer will handle it at 1000 FPS.

And here's an Engine Demonstration.

Re:Is anyone really working on a new duke3d?!

[Anonymous Coward]

just go to the 3drealms forum. there is one guy (George something) that talks about development from time to time.

so yes, they still are working on it. this is no excuse for the length of delay (nearly 10 years now), but you have to keep in mind what duke3d was. it was not just another typical FPS. in fact, it had more going on than the first half-life did really. there was the shrink ray, freeze ray, jet pack, pipe bombs, etc. etc.

the engine is actually a very very minor part of it. when duke3d first came out, it was competing more-or-less with the first quake. despite duke3d being a 2.5D game vs. quake's true 3D... duke3d was much more fun (until quakeworld and mods, at least).

i'm hopeful that we will see another duke nukem within the next 2-3 years. the only bad thing is that no matter how kickass it will be (and trust me... it will be kickass), it will never be able to live up to the hype. i can already see people saying "i've waited this long for this?!"

Re:Is anyone really working on a new duke3d?!

[Reality Master 101]

It is really crazyness. The press release for using the Quake 2 engine was FREAKING *APRIL 30, 1997* (3D Realms no longer has the press release on their web site, heh). And presumably they were working on it before that to some extent, so we're talking EIGHT YEARS.

I suspect the deal is that they want to have the "best game ever", and every time they get close, some game comes out that is better than what they have. So they trash it and start over.

How much you want to bet that there is discussion to trash it yet again with the release of Half Life II?

Re:Is anyone really working on a new duke3d?!

[Anita Coney]

Oh I agree that Duke3d was great. Probably the most fun FPS ever. If I owned Realms I'd re-release the original game using a more modern engine, e.g., the Q3 engine.

Practically everyone who owned/played the original would buy it. And it would whet our appetite for the new game.

Re:Is anyone really working on a new duke3d?!

[Eraser_]

While I agree, I would buy it, just what we need, another excuse for a delay. Worse yet, two promised games to keep the gamers drooling! ;-)

Re:Is anyone really working on a new duke3d?!

[Anita Coney]

Well, I certainly don't think 3d Realms should produce the new version of the classic game. I'd outsource it to a third party so it'd actually get done.

Re:Is anyone really working on a new duke3d?!

[FrostedWheat]

Duke3D was open sourced some time ago. So a dedicated group of people could probably do that. Maybe they already have, I've not looked lately. I was happy enough to get a native Linux version.

Re:Is anyone really working on a new duke3d?!

[lordofthechia]

quote:"I suspect the deal is that they want to have the "best game ever", and every time they get close, some game comes out that is better than what they have. So they trash it and start over."

If that's the case, I wonder if it will get released as a MMORPG/FPS.

Re:Is anyone really working on a new duke3d?!

[Tongo]

I would buy it in a heartbeat. Duke3D was my all time favorite FPS.

Book of Apple, Chapter 4, Verses 16 to 20

[inertia187]

"Then did St. Steve raise on high the Holy G5 of Cupertino, saying, 'Bless this, O Lord, that with it thou mayst blow thine Dell enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy.' And the people did rejoice and did feast upon the renderings of lambs and toads and tree sloths and fruit bats and orangutans and lickable icons.... Now did the Lord say, 'Thou in 12 months, thou must count to three. Three shall be the number of the GHz and the number of the GHz shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither shalt thou count two-point-five, excepting that thou then proceedeth to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the number of the GHz, be reached, then thine will be great and powerful in my sight, however if thou shall have more than one button on thou mouse, who, being naughty in my sight, shall snuff thine's life.'"

Irony

[patonw]

Would anyone find it ironic if Wired hyped their vaporware awards for an entire year and didn't come out with one that year?

Re:Irony

[gstoddart]

Would anyone find it ironic if Wired hyped their vaporware awards for an entire year and didn't come out with one that year?

More importantly .... would anyone care or notice?

Re:Irony

[Dun Malg]

Would anyone find it ironic if Wired hyped their vaporware awards for an entire year and didn't come out with one that year?

Finally, someone who knows how irony works! All you wieners out there who think you know what it means, but don't, take notice! The parent post is an example of irony!

Where is whereisphanom.com?

[Hrodvitnir]

Did we just slashdot whereisphantom.com through Wired?

Slashborg: You will be assimilated into our everlasting quest to bring down small websites.

Re:Where is whereisphanom.com?

[immortalpob]

Either yes or it is in fact a phantom site.

AmigaOS 4 now has a 3rd public beta in the wild

[amigabill]

Uhm, OS4 beta is available to the public now. So is an update. And so is a second update as of December. So while it's not a "final" release, the public beta is being used by people who have an AmigaOne motherboard. (PowerPC CPU, PCI, AGP, USB, PS.2 keyboard/mouse, etc)

So with normal people not in the private beta program using AmigaOS 4 now, it may not qualify for this list anymore? I'm not sure what the nitty gritty details of public beta vs final release are...

Re:AmigaOS 4 now has a 3rd public beta in the wild

[amigabill]

Is the Longhorn pre-version available to anyone and everyone that owns a PC? The Amiga "prerelease" and the two updates to it are availabel to anyone and everyone that owns an AmigaOne. Before July or so 2004 only those in the beta program could get it, and the normal public AmigaOne machine owners were stuck with Linux. That's no longer true.

Can we at least call it a somewhat denser form of vapor? Perhaps something closer to a condensate? ;)

Besides, slashdot guys don't want Amiga discussion happening anywhere in the universe anyway, so aren't you happy that it's off the list and you don't have to roll your eyes at it this year?

CherryOS vapourware because of /.

[Ced_Ex]

I think the author puts the blame of CherryOS being vapourware on the shoulders of Slashdotters as evident in this statement.

The software was offered as a download, but the stampeding hordes of closet Apple lovers at Slashdot crashed the servers before anyone could get it.

Congratulations folks for contributing!

cheap iPod

[peter303]

Besides the MLM spams, arent persistant rumors of a $150 iPod? The mini came in a pricey $250. Now there are rumors of keychain size iPod at next weeks MacWorld.

Re:cheap iPod

[RatBastard]

It's not vapor if it's based solely on rumours and wishfull thinking. It has to be an announced product and Apple never announce a $150.00 iPod, nor have they announced (yet) a "keychain sized" iPod. Although I really doubth that a flash memmoy iPod would deviate that far from the basic iPod design.

Re:x800?

[Skier4Life]

I was thinking the same thing. We have a system at work that has a X800 installed in it, we got it 6 months ago. Also we just got three X800 XTs in the middle of december. I don't see how these cards can be considered vapourware.

Also, we didn't jump through any special hops to get these cards, we just placed an order with a local computer store, like any Joe Blow is able to do.

Re:Slashdot Deserves One Too

[generic-man]

"I'd rather volunteers submit patches than anything else." -- Rob Malda, June 12, 2003 Slashdot Forum, on feature requests

You heard the man. Submit a patch!

ATX X800 Pro

[DrinkDr.Pepper]

http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/mas terid=2694795/search=ati%20x800

Re:VALVE? Not!

[bn_me]

Uh Dude... They made it for Team Fortress 2.

SCO Group's Evidence?

[kuwan]

What about the SCO Group's evidence that Linux contains Unix source code?

After nearly two years and Darl McBride's claims of "mountains of code" you'd think they'd have shown something by now.
--
It works.
Free Flat Screens | Free iPod Photo

Re:SCO Group's Evidence?

[Dachannien]

As with all good vaporware code, they haven't finished writing it.

My favorite piece of vaporware

[mcc]

is the second coming of Jesus Christ.

1,900 years behind the original schedule, man.

What the fuck?

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[jdavidb]

While popular religion often presents the idea that early Christians all believed the coming of Christ would be immediate, this is actually explicitly refuted in the Bible in II Thessalonians 2:1-3.

Jesus did state that the kingdom of heaven would come "in this generation" (his generation, not ours) (Mark 9:1, Matthew 24:34), but He also taught that the kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36) and was "within you" (Luke 17:20-21). Since the Bible later identifies the kingdom as the church, refers to Christians already being a part of the kingdom in the past tense rather than future (Colossians 1:13), describes Christ as presently serving as King rather than serving as King in the future (Acts 2:33, Hebrews 12:2), and describes Christ as returning the Kingdom to the Father at His second coming rather than establishing the Kingdom at that time (I Corinthians 15:24), it seems that the prophecy of Christ of the coming of the kingdom referred to the establishment of the church, rather than to His coming at the end of time.

Finally, both Christ (Mark 13:32) and His apostles (I Thessalonians 5:2) stated that noone knew the time of His coming and that it would be without warning, like a thief in the night. Thus, while I and II Thessalonians indicate that many early Christians may have misunderstood, a properly educated 1st century C.E. Christian holding to the doctrine of the second coming as taught by Christ and His apostles would have recognized that the day might or might not come in the immediate future.

That said, you did get a laugh out of me. ;) Hope you found the Bible info informative and that addressing a serious response to a joke doesn't bug you. (That's how I learned everything in high school physics; the teacher addressed serious responses to my jokes.)

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[SmokeHalo]

He got held up in a status meeting. He'll be here in a minute.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[Anonymous Coward]

I AM CHRIST, you insensitive clod!

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[Jeff DeMaagd]

Original schedule? That schedule wasn't given.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[Citizen of Earth]

early Christians all believed the coming of Christ would be immediate, this is actually explicitly refuted in the Bible in II Thessalonians 2:1-3.

Even more clearly, Futurama 1:12 clearly states that the second coming of Jesus will be in 2443 (though apparently he will be a Zombie).

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[Anonymous Coward]

its funny because you replied like these were somehow "facts". its kind of like if i memorized all the episodes of carebares and then made an analysis - seriously - over a few statements that such and such was true (pink carebares are better than blue) or something.

I just find it funny that indepth "thinking" about a book that has been translated many times and re written at least twice. I cannot believe that people think it has anything to do with reality at all. i guess its kind of like starwars geeks debating over who shot first. maybe in 2000 years they will wage holly wars about it... the hansades - as it were.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[Citizen of Earth]

also in 2037, and he will alsoo erase all VHS tapes too.

The VHS tapes are destroyed and it is in the same coming, 2443. Read your scriptures, man!

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[Citizen of Earth]

its funny because you replied like these were somehow "facts".

Well, the Futurama 1:12 scripture that I quoted was originally written English, so it has no mistranslations. And, as a bonus, that work of fiction was actually written by people who are sane. (Well, mostly.)

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[Frizzle Fry]

i guess its kind of like starwars geeks debating over who shot first. maybe in 2000 years they will wage holly wars about it... the hansades - as it were.

Actually, Vegas has the over/under at 7 years.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[jc42]

Some years ago, I read a sci fi story whose plot was basically that Jesus did return within a century, and many more times in the following centuries. Every time, the same thing happened: He was killed. Finally, he gave up, and went on to other planets that were in need of his help.

The story was told from the viewpoint of a ship full of human space explorers, who kept coming across planets that were paradises, and the inhabitants attributed this to a holy man in the recent past who had taught them how to live right. But they couldn't find a planet with such a holy man; they kept arriving just after he had left.

Now if I could remember the story's title or author ...

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[jdavidb]

Amazingly, some people enjoy learning about the culture, lifestyles, and thought processes of people different from themselves. Just that not very many people like this are on slashdot.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[SkipRosebaugh]

I don't remember the first paragraph, but I do remember the second. If I'm right, it should be 'The Man', by Bradbury.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[TechnologyX]

Good research, I'm Christian and I never really thought about it like that. It's good to see an actual insightful religious post on Slashdot, as opposed to the usual "Christians are retards LOL"

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[Anonymous Coward]

Islam says exactly the same thing as Jesus PBUH is quoted as saying in the Gospels, namely that Jesus's return will be a supernatural event and in the Qur'an 6:158 is referred to as certain "of the signs of your Lord after which it will do no good for a soul to believe therein if it profited not from faith before, nor earned good through its faith" as well as in 43:61 "And (Jesus) shall be a Sign (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment): therefore have no doubt about the (Hour)". Jesus Christs PBUH return will be momentous in the heavens and earth and will signal the impending Day of Judgment and faith will be useless after since truth will be manifest to all on that mighty day which is the "Day of Allah" (Holy Qur'an). And were anyone to deny one word of the Revelation of the return of Christ, he or she would be violating the teachings of Muhammad.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[Dr.Zap]

is the second coming of Jesus Christ.
1,900 years behind the original schedule, man.

Hey man, you missed the Second Coming and were born in this hell instead. Get used to it.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[be-fan]

When you have to traverse four degrees of inference to support a particular point about a book, it's time to rethink your premise. It's just mental mastrubation to try to defend inaccuracies in the Bible by drumming up convoluted and tenuous arguments.

The Bible is not the infallible word of God, and Christians do not claim that it is. It is a work written by men, and if error, rather than hidden meaning, is the clearest explanation for a troublesome statement, it is no slight upon the religion to simply accept that statement as being erroneous.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[Anonymous Coward]

Just a thought, but technically speaking, wouldn't Christ's 2nd coming be when he rose from the dead three days after he died on the cross?

/if you believe in that kind of thing

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[taernim]

I believe the exact phrase uttered by the professor was "Sweet zombie Jesus!"

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[dbIII]

a properly educated 1st century C.E. Christian

That was at least a hundred years before a committee decided that Mary was a virgin and brought the cult of Isis wholesale into the Christian church. We really don't know much about what the early church thought in those early years when Roman, Jewish and Greek traditions were all being mixed together. It would be interesting to see where the Coptic and Chaldean New Testiment differs to our Roman version.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[aichpvee]

Well at least the carebears (or did you really mean caring nekkid girls, cuz wtf can I get episodes of that?!?!) are real as in works of fiction that were really on tv.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[Bedouin X]

Jesus is alive? Where exactly can I meet with him? I need some pointers on my bread curring technique.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[evilviper]

That was at least a hundred years before a committee decided that Mary was a virgin and brought the cult of Isis wholesale into the Christian church.

This same baseless BS is spread around all the time...

First off, The New Testament was finalized in the first century.

Second, though some of the other religions existed before Christianity, there is no evidence from that time to even suggest Christianity adopted the practices of other religions, or if it happened the other way around...

Also, though SOME of the basis for other religons may seem similar when vastly over-simplified (virgin birth, resurection, etc) if you look into the details, you'll see that the actual beliefs were really vastly different in most cases. For instance, Mithras, who was said to be born of a ROCK at the beginning of time.

Chritmas is known to have been adapted from other celebrations, but the celebration on Dec 25th existed independant of any religion (and likely before any of those Christianity is accused of copying), so it's a bit like celebrating Easter on July 4th by lighting fireworks... A footnote in history, and is certainly not bringing another religion, into the church.

It would be interesting to see where the Coptic and Chaldean New Testiment differs to our Roman version.

Then why don't you do some basic research on ancient versions of the New Testament, instead of baselessly implying something?

There is a great deal of evidence that books in the New Testament have NOT been changed, since they were written, early in the first century. There are surviving letters from people who's date of death is know, with numerous quotes of New Testament books. It's impossible to believe that anyone has made changes to these books after they were written, while doing a perfect job in not changing anything that had been quoted, and we later discovered.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[dbIII]

That was at least a hundred years before a committee decided that Mary was a virgin and brought the cult of Isis wholesale into the Christian church.

This same baseless BS is spread around all the time...

The reality is the we DO have a Roman cultural tradition in the western church which is not as prevelant among the eastern church and is not part of the coptic or chaldean christian faiths - it's in the art, the church designs, the ceremonies (you didn't even get married in a church 1000 years ago) and in the style of our translations of the bible and on what is considered a heresy in one place and not another. As for the Isis thing - it looked like using similarities to pull others in - hence Mary's virginity was a big deal in the Roman church but not worth even speculating about in the other branches of the faith. It brought a lot of new followers in, gave the church a nice building, and made Mary a very important figure in the Roman church - but they were certainly Christians from then on - Mary was not suddenly seen as some sort of Nile goddess. Western Christians have far more of a Roman and Greek tradition than a Jewish one.

It would be interesting to see where the Coptic and Chaldean New Testiment differs to our Roman version.

Then why don't you do some basic research on ancient versions of the New Testament, instead of baselessly implying something?

For one, "Romans" is only part of the western tradition for obvious geographic reasons, so please calm down. For another, translations add different nuances - which should be obvious to anyone that has even glanced at the King James version and another. Third, are you seriously suggesting that a faith that seperated into three major branches two thousand years ago is uniform? There's probably people here who have made a study of the differences, but I don't have a clue beyond the school project level of many years ago.

Back to the point - in my opinion if the early Christians in Rome had thought the world would end in their own generation we probably would have ended up with something short lived and completely different. Weird heresies that have fallen into that trap have sprung up and disappeared several times over the last two thousand year.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[jdavidb]

Thanks for the positive comment. Hard to get those responses when you post something like I did. :)

There's a lot of stuff that gets repeated and repeated until everyone believes it's true. Simple example: where in Scripture are the "three" wise men recorded? They're not. :) (You might or might not have known that one.)

Here's a study on the last days that might interest you. Popular religious culture (i.e., "Left Behind") nowadays obscures the fact that there are three or four major interpretations of endtimes events from history. The one presented by Left Behind actually only became so dominant in the 20th century, and really not that long ago.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[jdavidb]

This time around I wasn't defending a Biblical inaccuracy or contradiction. I was demonstrating that a notion people often say is found in the source documents of Christianity actually isn't.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[be-fan]

While popular religion often presents the idea that early Christians all believed the coming of Christ would be immediate, this is actually explicitly refuted in the Bible in II Thessalonians 2:1-3.

Fundementally, you are defending a Biblical inaccuracy. If the supposedly mistaken notion that people hold is indeed true, then it represents an error in the Bible. My point is that the argument you use to show that the notion is mistaken (and thus the Bible is not in error), is a very tenuous and far-fetched one. Further, adhering to such a tenuous and far-fetched argument is silly, considering that simple error is a much more plausible explanation, and one that is entirely consistent with the underlying understanding that as a work of man, the Bible is not infallible.

Re:My favorite piece of vaporware

[jdavidb]

If the supposedly mistaken notion that people hold is indeed true, then it represents an error in the Bible.

I don't get where you see the Bible presenting that notion. My point is that it isn't in the Bible, and an examination of a number of passages shows that to be the case.

'Phantom' is more than just a physical machine.

[oneiros27]

Anyone can throw a computer in a pretty case and call it by whatever name they want -- the big deal is the price point they claim to be able to deliver (similar to a console, which MS already did with the XBox), and the concept of a 'subscription' (with a delivery mechanism) for games.

Showing a physical unit off at the CES is like showing a MMORPG without any multi-user support -- it might look pretty, but it's missing the core feature that's supposed to make it special.

Your proposal

[AtariAmarok]

"You'll stop me playing Tempest 2000 when you pry that ludicrous Jaguar game pad from my cold, dead fingers!"

Your proposal is acceptible.

Cairo filesystem

[wowbagger]

What about the "object oriented filesystem" that Microsoft was to release in Cairo, about 1996.

And had been rehashed in WinFS, now due Q42006.

CherryOS is real, just stolen

[n.wegner]

The whole controversy was that it's a copy of (the very real) PearPC. Even if CherryOS never gets released, PearPC still exists. The ones who thought it was vapor are totally clueless. Like this guy:

>We will probably see a cure for death before we see
>a true platform emulator," said Tony Lunde. "It's still
>a pretty interesting idea, though."

Where do they find these people?

Re:CherryOS is real, just stolen

[TheRaven64]

I think CherryOS still counts as vapourware since they were claiming things like 80% of native speed - far greater performance than PearPC offers.

Cairo

[Ann Elk]

How about Cairo, the be-all-end-all everything's-a-relational-database now-it's-winfs now-it's-not information-at-your-fingertips OS from Microsoft? Jim Allchin has tried (and failed) to build this thing many, many times. Since WinFS has been dropped as a Longhorn feature, it looks like it's still not time for Cairo...

Where is SCO?

[gosand]

I wonder why SCO didn't make the list with its claims of infringing code in Linux.

One week...

[PHanT0]

"6. Gran Turismo 4"... oops!
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.p hp?aid= 6178

Shipped Dec. 28th in Japan and sold 620,000 units in one week.... Vapor no more.

Re:One week...

[yfmaster]

But there is no online gameplay, so can that part be considered vaporware?

Re:One week...

[SirDaShadow]

Online gameplay is working by using Xlink Kai
http://www.teamxlink.co.uk/?go=games

scroll down to the ps2 supported games. I personally have an xbox and Outrun2 and it works really nicely :)

Gran Turismo

[superpulpsicle]

Expect 2 versions of Gran Turismo.

1.) The regular new gran turismo version. Probably won't make it in March 2005, I'd say May.

2.) The online version in 2006.

They are milking it for money.

Re:Gran Turismo

[FriedTurkey]

Not sure if Sony will make money on Gran Turismo. Sony spent so much mondy developing a product that, if like the orignal, is really dated. Burnout 3 and others offer a faster arcade gamplay that mainstream gamers really want to play. People often refer Gran Turismo as a simulation game. I guess they say that defend why it is really boring. The way you bounce off walls and other cars is almost silly. I think Gran Turismo will have moderate sales by hard-core fans but will still not make a profit even with two versions.

Vaporware Shmaperware!

[macdaddy357]

I dual boot my Phantom Console with Longhorn and CherryOS. I also play Duke Nukem Forever on it every day. Vaporware Shmaperware! Those guys at Wired just don't know where to shop.

SysRq has its usage

[AtariAmarok]

"Or how about that fabled DOS-version where SysRq had some function?"

I've seen it used. Google sysrq and you fill find plenty of things that use it.

Slashdot gets mentioned

[boschmorden]

In October, a hitherto-unknown Hawaiian company, Maui X-Stream, rocked the tech world with news of CherryOS, a Mac emulator for Windows PCs that supposedly ran wicked fast and cost only $50. The software was offered as a download, but the stampeding hordes of closet Apple lovers at Slashdot crashed the servers before anyone could get it.

Steve fessed up to it

[acomj]

In the july Macworld, steve jobs showed everyone the slide from a year ago promissing 3 ghz. He said IBM was having trouble creating faster chips, but they were getting faster, just they were behind schedule.

Then he some convoluted explaination that they were getting faster at a faster rate %wise than intel which was a confusing statement since both chip makers increased speed by the same # of mhz..

Oh well..

Re:Steve fessed up to it

[greed]

Then he some convoluted explaination that they were getting faster at a faster rate %wise than intel which was a confusing statement since both chip makers increased speed by the same # of mhz.

But that's exactly the point, a 500 MHz improvement on a 2GHz chip is a 25% increase in speed, and a 500 MHz improvement on a 3GHz chip is only 17% faster.

Think about it. A 100 MHz Pentium to a 200 MHz Pentium is a big deal (100% faster). A 3.2 GHz Xeon to a 3.3 GHz Xeon isn't worth the upgrade (not even 4% faster); you'd only get the faster chip if you were building a new system anyway.

Wired lied! Our chip met its speed spec.

[Roadkills-R-Us]

They claimed no processor company hit their promised speed. Ours did.

We promised a 2GHz MIPS chip, and we not only hit it, we passed it almost immediately with a 2.5GHz MIPS. With a fast math processor built in.

Unfortunately, the market didn't care. 8^(

But we made our promised speed *and* release date.

So Intel, Apple, and Wired can all kiss my giga til it hertz!

Re:IFLB's stock price..

[Audigy]

Absolutely. I hypothesize that it will be completely abandoned in another 12 months, at most.

Re:Slashdot Deserves One Too

[hesiod]

> People can freely criticize all they want

Yes, but it is annoying when you know damned well your criticisms go unheard, because you make them in the middle of comments to an unrelated topic instead of giving them to people who can do something about it... not that they would.

There's something to be said for learning the meaning of "futility."

CherryOS Gear

[mattOzan]

Well, looks like they have come up with a plan to make money other than actually releasing software: selling baby doll shirts and hot pants. Or maybe selling click-thru's of people looking at their shirts and shorts on hard-nippled Maui babes--I can't tell...

SCO "proof" is the biggest vaporware

[Supp0rtLinux]

I think they missed something very key. The other big (in my opinion... the true #1) is the proof that SCO supposedly has and keeps promising to show the world about the Unix code in Linux. They managed to start lots of lawsuits and even gained a few licensees. However, on numerous occasions they promised to "show the proof", yet they have yet to do so. We're coming up on year three and to date, no one has seen any damning code... not even those that signed the NDA.

Intel lower on list than Apple?

[revscat]

9. Intel's Pentium 4 at 4 GHz

Intel was supposed to pump the Pentium 4 to 4 GHz in 2004. It fizzled at 3.8....

8. Apple Computer's G5 Chips at 3 GHz

Intel's in good company. Nobody hit the chip speeds they promised. In June 2003, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said IBM's G5 chips would be at 3 GHz within 12 months. It's been 18.

Ok, now why did they put Apple higher on the list than Intel? Intel has a far broader market reach, and Apple is dependent upon IBM for their chips. Intel is dependent on Intel. Doesn't seem fair, does it? Doesn't seem fair to Apple, does it?

Holy shit. Did I just write that? Was that me? Well folks, I think it's time to go chew on a shotgun barrel. I hereby bequeath my G5 to that stripper at Baby Doll's who really liked me. Maybe she can perform with it.

Oh man, now look at that last sentence... My sexual fantasies are involving G5s. Fuck this. Off with my head.

Re:Intel lower on list than Apple?

[Anonymous Coward]

Intel came closer to the mark than Apple did, thus Intel's lower ranking.

It doesn't matter if Apple is reliant on another company. If they can't deliver, then they shouldn't make the promise.

Team Fortress? I must say...

[east coast]

Is there really anyone who cares that TF2 didn't come out? And a better questions still is how many people now doubt that TF2 was a way to cover for HL2?

And don't get me wrong, TFC was neat but eh.... once I played CS TFC was a POS.

Duke does not count anymore...

[TrippTDF]

3D Realms, to my knowledge, is not activly advertising DNF anymore. Now, they have not officially canceled it, but seeing as how it's not really being promoted (like the Phantom) I think it's moved away from vaperware and into the forgottenware catagory.

Re:x800?

[Picticon]

And I own an x800 XT PE. Ya, the PE version. Got it several months ago, after 2 months of backorder. Since when did vapor mean "hard to get"?

The John Kerry Administration

[raider_red]

Hey, they were sure they could beat Bush.

We can also add Saddam's WMDs to the list.

What about McBride?

[timeOday]

The #1 prize should go to somebody who actually profited from nonexistent software that was allegedly written by somebody else a long time ago and has no current market value in the first place!

Re:What about McBride?

[rainman_bc]

Hmmm... What's the lawsuit cost sco? How much licencing fees have they brought in? How can youpossibly say they've profited off code they never wrote? Sure Calderra Linux had some promise... But Profit???

Re:What about McBride?

[timeOday]

I never said SCO profited. I said McBride profited, as did other SCO execs. They profited by telling a story about stolen code written by other people in other companies long ago, which legally fell to SCO through a convoluted chain of IP transfers. And although the stolen code will never materialize, the chances of SCO execs losing those windfalls are next to nil.

Phantom Console

[moorcito]

What's this then? Title of the article "Phantom console spotted in Snow City."
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=20585

Re:Phantom Console

[searchr]

Its exactly what Infinium has been doing for the last three years or so; showing up at trade shows with smoke and mirrors trying to garner more investors. They don't have a product to sell yet, they don't have a delivery system to sell yet, they don't have any customers yet, they don't have a release date yet, they don't have any games or game companies signed yet.

All they have is a shiny box and lots and lots of promises. Otherwise known as vapor...

Duke Nukem Forever and Forever

[__aaclcg7560]

What's keeping the Duke Nukem Forever company in business? Has it been forever since they released a title?

Duke Nukem: "Forever"

The bright side

[SuperKendall]

...is the second coming of Jesus Christ.

To me, the thought of one less sequel in the world sounds pretty good. :-)

What happened to SiliconFilm?

[swordgeek]

This 'digital 35mm film cartridge' was originally mentioned in 1997, for a 1998 debut. It made the Wired list two (or maybe three?) years. Now it's seven years later, and you STILL can't buy it, although the company STILL claims it exists.

This should be the first to get a lifetime award, ahead of Duke Nukem.

Re:What happened to SiliconFilm?

[zeropanic]

Heh, I'm glad I'm not the only one that remembered this.. I visited their site the other day when I was reminded of it- its still as vague as ever.

Phantom was no the the first

[Mordaximus]

Phantom missed the title of first on demand service by at least 20 odd years.

Wired News is not Wired Magazine

[Dotnaught]

Despite the fact that Wired Magazine's online content is located at www.wired.com/wired/, these are different publications. Wired News is owned by Lycos, Inc. Wired Magazine is owned by The Condé Nast Publications Inc.

It's a bit like confusing Time and High Times.

MOD PARENT UP Re:'Phantom' is more than just a

[spoonyfork]

Someone please mod the parent article up.

Damn I wish I had mod point more often.

NHL Season

[subVorkian]

As a proud, forlorn Canadian, the most tragic piece of vaporware (or vapourware) is this year's NHL Hockey season.

Bring back Don Cherry, I can't talk to my wife any longer!

Re:NHL Season

[rynthetyn]

I agree, though I am not a proud, forlorn Canadian. I'm a proud, forlorn Floridian who is really mad that she didn't get to see her team's Stanley Cup banner raised on schedule. It's pretty sad when the Tampa Tribune has started running weekly updates of the EA Sports simulated season and the morning sports radio guy has been reduced to giving recaps of what might have happened the night before if the game had actually been played.

Re:NHL Season

[rynthetyn]

Sorry, I think you Canadians have been smoking too much of your legal marijuana, there was no conclusive evidence to overrule the ruling on the ice, and besides, the best analysis shows that the puck never fully crossed the plane of the goal--it has to be 100% across and it wasn't.

Re:NHL Season

[froggero1]

actually, the rule is that if on any angle, if there is white showing behind the puck, it's a goal.

maybe you americans should just stick to your basketball (invented BTW, by a canadian).

Re:Longhorn pictures

[zmollusc]

Thanks for the link!
I am happy to see that there will be big stupid icons in 90 billion colours wasting all the space, with the things you want to get at somewhere off the side of a scrollbar.
Way to go!
Which iteration of the gui is this?

BB vs. World Crime League

[rk]

It wound up becoming this movie instead.

Horse pucky ....

[gstoddart]

Once you show a demo or have a working model that does what you claimed it would do from the outset, it ought not be called Vaporware, even if it has been delayed.

No, because that would naively assume that anything that can be demoed is a real, functioning piece of software.

A tremendous amounts of 'demo' software are nothing but hard-coded sales-tools which have NO WORKING PARTS and no commonality with the claimed product.

If I get to sit in front of it and push it buttons, it might exist. If a salesman pushes the buttons and tells me to ignore the man behind the curtain and that it'll be ready to ship/be built real soon the demo is nothing more than a stage show.

Screen shots are in the same category unless someone wathced the shots being gathered from running software. I've seen marketing glossies for UIs which have never been coded.

Never underestimate the unethical nature of people.

Wired linking from Slashdot...

[psyconaut]

Is there some sort of secret republishing deal whereby Slashdot carries two Wired stories a day?!

-psy

"so bad, it's good"

[dman123]

I can assure you that somebody bought tickets to a certain movie that was "so bad, it's good"(I would give a name, but I forgot how to spell it).

"Gigli" is not the easiest to spell, and the first movie I thought of, but I don't think it qualifies as "so bad, it's good."

And here's your one ticket buyer "MovieWatcher" as quoted on www.netflix.com:

OK, ok, so we've all heard how awful this flick is. Well, it's true. I saw this at the theatres just out of curiosity. It's horrible. Ben is no gangster, and can't play one very well. He couldn't hurt a fly. And Jen couldn't pull off being gay, no matter how hard she tried. Definite casting problems here. The background music didn't always make sense with the scenes. The whole movie takes place in about 2 main locations, which is annoying because the acting/plot isn't enough to look at. Also, the camera work is the worst! I got really tired of looking at close ups of just their heads. It was just back and forth, back and forth. Same with the car scenes. Oh, and literally HALF of the movie is spent watching Larry (Ben) and Ricki (j.lo) just looking at each other. Yes, Jen's gorgeous, but I don't want to watch her crack a smile for half an hour. And the retarted kid seems to be so smart that he can remember the all the words to his favorite songs. Uh huh. And Larry can just walk out of the school with the kid he kidnapped. And the kid just goes along with it. Uh huh. But I gave the movie one star because it did make me laugh a few times. The kid and Larry's boss both were pretty funny...

Re:Say what you will about /. design...

[mink]

"Where's "Buckaroo Banzai vs The World Crime League"?!!!"

I believe it's been morphed into "Big Trouble in Little China"

i love you all sid,sarge,woody

[gour.vijay]

ahhhh..... debian

sid is like that new hottie you have to have ( even though it always ends in disaster ) but nobody keeps you happier than sarge ( except for the occasional mood swings ) but at the end of the day you have to go back to woody ( damn its old ).

p.s- i swear to god i am not gay ....ofcourse i have no male friends called woody , sid or sarge ... trust me darling ... no dear, you are not woody .... what do you mean prove it ? ok fine ,lets make passionate love .

*sob* *sob* bless you slashdot

Interesting Point About Phantom...

[rainman_bc]

The web site they referenced: http://www.whereisphantom.com Seems to be suffering the /. effect... (It still pings)...

Can it be that thousands of /. readers linking to that site brought it down?

SpecOps Labs

[Donny Smith]

Anyone remembers those bozos?
I wonder how Wired forgot about them!

The two press releases that shook the world:
http://www.specopslabs.com/publicity.htm

Re:x800?

[hotdip]

i was wondering about that as well since i saw them on the shelf of my local computer parts ratiler this week. i suppose the boxes could have been filled with anything though.

i've worked for some software companies that have shipped boxes of "stuff" in order to book revenue at the end of the year, but before the product was completed.

i also remember this appearing in a Dilbert strip where the engineers are asked to fill boxes to ship without product. quoth wally, "this one is getting gum!"

ooh ooh I've got one!

[Trogre]

BitBoys GlazeD

Re:ooh ooh I've got one!

[Trogre]

Of course by that I mean the bitboys Glaze3D

Re:ooh ooh I've got one!

[NonSequor]

I suspect that development on that fizzled when they suddenly realized how stupid the name Bitboys Glaze3D was.

Voom and other real contenders

[caudron]

Alienware slips by one quarter and they get on the list, but Voom has been promising me the uber DVR for almost a year with no follow through and there is no mention at all?

I demand a recount!

I LOVE the Voom service, as any real geek would, but that DVR needs to roll out already!

Well...

[nfms]

Back in Dec 27th 2000, Wired listed "A new linux kernel" (iirc, that's how they put it) in #4. They were, I suppose, referring to v2.4 which came out, humm, 7 days later, in Jan 4th.

So, they've just done it again with TiVo ToGo (or however it is spelled) and GT4, which has been launched in Japan. Besides, there was even a teaser game out for some time, GT4 Prologue (featuring one tenth of the final game choice of cars, etc.).

Infinium's FAQ

[leloup]

...even the FAQ on Infinium's website is "Coming Soon!" It should probaly read: FAQ1: When will your product be released? http://phantom.net/products/faq.asp

"Cheap" LCoS TVs using Intel chips

[MojoStan]

In late 2003, Intel announced plans to produce inexpensive LCoS chips in 2004. Some predicted $1000 LCoS televisions by Christmas 2004. I blame Slashdot for getting my hopes up:

December 2003: Intel To Produce Cheap LCoS Chips

August 2004: Intel Delays TV Chip Launch

October 2004: Intel Cancels LCOS Development

Harpoon 4

[NecrosisLabs]

Was supposed to come out in '97. 8 damn years. Bounced all over the dev world. I think a stake has been driven through its heart this time.

Armada 2 anyone?

[lordofthechia]

How did Metro3d get left out? Poor folks have been waiting since the age of the dreamcast for Armada 2 to be released, only to have every promised release date broken.

Last release dates were on November 2, 2004, then the 15th, and finally December 31st.

Taco can't HEAR you! LALALALALA!

[Thud457]

Why doesn't /. have a "suggestion box"???!!!

Re:Slashdot Deserves One Too

[PateraSilk]

only a very few like John Carmack's account can even be trusted.

Or Roland Piquepaille!

Re:Wired's way off base here

[TomHandy]

That's the big thing I've never understood about how the term "vaporware" gets thrown out. It seems like it is being used to refer to products that are late, etc. but I thought vaporware had a more specific definition. That is, that the product didn't actually exist, but the company would talk about it like it did, primarily as a means of keeping consumers from buying some competing product (i.e. back in the DOS days, when MS would talk about an upcoming version of MS-DOS that wasn't actually even in the works, but they would talk about it anyway to try and scare consumers away from buying a copy of, say, DR-DOS).

Re:Where? Right Here

[Jason Scott]

An overview of the never-into-production 1450XLD.

Longwait

[micromuncher]

"Obviously, Microsoft won't be able to finish the code until it's had a peek at Apple's forthcoming Tiger."

The innovation of Brand X continues! But perhaps Bill and Monkey Boy haven't noticed that developers-developers-developers aren't phlocking to OSX in droves.

"Bill Restemeyer suggested it be renamed "Longwait." "

But along with the traditional and now defunct announcements from Microsloth about things seen at ADG (that strangely were never released by Apple but sometimes got into Windows), the Microsloth press release always comes before market evaluation, need, or infinite number of redmond monkies.

"The company also cut a core feature, a new "revolutionary" file system called WinFS."

C'mon. Access as an FS! Hasn't everyone wanted a quasi relational database as their FS? I know ever time I want to look for a file in Doz I ask myself, "Hmm... maybe it would be faster if I typed in a 5 line SQL script."

SELECT FILE_NAME FROM ALL_FILES WHERE FILE_NAME = 'FUD.TXT'

Sega VR

[detour207]

I still want my virtual reality helmet.

My nominations...

[SharpFang]

1. Bombardier Embryo (the cool 1-wheel Segway - expected release 2015)
2. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion ("not earlier than end of 2005")
3. New release of stable Debian branch. (I don't think any date was given)
4. GNU/HURD. Nuff said.
5. TESA-ROM (1TB storage on a roll of duct tape.)
6. "the new Amiga"
7. Moon Base (the schedule was 2005: Orbital station, 2010: Moon base, 2025: Mars base)
8. Peace in Kosovo...?
9. Working DRM (luckily...)
10. Linux ready for Desktop. ;)

They are talking about the X800 XT

[Karhgath]

In the article they are talking about the X800 XT, not the X800 Pro. My friend has a X800 Pro, so it's hardly vaporware. However, anyone got a X800 XT? Are they really on to something or just did poor research? I know they are pretty damn rare and don't know anyone with one(which hardly proves anything), but vaporware?

Re:They are talking about the X800 XT

[Bellyflop]

I'm running an x800 XT right now. I'm not sure why it's being considered vaporware. I got it in late September.

Forever...

[Dwedit]

TmsT made a really nice flash movie based on the non existance of the game!

TmsT's Duke Nukem Forever

Parent was FUNNY...

[hajihill]

Not Interesting and NOT Informative....

Who mods these things anyway?

Re:Parent was FUNNY...

[KarmaMB84]

I found it informative that Linus may not have ever thought that Linux would take off since he thought Hurd was coming (which became vaporware) :O

Re:Parent was FUNNY...

[hajihill]

Oh, I thought that was common knowledge around here.

Re:Parent was FUNNY...

[el-spectre]

Linus initially wrote linux as an exercise in understanding a particular hardware architecture (80386?)... it appears to have gotten out of hand..

Re:x800?

[jbarket]

I thought the same.

It's bad enough to crap on Alienware for a product that's just now delayed (regardless of whether it's going to end up being the very definition of vaporware in the future), but calling a product that is easily purchased by grandmothers on AOL is silly.

I decided three days ago I wanted an X800 Pro VIVO. Pricewatch->eDazz.com->My hands in a day and a half.

Considering the card already has a successor coming out, minor though it may be, in the 850* line... I'd definitely say it exists.

Now THAT is Karma Whoring!

[jedi-monkey]

Getting a +5 Funny replying to a +5 Funny...

Now THAT is Karma Whoring!

I do hope the Video Array is produced...

[Kris_J]

Given that Gigabyte used SLI on a single card to produce a one-slot dual-GPU card, Video Array could be used to double it again. Imagine a pair of dual 6800 cards. Shame it looks like there are about three peices missing from this puzzle.

Derek Smart

[nyri]

I think the grand old man and "inventor" of vaporware needs to be summoned:

Derek, come out and tell me where's the manual to BattleCruiser Millenium. Slashdot crowd deserves your explanation.
Derek, I know you reading this!

--

For those of you who don't know who he is:
Derek Smart is the author of BattleCruiser 3000ad, a game that coined the term vaporware. He first started to hype it in 1995 stating that it will be ready in a few months. Eventually a working version got out around 2001. In the mean time Derek participated in USENET's longest flame wars and tried to insult everyone. Hence, August 22. is Derek Smart Says F-ck You Day.
Dr. smart has also been active in other online forums. Here is one enlightening example from EvilAvatar.

For more information see: this intro or comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic.

One to keep an eye on for 2005

[droleary]

My personal favorite piece of vaporware is currently The Fool and his Money. I pre-ordered in Jan 2003 for a Halloween release, and it keeps getting pushed back, now to mid-2005. The best part, and why this is really a favorite, is that Cliff has always made such good, actual Mac puzzle games that it makes me think the "game" here is actually getting the orders without shipping any software. The very title of the purported release practically mocks you about it! I swear, I get the biggest smile every time I get an email saying there is going to be another delay. Entertainment money well spent, I say. The Phantom Console isn't half as fun when it comes to vaporware gaming!

Re:Historical assessment based on a few bible vers

[Anonymous Coward]

(Paul btw. didn't even write anything about the earthly Jesus as a person. He was much more a pagan than a jew and for him, christ was some kind of cosmic vehicle for god to get in contact with men.)
Are you kidding me? Paul was a Pharisee named Saul before his conversion on the road to Damascus, and his main priority was stomping out the new cult of Christianity in the name of Judaism. He was about as Jewish as they came during that time period.

But can you imagine the Collective's reaction

[Provocateur]

...when from behind our computers we hear from the TV/from their brother yelling in the next room/from the streaming broadcast: "It's now official: Desktop Linux is here!"

We jerk our heads up from our fully functional Windowmaker/enlightenment/FVWM/blackbox/Fluxbox/KD E/GNOME/Ratpoison/evilwm/twm screens and ask ourselves, "It's HERE?!? SO WTF have I been using all this time?!?" and proceed to uninstall our GUI-fied desktops and switch back to green-on-black. That's the equivalent of burying our heads in the sand. Your brother walks in and looks at the screen and says, Oh, you have it installed already?

Re:Historical assessment based on a few bible vers

[Anonymous Coward]

So you see, it is more complicated than picking a couple of quotes to rationalize a position. This also shows how your approach is futile. You hold a complex, apolegetic interpretation and you furthermore assume that this was the way early christians interpreted it. But you don't know that and you can't show that based just a couple of biblical quotes.

You are guilty of the same thing. Unless you were alive during the 1st century AD. I see no proof of your statements.

Re:x800?

[danila]

Apparently the nominations are sent by Wired readers. There is obviously a significant number of them, who were unsuccessfully trying to buy an X800 for the past 6 months. The fact that some people managed this feat doesn't mean it's not vapour to all customers, who fail.

The Phantom Makes An Appearance

[dr5cavalier]

Evidently the Phantom has made an appearance at the Microsoft booth at CES. According to Mike Hall's blog, it's running on WindowsXP Embedded.

Below is the text describing the system. There's also a nice picture posted there as well.

Next is the Phantom from Infinium Labs (Windows XP Embedded), this is quite an interesting device, I guess most people have XBOX's, Playstations, Nintendo Game Cubes or other dedicated game consoles - the Phantom plays PC games - a user gets offered a list of games (the Phantom supports all current and future Windows PC games according to the Infinium web site), the games are downloaded into the Phantom and then played on your TV set - since these are PC games you control the games through a keyboard and mouse - the keyboard/mouse being displayed with the Phantom on the Microsoft booth has an interesting "Lap" console for the keyboard and mouse - apparently it's quite comfortable to sit and play games using this.

Re:The Phantom Makes An Appearance

[joskay]

Hi
I hope you are joking about a nice picture.
128MB of RAM(look at the cards), a 17 inch monitor(google the screen type), a phone on the left that has MSN, CNN and a phone system that is not practical to the average user, an aultuim that google can not find as a device, and games that are several years old.
Thank you