While I'm a big fan of XViD encoded media, a substantial portion of my collection is in DiVX. If I understand things correctly, DiVX is a proprietary format and therefore a royalty would need to be paid (a la Fraunhofer MP3 codecs) in order to support it (please correct me if I'm wrong). This leads me to doubt that the update will allow DiVX support. If Microsoft were smart, they would use the Marketplace to license various royalty based codecs. I'd gladly pay a few bucks to get DiVX support on my 360.
Can we please quit crucifying Java for performance related issues?
Sure, most professionals will finally admit that Java is an awesome server side backend. To deny this would make you clueless. However, try running an efficiently coded application such as Netbeans. It's a client side app completely coded in Java, and it's extremely efficient. I can run the IDE on a large project and still get instant responsiveness on tasks such as "find usages" on classes/variables. Visual Studio can't claim the same.
Just, please... I know it's popular to blame Java for all that ills you. It's just no longer absolutely correct.
Personally, I've recently started listening to a lot of Opeth instead of a lot of the other "old metal" type of music due to their musical complexity. Dream Theater isn't unknown on my playlists, either, and for the same reason. Both of these bands would be classified as "Progressive Metal", and are somewhat like their progressive rock counterparts (Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree, Tool, Mars Volta, etc) in that they are known for having complex time signatures and non-static, sweeping "epic" tracks. I pick something new up each time I listen to these types of bands, so I find myself wanting to listen to them repetitively.
This doesn't mean that I'll completely ignore my collection of Deftones/White Zombie/old Metallica on an angsty day, but my motivation for tossing these on are different; they're much more mindless and don't demand as much attention as their progressive rock/metal counterparts.
Seriously. Ballmer didn't speak with the Seattle Post Intelligence (which is what PI stands for in case you wanted to know), he spoke at Stanford to students. All of the comments made were during that speech. So in a rush to get a/. submission, this person very quickly filled in the blanks when they saw the headline.
Exactly. Even so, articles like this make me think of Slashdot as a popular culture trash mag. Instead of bantering about the latest thing that Paris Hilton is wearing, we get to hear sensationalist crap about nerds. We don't need a submission every time Ballmer takes a dump, or whenever someone uses the word "Google" in conversation or a blog. Especially when the source is nothing more than a short speech at a university.
What you say is not entirely true. Sony IS an evil company in my eyes. Let's go down the laundry list:
1. Countless bad experiences with their customer support. 2. Rootkit... that installs even if you deny the EULA. 3. Needless proprietary formats. 4. Overpriced electronics made with cheap components.
Sony used to be worthwhile in the 90's, but have since gone completely downhill. They produce awful hardware, have horrible ethics, and couldn't support a toothpick if they sold them. I don't buy Sony ANYTHING (including movies/albums/etc, unfortunately) mostly because I feel it's the right thing for myself, a professional nerd, to do. I don't tell others to boycott Sony, but I simply refuse to buy anything from this company after the countless fiascos.
Really? I have to admit that I'm quite the opposite. I'm probably in the minority, but I seem to have the attention span of a 6 year old with a 2-liter Jolt cola when it comes to games, anymore. I'd MUCH rather pay a smaller fee ($10, $20) for episodic content than take the $60 plunge on a game that I'll grow tired of before finishing. This is probably why I've spent more money on Xbox Live Arcade and smaller Steam games than I have on retail titles over the last few years. If I don't end up really, really liking the game it's no huge loss. Bite-sized gaming appeals to me. This doesn't excuse the long delays between titles, I'll admit.
As for staying on the original topic, I applaud MS for the "Games for Windows" route. They're trying to standardize PC gaming requirements with a points system that could ultimately prove useful. They're also bringing Live to Windows, which is far and away the best online multiplayer service (yeah, go tinker some more with Battlefield2/2142's matchmaking service and tell me that Live isn't better).
Although it's probably more of a philosophical discussion than anything else, I don't believe that there is such a thing as an unselfish action.
While most would argue that giving anonymously to a charity is an unselfish act, the giver is still doing something to satisfy a selfish need. They'll feel better about themselves afterwards.
Even if the outcome of whatever the action is happens to be negative, it was still done to accomplish a self need. For example, a 15 year old emo kid cuts him/herself with glass. This is still selfish, as they're fulfilling a perceived need for themselves.
This isn't the first time I've heard this. Almost EVERYBODY around here (Montana) uses MSN Messenger instead of AIM, of which I am VERY grateful for. I find it odd that nobody else seems to use MSN elsewhere, but my contact list is well over 100 people. Go figure.
I used to have both clients installed on my home PC until an ad started AUTO-PLAYING sound. The ads also cycle. I refuse to allow anything to run on my PC that will puke sound out of my speakers all willy nilly.
On top of that, AOL's latest (Triton?) version is the most bug ridden piece of shit software I've ever used. Not only does it install some craptacular AOL browser (hijacked IE? Probably), but for several months it wouldn't show as I modified the text input area for chat (GUI redraw issue). The only option was to migrate to the prior version, which has a UI dating back to the early 90's.
MSN's service, by contrast, DOES have ads. These ads don't auto-play sound, and I seriously can't think of a real bug in the client itself. This is far less invasive than AOL's client, and accomplishes the purpose I intend to use it for; to bounce a message off of a friend of colleague.
Naturally, using gaim for either/both services nullifies any of these arguments and you only need to worry about the chat service itself holding water.
What is the current installed userbase plus rate of new installations for gaming systems? With the last generation (PS2/Xbox/Gamecube), how many million found there way into people's homes? If we assume that all of those people will buy a next gen system (not possible, but for the sake of argument), along with however many new customers are expected, is it really possible to expect 25+ million consoles to have a home? Due to the prices of the 360/PS3, it's not currently as likely that there will be much, if any, overlap (2 or more systems/home).
It seems to me that people are forgetting that not everybody wants any of the new systems, and I doubt the current userbase is large enough for this kind of growth.
Made even slightly more applicable to Slashdot as Steven Wilson, lead of Porcupine Tree, was a computer programmer before becoming a musician.
'Even Less' is track 1 off of 'Stupid Dream', in case anybody wants to check it out. They even play the numbers during their concerts.
I'm kind of a PT junkie, in case you couldn't tell.
I'm not claiming to be an expert on space exploration. What ARE some of the benefits, thus far, that our space program has yielded? I do recognize the advancement of general knowledge on the topic to be a benefit. What are some of the other things? Satellite technology is one.
Or is the main argument, "Wait and see"?
This isn't a sarcastic question. I'm probably a part of the majority that TFA includes. Maybe it's due to my lack of knowledge on the subject. I actually have somewhat more knowledge on astronomy than most of my peers, if only due to a very basic astronomy college course. Yet, I'm absolutely willing to admit that I simply haven't been taught most of the benefits we've gained thus far from NASA's programs. I'm not saying that they're worthless and pointless. I'm only saying that based on my own knowledge of the subject (which is lacking, yet mainstream), I'd prefer the cliche "fix the problems on this planet first, then we'll worry about others". Think of what could be done with even a small chunk of the money NASA uses. It seems like a fair trade, to me.
I'm 25. Dark gothic horror and sex weren't fantasies in my upbringing, so I don't buy that.
You're all free to call me narrow minded, stupid, whatever. I simply have very little interest in wasting literally billions of dollars (in part, my own tax money) to send somebody somewhere that ultimately will have very little, if any, noticeable impact on my life and our society.
Earlier generations were especially mystified by space exploration because there were so many unknowns; so many possibilities that they felt could potentially alter their lives. Other forms of life on the moon, for example. Or maybe Martians. I grew up in a time where we had already explored these things. These topics were no longer quite so tantalizing after being told that, no, there is no life outside of Earth in our solar system. And also, the moon isn't made of cheese. My point is that I didn't grow up interested in space exploration because anything that I COULD have been interested in was already explored.
Do I suggest that we simply halt all space exploration? Absolutely not. Just don't be surprised when more people are no longer waiting with bated breath over a seemingly pointless space operation (I realize that not all of them are, and I understand that many consider none of them to be pointless; I simply disagree).
The worst? Obviously the PS3. Seriously, you need to refinance your home to even get one, it needs a small power plant to power it, and afterwards you're left wondering why.
Exactly. PS3 and 360 together is not only pricey, but it's also severely redundant. You'd have two highly capable machines with nearly the same game library. One of the primary reasons to lean towards either console is title exclusivity that the gamer is interested in (Gears of War, Final Fantasy, etc).
Meanwhile, Nintendo is almost guaranteed to have highly exclusive titles that can't be found on other consoles. This is due to both Nintendo's in house game development of grade A titles, the unique control scheme, as well as hardware inferiority. Some of the games that have been redundant, so far, have gotten an even warmer reception than the X360/PS3 versions (Madden '07, for example, is supposed to be a blast with the Wii only due to its controls. Stiff arm? Easy, push your arm out as the player really would. Throwing and juking work in a similar manner that is just far more enveloping than the other console's controls. The other consoles best it in graphics, but some people consider the tradeoff more than fair).
I realize that the point has been beaten to death already, but I literally had to pry the controller from my Mom's arms over Thanksgiving break. She's never even played video games. I was only able to escape back home with my console after promising to bring it back when I visit for Christmas. My dad was a fan, too, and damned near broke a sweat throwing virtual punches at the TV during boxing.
Non-gamers love this thing. The intuitiveness of the controls makes it simple for anybody to pick up and enjoy. I've had friends over the last 3 nights to play the games with me. It's a fantastic social toy that I expect to take a significant chunk out of traditional board games. As such, I expect people who have never spent a dime on video games to seriously consider purchasing a Wii; they only need to experience it once to realize how much fun and engrossing that it is.
I also own a Xbox360, of which I also love and enjoy. I use each console for a different kind of game experience, and don't think it's uncommon for people like me to want both. It was easy for me, as a gamer, to justify the cost of the Wii60 over the cost of a single PS3. I don't imagine that I'm alone in this.
In other words, more casual/non-gamers will buy the Wii than the Xbox360/PS3. Some hardcore gamers will only buy the Xbox360/Wii. But there's also a market for people like me who choose to combine the two, and I see more people like me who wouldn't consider buying the PS3 and the Wii over the Xbox360 and the Wii due to the cost of the PS3. Due to these factors, I don't see how it's possible to forecast any real winner of the console wars yet. It's all fair game, and with Nintendo reaching new and untapped audiences, we shouldn't pen them in for third place just yet.
My comment is more in reference to new storage technologies that are heralded as "the next big thing". We've reached the theorhetical storage capacity on the magnetic technologies, and have known the limits for a while. Sure, we've doubled magnetic storage drive capacities in the last few years, but can we go any further? What's REALLY next? It seems like I've read tens of press releases touting a breakthrough in a new form of data storage, but none ever materialize.
Quite simply, I just get impatient and more jaded with each new press release I see promising a metaphorical flying car "soon". Not to bash this slashdot posting, as it IS informational.
Seriously, how often do I hear about supposed amazing advancements in data storage and never see anything flesh out? They all promise applicability in a distant timeframe, but how many of these technologies (holographic or otherwise) have come to usable fruition?
If 10% of the hype revolving around storage in the last 5 years materialized, I'd be storing a terrabyte on a sheet of paper spit out by a magical unicorn's ass by now.
You joke, but that's the reason that X360's aren't worth modding yet (in my opinion). You could easily run some simply great homebrew (such as XBMC) on the original modded Xbox, due to the hack allowing unsigned code to run. The code for this DVD firmware hack still requires signed code, so it's only good for piracy.
This sucks for the two of you who ACTUALLY WOULD use this to back a game up (understandable, they're pricey at $60 a pop). However, the mass majority of people interested in this hack are pirates who don't want to pay for games. MS is still selling these machines at a hefty loss, so I can't say I blame them for this one.
Intents and purposes. I sincerely doubt you meant to say intensive purposes.
I've had to re-activate Windows XP several times, as I've been known to tinker with the hardware quite a bit. It takes about 10 minutes to call their support center, tell a support rep an ID, and have them open the key up for re-registration. A small pain? Sure. A reason for anti-MS zealots to bicker? Absolutely. A serious show stopper? Not even close.
Like it or not, this is GOOD news as the new key authentication is more lax than XP. Might not be as open as you'd all like, but it's an improvement.
Or you could get a life AND play Warcraft!
This is only a hot topic on Slashdot because the game tends to attracts nerds with little to zero social life to begin with. Sure, it's stereotyping, but a lot more of my coder brethren play the game than my non-geek friends.
My point is that the people who get obsessed with WoW to the point that it affects their lives negatively probably didn't have much of a life (if at all) to begin with.
Personally, I work a full time job AND find about 10 hours a week to devote to video games. I've suspended my WoW account during the Summers because I'd rather be outside, and I'd rather not pay for something that I'm not using. I resume it when the snow hits the ground, and even then I only play moderately. IT IS POSSIBLE!
If the WoW junkies would look outside their window and MAYBE even consider leaving the house then this problem would be solved. However, how often did the same junky do this BEFORE WoW?
A good friend of mine became a "WoW addict". He was moving to another town and invited some friends over to hang out as a bon voyage get together. He decided to hang out for about 10 minutes before he had to "go meet up with his guildies online" where he sat for 2 hours. He wouldn't be coaxed away from the game. We finally took the cable modem power cord from him and watched a grown man throw a temper tantrum. He took my friend's cell phone and stormed off to his room nearly in tears. He locked himself inside the room and said he wasn't giving the phone back until he got his cable modem cord. My friend ended up forcing the door open, taking his phone back, tossing the cable cord at him and told him that he was pathetic. We haven't spoken to him since.
What did he do before this episode? Mostly watch anime and other assorted video games. He wasn't known for having an outgoing social life to begin with, although I will admit that WoW worsened it (he previously was able to stop playing a game to be social with friends that would visit, at least).
The game isn't the problem. The personality and social life of the player is. If you or someone you know has an addiction to the game, PLEASE go outside. Get a cup of coffee. Read the newspaper. Talk to that girl you met on campus. Whatever. Fix your life and the overwhelming urge to get some valueless online blue item will fade into obscurity, or you MIGHT even learn to play the game in moderation. You'll be happy you did.
Slashdot Mirror
While I'm a big fan of XViD encoded media, a substantial portion of my collection is in DiVX. If I understand things correctly, DiVX is a proprietary format and therefore a royalty would need to be paid (a la Fraunhofer MP3 codecs) in order to support it (please correct me if I'm wrong). This leads me to doubt that the update will allow DiVX support. If Microsoft were smart, they would use the Marketplace to license various royalty based codecs. I'd gladly pay a few bucks to get DiVX support on my 360.
Can we please quit crucifying Java for performance related issues?
Sure, most professionals will finally admit that Java is an awesome server side backend. To deny this would make you clueless. However, try running an efficiently coded application such as Netbeans. It's a client side app completely coded in Java, and it's extremely efficient. I can run the IDE on a large project and still get instant responsiveness on tasks such as "find usages" on classes/variables. Visual Studio can't claim the same.
Just, please... I know it's popular to blame Java for all that ills you. It's just no longer absolutely correct.
Personally, I've recently started listening to a lot of Opeth instead of a lot of the other "old metal" type of music due to their musical complexity. Dream Theater isn't unknown on my playlists, either, and for the same reason. Both of these bands would be classified as "Progressive Metal", and are somewhat like their progressive rock counterparts (Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree, Tool, Mars Volta, etc) in that they are known for having complex time signatures and non-static, sweeping "epic" tracks. I pick something new up each time I listen to these types of bands, so I find myself wanting to listen to them repetitively.
This doesn't mean that I'll completely ignore my collection of Deftones/White Zombie/old Metallica on an angsty day, but my motivation for tossing these on are different; they're much more mindless and don't demand as much attention as their progressive rock/metal counterparts.
Exactly. Even so, articles like this make me think of Slashdot as a popular culture trash mag. Instead of bantering about the latest thing that Paris Hilton is wearing, we get to hear sensationalist crap about nerds. We don't need a submission every time Ballmer takes a dump, or whenever someone uses the word "Google" in conversation or a blog. Especially when the source is nothing more than a short speech at a university.
Same here, and yup... I agree. Ought to be a quick and painless ordeal.
What you say is not entirely true. Sony IS an evil company in my eyes. Let's go down the laundry list:
1. Countless bad experiences with their customer support.
2. Rootkit... that installs even if you deny the EULA.
3. Needless proprietary formats.
4. Overpriced electronics made with cheap components.
Sony used to be worthwhile in the 90's, but have since gone completely downhill. They produce awful hardware, have horrible ethics, and couldn't support a toothpick if they sold them. I don't buy Sony ANYTHING (including movies/albums/etc, unfortunately) mostly because I feel it's the right thing for myself, a professional nerd, to do. I don't tell others to boycott Sony, but I simply refuse to buy anything from this company after the countless fiascos.
Really? I have to admit that I'm quite the opposite. I'm probably in the minority, but I seem to have the attention span of a 6 year old with a 2-liter Jolt cola when it comes to games, anymore. I'd MUCH rather pay a smaller fee ($10, $20) for episodic content than take the $60 plunge on a game that I'll grow tired of before finishing. This is probably why I've spent more money on Xbox Live Arcade and smaller Steam games than I have on retail titles over the last few years. If I don't end up really, really liking the game it's no huge loss. Bite-sized gaming appeals to me. This doesn't excuse the long delays between titles, I'll admit.
As for staying on the original topic, I applaud MS for the "Games for Windows" route. They're trying to standardize PC gaming requirements with a points system that could ultimately prove useful. They're also bringing Live to Windows, which is far and away the best online multiplayer service (yeah, go tinker some more with Battlefield2/2142's matchmaking service and tell me that Live isn't better).
Although it's probably more of a philosophical discussion than anything else, I don't believe that there is such a thing as an unselfish action.
While most would argue that giving anonymously to a charity is an unselfish act, the giver is still doing something to satisfy a selfish need. They'll feel better about themselves afterwards.
Even if the outcome of whatever the action is happens to be negative, it was still done to accomplish a self need. For example, a 15 year old emo kid cuts him/herself with glass. This is still selfish, as they're fulfilling a perceived need for themselves.
This isn't the first time I've heard this. Almost EVERYBODY around here (Montana) uses MSN Messenger instead of AIM, of which I am VERY grateful for. I find it odd that nobody else seems to use MSN elsewhere, but my contact list is well over 100 people. Go figure.
I used to have both clients installed on my home PC until an ad started AUTO-PLAYING sound. The ads also cycle. I refuse to allow anything to run on my PC that will puke sound out of my speakers all willy nilly.
On top of that, AOL's latest (Triton?) version is the most bug ridden piece of shit software I've ever used. Not only does it install some craptacular AOL browser (hijacked IE? Probably), but for several months it wouldn't show as I modified the text input area for chat (GUI redraw issue). The only option was to migrate to the prior version, which has a UI dating back to the early 90's.
MSN's service, by contrast, DOES have ads. These ads don't auto-play sound, and I seriously can't think of a real bug in the client itself. This is far less invasive than AOL's client, and accomplishes the purpose I intend to use it for; to bounce a message off of a friend of colleague.
Naturally, using gaim for either/both services nullifies any of these arguments and you only need to worry about the chat service itself holding water.
But how realistic is any of this?
What is the current installed userbase plus rate of new installations for gaming systems? With the last generation (PS2/Xbox/Gamecube), how many million found there way into people's homes? If we assume that all of those people will buy a next gen system (not possible, but for the sake of argument), along with however many new customers are expected, is it really possible to expect 25+ million consoles to have a home? Due to the prices of the 360/PS3, it's not currently as likely that there will be much, if any, overlap (2 or more systems/home).
It seems to me that people are forgetting that not everybody wants any of the new systems, and I doubt the current userbase is large enough for this kind of growth.
Made even slightly more applicable to Slashdot as Steven Wilson, lead of Porcupine Tree, was a computer programmer before becoming a musician. 'Even Less' is track 1 off of 'Stupid Dream', in case anybody wants to check it out. They even play the numbers during their concerts. I'm kind of a PT junkie, in case you couldn't tell.
You're right. I shouldn't forget the quip from Robin Williams involving the millions NASA spent developing the pen that can write upside down, either.
Obviously both of these examples are dumb. I'll search some Wikis to learn more on the subject myself.
Fair enough.
I'm not claiming to be an expert on space exploration. What ARE some of the benefits, thus far, that our space program has yielded? I do recognize the advancement of general knowledge on the topic to be a benefit. What are some of the other things? Satellite technology is one.
Or is the main argument, "Wait and see"?
This isn't a sarcastic question. I'm probably a part of the majority that TFA includes. Maybe it's due to my lack of knowledge on the subject. I actually have somewhat more knowledge on astronomy than most of my peers, if only due to a very basic astronomy college course. Yet, I'm absolutely willing to admit that I simply haven't been taught most of the benefits we've gained thus far from NASA's programs. I'm not saying that they're worthless and pointless. I'm only saying that based on my own knowledge of the subject (which is lacking, yet mainstream), I'd prefer the cliche "fix the problems on this planet first, then we'll worry about others". Think of what could be done with even a small chunk of the money NASA uses. It seems like a fair trade, to me.
I'm 25. Dark gothic horror and sex weren't fantasies in my upbringing, so I don't buy that.
You're all free to call me narrow minded, stupid, whatever. I simply have very little interest in wasting literally billions of dollars (in part, my own tax money) to send somebody somewhere that ultimately will have very little, if any, noticeable impact on my life and our society.
Earlier generations were especially mystified by space exploration because there were so many unknowns; so many possibilities that they felt could potentially alter their lives. Other forms of life on the moon, for example. Or maybe Martians. I grew up in a time where we had already explored these things. These topics were no longer quite so tantalizing after being told that, no, there is no life outside of Earth in our solar system. And also, the moon isn't made of cheese. My point is that I didn't grow up interested in space exploration because anything that I COULD have been interested in was already explored.
Do I suggest that we simply halt all space exploration? Absolutely not. Just don't be surprised when more people are no longer waiting with bated breath over a seemingly pointless space operation (I realize that not all of them are, and I understand that many consider none of them to be pointless; I simply disagree).
The worst? Obviously the PS3. Seriously, you need to refinance your home to even get one, it needs a small power plant to power it, and afterwards you're left wondering why.
Exactly. PS3 and 360 together is not only pricey, but it's also severely redundant. You'd have two highly capable machines with nearly the same game library. One of the primary reasons to lean towards either console is title exclusivity that the gamer is interested in (Gears of War, Final Fantasy, etc).
Meanwhile, Nintendo is almost guaranteed to have highly exclusive titles that can't be found on other consoles. This is due to both Nintendo's in house game development of grade A titles, the unique control scheme, as well as hardware inferiority. Some of the games that have been redundant, so far, have gotten an even warmer reception than the X360/PS3 versions (Madden '07, for example, is supposed to be a blast with the Wii only due to its controls. Stiff arm? Easy, push your arm out as the player really would. Throwing and juking work in a similar manner that is just far more enveloping than the other console's controls. The other consoles best it in graphics, but some people consider the tradeoff more than fair).
I realize that the point has been beaten to death already, but I literally had to pry the controller from my Mom's arms over Thanksgiving break. She's never even played video games. I was only able to escape back home with my console after promising to bring it back when I visit for Christmas. My dad was a fan, too, and damned near broke a sweat throwing virtual punches at the TV during boxing.
Non-gamers love this thing. The intuitiveness of the controls makes it simple for anybody to pick up and enjoy. I've had friends over the last 3 nights to play the games with me. It's a fantastic social toy that I expect to take a significant chunk out of traditional board games. As such, I expect people who have never spent a dime on video games to seriously consider purchasing a Wii; they only need to experience it once to realize how much fun and engrossing that it is.
I also own a Xbox360, of which I also love and enjoy. I use each console for a different kind of game experience, and don't think it's uncommon for people like me to want both. It was easy for me, as a gamer, to justify the cost of the Wii60 over the cost of a single PS3. I don't imagine that I'm alone in this.
In other words, more casual/non-gamers will buy the Wii than the Xbox360/PS3. Some hardcore gamers will only buy the Xbox360/Wii. But there's also a market for people like me who choose to combine the two, and I see more people like me who wouldn't consider buying the PS3 and the Wii over the Xbox360 and the Wii due to the cost of the PS3. Due to these factors, I don't see how it's possible to forecast any real winner of the console wars yet. It's all fair game, and with Nintendo reaching new and untapped audiences, we shouldn't pen them in for third place just yet.
Quite simply, I just get impatient and more jaded with each new press release I see promising a metaphorical flying car "soon". Not to bash this slashdot posting, as it IS informational.
If 10% of the hype revolving around storage in the last 5 years materialized, I'd be storing a terrabyte on a sheet of paper spit out by a magical unicorn's ass by now.
This sucks for the two of you who ACTUALLY WOULD use this to back a game up (understandable, they're pricey at $60 a pop). However, the mass majority of people interested in this hack are pirates who don't want to pay for games. MS is still selling these machines at a hefty loss, so I can't say I blame them for this one.
I've had to re-activate Windows XP several times, as I've been known to tinker with the hardware quite a bit. It takes about 10 minutes to call their support center, tell a support rep an ID, and have them open the key up for re-registration. A small pain? Sure. A reason for anti-MS zealots to bicker? Absolutely. A serious show stopper? Not even close.
Like it or not, this is GOOD news as the new key authentication is more lax than XP. Might not be as open as you'd all like, but it's an improvement.
Or you could get a life AND play Warcraft! This is only a hot topic on Slashdot because the game tends to attracts nerds with little to zero social life to begin with. Sure, it's stereotyping, but a lot more of my coder brethren play the game than my non-geek friends. My point is that the people who get obsessed with WoW to the point that it affects their lives negatively probably didn't have much of a life (if at all) to begin with. Personally, I work a full time job AND find about 10 hours a week to devote to video games. I've suspended my WoW account during the Summers because I'd rather be outside, and I'd rather not pay for something that I'm not using. I resume it when the snow hits the ground, and even then I only play moderately. IT IS POSSIBLE! If the WoW junkies would look outside their window and MAYBE even consider leaving the house then this problem would be solved. However, how often did the same junky do this BEFORE WoW? A good friend of mine became a "WoW addict". He was moving to another town and invited some friends over to hang out as a bon voyage get together. He decided to hang out for about 10 minutes before he had to "go meet up with his guildies online" where he sat for 2 hours. He wouldn't be coaxed away from the game. We finally took the cable modem power cord from him and watched a grown man throw a temper tantrum. He took my friend's cell phone and stormed off to his room nearly in tears. He locked himself inside the room and said he wasn't giving the phone back until he got his cable modem cord. My friend ended up forcing the door open, taking his phone back, tossing the cable cord at him and told him that he was pathetic. We haven't spoken to him since. What did he do before this episode? Mostly watch anime and other assorted video games. He wasn't known for having an outgoing social life to begin with, although I will admit that WoW worsened it (he previously was able to stop playing a game to be social with friends that would visit, at least). The game isn't the problem. The personality and social life of the player is. If you or someone you know has an addiction to the game, PLEASE go outside. Get a cup of coffee. Read the newspaper. Talk to that girl you met on campus. Whatever. Fix your life and the overwhelming urge to get some valueless online blue item will fade into obscurity, or you MIGHT even learn to play the game in moderation. You'll be happy you did.