Where they awarded NEW players with a free low level horse, while people who had beenwith them for a long time, paying for the game when nobody knew if it was going to be any good at all with ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
Yep. WoW did that type of thing and more, when I quit playing they were allowing people who joined together to instantly transport to where the other player was, and there were all kinds of special bonuses. They they gimped Druids even more, giving the lvl 30 mount ability to others, etc. Let's not even talk about the Druid tree changes.
What was so frustrating was scheduling a raid, having people logon, and their trees were BLANK. Most didn't have a copy of their build handy or couldn't memorize all the options they chose, and the new options just made it even more disorganized. Builds you knew by heart were all of the sudden no good. Oh, and the armor you raided for hours on end to get is now inferior to greens obtained from 15 minute quests.
Nope, not bitter at all. The sad part is if I had the time and a decent internet connection at home I would probably play WoW again. I miss some of the Vent chats we had while questing / raiding, and some of the people I met.
I see your point, and that's why I went from PC to console for the vast majority of my gaming also. If I don't have the hassle that's required of PC gaming, I'm perfectly fine with "dropping some quarters" into someone else's machine with the understanding that I won't get anything permanent in return. That's why Dave and Buster's makes so much money, at least from me.
While I really enjoyed playing WoW, it cost insane amounts of money in the long run. I assume other MMORPGs are the same way.
I guess there is some kind of line there -- with an online game, they have to host the servers, which they can't do indefinitely with a one-time payment. But not all games require this, and for those I would resist having to pay a monthly fee when there is nothing obtained in return. Don't hook into online DRM crap for a game that's not played online.
Most of my games are now on the Wii, and while they're not cheap there are no ongoing costs once purchased except for all the AA batteries.
The math just doesn't work out. By the time you add the manufacturing cost, shipping and handling, and overhead, you're way beyond $2. Shipping alone would be $1.
Let me give you a real-world example... next time you're bored take 2 or 3 letters to the post office and weigh them (as if you were remailing them in an envelope). I do this regularly, as I sort and forward someone's mail for them. It's $1.80 to $3 every time, for 4-5 envelopes. Granted a postal machine will shave off a little, but not much. You're not supposed to ship anything that isn't flat in an envelope (USPS regs) and once you put it in a non-envelope container the rates really go up.
Those "$2" items you saw most likely fell off a truck,and even then I don't see the profit unless you require a minimum purchase.
Look, I love Apple products. I own / have owned a MacBook Pro, 2 iMacs, an iPod 2G, an iPhone 3GS, an iPad, an Airport Express, and an iPod shuffle. I get it.
But, seriously Apple, you did a recall with the MacBook battery issue. You replaced batteries and even though it cost you some money your karma was helped by it. Do the same with the iPhone 4... offer owners a case which you test to make sure fixes the problem. It will probably cost you $20 per for these including shipping and processing assuming you can get the cases for $4 or so. But you will instantly shut up the majority of people who are complaining VERY loudly about the problem AND you will have "done the right thing".
NO company is capable of 100% preventing mistakes, but it's how you act as a company that determines how you're perceived. You can be cool and hip all you want but if customers are afraid to purchase your products because you've stuck to your guns and forced lawsuits to happen you lose in the long run.
There are many facets to good vs bad DB design. As the DB grows you make changes to accommodate that growth, because you can't always plan far enough ahead to handle every type of expansion.
You also have to think about where your DB platform is going. Staying on an older DB platform isn't always a bad thing if you have good reason(s). For instance, we're still using SQL Server 2000. I didn't like 2005's restrictions but 2008 looks better so I plan to test that in the coming months. Staying with SQL Server 2000 meant doing things such as logical partitioning (where you create multiple filegroups, host segments of a larger table group in these filegroups, and combine them with a view). Some of my split tables have 300 million rows and splitting them up made the indexes significantly smaller and table access faster. Combined I've got something like 3 billion records in that one view, and most reports using this data return data in under 3 seconds. That's more of a DBA than developer activity.
We use MySQL where it makes sense. One of our RHEL hosts a proprietary DB and MySQL to get data imported quickly, because it's so much faster and more reliable than the other DB. Using the right tool for the job is very important.
Nah, if it's truly a better platform then Apple will jump again. They've spent quite a bit of effort / time / money in the processes needed for this type of switch and performed very well in their previous jump. If anything Microsoft will have a far harder time doing this because of the backwards compatibility needs.
I wonder if Apple patented any of the central ideas needed for this when they did Rosetta. It's pretty transparent the way it works under OS X -- I'm using Tiger (soon to be upgraded) and there are several PPC processes running right now.
The current IP scheme allows someone to sit indefinitely on a patent or idea without any demonstration of intention to use that idea, so you collectively get "weaponized" patent portfolios as everyone grabs what they can and holds it for future use. Patent trolls use this to stifle others or prevent implementation of their idea or patent. I don't agree with those uses, either produce a product within some initial timeframe or license it to others.
In my eyes the current scheme is broken and relegates interested people who would gladly pay a fee to use an idea to a pirate / subversive status. I'm more inclined to take the "information should be free" approach in light of Sony's inaction rather than embrace legal warfare as the preferred option.
It's interesting how Nintendo hasn't released any Mario games on the Xbox360.
The Mario games are platform leaders which identify strongly and uniquely with Nintendo systems. Allowing them to be published on other systems would devalue the Nintendo systems. As a hardware manufacturer Nintendo should avoid publishing these games on other consoles.
Sony creates both hardware and software, and has a large console offering too. However the difference here is that while the Lemmings franchise may have had games available on consoles, this franchise was never identified as a console game or strongly identified with a specific console; in fact it was identified on many different computer systems throughout the years. Sony has no reason to limit publishing this on all available platforms and if I were a stockholder I would want to know why, given the long-term success of the Lemmings franchise. Obviously there is a product with demand, and if some unaffiliated third party can hack something together in 36 hours on a bunch of platforms Sony should be able to do better with minimal resources.
Perhaps a method should be constructed such that if you sit on a product and do not release a version for a platform within 5 years (an arbitrary figure), you relinquish the rights to sue when other parties create a clone of your product, so long as you are attributed in (highly visible) credits? This would be far more interesting and beneficial to the public. Obviously if you haven't made a move within such a long time period you are not interested.
Maybe one day we will evolve to the point where people realize money isn't everything, but in the meantime I'd like to see criminal charges able to be filed against corporations. They want to be people, you say? Fine, let them be people in every legal sense too.
Apple has some serious funds to make sure the situation never arises again: a 3rd party controlling their future. Call it what you want, it's a ballsy move and I hope they do well at it. There have been a lot of disappointments in the past when they relied on partners' efforts.
Slashdot Mirror
Where they awarded NEW players with a free low level horse, while people who had beenwith them for a long time, paying for the game when nobody knew if it was going to be any good at all with ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
Yep. WoW did that type of thing and more, when I quit playing they were allowing people who joined together to instantly transport to where the other player was, and there were all kinds of special bonuses. They they gimped Druids even more, giving the lvl 30 mount ability to others, etc. Let's not even talk about the Druid tree changes.
What was so frustrating was scheduling a raid, having people logon, and their trees were BLANK. Most didn't have a copy of their build handy or couldn't memorize all the options they chose, and the new options just made it even more disorganized. Builds you knew by heart were all of the sudden no good. Oh, and the armor you raided for hours on end to get is now inferior to greens obtained from 15 minute quests.
Nope, not bitter at all. The sad part is if I had the time and a decent internet connection at home I would probably play WoW again. I miss some of the Vent chats we had while questing / raiding, and some of the people I met.
I see your point, and that's why I went from PC to console for the vast majority of my gaming also. If I don't have the hassle that's required of PC gaming, I'm perfectly fine with "dropping some quarters" into someone else's machine with the understanding that I won't get anything permanent in return. That's why Dave and Buster's makes so much money, at least from me.
While I really enjoyed playing WoW, it cost insane amounts of money in the long run. I assume other MMORPGs are the same way.
I guess there is some kind of line there -- with an online game, they have to host the servers, which they can't do indefinitely with a one-time payment. But not all games require this, and for those I would resist having to pay a monthly fee when there is nothing obtained in return. Don't hook into online DRM crap for a game that's not played online.
Most of my games are now on the Wii, and while they're not cheap there are no ongoing costs once purchased except for all the AA batteries.
Try it with a Windows machine. At least if it doesn't work you can double its value!
<ducks>
Care to post a link? The cheapest one I see is $7 excluding shipping and handling. http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&q=iphone+case+site:ebay.com&scoring=p
The math just doesn't work out. By the time you add the manufacturing cost, shipping and handling, and overhead, you're way beyond $2. Shipping alone would be $1.
Let me give you a real-world example... next time you're bored take 2 or 3 letters to the post office and weigh them (as if you were remailing them in an envelope). I do this regularly, as I sort and forward someone's mail for them. It's $1.80 to $3 every time, for 4-5 envelopes. Granted a postal machine will shave off a little, but not much. You're not supposed to ship anything that isn't flat in an envelope (USPS regs) and once you put it in a non-envelope container the rates really go up.
Those "$2" items you saw most likely fell off a truck,and even then I don't see the profit unless you require a minimum purchase.
Look, I love Apple products. I own / have owned a MacBook Pro, 2 iMacs, an iPod 2G, an iPhone 3GS, an iPad, an Airport Express, and an iPod shuffle. I get it.
But, seriously Apple, you did a recall with the MacBook battery issue. You replaced batteries and even though it cost you some money your karma was helped by it. Do the same with the iPhone 4... offer owners a case which you test to make sure fixes the problem. It will probably cost you $20 per for these including shipping and processing assuming you can get the cases for $4 or so. But you will instantly shut up the majority of people who are complaining VERY loudly about the problem AND you will have "done the right thing".
NO company is capable of 100% preventing mistakes, but it's how you act as a company that determines how you're perceived. You can be cool and hip all you want but if customers are afraid to purchase your products because you've stuck to your guns and forced lawsuits to happen you lose in the long run.
There are many facets to good vs bad DB design. As the DB grows you make changes to accommodate that growth, because you can't always plan far enough ahead to handle every type of expansion.
You also have to think about where your DB platform is going. Staying on an older DB platform isn't always a bad thing if you have good reason(s). For instance, we're still using SQL Server 2000. I didn't like 2005's restrictions but 2008 looks better so I plan to test that in the coming months. Staying with SQL Server 2000 meant doing things such as logical partitioning (where you create multiple filegroups, host segments of a larger table group in these filegroups, and combine them with a view). Some of my split tables have 300 million rows and splitting them up made the indexes significantly smaller and table access faster. Combined I've got something like 3 billion records in that one view, and most reports using this data return data in under 3 seconds. That's more of a DBA than developer activity.
We use MySQL where it makes sense. One of our RHEL hosts a proprietary DB and MySQL to get data imported quickly, because it's so much faster and more reliable than the other DB. Using the right tool for the job is very important.
Prior art, so when some troll company comes along and tries to patent it we have a record.
I learned something today, thanks for your informative comment.
Nah, if it's truly a better platform then Apple will jump again. They've spent quite a bit of effort / time / money in the processes needed for this type of switch and performed very well in their previous jump. If anything Microsoft will have a far harder time doing this because of the backwards compatibility needs.
I wonder if Apple patented any of the central ideas needed for this when they did Rosetta. It's pretty transparent the way it works under OS X -- I'm using Tiger (soon to be upgraded) and there are several PPC processes running right now.
...but please, no pics.
Welcome to the Apple Fanboy club!
Your mock turtleneck should be arriving soon. In the meantime, why not check out our newest iPhone, iPod and iPad accessories at the Apple Store?
Your friend,
Steve
The current IP scheme allows someone to sit indefinitely on a patent or idea without any demonstration of intention to use that idea, so you collectively get "weaponized" patent portfolios as everyone grabs what they can and holds it for future use. Patent trolls use this to stifle others or prevent implementation of their idea or patent. I don't agree with those uses, either produce a product within some initial timeframe or license it to others.
In my eyes the current scheme is broken and relegates interested people who would gladly pay a fee to use an idea to a pirate / subversive status. I'm more inclined to take the "information should be free" approach in light of Sony's inaction rather than embrace legal warfare as the preferred option.
It's interesting how Nintendo hasn't released any Mario games on the Xbox360.
The Mario games are platform leaders which identify strongly and uniquely with Nintendo systems. Allowing them to be published on other systems would devalue the Nintendo systems. As a hardware manufacturer Nintendo should avoid publishing these games on other consoles.
Sony creates both hardware and software, and has a large console offering too. However the difference here is that while the Lemmings franchise may have had games available on consoles, this franchise was never identified as a console game or strongly identified with a specific console; in fact it was identified on many different computer systems throughout the years. Sony has no reason to limit publishing this on all available platforms and if I were a stockholder I would want to know why, given the long-term success of the Lemmings franchise. Obviously there is a product with demand, and if some unaffiliated third party can hack something together in 36 hours on a bunch of platforms Sony should be able to do better with minimal resources.
Perhaps a method should be constructed such that if you sit on a product and do not release a version for a platform within 5 years (an arbitrary figure), you relinquish the rights to sue when other parties create a clone of your product, so long as you are attributed in (highly visible) credits? This would be far more interesting and beneficial to the public. Obviously if you haven't made a move within such a long time period you are not interested.
Or, for an analogy that most Slashdotters will understand... It's like being in porn and not knowing who Ron Jeremy or Jenna Jameson is.
Yo dawg, we herd u like IOS so we made a product running iOS you can use to read about IOS...
True. Unfortunate, but true.
Maybe one day we will evolve to the point where people realize money isn't everything, but in the meantime I'd like to see criminal charges able to be filed against corporations. They want to be people, you say? Fine, let them be people in every legal sense too.
potato famine
Too soon, too soon. People still sensitive about that one.
... and to close the circle, they can trade the vodka for batteries! Genius, I tell you!
Hmmm wonder if biofuel would be a good answer for them. http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/fuel-from-chicken-feathers/
Apple has some serious funds to make sure the situation never arises again: a 3rd party controlling their future. Call it what you want, it's a ballsy move and I hope they do well at it. There have been a lot of disappointments in the past when they relied on partners' efforts.
How many BP oil spills are in a "dickload"?
I've bought and sold houses, cars etc and a faxed or emailed scan has always worked for me. I'm curious -- what things required an original sig?
Besides, isn't pron a feature of Android? Or so I've heard...
Mod up please, +1 Insightful. This is an important concept.
And no excellent karma yet? I thought they handed out karma to everyone...
Why is this modded troll? Seems informative to me.