Ah, but their ultimate goal, my friend, is that none of us be allowed to own computers at all anymore, isn't it? We'd just be allowed to rent them, like they're (attempting to be) doing with software now, right? Because after all nobody can really be trusted with something as powerful and versatile as a computer.. or free speech.. or creativity..
.. and everyone who buys pseudoephedrine-containing products is just dying to build a meth lab in their garage, too.:p
I don't know about anyone else, but my television watching habits have already been getting thinner and thinner over the last several years because there's so little on anymore that's worthwhile to watch, if they actually pulled off getting legislation like this passed into law, that would be the end of it for me, I'd likely defenestrate my TV and put TiVo up for sale on Ebay. Who the hell gave them the idea to start taking pages out of the RIAA's playbook? Can't they see that they're digging a grave for broadcast media by doing things like this?
Do any of the DVRs that the cable and satellite providers rent out to their customers allow you to download recordings to a PC? Last time I checked, the answer was "no", and I seriously doubt it'll ever be the case.
I'm on the fringes of television viewing already; there's very little of value to me on any channel, broadcast or not. TiVo at least makes what little there is bearable and accesible for me. If TiVo went away, I think I'd cancel my cable service and just rent DVDs instead -- or watch downloaded video from the internet.
..or better yet, a choice that would really stick in their throats: I'll just go back to reading books all the time for entertainment.
Granted, some of this has already been said, but I'm going to try to cover it all in one place.
For 15 years I repaired arcade games and pinball machines. In that time I must've installed a couple thousand 'conversion kits' to make over an old game into a new one. I left that industry in 1997, but I doubt things have changed much: converting an old game into a new one is much cheaper than buying a whole new game.
* Old arcade game cabinets (with or without working games in them, or even with non-working games in them) can be purchased; similarly, brand-new cabinets, manufactured with installing a new game kit in them are available. It's much easier and cheaper to renovate an old cabinet than it is to try to build one from scratch, that's for sure.
* Arcade-style buttons, joysticks, trackballs, etc. can also be purchased brand-new and used. Common controls like 4- and 8-way joysticks and standard pushbuttons are much, much cheaper than you'd think and readily availble.
* Older or "classic" arcade game PC boards can be had for a song from reputable companies. Most of the business the last company I worked for was buying and selling used hardware. While using an emulator is kinda cool (used to have an Asteroids emulator back in the day), nothing plays quite like the originals. Wiring up most of the old classic games isn't that difficult, most have one single harness connector and require +5 and +12 volts, monitor (RGB plus sync), speaker, and controls. Some multi-board sets are more difficult, but a decent company will sell it used with some sort of workable wiring harness and documentation showing cabinet wiring (I used to generate my own documentation if there was none available).
* Newer games (hopefully, all still) use a standard 56-pin wiring harness, which allows you to switch games as easily as pulling one PC board and installing another, no (or minimal) rewiring necessary. Where I worked, I started manufacturing adapters from the older games to the newer wiring harness standard, to facilitate selling older games to people and vendors that wanted them.
* Commentary on the legality of ROM images: last time I checked, even something as old and ubiquitous as Pac Man was still of great interest to Namco, and they'd sue your pants off if they discovered you pirating them. Piracy of arcade game hardware and software always was and probably still is a big problem for the arcade game industry; I'd see knock-off arcade games all the time. Copyright holders would sue the living daylights out of anyone trafficking in such things -- although I kept a library (past tense!) of EPROM/ROM/PAL images around for repair purposes, and you can likely still download them from the 'net.
Granted, I guess I can't really upgrade the processor. But when I get ready to do that, I think I'll just buy a new system
Do you always buy a computer, or do you build a computer? If it's the former, then we're in different categories. I've never bought a computer, I've always built them, and then upgraded them sections at a time as required. Notebooks are the exception for me but only because you cannot build them, you must buy them. Granted, if I ever decided I wanted a Mac I'd have no choice but to buy one -- but if I wanted a Mac it'd be a notebook anyway.
Personally I would find it wasteful from a recycling standpoint as well as a financial one to always buy a new computer when I wanted more speed/storage/whatever. Many parts can be reused several times over because they don't go obsolete as quickly as others.
The interface speed from the NIC and system bus speed would be more limiting than that even. That's just locally, though. Her Yahoo mail account will still take 30 seconds to load:-P
You're giving plywood a bad rap. It's more like the sort of lock you say, except on a particle board door. Plywood at least has some structural integrity.;-)
All someone has to do is post that string anonymously on some USENET news groups and there will NEVER be a way to completely erradicate it from the 'net.
Slashdot Mirror
.. and everyone who buys pseudoephedrine-containing products is just dying to build a meth lab in their garage, too. :p
I don't know about anyone else, but my television watching habits have already been getting thinner and thinner over the last several years because there's so little on anymore that's worthwhile to watch, if they actually pulled off getting legislation like this passed into law, that would be the end of it for me, I'd likely defenestrate my TV and put TiVo up for sale on Ebay. Who the hell gave them the idea to start taking pages out of the RIAA's playbook? Can't they see that they're digging a grave for broadcast media by doing things like this?
I'm on the fringes of television viewing already; there's very little of value to me on any channel, broadcast or not. TiVo at least makes what little there is bearable and accesible for me. If TiVo went away, I think I'd cancel my cable service and just rent DVDs instead -- or watch downloaded video from the internet.
For 15 years I repaired arcade games and pinball machines. In that time I must've installed a couple thousand 'conversion kits' to make over an old game into a new one. I left that industry in 1997, but I doubt things have changed much: converting an old game into a new one is much cheaper than buying a whole new game.
* Old arcade game cabinets (with or without working games in them, or even with non-working games in them) can be purchased; similarly, brand-new cabinets, manufactured with installing a new game kit in them are available. It's much easier and cheaper to renovate an old cabinet than it is to try to build one from scratch, that's for sure.
* Arcade-style buttons, joysticks, trackballs, etc. can also be purchased brand-new and used. Common controls like 4- and 8-way joysticks and standard pushbuttons are much, much cheaper than you'd think and readily availble.
* Older or "classic" arcade game PC boards can be had for a song from reputable companies. Most of the business the last company I worked for was buying and selling used hardware. While using an emulator is kinda cool (used to have an Asteroids emulator back in the day), nothing plays quite like the originals. Wiring up most of the old classic games isn't that difficult, most have one single harness connector and require +5 and +12 volts, monitor (RGB plus sync), speaker, and controls. Some multi-board sets are more difficult, but a decent company will sell it used with some sort of workable wiring harness and documentation showing cabinet wiring (I used to generate my own documentation if there was none available).
* Newer games (hopefully, all still) use a standard 56-pin wiring harness, which allows you to switch games as easily as pulling one PC board and installing another, no (or minimal) rewiring necessary. Where I worked, I started manufacturing adapters from the older games to the newer wiring harness standard, to facilitate selling older games to people and vendors that wanted them.
* Commentary on the legality of ROM images: last time I checked, even something as old and ubiquitous as Pac Man was still of great interest to Namco, and they'd sue your pants off if they discovered you pirating them. Piracy of arcade game hardware and software always was and probably still is a big problem for the arcade game industry; I'd see knock-off arcade games all the time. Copyright holders would sue the living daylights out of anyone trafficking in such things -- although I kept a library (past tense!) of EPROM/ROM/PAL images around for repair purposes, and you can likely still download them from the 'net.
Granted, I guess I can't really upgrade the processor. But when I get ready to do that, I think I'll just buy a new system Do you always buy a computer, or do you build a computer? If it's the former, then we're in different categories. I've never bought a computer, I've always built them, and then upgraded them sections at a time as required. Notebooks are the exception for me but only because you cannot build them, you must buy them. Granted, if I ever decided I wanted a Mac I'd have no choice but to buy one -- but if I wanted a Mac it'd be a notebook anyway. Personally I would find it wasteful from a recycling standpoint as well as a financial one to always buy a new computer when I wanted more speed/storage/whatever. Many parts can be reused several times over because they don't go obsolete as quickly as others.
..not to mention the fact that laptops/notebooks are NOT upgradable -- unless they're planning on addressing that.
IMHO there will always be plenty of applications for desktop computers, I don't really think they're going to ever completely go away.
The interface speed from the NIC and system bus speed would be more limiting than that even. That's just locally, though. Her Yahoo mail account will still take 30 seconds to load :-P
Right you are, sir; I stand in awe of your magnificence. :-)
You're giving plywood a bad rap. It's more like the sort of lock you say, except on a particle board door. Plywood at least has some structural integrity. ;-)
All someone has to do is post that string anonymously on some USENET news groups and there will NEVER be a way to completely erradicate it from the 'net.