I spent $400 (w/ tax) on my Wii when I bought it (Wii + Wii-mote + nunchuck). However, my fiance and I also went in for half/half (the benefits of a system geared for group-play). To tell you the truth, I just wanted a system that would get her into video games, and I can't really put a price on being able to enjoy a video game w/ my favourite person:)
Your also missing what people have been saying above. The initial investment for a Wii is rather low; you don't HAVE to spend $600 when you buy a Wii to have fun w/ it and w/ friends. $300 (before tax) will get you a system, 2 bundled games, and an extra Wii-mote (Wii-Play is actually pretty fun, worth $10 for sure). Then you spend more as you get more into it. Most people I know w/ a Wii only have a couple of Wii-motes and a handful of games. Compare the initial investment in a Wii system w/ an extra Wii-mote (~$300) and a 360 or PS3 w/ a game (~$500).
I think its also important to note that Wii Sports allows people to play (up-to) 4 player games w/ 1 Wii-mote (Bowling & Golf -- my favourites too!).
Worry not, there are ethical coders out there. I've been e-mailed a couple of times from people asking for a copy of my code I posted on the internet w/ a proper license attached. I've just sent them the files w/ an ISC license attached. The OP should probably do this as well (as someone already mentioned above). You could probably get away without even having to pay.
I think they base it on current research because there is a high probability their predictions will be correct. What they've done, is look at all the current things that have just been done, then judged whether this will actually be something that becomes important in the future (18 years from now, not just 5 or 10). There is a lot of new technology out there, but not all will last more then a handful of years. Genome mapping, on the other hand, is going to be a new tool in medicine, one that will probably be used for decades (at least) to come. Distributed power actually makes a lot of sense. The ability to source from multiple locations, stored electricity included, allows a power distribution network to be somewhat fault tolerant (look at the blackout in eastern NA a few years ago). It will also foster competition in the power industry, which hasn't exactly been filled to the brim w/ competitors recently, by allowing smaller companies to provide services. Think of a town whose residences have created a small co-op power company that provides a small amount of power (perhaps from wind farms or solar power) to help offset the costs of the larger power companies. I imagine these futurists get their funding by providing good predictions with research based on current tech so they can be used as a "may be you should be thinking of investing here" thing. If people are dropping their money into something, they don't want predictions pulled out of your ass, they want something backing it up.
And what can player 1 do while player 2 is piddling around on the controller mapping screen?
Hit player 2 on the back of the head for taking so long.
But if you've remapped the controls to the point where they are unusable, how would you get back into the menu to make them usable again?
Easy, don't let them remap the start button and have the remapped controls be the gameplay controls, not the menu navigation controls.
I mean, if it's not windows, rocks at gaming but sucks for everything else, it isn't going to gain mainstream either.
Tell that to Sony or Nintendo;) Computers are cheap enough that you don't NEED a one-system-does-all approach. In fact, it is probably more expensive to buy 1 good gaming computer, then it is to buy a console for gaming and a cheap computer for everything else. Look at how many computers your techy 20-something may have. A game console (or 2 or 3), a laptop, a router for networking, a hand held or smart phone to maintain personal org. info, an MP3 player for music, PVR for recording shows, etc.. Lets face it, the idea of a computer that does everything under the sun is losing its appeal, since computers that specialize seem to do it far better and far cheaper.
It's kind of a bad analogy though. Good music is useful and has value no matter how old it is. Newer music can't really add new "features" that devalue older music. The only reason older music could be sold cheaper is if the copyright expired and it is in the public domain. Software, on the other hand, becomes less useful as time goes on, thus loses value, and that is why it is sold for cheaper. The reason Windows 98SE priced for hundreds of dollars today seems so ridiculous is not because it is marked up to high hell, but that it is simply not worth hundreds of dollars today (at least no one would pay it). Products of MUCH better value are available today instead. A Corolla from 20 years ago could not sell for the same price as one from this year (even if it cost as much to produce). The 20 year old Corolla, in comparison, is underpowered, lacks safety features, and looks archaic.
I definitely agree with you. I got horrible grades in high school, not because I wasn't smart enough, but because I never did any homework. At all. It's not that I was out with my friends all the time or that I was sitting in front of a TV or video game system for hours on end. I was on my computer, learning to program, learning about astronomy, learning how to make smoke bombs and electric motors. Learning stuff they would never touch in high school. Luckily in my last year I pulled my grades up high enough to get into University for Computer Science. Now, I am taking my last 3 courses for my degree and I'll be graduating with a A average (going into grad school too). I am extraordinarily happy that I simply followed my own interests, rather than spend my time on the shitty high school curriculum.
In regards to the original question, enthusiasm and encouragement is what I believe teachers need to show. The only teachers I have ever really liked were ones that were positive and enthusiastic. I can count on one hand the teachers that have actually affected me (positively anyways). The only thing they had in common was that they were all enthusiastic about the material they taught and they all gave me positive encouragement. People will rise to other people's expectations of them. This comes in 3 parts; parents, teachers, and friends. Parents need let their kids know they expect them to be great (and tell them they are). Teachers need to let kids know they expect great results and tell them they are more than capable of achieving them. Friends need to be positive about learning and encourage their friends to follow their interests. I find it sad that the first time I ever had someone encourage me to write was in University. Before that, I had just assumed I was a bad writer and would never be good at it. It turns out, I just did not like writing about Shakespeare. In fact, I have received a level of encouragement from my professors at University, that I never dreamed possible in high school.
During my middle and high school years the teachers in my school district were rather disgruntled, went on strike a few times, and started to "work to rule." Basically, they taught, and that was it. This meant, students couldn't go in for extra help after school. How great does it feel to know that you, as a student, are expected to only be seen during class. After that, your time w/ the teacher is done. They are there to shove material down your throat, not help you to learn. Thankfully, there were a couple of teachers who still helped students out after class, though they suffered for it from their peers. Just sad.
Sorry for the confusion. I thought it was obvious I was referring to the part where he says "DLL files are a little tricky though, not sure I understand how they would be considered." Hence why I mentioned dynamic linking.
With the GPL, it would be copyright infringement. With the LGPL it is fine. That is why the LGPL exists.
From the LGPL: "When a program is linked with a library, whether statically or using a shared library, the combination of the two is legally speaking a combined work, a derivative of the original library. The ordinary General Public License therefore permits such linking only if the entire combination fits its criteria of freedom. The Lesser General Public License permits more lax criteria for linking other code with the library."
Doc is proprietary. With the huge growth in new, non-windows, systems that includes, not only linux workstations, but also PDAs, smart phones, web applications, etc, proprietary formats just aren't cutting it anymore. The need for a common format that can be shared amongst all these new devices, whose specificaiton is open, not only to implement, but to extend as well is essential. ODF is hugely superior to Word Documents in many ways. First, ODF is NOT just text formatting. It is everything in one (spreadsheet, presentation, text, etc). It supports a lot more, in terms of ability, than.doc by itself. It is better technically. It fixes many issues with current formats. It separates content from data. It follows common standards. The only reason.doc would not be inferior or equal to OOXML or ODF is if you're still thinking in terms of a small group of people in a homogenous enviornment editing a basic word file. When you start to get any more complex, then you start to see the short comings.
I think their primary goal is to discourage lawyers from taking these cases with the expectation of making some quick cash. Normal people are easy to intimidate and extort a few thousand dollars from, but lawyers? Not so much. If lawyers start taking these cases on a "only pay if you win basis," then the RIAA will actually have people fight back, rather than just bend over. But, if lawyers see that these cases are just going to end up being long, drawn out affairs, they may think twice.
It's not just physics. Every area of study has this same problem. Doctors will cringe bullshit medical diagnoses and the like. Psychologists will point out bad/incorrect advice. Business students will laugh at how basic most movie's ideas on the economy are. Computer nerds giggle whenever movies show some guy hacking into the super-secure server in under 10 seconds. All movies bullshit and trivialise, if you can't enjoy a movie because of it, then that's really your own shitty attitude. I imagine most people don't watch House M.D. for medical advice, or Sawfish to learn how to hack, or Trading Places for business advice.
I, too, have yet to find better ear buds then the ones that came w/ my iPod. Ear buds may not be awesome, but they're a necessity in many situations; exercising, wearing a hat while listening to music, etc.
I loved Doom 3. Everytime I played I would play at night w/ the lights off. I thought I was going to shit myself sometimes. Gameplay was not the greatest, but the atmosphere was amazing. That alone was worth playing it. Not too many games get that level of emersion from me.
Yes, there is a problem. There are dozens of legitimate U.S. companies that already do this. If a parent wants to protect their kid, then they can buy some filtering software themselves, not make everyone else pay for it. If they REALLY wanted, it would be more cost-efficient simply to cover part of the cost of this software instead.
Re:maybe they just want to get the board out there
on
Where the Wii Fits In
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· Score: 1
I don't think Nintendo is "realizing" this now, but has "realized" this since the original NES. Every good innovation they had, has been copied by the next generation (if not the current) and why wouldn't it? What good is innovation if no one can improve upon it? However, the Wii offers far more then just a Wii-mote.
1. It offers cheap development to developers. This lets large companies take risks developing unusual games and small developers enter the market place and actually be competitive.
2. It drops all pretensions about what a console is and markets itself as something _fun_, no more.
3. It focuses on social gaming, not loner gaming. A lot of non-gamers (and many gamers) I know see video games as loner-centric entertainment. Whether they admit it or not, they see video games as a form of lower social class entertainment. The Wii is a system that kind of breaks through that social barrier. People who would never be caught dead saying they spent a night playing video games, are now raving about how much fun they had on the Wii. The Wii simply gives them a system they can play, without feeling like a social outcast. This is mostly due to Nintendo's EXCELLENT marketing. Every party I throw now, ends with everyone playing the Wii for 6 hours straight. And these are often the never-play-a-video-game types.
4. The MOST important thing it offers is a company backing it, saying "we made this for you!". People feel safe buying a system - an affordable system - where they know that the company who made it wants to make _you_ happy with games _you_ can actually play. Their marketing campaign focuses on simple games, with families playing them (even grannies), having a ball. Not games with crazy realistic graphics set in some post-apocalyptic world where everyone is a zombie. And you know what, they follow through as well. My parents have played my Wii on more then one occasion and loved it. Even my 71 yo grandma likes playing the Wii! Just imagine seeing 3 generations of your family all playing Wii Sports, it's surreal.
I hate generalizing, but most people who say the Wii-mote is just a gimmick are missing the real picture. The Wii IS more then just a Wii-mote. It may not be a polygon rendering machine, but the Wii-mote is simply one tool of many that Nintendo has used to make the Wii a success. Would the Wii be a success without the Wii-mote? May be not. Would it be a success with ONLY the Wii-mote? Not a chance.
What you're saying is that since there are no games for Linux, it is logical to conclude that this is because the developers couldn't keep up with all the various Linux distros. Most home Linux users use a distro with one of 2 package management systems (as has been said before). Both are extremely easy to use, btw. I've created.deb's and.rpm's from existing software in 30 minutes. The real reason game developers stay away from Linux is because they won't make any money from creating a Linux version (not enough to cover the development costs anyways). If a linux user is a gamer, then they most likely already have Windows, so what's the point in developing a linux game when they would buy the Windows game anyway. I think your blowing the "hassle" of developing for different distros WAY out of proportion. The hardest part when developing software for Linux isn't the different LINUX distros, it's trying to support OTHER Unix OSes (like Solaris, or *BSD). If your software is dependent on the configuration of a particular Linux distro, there is something wrong with your developers, not the myriad of Linux distros. If you're worried about library versions and the like, then you bundle whatever version tickles your fancy with your program (like most Windows programs do).
Also, you're focusing on game developers, which is only one segment of the software industry.
Re:Nope (was Re:Aliens won't probe anymore)
on
New X-Files Movie
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· Score: 1
Yeah, just saw her in The Last King of Scotland; she's still got it:)
I can't believe this comes as news. I worked w/ a bunch of scientists (in a government institution) and it was horrendous how much censorship there was. Some guys quit after the Bush admin. came to power because they literally couldn't publish anything. The guys that stayed just haven't published anything in the past several years. They aren't allowed to speak at any conference without their speech being reviewed and "edited" (censored). Since they were mostly environmental and earth scientists, that meant 50% of the presentation was removed. They didn't have this restriction w/ Clinton. Believe it or not, most of the scientific community supports the idea of climate change. It appears it's split down the middle because the media has been giving each side equal coverage (because they're the news and it looks better if they show both sides).
"Every few minutes" was an exaggeration and you called me on it (clap clap), but I have to go through some to play a Steam game. If I am just browsing the web, then I get none, but I get more when I run XP apps or VS2005, etc. They're definitely there. I mean, I notice them everytime I boot into Windows and I am not one who gets annoyed by that stuff easily. Ubuntu will ask me once for the administrative password for a session and it's never bothered me. Vista does... I don't know what else to tell you.
It not only provides for a crappy user experience, but poor security. If the user is prompted every few minutes to (dis)allow the OS from doing something and 99% of the time it comes up, the user will "Allow" it, then eventually the user will stop reading the prompt and just start clicking "Allow", thus negating any benefit this originally had. It's funny, because the Gnome Human Interface Guidelines warns of this. At least someone is thinking.
Slashdot Mirror
I spent $400 (w/ tax) on my Wii when I bought it (Wii + Wii-mote + nunchuck). However, my fiance and I also went in for half/half (the benefits of a system geared for group-play). To tell you the truth, I just wanted a system that would get her into video games, and I can't really put a price on being able to enjoy a video game w/ my favourite person :)
Your also missing what people have been saying above. The initial investment for a Wii is rather low; you don't HAVE to spend $600 when you buy a Wii to have fun w/ it and w/ friends. $300 (before tax) will get you a system, 2 bundled games, and an extra Wii-mote (Wii-Play is actually pretty fun, worth $10 for sure). Then you spend more as you get more into it. Most people I know w/ a Wii only have a couple of Wii-motes and a handful of games. Compare the initial investment in a Wii system w/ an extra Wii-mote (~$300) and a 360 or PS3 w/ a game (~$500).
I think its also important to note that Wii Sports allows people to play (up-to) 4 player games w/ 1 Wii-mote (Bowling & Golf -- my favourites too!).
Worry not, there are ethical coders out there. I've been e-mailed a couple of times from people asking for a copy of my code I posted on the internet w/ a proper license attached. I've just sent them the files w/ an ISC license attached. The OP should probably do this as well (as someone already mentioned above). You could probably get away without even having to pay.
I think they base it on current research because there is a high probability their predictions will be correct. What they've done, is look at all the current things that have just been done, then judged whether this will actually be something that becomes important in the future (18 years from now, not just 5 or 10). There is a lot of new technology out there, but not all will last more then a handful of years. Genome mapping, on the other hand, is going to be a new tool in medicine, one that will probably be used for decades (at least) to come. Distributed power actually makes a lot of sense. The ability to source from multiple locations, stored electricity included, allows a power distribution network to be somewhat fault tolerant (look at the blackout in eastern NA a few years ago). It will also foster competition in the power industry, which hasn't exactly been filled to the brim w/ competitors recently, by allowing smaller companies to provide services. Think of a town whose residences have created a small co-op power company that provides a small amount of power (perhaps from wind farms or solar power) to help offset the costs of the larger power companies. I imagine these futurists get their funding by providing good predictions with research based on current tech so they can be used as a "may be you should be thinking of investing here" thing. If people are dropping their money into something, they don't want predictions pulled out of your ass, they want something backing it up.
Hit player 2 on the back of the head for taking so long.
But if you've remapped the controls to the point where they are unusable, how would you get back into the menu to make them usable again?
Easy, don't let them remap the start button and have the remapped controls be the gameplay controls, not the menu navigation controls.
I mean, if it's not windows, rocks at gaming but sucks for everything else, it isn't going to gain mainstream either.
Tell that to Sony or NintendoIt's kind of a bad analogy though. Good music is useful and has value no matter how old it is. Newer music can't really add new "features" that devalue older music. The only reason older music could be sold cheaper is if the copyright expired and it is in the public domain. Software, on the other hand, becomes less useful as time goes on, thus loses value, and that is why it is sold for cheaper. The reason Windows 98SE priced for hundreds of dollars today seems so ridiculous is not because it is marked up to high hell, but that it is simply not worth hundreds of dollars today (at least no one would pay it). Products of MUCH better value are available today instead. A Corolla from 20 years ago could not sell for the same price as one from this year (even if it cost as much to produce). The 20 year old Corolla, in comparison, is underpowered, lacks safety features, and looks archaic.
I definitely agree with you. I got horrible grades in high school, not because I wasn't smart enough, but because I never did any homework. At all. It's not that I was out with my friends all the time or that I was sitting in front of a TV or video game system for hours on end. I was on my computer, learning to program, learning about astronomy, learning how to make smoke bombs and electric motors. Learning stuff they would never touch in high school. Luckily in my last year I pulled my grades up high enough to get into University for Computer Science. Now, I am taking my last 3 courses for my degree and I'll be graduating with a A average (going into grad school too). I am extraordinarily happy that I simply followed my own interests, rather than spend my time on the shitty high school curriculum.
In regards to the original question, enthusiasm and encouragement is what I believe teachers need to show. The only teachers I have ever really liked were ones that were positive and enthusiastic. I can count on one hand the teachers that have actually affected me (positively anyways). The only thing they had in common was that they were all enthusiastic about the material they taught and they all gave me positive encouragement. People will rise to other people's expectations of them. This comes in 3 parts; parents, teachers, and friends. Parents need let their kids know they expect them to be great (and tell them they are). Teachers need to let kids know they expect great results and tell them they are more than capable of achieving them. Friends need to be positive about learning and encourage their friends to follow their interests. I find it sad that the first time I ever had someone encourage me to write was in University. Before that, I had just assumed I was a bad writer and would never be good at it. It turns out, I just did not like writing about Shakespeare. In fact, I have received a level of encouragement from my professors at University, that I never dreamed possible in high school.
During my middle and high school years the teachers in my school district were rather disgruntled, went on strike a few times, and started to "work to rule." Basically, they taught, and that was it. This meant, students couldn't go in for extra help after school. How great does it feel to know that you, as a student, are expected to only be seen during class. After that, your time w/ the teacher is done. They are there to shove material down your throat, not help you to learn. Thankfully, there were a couple of teachers who still helped students out after class, though they suffered for it from their peers. Just sad.
Sorry for the confusion. I thought it was obvious I was referring to the part where he says "DLL files are a little tricky though, not sure I understand how they would be considered." Hence why I mentioned dynamic linking.
With the GPL, it would be copyright infringement. With the LGPL it is fine. That is why the LGPL exists.
From the LGPL: "When a program is linked with a library, whether statically or using a shared library, the combination of the two is legally speaking a combined work, a derivative of the original library. The ordinary General Public License therefore permits such linking only if the entire combination fits its criteria of freedom. The Lesser General Public License permits more lax criteria for linking other code with the library."
Doc is proprietary. With the huge growth in new, non-windows, systems that includes, not only linux workstations, but also PDAs, smart phones, web applications, etc, proprietary formats just aren't cutting it anymore. The need for a common format that can be shared amongst all these new devices, whose specificaiton is open, not only to implement, but to extend as well is essential. ODF is hugely superior to Word Documents in many ways. First, ODF is NOT just text formatting. It is everything in one (spreadsheet, presentation, text, etc). It supports a lot more, in terms of ability, than .doc by itself. It is better technically. It fixes many issues with current formats. It separates content from data. It follows common standards. The only reason .doc would not be inferior or equal to OOXML or ODF is if you're still thinking in terms of a small group of people in a homogenous enviornment editing a basic word file. When you start to get any more complex, then you start to see the short comings.
I think their primary goal is to discourage lawyers from taking these cases with the expectation of making some quick cash. Normal people are easy to intimidate and extort a few thousand dollars from, but lawyers? Not so much. If lawyers start taking these cases on a "only pay if you win basis," then the RIAA will actually have people fight back, rather than just bend over. But, if lawyers see that these cases are just going to end up being long, drawn out affairs, they may think twice.
It's not just physics. Every area of study has this same problem. Doctors will cringe bullshit medical diagnoses and the like. Psychologists will point out bad/incorrect advice. Business students will laugh at how basic most movie's ideas on the economy are. Computer nerds giggle whenever movies show some guy hacking into the super-secure server in under 10 seconds. All movies bullshit and trivialise, if you can't enjoy a movie because of it, then that's really your own shitty attitude. I imagine most people don't watch House M.D. for medical advice, or Sawfish to learn how to hack, or Trading Places for business advice.
I, too, have yet to find better ear buds then the ones that came w/ my iPod. Ear buds may not be awesome, but they're a necessity in many situations; exercising, wearing a hat while listening to music, etc.
I loved Doom 3. Everytime I played I would play at night w/ the lights off. I thought I was going to shit myself sometimes. Gameplay was not the greatest, but the atmosphere was amazing. That alone was worth playing it. Not too many games get that level of emersion from me.
Yes, there is a problem. There are dozens of legitimate U.S. companies that already do this. If a parent wants to protect their kid, then they can buy some filtering software themselves, not make everyone else pay for it. If they REALLY wanted, it would be more cost-efficient simply to cover part of the cost of this software instead.
I don't think Nintendo is "realizing" this now, but has "realized" this since the original NES. Every good innovation they had, has been copied by the next generation (if not the current) and why wouldn't it? What good is innovation if no one can improve upon it? However, the Wii offers far more then just a Wii-mote. 1. It offers cheap development to developers. This lets large companies take risks developing unusual games and small developers enter the market place and actually be competitive. 2. It drops all pretensions about what a console is and markets itself as something _fun_, no more. 3. It focuses on social gaming, not loner gaming. A lot of non-gamers (and many gamers) I know see video games as loner-centric entertainment. Whether they admit it or not, they see video games as a form of lower social class entertainment. The Wii is a system that kind of breaks through that social barrier. People who would never be caught dead saying they spent a night playing video games, are now raving about how much fun they had on the Wii. The Wii simply gives them a system they can play, without feeling like a social outcast. This is mostly due to Nintendo's EXCELLENT marketing. Every party I throw now, ends with everyone playing the Wii for 6 hours straight. And these are often the never-play-a-video-game types. 4. The MOST important thing it offers is a company backing it, saying "we made this for you!". People feel safe buying a system - an affordable system - where they know that the company who made it wants to make _you_ happy with games _you_ can actually play. Their marketing campaign focuses on simple games, with families playing them (even grannies), having a ball. Not games with crazy realistic graphics set in some post-apocalyptic world where everyone is a zombie. And you know what, they follow through as well. My parents have played my Wii on more then one occasion and loved it. Even my 71 yo grandma likes playing the Wii! Just imagine seeing 3 generations of your family all playing Wii Sports, it's surreal. I hate generalizing, but most people who say the Wii-mote is just a gimmick are missing the real picture. The Wii IS more then just a Wii-mote. It may not be a polygon rendering machine, but the Wii-mote is simply one tool of many that Nintendo has used to make the Wii a success. Would the Wii be a success without the Wii-mote? May be not. Would it be a success with ONLY the Wii-mote? Not a chance.
What you're saying is that since there are no games for Linux, it is logical to conclude that this is because the developers couldn't keep up with all the various Linux distros. Most home Linux users use a distro with one of 2 package management systems (as has been said before). Both are extremely easy to use, btw. I've created .deb's and .rpm's from existing software in 30 minutes. The real reason game developers stay away from Linux is because they won't make any money from creating a Linux version (not enough to cover the development costs anyways). If a linux user is a gamer, then they most likely already have Windows, so what's the point in developing a linux game when they would buy the Windows game anyway. I think your blowing the "hassle" of developing for different distros WAY out of proportion. The hardest part when developing software for Linux isn't the different LINUX distros, it's trying to support OTHER Unix OSes (like Solaris, or *BSD). If your software is dependent on the configuration of a particular Linux distro, there is something wrong with your developers, not the myriad of Linux distros. If you're worried about library versions and the like, then you bundle whatever version tickles your fancy with your program (like most Windows programs do).
Also, you're focusing on game developers, which is only one segment of the software industry.
Yeah, just saw her in The Last King of Scotland; she's still got it :)
Luckily Java provides a native look and feel for Windows through their pluggable look and feel. Same w/ Mac and GTK.
I can't believe this comes as news. I worked w/ a bunch of scientists (in a government institution) and it was horrendous how much censorship there was. Some guys quit after the Bush admin. came to power because they literally couldn't publish anything. The guys that stayed just haven't published anything in the past several years. They aren't allowed to speak at any conference without their speech being reviewed and "edited" (censored). Since they were mostly environmental and earth scientists, that meant 50% of the presentation was removed. They didn't have this restriction w/ Clinton. Believe it or not, most of the scientific community supports the idea of climate change. It appears it's split down the middle because the media has been giving each side equal coverage (because they're the news and it looks better if they show both sides).
"Every few minutes" was an exaggeration and you called me on it (clap clap), but I have to go through some to play a Steam game. If I am just browsing the web, then I get none, but I get more when I run XP apps or VS2005, etc. They're definitely there. I mean, I notice them everytime I boot into Windows and I am not one who gets annoyed by that stuff easily. Ubuntu will ask me once for the administrative password for a session and it's never bothered me. Vista does... I don't know what else to tell you.
Yes, I dual boot Vista and Ubuntu. And yes, I actually like Vista, though I use Ubuntu more.
It not only provides for a crappy user experience, but poor security. If the user is prompted every few minutes to (dis)allow the OS from doing something and 99% of the time it comes up, the user will "Allow" it, then eventually the user will stop reading the prompt and just start clicking "Allow", thus negating any benefit this originally had. It's funny, because the Gnome Human Interface Guidelines warns of this. At least someone is thinking.
Disable hardware cursor support in xorg.conf. I've had that issue on a few old laptops (various video cards), and it always fixes it right up.