If you rented it for four weeks, you got it for four weeks. Now, if you don't catch wind of all these changes in the rental company until you're back and ready to return it, guess what? The car rental agency *will* have people around to collect the "assets" and be done with it.
Likewise, if a company goes under, it's probably already in debt. Those creditors want cash, and the best solution, since you can't manage your operation anymore, is to go ahead and charge a little bit more for a single cost, distribute a non-expiring key, and let you have it. They take that bit of cash, pay of the creditors, and go home.
If you need the software that badly, you *will* purchase it at that point. If not, you'll back out and make sure that your data is readable by something else.
This will make more sense as more places go for this model. Microsoft seems safe, but if *everything* goes wrong... XBox fails, MS is forcibly split and can't make enough cash,.NET proves too much of a security hole, etc... the company might fail, and then that's the end of that. Being that so many companies are married to Windows, there will need to be some kind of failsafe to allow MS to clean up its own mess, and leave the users with something that's at least going to keep on running as if the rental period were still in effect.
Erm... the G4 has AltiVec. Not that you're right anyway.
The Gekko chip is a G3, with its own multimedia enhanced instruction set mode, so yes, it can also do SIMD.
Next off, MS has had to boost XBox specs *because* of GameCube. They don't plan on replacing the XBox for a few years, meanwhile, Sony's already looking at PS3 development. MS is just trying to make the system last a few more years in the long run.
X86 is power hungry and inefficient. As long as they stay tied to all of the backwards compatibility of the chip, they're going to be in trouble.
Next off, no one would dream of coding in full assembly anymore for a game. It's mostly C, even for GameCube, by virtue of it being a desktop CPU. The multitexturing capabilities also work to NGC's advantage, and you have to remember the next thing that Nintendo has going for them. They don't really *need* third party developers to get anywhere. Rare, Game Freak, and a few others can propel them to remarkable success. Hell, they can probably ride another Shigeru Miyamoto hype machine all the way to the bank if things get tough. Microsoft lacks any single brilliant developer, and gamers recognize that level of celebrity. Just like Squaresoft for PS2, or Hideo Kojima for whatever he decided to release (he's the only reason Konami hasn't tanked.)
Finally, even though no one does full blown ASM anymore for a console, partial ASM is still done, and will be, even for XBox. You know why? Raw speed. If you have a stable target, you code as close as you can to the metal to squeeze out all that you can from what you've got. Just ask John Carmack.
X86 doesn't make things easier, just more familiar. Once people realize that MS was right, that the XBox *isn't* a PC, they'll hit the same hurdles that other consoles have felt.
Factoid from Namco's Soul Calibur team: They claimed to have maxed out the Dreamcast's capabilities with SC. To be honest, it's a beautiful game, and they were probably right, or at least very close. They could have just coded targeting CE and DirectX, but didn't. For the same reason, the instant that someone codes an XBox specific 3d engine, it will blow away anything on the PC. It's just like if you write a game that only works on your system. You can rely on things like the read speed of your hard disk, CD-ROM drive, your specific overclocked video cards latency, etc. It will look amazing on your box, and be a lot of C/C++ calling custom ASM routines. But it won't work anywhere else.
XBox will be good. Maybe not great, but it'll work just fine as a games box. That said, I won't buy one until there's a game that I need to play. Zone of the Enders alone made my PS2 worth it. Soul Calibur was nice, but Phantasy Star Online caused me to realize that I can't be without a Dreamcast. And Rogue Squadron managed to sell me not only an N64, but also the rumble pack and memory expansion. I don't see anything that's making me jump to get an XBox. Raptor
IBM never shipped an XT with a tape drive port. Only the 5150 shipped with it, and as you said, that's not an XT. So, in all reality, this guy had a 5150 with an 8086, and dropped the cash for a CGA card and a 10MB Winchester. Not a bad system at all back then, but not an XT. The tape drive would've actually been useful at times, too, considering how many people still used them.
Trackpad is *the* ultimate killing device. Back in my Q1 days, I was the absolute master of the triple rocket frag. That was on a trackpad. I tried going back to a mouse, and while I'm not bad, I'm nowhere near as good as I was on the pad.
See, the wonderful feature is that my accuracy was through the roof. Rocket just under the feet to send him up, a second just as he starts to fall (and thereby still in the blast radius), and then a third as he's falling back down, but this one to the actual body. Bled off most of the armor and health, and then...
SPLUT. Shower of gibs just before he hits the ground.
Indrema was a nice idea, but it really didn't seem to have any presence, or a decent business plan. Where did they expect the money to come from?
Initial cost on the console has to be low if you want anyone to buy it, and games have to be somewhat closed off. If anyone can develop, then you don't even get licensing fees. No one works on trust in this industry if you can get something (legally) for free.
Maybe Indrema would've gone somewhere as a set-top box, combining DVD playback and PVR capabilities, but the games are what would've made the system, and who's going to develop for a system that barely anyone has heard of?
Granted, one good game would've dragged me in to buy this box, too... Much like Soul Calibur got me hooked on Dreamcast, and Phantasy Star Online kept me there. Or my N64 with Rogue Squadron, or the PS2 with Onimusha, and (sweet Lord in Heaven, you have truly blessed us) Metal Gear Solid 2.
Most consoles manage sales based on a single title. PSX had Final Fantasy 7, N64 had Mario, and the entire Game Boy revival owes its existence to Pokemon. Indrema had nothing at all like this. Under those conditions, if they didn't die before launch, the system would just sit on the shelves anyway.
Awaiting Karmic destruction for ragging on Linux hardware, Raptor
Re:Thank You! Exactly what I was going to type...
on
Mario's Revenge?
·
· Score: 2
Criterion's DVDs are *not* the best means of testing a DVD player.
a) They're poorly manufactured
b) It's usually not the player that's bad, it's the initial transfer.
That said, I tested the Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz DVD on a Sony 530D (early model), and a 560D (last year's model), as well as the PS2. Component output versus composite notwithstanding, the video just looked choppy on the PS2. I wouldn't say it was unwatchable, but anime is not the PS2's strong suit with the DVD software. The higher contrast (of a white Gundam in the blackness of space, for example) makes these flaws more obvious than, say, The Matrix or other action movies.
That said, if I needed a DVD player I can take to a friend's house, the PS2 is it. It's simple enough to hook up, and offers gaming capabilities to boot. Not to mention, it's also capable of playing all the PSX games, which damn near everyone has. I wouldn't consider it the greatest console out there (I still use my Dreamcast more often), but there are certainly some good games for it, and once FFX is out, then my investment will finally prove its worthiness:-)
I'm currently using Megapath, and they've provided excellent service. Top-notch, really. However, it's over a Northpoint line. I may lose my connection because I picked a service that was the best at the time (and is still up there), and that's only because of one bad decision on their part.
I don't need broadband at home for my own workstation, although it's been nice. I do need it for email and so on. It's fairly tough to run a domain from a dialup, especially if you can't get a static IP.
Northpoint going away affects a lot more than you think. In addition to ADSL users, it affects SDSL customers of their clients, and even some small businesses that just couldn't afford a fractional T1.
You honestly think that a taco costs 50 cents to make? Probably closer to three cents, considering that they buy in bulk and probably don't use all-natural ingredients.
The end result is a tasty, if not entirely identifiable, mass-produced concoction that will cost them 9 million or so by my numbers if Mir hits the target.
Of course, you're probably better off trying to win the lottery, because at least that is audited.
Ok, so it doesn't get the battery life that my old Acer Nuovo did (10 hours... now *that's* power management). The 110CT, the current heavyweight US Libretto can get 4 hours on a single high-capacity battery. It's called APM, dude. Set the drive to spin down, auto-off LCD (the backlight's a real drain), and keep brightness at a minimum. I've been able to play MP3's off of it for 4 hours straight while occasionally logging on via CDPD on a bus. Once I shut down, I still had a good 25% left. That's enough battery life for me. Admittedly, I also bought a spare battery just in case, but I can't remember the last time I actually needed it. It's far from wearable-class battery life, but it's not bad. Granted, I haven't tested a USB cam, but the more you keep from using the hard drive, the better off you'll end up with using a Libretto (especially if you have one).
Now the PictureBook, I haven't met a single person who got decent batterylife from it. Please, *please* prove me wrong on the non-Crusoe powered model. Built-in cameras are cool:-)
You should look into PC/104 and other miniaturized PC systems for this. All you'll end up needing is USB support for a D-Link camera, and PCMCIA for your modem (only 1 type II if you use the Merlin or Sierra AirCard).
That's only two modules, perhaps just one. There may be other solutions as well that you can look into. Since you don't seem to need video output as well for this, a serial console would be ideal, and you wouldn't need it to be hooked up all the time anyway.
Finally, the disconnect for CDPD will only be needed to save battery power. Most service plans are unlimited service, not per kilobyte, unless you're roaming.
Here's your USB cam:
http://www.dlink.com/products/usb/dsbc300/
With proper mounting (think about shockmounting and using a flash chip for storage, it'll be a lot more durable) on the bike frame, the profile will be fairly small.
For even more insanity, you can use an ultralight subnote like a Libretto (with a USB card) or a VAIO PictureBook, depending on OS support. This would be easier to get on short notice, of course, but you'd need someone to supply you with batteries.
Dude, a friend of mine bought that one... or at least one of its twin brothers. And I quote:
"The bootleggiest thing known to man."
Misspellings on the buttons, miswired volume control, inability to handle physical shock (or even being held right-side up) and so on. It's crap.
Rio should be releasing the RioPort soon, there's the 6GB Nomad, and even Pine finally released their MP3 discman, which oddly enough, doesn't suck. Shocking.
Please, though, don't let anyone else waste their money on such a piece of first generation crap. It's not worth the time, money, or trouble.
Social life + 95 back in the day: Easy.
Commute: 1hr 30 minutes.
Homework: a few hours every night.
Solution? No sleep, do your homework between classes, fudge stuff, and for god's sake, you *never* need to take a 0-9 unless you're trying to make you senior year run at a bare minimum (which was never worth the 3 years hassle, Senior year was a cinch regardless).
As for BSD, plain and simple. Ask damn near anyone in the old volunteer squad. Granted, Debian's a step up from an RS/6000 workstation running AIX as the school server, but there could have been better decisions. It's not a matter of necessity, it's a matter of teaching people by using the better product. (And in the 2.0 days, FreeBSD was clearly the better product. I still think it is, but that's entirely subjective.)
Whoa, there, buddy...
The reason y'all run Debian is because your IT structure is being handled by a CS guy (or rather, his volunteer squad). Any place worth their salt would've set up something a little more capable of being beaten around a bit (like FreeBSD).
Commuting's annoying, but it's not hard or anything. If you took longer to get in that I did, you're obviously not in NYC to begin with.
And since when did a 95 GPA get hard?
As for demanding teachers, I really doubt that. They're only demanding if you're lazy. If you're already on the ball, there's no reason to be having such troubles.
AP Compsci (not post AP) was also a cinch back in the day, although the classes after it got quite a bit tougher (how many of us in class of '98 had a working renderer at the end of the term?)
And when it comes to being "not taught to pass some stupid test," you're right.
We're taught to pass *every* stupid test. APs (which are barely being accepted at MIT and the like, if at all after this year), SATs, and every single multiple choice test given by most departments. The only classes where we didn't have tests were certain English courses, which of course had papers instead.
Of course, since cutting class is so easy for you (I'll assume a forged program card still takes only a few minutes to make if you really don't know where to hide), I'm not surprised by your attitude toward Stuy. Good luck in the real world, you'll need it.
There's a chance that Customatix does the same exact thing. However, there's also a chance that they *don't* underpay children. This is a small company. Perhaps they can't expand out to that. Perhaps most of the work is done by machines, and the rest by decently paid workers. I don't know.
I wasn't trying to get the flames going, I was hoping that maybe someone with a bit more knowledge would come up with more information, so that maybe we can get the same quality goods without patronizing a company that doesn't seem to give a damn about their employees.
Of course, if that was flamebait (previous moderation on the parent), I would like to see what would happen if I were to *try* to piss you guys off. More crack for the moderators, anyone?
True. Fortunately, we're practically immune to VB scripts, since we block them at as many places as is feasible. Sadly, we can't really stop the flow of Word documents, but we disable macros, and so on.
"Real" viruses may have better luck getting in, but we're generally up to date with the updates.
As for Ghost, we'd use it (in fact, I've been pushing for it), but to get it done legit is expensive. Not a problem to me, but I don't always get the gear/utilities that I want because of price. Oh well.
It's been said by others, and *yes* I know that this barely *cough*Redhat*cough* affects Linux users, but how many corporations use Linux for all their employees?
Under Windows, you do the following:
a) Install Norton on every machine
b) Pay for LiveUpdate
c) Set tight-fisted policy, so that anyone who breaks it realizes that it's their fault, and they *may* get bumped to the bottom of the queue
d) Use a mail server capable of decent filtering (procmail is excellent for this, and your unix box can relay to Exchange if you *really* need it)
e) Network profiles and user directories, with a solid backup rotation.
Of course, everyone here knew that, right?
I've dealt with this before. We've fixed it in a matter of minutes due to good policy, an extra box lying around, and a tight-fisted reign over the network.
Let's see... synchro drive to move like a quake character does, some kind of jump jet or hydraulic jumping "foot", and a series of arms, each holding a weapon!
Then just link it up (wirelessly, of course), and use a quake-like interface!
Of course, if you do this wirelessly, would it infringe on the GeoWorks patent? That'd be ironic. "15 slaughtered by rampaging patent. Film at 11."
True, but if you're merely being offended, isn't it flamebait?
Granted, that wasn't my goal, and I'm actually quite pleased with the overall response that I've gotten on this thread. There's been a lot of insight on *why*/. has been covering events the way it has.
As for the possibility of my being wrong, I admit to that quite readily. So a -1, Incorrect would be a wonderful addition to the list. (As well as -1, goatse.cx link...) However, the only part that I could've been interpreted as being wrong with was my opinion that the XBox is the closest to vapor. By that, of course, I mean that XBox hasn't shown any playable demos on their hardware as of the last time that *I* had checked. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong.
Now, I can't see "Not Funny," "Uninsightful," or "Uninteresting" as working in moderation. That means that you can legitimately mod someone into oblivion just because you know more, or because a certain topic doesn't interest you. Of course, at this point, it doesn't matter for this thread, but "Overrated" and "Underrated" are really used far too often, and for all the wrong reasons.
Isn't that what I did with the whole "asleep at the wheel" part?
As a side note: -1, Overrated is for cowards. If you're going to mod me down, at least have the conviction to explain *why* by picking something more appropriate. Or did I hurt the little Taco fans' egos?
Tex.. that's it!
(Note: when I say Wolfenstein, I mean "Wolf-like")
As for Doomlikes, the non-orthogonal walls should be a cinch, but that's not what I'm worried about. It's that pesky y-axis (for those of you who don't know, we walk on an X/Z plane. Y is up. Or at least that's how I learned to do 3D) Without SuperFX, though? Nothing doing.
Also, a retraction. GBA runs at 16MHz. Even slower. That makes the iPaq over 12 times faster, as it's running at slightly over 200MHz on another ARM variant.
All in all, the FPS scene will exist, but it's looking grim. Unless they add a SuperFX gamepak at some point (which will suck battery life like mad), we're going to be dealing with something between Wolf3D and Doom, unless there are some major changes in 3d engine design for a tile-based system.
Best of luck, though. I'd love to play a nice high-detail FPS on a handheld console.
Slashdot Mirror
I can't ignore this example anymore...
.NET proves too much of a security hole, etc... the company might fail, and then that's the end of that. Being that so many companies are married to Windows, there will need to be some kind of failsafe to allow MS to clean up its own mess, and leave the users with something that's at least going to keep on running as if the rental period were still in effect.
If you rented it for four weeks, you got it for four weeks. Now, if you don't catch wind of all these changes in the rental company until you're back and ready to return it, guess what? The car rental agency *will* have people around to collect the "assets" and be done with it.
Likewise, if a company goes under, it's probably already in debt. Those creditors want cash, and the best solution, since you can't manage your operation anymore, is to go ahead and charge a little bit more for a single cost, distribute a non-expiring key, and let you have it. They take that bit of cash, pay of the creditors, and go home.
If you need the software that badly, you *will* purchase it at that point. If not, you'll back out and make sure that your data is readable by something else.
This will make more sense as more places go for this model. Microsoft seems safe, but if *everything* goes wrong... XBox fails, MS is forcibly split and can't make enough cash,
Raptor
Erm... the G4 has AltiVec. Not that you're right anyway.
The Gekko chip is a G3, with its own multimedia enhanced instruction set mode, so yes, it can also do SIMD.
Next off, MS has had to boost XBox specs *because* of GameCube. They don't plan on replacing the XBox for a few years, meanwhile, Sony's already looking at PS3 development. MS is just trying to make the system last a few more years in the long run.
X86 is power hungry and inefficient. As long as they stay tied to all of the backwards compatibility of the chip, they're going to be in trouble.
Next off, no one would dream of coding in full assembly anymore for a game. It's mostly C, even for GameCube, by virtue of it being a desktop CPU. The multitexturing capabilities also work to NGC's advantage, and you have to remember the next thing that Nintendo has going for them. They don't really *need* third party developers to get anywhere. Rare, Game Freak, and a few others can propel them to remarkable success. Hell, they can probably ride another Shigeru Miyamoto hype machine all the way to the bank if things get tough. Microsoft lacks any single brilliant developer, and gamers recognize that level of celebrity. Just like Squaresoft for PS2, or Hideo Kojima for whatever he decided to release (he's the only reason Konami hasn't tanked.)
Finally, even though no one does full blown ASM anymore for a console, partial ASM is still done, and will be, even for XBox. You know why? Raw speed. If you have a stable target, you code as close as you can to the metal to squeeze out all that you can from what you've got. Just ask John Carmack.
X86 doesn't make things easier, just more familiar. Once people realize that MS was right, that the XBox *isn't* a PC, they'll hit the same hurdles that other consoles have felt.
Factoid from Namco's Soul Calibur team: They claimed to have maxed out the Dreamcast's capabilities with SC. To be honest, it's a beautiful game, and they were probably right, or at least very close. They could have just coded targeting CE and DirectX, but didn't. For the same reason, the instant that someone codes an XBox specific 3d engine, it will blow away anything on the PC. It's just like if you write a game that only works on your system. You can rely on things like the read speed of your hard disk, CD-ROM drive, your specific overclocked video cards latency, etc. It will look amazing on your box, and be a lot of C/C++ calling custom ASM routines. But it won't work anywhere else.
XBox will be good. Maybe not great, but it'll work just fine as a games box. That said, I won't buy one until there's a game that I need to play. Zone of the Enders alone made my PS2 worth it. Soul Calibur was nice, but Phantasy Star Online caused me to realize that I can't be without a Dreamcast. And Rogue Squadron managed to sell me not only an N64, but also the rumble pack and memory expansion. I don't see anything that's making me jump to get an XBox.
Raptor
The original poster's still wrong, though.
IBM never shipped an XT with a tape drive port. Only the 5150 shipped with it, and as you said, that's not an XT. So, in all reality, this guy had a 5150 with an 8086, and dropped the cash for a CGA card and a 10MB Winchester. Not a bad system at all back then, but not an XT. The tape drive would've actually been useful at times, too, considering how many people still used them.
Raptor
Zuh?
Mouse?
Trackpad is *the* ultimate killing device. Back in my Q1 days, I was the absolute master of the triple rocket frag. That was on a trackpad. I tried going back to a mouse, and while I'm not bad, I'm nowhere near as good as I was on the pad.
See, the wonderful feature is that my accuracy was through the roof. Rocket just under the feet to send him up, a second just as he starts to fall (and thereby still in the blast radius), and then a third as he's falling back down, but this one to the actual body. Bled off most of the armor and health, and then...
SPLUT. Shower of gibs just before he hits the ground.
Fear the trackpad.
Raptor
Indrema was a nice idea, but it really didn't seem to have any presence, or a decent business plan. Where did they expect the money to come from?
Initial cost on the console has to be low if you want anyone to buy it, and games have to be somewhat closed off. If anyone can develop, then you don't even get licensing fees. No one works on trust in this industry if you can get something (legally) for free.
Maybe Indrema would've gone somewhere as a set-top box, combining DVD playback and PVR capabilities, but the games are what would've made the system, and who's going to develop for a system that barely anyone has heard of?
Granted, one good game would've dragged me in to buy this box, too... Much like Soul Calibur got me hooked on Dreamcast, and Phantasy Star Online kept me there. Or my N64 with Rogue Squadron, or the PS2 with Onimusha, and (sweet Lord in Heaven, you have truly blessed us) Metal Gear Solid 2.
Most consoles manage sales based on a single title. PSX had Final Fantasy 7, N64 had Mario, and the entire Game Boy revival owes its existence to Pokemon. Indrema had nothing at all like this. Under those conditions, if they didn't die before launch, the system would just sit on the shelves anyway.
Awaiting Karmic destruction for ragging on Linux hardware,
Raptor
Criterion's DVDs are *not* the best means of testing a DVD player.
:-)
a) They're poorly manufactured
b) It's usually not the player that's bad, it's the initial transfer.
That said, I tested the Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz DVD on a Sony 530D (early model), and a 560D (last year's model), as well as the PS2. Component output versus composite notwithstanding, the video just looked choppy on the PS2. I wouldn't say it was unwatchable, but anime is not the PS2's strong suit with the DVD software. The higher contrast (of a white Gundam in the blackness of space, for example) makes these flaws more obvious than, say, The Matrix or other action movies.
That said, if I needed a DVD player I can take to a friend's house, the PS2 is it. It's simple enough to hook up, and offers gaming capabilities to boot. Not to mention, it's also capable of playing all the PSX games, which damn near everyone has. I wouldn't consider it the greatest console out there (I still use my Dreamcast more often), but there are certainly some good games for it, and once FFX is out, then my investment will finally prove its worthiness
Raptor
Tell that to the mail server I had to set up.
I'm currently using Megapath, and they've provided excellent service. Top-notch, really. However, it's over a Northpoint line. I may lose my connection because I picked a service that was the best at the time (and is still up there), and that's only because of one bad decision on their part.
I don't need broadband at home for my own workstation, although it's been nice. I do need it for email and so on. It's fairly tough to run a domain from a dialup, especially if you can't get a static IP.
Northpoint going away affects a lot more than you think. In addition to ADSL users, it affects SDSL customers of their clients, and even some small businesses that just couldn't afford a fractional T1.
It's not as cut and dry as you'd like to believe.
Raptor
You honestly think that a taco costs 50 cents to make? Probably closer to three cents, considering that they buy in bulk and probably don't use all-natural ingredients.
The end result is a tasty, if not entirely identifiable, mass-produced concoction that will cost them 9 million or so by my numbers if Mir hits the target.
Of course, you're probably better off trying to win the lottery, because at least that is audited.
Raptor
As a Libretto owner, wtf?
:-)
Ok, so it doesn't get the battery life that my old Acer Nuovo did (10 hours... now *that's* power management). The 110CT, the current heavyweight US Libretto can get 4 hours on a single high-capacity battery. It's called APM, dude. Set the drive to spin down, auto-off LCD (the backlight's a real drain), and keep brightness at a minimum. I've been able to play MP3's off of it for 4 hours straight while occasionally logging on via CDPD on a bus. Once I shut down, I still had a good 25% left. That's enough battery life for me. Admittedly, I also bought a spare battery just in case, but I can't remember the last time I actually needed it. It's far from wearable-class battery life, but it's not bad. Granted, I haven't tested a USB cam, but the more you keep from using the hard drive, the better off you'll end up with using a Libretto (especially if you have one).
Now the PictureBook, I haven't met a single person who got decent batterylife from it. Please, *please* prove me wrong on the non-Crusoe powered model. Built-in cameras are cool
Raptor
You should look into PC/104 and other miniaturized PC systems for this. All you'll end up needing is USB support for a D-Link camera, and PCMCIA for your modem (only 1 type II if you use the Merlin or Sierra AirCard).
That's only two modules, perhaps just one. There may be other solutions as well that you can look into. Since you don't seem to need video output as well for this, a serial console would be ideal, and you wouldn't need it to be hooked up all the time anyway.
Finally, the disconnect for CDPD will only be needed to save battery power. Most service plans are unlimited service, not per kilobyte, unless you're roaming.
Here's your USB cam:
http://www.dlink.com/products/usb/dsbc300/
With proper mounting (think about shockmounting and using a flash chip for storage, it'll be a lot more durable) on the bike frame, the profile will be fairly small.
For even more insanity, you can use an ultralight subnote like a Libretto (with a USB card) or a VAIO PictureBook, depending on OS support. This would be easier to get on short notice, of course, but you'd need someone to supply you with batteries.
Best of luck!
Raptor
Well, today's the 22nd.
So, that's 2/22/2001
Three two's in the day (without the year)
2+0+0+1=3
2222001, or 222*3 = 666!
We're all doomed!!!!
Or something.
Raptor
Dude, a friend of mine bought that one... or at least one of its twin brothers. And I quote:
"The bootleggiest thing known to man."
Misspellings on the buttons, miswired volume control, inability to handle physical shock (or even being held right-side up) and so on. It's crap.
Rio should be releasing the RioPort soon, there's the 6GB Nomad, and even Pine finally released their MP3 discman, which oddly enough, doesn't suck. Shocking.
Please, though, don't let anyone else waste their money on such a piece of first generation crap. It's not worth the time, money, or trouble.
Raptor
Social life + 95 back in the day: Easy.
Commute: 1hr 30 minutes.
Homework: a few hours every night.
Solution? No sleep, do your homework between classes, fudge stuff, and for god's sake, you *never* need to take a 0-9 unless you're trying to make you senior year run at a bare minimum (which was never worth the 3 years hassle, Senior year was a cinch regardless).
As for BSD, plain and simple. Ask damn near anyone in the old volunteer squad. Granted, Debian's a step up from an RS/6000 workstation running AIX as the school server, but there could have been better decisions. It's not a matter of necessity, it's a matter of teaching people by using the better product. (And in the 2.0 days, FreeBSD was clearly the better product. I still think it is, but that's entirely subjective.)
Raptor
Whoa, there, buddy...
The reason y'all run Debian is because your IT structure is being handled by a CS guy (or rather, his volunteer squad). Any place worth their salt would've set up something a little more capable of being beaten around a bit (like FreeBSD).
Commuting's annoying, but it's not hard or anything. If you took longer to get in that I did, you're obviously not in NYC to begin with.
And since when did a 95 GPA get hard?
As for demanding teachers, I really doubt that. They're only demanding if you're lazy. If you're already on the ball, there's no reason to be having such troubles.
AP Compsci (not post AP) was also a cinch back in the day, although the classes after it got quite a bit tougher (how many of us in class of '98 had a working renderer at the end of the term?)
And when it comes to being "not taught to pass some stupid test," you're right.
We're taught to pass *every* stupid test. APs (which are barely being accepted at MIT and the like, if at all after this year), SATs, and every single multiple choice test given by most departments. The only classes where we didn't have tests were certain English courses, which of course had papers instead.
Of course, since cutting class is so easy for you (I'll assume a forged program card still takes only a few minutes to make if you really don't know where to hide), I'm not surprised by your attitude toward Stuy. Good luck in the real world, you'll need it.
Class of '98,
Raptor
Ok, let me try to clarify this.
There's a chance that Customatix does the same exact thing. However, there's also a chance that they *don't* underpay children. This is a small company. Perhaps they can't expand out to that. Perhaps most of the work is done by machines, and the rest by decently paid workers. I don't know.
I wasn't trying to get the flames going, I was hoping that maybe someone with a bit more knowledge would come up with more information, so that maybe we can get the same quality goods without patronizing a company that doesn't seem to give a damn about their employees.
Of course, if that was flamebait (previous moderation on the parent), I would like to see what would happen if I were to *try* to piss you guys off. More crack for the moderators, anyone?
Raptor
Not really a plug, but if you want custom shoes without giving your money to Nike so they can shortchange some kids overseas, try these guys.
Customatix
Granted, they may be doing the same thing for all I know, but at least there are other options.
Raptor
True. Fortunately, we're practically immune to VB scripts, since we block them at as many places as is feasible. Sadly, we can't really stop the flow of Word documents, but we disable macros, and so on.
"Real" viruses may have better luck getting in, but we're generally up to date with the updates.
As for Ghost, we'd use it (in fact, I've been pushing for it), but to get it done legit is expensive. Not a problem to me, but I don't always get the gear/utilities that I want because of price. Oh well.
Raptor
It's been said by others, and *yes* I know that this barely *cough*Redhat*cough* affects Linux users, but how many corporations use Linux for all their employees?
Under Windows, you do the following:
a) Install Norton on every machine
b) Pay for LiveUpdate
c) Set tight-fisted policy, so that anyone who breaks it realizes that it's their fault, and they *may* get bumped to the bottom of the queue
d) Use a mail server capable of decent filtering (procmail is excellent for this, and your unix box can relay to Exchange if you *really* need it)
e) Network profiles and user directories, with a solid backup rotation.
Of course, everyone here knew that, right?
I've dealt with this before. We've fixed it in a matter of minutes due to good policy, an extra box lying around, and a tight-fisted reign over the network.
Raptor
See! This proves it!
"Girls don't even like that kind of stuff, man. They want RAM."
Raptor
You mean Phantasy Star Online?
Buy the game, play for free until your body gives out from exhaustion...
Of course, then you need a Dreamcast.
Raptor
Quake controlled robots, duh!
Let's see... synchro drive to move like a quake character does, some kind of jump jet or hydraulic jumping "foot", and a series of arms, each holding a weapon!
Then just link it up (wirelessly, of course), and use a quake-like interface!
Of course, if you do this wirelessly, would it infringe on the GeoWorks patent? That'd be ironic. "15 slaughtered by rampaging patent. Film at 11."
Raptor
True, but if you're merely being offended, isn't it flamebait?
/. has been covering events the way it has.
Granted, that wasn't my goal, and I'm actually quite pleased with the overall response that I've gotten on this thread. There's been a lot of insight on *why*
As for the possibility of my being wrong, I admit to that quite readily. So a -1, Incorrect would be a wonderful addition to the list. (As well as -1, goatse.cx link...) However, the only part that I could've been interpreted as being wrong with was my opinion that the XBox is the closest to vapor. By that, of course, I mean that XBox hasn't shown any playable demos on their hardware as of the last time that *I* had checked. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong.
Now, I can't see "Not Funny," "Uninsightful," or "Uninteresting" as working in moderation. That means that you can legitimately mod someone into oblivion just because you know more, or because a certain topic doesn't interest you. Of course, at this point, it doesn't matter for this thread, but "Overrated" and "Underrated" are really used far too often, and for all the wrong reasons.
Raptor
LOL
Isn't that what I did with the whole "asleep at the wheel" part?
As a side note: -1, Overrated is for cowards. If you're going to mod me down, at least have the conviction to explain *why* by picking something more appropriate. Or did I hurt the little Taco fans' egos?
Mod all you want, I'll post more.
Raptor
::Turns red::
Ok, so I was slightly off. Slightly!
Dark Arena's doing the Y-axis pretty well. I wonder if it's really handling floors and ramps properly, though...
In short, I probably underestimated the system a tad *too* much. Kudos to Nintendo.
Raptor
Tex.. that's it!
(Note: when I say Wolfenstein, I mean "Wolf-like")
As for Doomlikes, the non-orthogonal walls should be a cinch, but that's not what I'm worried about. It's that pesky y-axis (for those of you who don't know, we walk on an X/Z plane. Y is up. Or at least that's how I learned to do 3D) Without SuperFX, though? Nothing doing.
Also, a retraction. GBA runs at 16MHz. Even slower. That makes the iPaq over 12 times faster, as it's running at slightly over 200MHz on another ARM variant.
All in all, the FPS scene will exist, but it's looking grim. Unless they add a SuperFX gamepak at some point (which will suck battery life like mad), we're going to be dealing with something between Wolf3D and Doom, unless there are some major changes in 3d engine design for a tile-based system.
Best of luck, though. I'd love to play a nice high-detail FPS on a handheld console.
Raptor