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Prepping For The 360
An anonymous reader writes "The Xbox 360 launches on Tuesday, and ZDNet talks to some of the folks who are already prepping for it. John Dvorak also has commentary on the new console, and he seems to like it." From the Dvorak article: "Luckily Microsoft's Xbox 360 crew, and other game developers, are working on cool stuff that will cross over to PCs. When game developers retake their rightful place on top of the hill of progress, we'll all be better off. Needless to say, I am impressed by the Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 explores new menu structures with a unique and pleasant GUI. One often-overlooked element that the Microsoft games group brings to the party is its unique GUIs that are unlike the folder/desktop metaphor that Xerox and Apple developed."
Chris Anderson also got one early and is interested in the Xboox 360 from a Long Tail perspective as a media center.
Visit Jonesblog and say hello.
The XBox 360 is going to be launched Tuesday. New poll: When will the first 360 hacks appear? - 0-1 week. - 2-4 weeks. - 6-8 weeks. - CowboyNeal can hack my 360 all he wants.
Whatever happened to the Xbox 2?
Let alone 3-359...
Or is this Xbox 2?
The Xbox 360 explores new menu structures with a unique and pleasant GUI. One often-overlooked element that the Microsoft games group brings to the party is its unique GUIs that are unlike the folder/desktop metaphor that Xerox and Apple developed."
Since when has the GUI had anything whatsoever to do with how good and/or successful a console is? Does Dvorak not realize the whole purpose of a console is to play games?
Even if you're a convergence guy and believe people will be using their Xbox for movies as well as games, I still don't see how the GUI has anything to do with anything. What you want is a system where you interact with the GUI as little as possible, whatever you're doing. Most people shouldn't even know that it exists.
The fact that so many people are focusing so heavily on the Xbox 360's GUI suggests to me that it's far too prominent and intrusive.
I am going into hiding so that One may avoid the barrage of silly stories and Marketing shite .
The only things certain in war are Propaganda and Death. You can never be sure which is which though
No way the Xbox2 could compete with the PS3... *rolls eyes*
"Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
The Xbox 360 is undoubtably a monster of a machine, and one that Microsoft naturally takes much pride in. But Microsoft is going to be in the red for a while, and they will need to make the money back. Once the gaming base gets them up and out, my guess is that major innovation will start to keep buyers away from the PS3 and Gamecube (which shouldn't be too hard-the estimated cost per cell chip is stellar (theinquirer.net) and Nintendo has an undeserved reputation as merely a "kiddy" system.) If they can do that, the 360 will profit. Microsoft will pretty much be forced to innovate, and consumers should win this battle.
360 A.D. is the year they expected to be released.
Why should anyone care what Dvorak thinks? He is usually wrong in his technology predictions. He has consistantly, for the past 20 years, predicted the demise of Apple, and he hated the iPod, thinking it was a dumb idea when the first one came out. JCD is a shill for Microsoft, and not a very interesting one at that.
Reality has a liberal bias
Quote Dvorak, circa 1995: "The noisiest buzz in the industry lately has been over the emerging use of cable TV systems to provide fast network data transmissions using a device called a cable modem. But the likelihood of this technology succeeding is zilch. It's one of those interesting-sounding ideas that will attract what venture capitalists call dumb money. Unfortunately, it's a big distraction in a market that should be concentrating on ISDN and broadband. HP, U.S. Robotics, ZDS, and others have been toying with the idea for a few years, and Motorola Multimedia Group's recently announced CyberSurfer 10-Mbps cable modem has completely muddied the waters. There's also LANCity's announced $595 model. Until recently, these things cost a ridiculous $5,000. Cable modems are, of course, targeted at Net surfers. According to the press announcement, the CyberSurfer will be the fastest, receiving data at 10 Mbps and sending it at 768 Kbps. Exactly how the modem will work on the largely one-way cable systems in the U.S. is a mystery. And since there's no governing standards organization for cable modems, these devices won't be able to talk to modems made by anyone else. But hey, they sure are fast. Even so, users with access to a T1 phone connection will soon discover that the fastest provider can send data at only around 56 Kbps--slower than a single B-channel over ISDN. This isn't likely to change as providers try to serve as many users as possible, rather than pump 128 Kbps or more to a few people. So the ideal connection for Net surfing is a single B-channel on an ISDN line. So even if you had a 10-Mbps cable connection, it would be useless except for point-to-point transfer at Motorola's upstream speed of 768 Kbps. And that assumes upstream capability, which the cable companies will have available in only a few test areas. If users don't flock to this technology in those areas, the cable companies will drop the idea like a hot potato. We have to remember that, collectively, the cable TV folks are as dumb as fireplugs. There is no incentive to be otherwise. They have monopolies and do little more than string wire and milk the cash cow. Why would they want to get mixed up in something that requires real work? If you doubt this, visit your local cable company and ask "When will you have cable modem capability?" Just see what they say. My guess: "Huh? What's a modem?" Then there is the issue of security. The cable TV system is a broadcast medium, not a secure network. All transmissions over cable are highly susceptible to hacking. Much more so than anything else except cellular phones. HP is one company that harps on the security issues regarding cable modems. So why spin our wheels over a dead-end technology when ISDN is here now? Is speed really the issue? There may be another element at play. When you consider digital phone networks and the equipment that is needed to hook up ISDN, you see an interesting phenomenon. The modem companies aren't in the game. Networking companies run the show: Ascend, Cisco, and Combinet. Modem companies like Hayes--and recently Zyxel--miss the mark with ISDN. Others have ignored it completely. In a digital world, you won't need to MOdulate/ DEModulate (the root meaning of modem). Many users just can't make the transition to a future where the modem is moot. For these sentimentalists, the cable modem is the last gasp. But there are no cable modem standards whatsoever, and very little cable modem promotion within the brain-dead cable TV industry. While this fiasco unfolds, we hear cheering from people who should know better and examine the simple illogic of the whole thing. Hey, but it sure is fast." Why do we spin our wheels over a dead-end technology when ISDN is here now? Is speed really the issue?
notice how none of these comments are on innovating gameplay. GUIs, neat features for developers, etc, but what about the actual game?
half the launch titles are ports, and the other half aren't genre defining or groundbreaking. i don't see, even with the pretty graphics neat GUI (i didn't know playing games had anything to do with having a pretty GUI) any gameplay changes. how can the gameplay be any different, the controller is a perfected S controller.
there's no way that playing an xbox 360 game can be any better than the current generation. this isn't N64 -> PS2 era, the N64/PS1 had actual processing limits and storage space limits and RAM limits that actually affected gameplay. even the current gen consoles introduced innovations like online play, (good) wireless controllers, and graphics that were closer to photorealism.
but xbox 360 makes one innovation - moving closer to photorealism. that's it. there's nothing else. all the other innovations involve money-grabbing (Microsoft Points to buy pointless shit, higher console price, streaming from a media center PC...to get more people to buy media center edition pcs)
take a company like nintendo that continuously adds something to the gaming mix, like the dpad, analog stick, shoulder buttons, online play (famicom modem anyone?), revolution controller, and (good) wireless controllers, and then see real success. sony and microsoft are on their 3rd and 2nd generations, but besides nintendo, there has been no other console company able to survive longer than that in the gaming world.
microsoft (and sony) are just following along with the trends - IMO to be successful, a company has to make the trend, and make the gaming culture. that's why nintendo's still around.
<sarcasm>
Yeah. After all, we know that the feature that made the Atari 2600, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and Playstation/Playstation 2 such huge market smashes were the quality of their menus...
</sarcasm>
Perhaps this will mean something for the latest generation of consoles once they take on a bigger role as a general media centre -- some day. But I have a feeling that the quality of a consoles menus is hardly going to be a buying consideration for 99.999% of next generation console purchases. In the end, it's all about the games, and from what I've seen and heard about the 360 so far, the games are generally uninspiring in terms of either gameplay or graphics.
But hey, if it has nice menus, at least those MS fanboys who run out to buy one on Tuesday will have something to show their friends to try to defend their purchuse (jab jab jab :) ).
Yaz.
I see a lot of comments like this, lately, but do you think that PS3 and the Revolution aren't going to get a lot of articles as well?
/. covers too much next-gen consoles in general, but I don't think they're being a blatant commercial for Microsoft. Nintendo and Sony are being rather hush-hush at the momeny, but I'm sure when they start talking to us we'll see plenty of posts by them as well.
I think it's a decent assumption that many folks are interested in the consoles. This only happens once evert four or so years, and for many a console is a mainstream source of entertainment.
We saw the same thing happen with Xbox, PS2, and Gamecube. It's probably more of a valid argument to say that
I don't know if the 360 can read the playlist info, but that would be even better. I doubt it (Apple wouldn't tell 'em, they'd have to reverse engineer it).
But this ability is a great little feature. It takes something that was too hard to use on the XBox (because of having to rerip my CDs) and makes it easily available.
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
Maybe Microsoft figures that, given how boring life is in Palmdale, people will show up for their event. If they held it in, say, Santa Monica, nobody would come.
I am definitely *not* going to buy Xbox2 for my son this Christmas. It's pointless upgrading orchestrated by the genius marketing people - wah, wah, I want! coming from the children.
The marketers have learned what the "new economy" is: selling junk to kids that don't know any better.
I've seen most of the games today and they are mostly "updates" to existing ones with supposedly better graphics. Predictably, all the kids go, "cool" due to the hype.
am I remembering incorrectly or wasn't the 360 meant to have a simultaneous worldwide release? UK release isn't until 2nd Dec, though this is at least a shorter gap than usual.
anyway, we all know about MS's intentional low supply but here's what Amazon.co.uk has to say:
"Due to limited supply from Microsoft, we are unable to guarantee delivery of some Xbox 360 pre-orders for Christmas. Please also note that all pre-orders made on or after November 2nd, 2005 will have expected delivery dates in 2006. We are working with Microsoft to ensure the consoles are delivered as soon as they become available."
i.e. if you're in the UK and didn't pre-order ages ago, you might as well wait for PS3 or Revolution.
it's only stupid to you because you already have the infrastrcuture with which to play said PC games.
IT's a lot different if you're coming ito it fresh....
Which would you buy your 14 yr old? $300 for a console and maybe another $100 on some games. Or $3000 on a new computer and then another $100 on some games.
There is your apples to apples.
For someone, such as yourself, who really likes computers and is already likely to have over $1000 worth of hardware in the house, then it does not make sense for you to purchase a separate unit for gaming. But for Joe Sixpack, who got his computer 3 years ago for $600 from Dell, and uses it for his email and Quicken, getting the kid a separate box for $300 makes a lot more sense than shelling out three grand for a new gaming computer.
No unauthorized use. Trespassers will be shot. Survivors will be shot again.
A game, perhaps FRP, in which one of the "spells" were "alter the other guy's GUI" ... would be amusing.
--- Attorneys Assisting Citizen-Soldiers & Families -
This whole discussion and fuss over the 360 reminds me of giddy teenage girls quizzing an 'experienced' girl about what sex is like. It's a console, not a life-changing event, get over it.
Yes, it's big. Yes, it'll hurt a little, at least in your wallet. But it's not that big a deal, it doesn't make you a woman or anything.
Trust me.
I was tempted to believe that XP was simply referencing the respective smiley.
"I rather like to launch a game from a simple MSDOS prompt"
whoa, thats some S&M crap, do u enjoy being whipped too?
...and all I've done is enter my name: 'Thrillhouse'!
Read Pynchon.
I got my 360 yesterday courtesy of Pepsi and the everytenminutes.com promotion. The box contained: Kameo (an elves vs. Trolls game - it's definitely fun), the box, hard drive, wireless controller, headset, universal remote, a 10' ethernet cable (I think it's 10', maybe it's a tad longer), and an AV cable.
For those of you that might have some questions, here goes:
1) The menu structure is tabbed (side tabs). I don't really like it. I think it's needlessly complicated, and in a couple of cases there are tabs for settings whose differences are too subtle for me to remember which tab they belong on.
2) Halo 2 runs on it, although for some reason the digital sound doesn't include the subwoofer on the 360 for this title. I have no idea why. The subwoofer works fine for other functions on the 360, and Halo 2 is otherwise outputting digital sound. I have my woofer set to a very high threshold.
3) The chipset is clearly much faster than the original, including in the emulation mode for games such as Halo 2. In Halo 2, cutscenes thar have a delay, then dialog without an image, then layers being drawn for the first few seconds of the cutscene don't have any of that. It's all very fast, very clear, right away.
4) The AV cable was more than sufficient for me. It appears to have composite video out on RCA jacks, as well as analog sound. On the plug that connects directly into the box is a port for fiber to go to your amp for the digital sound. Nice hookup. I may find myself purchasing another one on Tuesday, though, to make my life more portable.
5) The hard drive attachment is really cool. It just snaps externally in place "on top" of the unit (when sitting like a tower). I have mine sitting like a console on top of its older sibling.
6) The wireless controls are very nice. I'm a fan of "The Duke" controls, because my hands are pretty big. The S controls, and the stupid controls for PS2 and GameCube feel too stinking small. This one, however, didn't cramp my hands, even after several hours of gameplay. I still don't like it as much as "The Duke", but otherwise it's fine.
7) The wireless control was very nicely balanced, and the force fededback wasn't so strong as to shake my fillings (like "The Duke", or barely noticable (like the others). I was very worried that the wireless controls wouldn't have enough feedback, as has been the complaint about many wireless controls. I would say that this control does not have that problem. In fact, this control is so comfortable and so nice without the cable that I would STRONGLY recommend that everyone spend the exra $10 and buy them.
8) I really like the bump buttons. They're easier than the old white and black, and they're not in the way, yet reachable and findable, unlike PS2's L1 & R1.
9) It's great that the order that the wireless controls are assigned is set based on the order in which controls sign in, not the order in which they are originally registered on the box (getting a control assigned and recognized on the box is a little weird for the first two controls, but after doing it a couple of times it was a breeze). In addition, each control and the box have a four-quadrant circular LED array. The box lights up the quadrants for the controls that are currently connected. The controller lights up the quadrant to indicate which player the controller is. The box can be turned on or off right from the wireless control. Turning off the box shuts down the controls that people activated for that session. Controls are "acivated" for a session by hitting the green "X" button in the middle of the control, so even if you have four controls registered to your box, you won't be chewing batteries for all of them unless you are using all of them.
10) The headset is much nicer than the old one. That was probably obvious to everyone who bought one as soon as they got it.
11) It's stated both on the box and in the pamphlet that comes with the wireless controls that the force feedback is adjustable to conserve battery powe
Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies.
Never forget: 2 + 2 = 5 for extremely large values of 2.
Excuse the potential flame-bait, but hasn't there been an inordinate number of Dvorak articles posted in the last few months? Most of us wrote him off as a puffed up windbag years ago, why has he popped into relevance at this point?
/. crowd is giving this guy FAR too much credit and FAR too many page views. Which leads me to the inevitable question - why has this article been posted by an AC?
Dvorak has a long long history (see post circa '95 above) of writing asinine articles that are just plain wrong. And I'm not talking about 'hindsight 20/20' wrong - I mean predictions which make me wonder if he's in the same industry that we all are in.
Anyway, it seems like the
With online advertising spending at an all time high (and growing at absurd rates), maybe it's time for the editors to be a little more discriminating before rewarding mediocrity with tens of thousands of impressions.
It stands for Windows eXtra Pain for the Home and Professional user.
Remember folks, slashdot doesn't have a -1 "disagree" moderation!
dont know if youve checked cpu prices recently but if yo stay away from the bleading edge a decent pc costs nowhere near 3 grand.
that said if i had a hdtv i would probably get an xbox360 just to dump my windows gaming partition.
Hopefully at least someone in the xbox hacking community there is already a geek who's built a powerpc-targeted gcc, gdb, and binutils. His soldering iron is already preheated and the oscillascope, eeprom reader and logic probe are powered up. Before him lies a sea of modified hex/torque screwdrivers capable of turning any kind of proprietary screw.
/Can't wait for "Linux 360"
What can I say, Microsoft? Let the hacking games begin again!
You do not prep for the XBox360. And this is from someone who might buy one if anything more interesting than Kameo appears. Oblivion was pushed back to when?!
Yeah, yeah... there's the story this weekend about the gamer earning six figues. Chump change and a rarity.
A BIG reccomdation. Hook up to Xbox Live. Even if you don't subscribe, you get some perks, most importantly updates to the emulation software allowing you to play more Xbox games (about 200 already, they're working on more) and also get an update for the emulation for Halo and Halo 2. What's included on the HDD was somewhat prematurely released, and the audio is a bit.. off. This is more than likely the reason for your audio problems in Halo 2.
Wow... I think this is the first anti-Dvorak post rated "flamebait" by the Slashdot community.
That said, I think the 360 has potential, but I guess I'll find out Tuesday whether or not it's bad enough to justify Dvorak "liking" it.
8==8 Bones 8==8
This only gets worse when you start using component inputs for video and optical inputs for audio. I've got a great (but expensive) component video/digital audio switch that I've currently maxed out (GC, PS2, Xbox, DVD), and that runs into my receiver with a 2x mux for component (other side has my cable box). I'm debating whether or not I buy another switch and run that with a 360 and my cable box, but initially I'll probably just decommission my GC.
On the other hand, part of my preparation for Xbox 360 was to buy a new TV (just did that today, should have it tomorrow). My 4.5 year old CRT-based RPTV is still alive and kicking, but it doesn't do 720p (only 1080i) and it's getting up there in age (really needs another professional calibration to adjust setting drift and overscan). With the price of TVs today, I actually paid less for my new 50" DLP RPTV than I did for my old 46" CRT RPTV, and it'll last me at least for another 4.5 years (HDMI input for forward-compatibility and for use with a DVI-to-HDMI cable if I really want to use it now, 720p for optimum HD viewing until 1080p really becomes standard in the next few years, multiple component inputs for my current hardware, VGA input "just in case", and a warranty that includes bulb replacement for 5 years). I was even able to get a local store to price-match the internet! (woo!)
Going off-topic: Why DLP? Because I didn't want another CRT-based set (I'm sick of overscan and setting drift, and requiring periodic professoinal calibration to keep it in top shape), but plasma is not worth it ($4000 for 1.5 years of life, higher risk of burn-in than CRTs) and LCD is still subpar (direct-view LCDs generally won't go larger than 40" before you run into quality problems with bad pixels, rear-projection LCDs are prone to screendoor effect, black levels and contrast are terrible in comparison to DLP and CRT, and the typical life span before quality degradation sets in is around 3 years). I don't have the room for front-projection, nor do I have the ability to totally control ambient light in my TV room to optimize the front-projection viewing experience. DLP bulb-life is in the 3-5 year range depending on usage, but I've got that covered at least through the first bulb change. DLP may still be prone to rainbow effects, but the current generation of color wheels and DMD chips make this much less likely. While some people still notice, I did my research and looked at a number of different sets, and I saw no problems. Thus, it's DLP for me.
Of course John Dvorak likes the XBox 360:
1. It's made by Microsoft
2. It's not made by Apple
I'm no Dvorak fan, but you honestly have no idea who he is do you?
He has been one of the strongest and biggest name Mac proponents in the industry for the last 15 years. He also has incredible amounts of disdain for Microsoft.
I had to start prepping for the 360 almost 40 years ago. I learned about punch card machines, and which cards to put at the front of the deck to make certain that the compiler ran, or the program ran. And, of course, I prepped by sleeping a lot during the day, so I could submit jobs in the evening and get them back late at night.
So, what's new?
It's doomed.
I am Spartacus
Nope. He's got every possible game machine, a computer that is just short of cutting edge, a stereo, Walkman, TV, VCR, DVD, etc.
So the ex-wife and I got together and decided to
Photorealism is not innovation. If it is, Valve should be the one getting the credit for at least mimiccing how the human eye sees.
Huh? Do you honestly think that Valve are the people who came up with High Dynamic Range rendering? If it's not that, what are you talking about? Simulating a 50mm lens?
Coming soon - pyrogyra
Here are some links you'll find useful:
l itygameslist.htm u nch-day-titles/ a rketplace-launch-content/
Backwards compatible title list:
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/backwardcompatibi
Launch titles:
http://www.majornelson.com/2005/11/14/xbox-360-la
Arcade titles:
http://www.majornelson.com/2005/11/15/xbox-live-m
The list of backwards compatible games will grow over time, so if you're not already signed up for Xbox Live (even Silver, which is free), you should do so. Enjoy your 360!
You just come along with me and have a good time. The Galaxy's a fun place. You'll need to have this fish in your ear.
Once again, this would have been a better article without the tacked-on, and often incorrect, opinion line. The desktop metaphor is only used in general-purpose personal computers. Does your DVD player use a desktop metaphor? Your MP3 player? Your TV? Your GPS system? Your digital camera? Any video game system ever made? Of course not, because it doesn't make sense.
What is wrong with your, people ? :-)
Give me a break. This isn't the second coming of the messiah. It is a game console, for god's sake. There is no need to get prepared - get your credit card, walk to the store, stand in line, buy it, play. For that matter, wait one more week and you don't have to stand in line. Surely, one could survive seven days without the Xbox360 ? Especially considering that there aren't many games available at this time!It is sad how well trained the consumer has become. We are so eager to take out our wallets and buy anything new, we can hardly wait a day. It doesn't matter what it is - it's new and everybody is buying it! But wait, now that you have a Xbox360 you surely need a big-screen Plasma TV ? And a new speaker system!
On the other hand, this is what keeps our economy strong, so don't listen to me too hard :-)
I think the funniest thing about preparing for the X-Box 360 is preparing for the shortage. There have been reports that Microsoft is *requiring* retailers to run out of them on the first day.
Rather than preparing for the expected number of customers, retailers are expected to intentionally have to turn people away, just so Microsoft can get good buzz.
If you hear stories of shortages, remember why!
The PS2 doesn't have the memory for what you suggest. The game just majically spawns things within a given area and then ignores them when they go out by necessity. The PS2 has very little memory, by today's computer standards, only 32MB. Well when that's all you have for dynamic storage (no harddrive remember) you really have to be stingy with what you keep track of. So the game only worrys about things in your immediate area, and mainly in your field of view.
:)
Now with the next gen consoles, perhaps the kind of things like you suggest can be implemented. The Xbox 360 has 512MB of RAM (though that's shared video and system) and the PS3 will likely have a similar number. That, combined with the faster processors, means it's a lot more feasable to deal with larger numbers of things you need to keep track of.
As for cops enforcing traffic laws, I dunno, doesn't seem consistent with the universe. I mean murdering someone is only worth having a single cop chase you for a couple minutes before getting bored and that's only IF the cops see it. If murder is that unimportant, I can guess traffic violations wouldn't really matter at all
The typical video game console release is to build as many units as yo can and tehn stock them in key markets, usually the US and Japan only. When you sell out, your chain is empty and everyone waits until you can refill it.
MS stated they didn't want to do that, and instead are going for a total, worldwide release and are trying to distribute some units to everywhere. It'll mean essentially instant sellout in all markets, however should mean that you can perodicly get more, and that they'll be available in some capacity all over the world.
It's a somewhat risky strategy and may blow up in their face, but lacking immediate competition means it's more likely to work. What we'll probably have is a situation of nobody having a 360 (relitively speaking) but everyone knowing someone who does. That may lead to even more hype, and more desire to own the product, espically since it will be scarce initally. Given no other competitors to go to, it may work well.
We'll see.
Let me tell you something about backward compatibility. It's a feature that everyone wants, and then no one uses.
UNIX: A computer user is defined as a programmer. WINDOWS: A computer user is defined as a consumer.
DON't BUY ANYTHING COMING FROM THAT EVIL COMPANY, WHO'S INTERESTS ARE ONLY SELF-CENTERED...
A corporation that is focused on profit? That can not stand! I can't believe those theives at Microsoft have the audacity to act in the interest of their company! Boycott the free market!!
http://www.majornelson.com/2005/05/20/xbox-360-vs- ps3-part-1-of-4/
When I read this I was dumbfounded. Then I thought about it for a sec. The PS3 is all caught up in tech spec numbers. Whats most important part of a console ? The graphics card. Xbox360 wins. Sony may have the FP's. But who cares. IT's about how your game looks.
This is what pissed me off about what Sony is doing. They should have gone DUAL GRAPHICS CARD instead of trying some new vector chip like the PS2. The graphics card is what matters. Nothing else. The GPU(general) is not that important but for game logic.
Who is running the Sony PS3 development ?
I see disaster for them .
Ahh, so *you're* the reason publishers like EA continue to churn out shallow, linear, predicatable but PRETTY games year in, year out.
Who cares if the AI is weak, or the story dull, or it's lacking in multiplayer/co-op options etc, as long as a game looks nice.
Remind me again why the current PC games need a 2Gz processor?
He has been one of the strongest and biggest name Mac proponents in the industry for the last 15 years. He also has incredible amounts of disdain for Microsoft.
Are you talking about the same John "Apple is Dying" Dvorak who has been predicting the death of Apple since the 90s at the very least? Does this or this really sound like the words of a Mac lover ? No one who is even vaguely familiar with the name Dvorak in the Mac community is of the opinion that the guy has had any affection for Apple for over a decade.
Now it is fair to say that he's fallen out of love with Microsoft since the heady romantic days of Windows 95, but a Mac proponent for the past 15 years? Pfft...
If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").