Shortly following the announcement and release of the AMY-3X, the current giant in the silicone idustry, Intehl ordered the gagging of all representatives and companies which sold or used their special P3 implants. The industry is in an uproar over this. Not just for free speach, but mainly because by god, that's was what they wanted to do at home.
The AMY hasn't made any comments on their competitor's latest move, they are glad that they hadn't gone so far as to gag their employees. That is something that they thankfully do on their own.
Compounded with their recent legal complications involving the monopolizing of the silicone hardware industry and the recently disovered peeping function of their P3, Intehl is definitely in hot water... no, not the gushing fun kind.. but more like the "it scorched my balls you @#$#%!" kind.
In either case, the public, valued consumers of their silcone products and implants, are in a tizzy of the recent turn of events. In random interviews conducted just today, we can see that the opinions are somewhat inconclusive:
ConsumerA: I think the new P3 rocks! My girlfriend is into this sort of thing and well.. I think it really helps us get work done, you know, especially how it helps to speed up the work involved with curves and modeling. I mean.. responsive hands on work of this kind was just not possible before a P3!
ConsumerB: Well, all I can say is that if Intehl has to gag people, I want out. Maybe Amy is the way for me to go. I'm just not that kind of girl, you know? I mean.. sure, I want to be better endowed and get the faster and harder hitting Knky instruction sets.. but it's just all too expensive. I think Amy-3X with its lower price and good reviews will please me alot more in the long run. Besides, I don't like that gag reflex.
ConsumerC: P3? Like.. what's that? *listens* Oh!! Yeah! I completely dig that! I mean.. I'm like using the P2 now and I get complete satisfaction every time, ya know? But I think the P3 will be the real pleaser for me.. I mean.. it takes alot of.. *listens again* Oh what? No way..! Damn.. where can I get my p3? Cuts down the oral dicktate time from 30min to 2-3mins? Hell, I'd pay $2k for that!
ConsumerD: I don't know.. I mean.. where I come from, an 88 was good enough, you know what I mean? Didn't need all this Knky instruction sets and 3Xnow technology. I mean.. when our net-friends told us bout 369 and 369, we were shocked! I mean.. who needed all that extra stuff? It was just for getting work done, right? Well with all this P2 and P3 stuff going on, it's just too strange for me. I like to keep it simple.. one on the bottom and one on top. None of this dual and quad setups.. I mean.. that's just SICK!! I..
Anyways, as we can see, the opinions are varied and well, to be quite honest, I don't know myself. I mean.. I don't mind dualing my systems, if you get my drift. But apparently the costs are somewhat high and alot of people are saying to just wait.
But if you've got the money to go out and grab it, guess that's your kind of system.
This roving reporter is signing off.
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
Dunno, I can't really see myself jealous of anyone talking to their computer or wanting the computer to understand them faster. I mean.. wouldn't it be ALOT easier to just go and get a girlfriend or boyfriend?
*ahems* But then again, these days, exotic forms of intercourse are quite prevelant, aren't they?
Yeah, but then again, considering the price of one of those suckers, one wonders if there isn't a "don't over use or you might go blind" warning label on the stick.
( a totally uncalled for post, but bored and well, if you really are waiting half an hour to an hour to have your computer learn your voice and commands, then well.. who knows. )
( yeah, that was uncalled for either. But some might even find it funny. )
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
Just to make a comment. The UI's good or bad points are highly SUBJECTIVE based on the user.
Blender's UI is highly optimized for work and power, not for new users to get into the field of 3D. If someone wanted to really use Blender, they should seriously consider checking the various howto's on the web and/or purchasing the extremely good and stylish manual. Their URL is: www.blender.nl
Linux and Windows are examples of a conflict of style and UI priorities. Linux(Unix) focuses on getting the job done by making commands and flexibility of programming and scripting at the command line. This allows for faster and more effective work to be done while making it harder to use for new users.
Windows is easy to use for new users, but has a limit on functionality after that initial learning curve has been reached.
Blender is like this. Focus was on efficient use of functions and accessibilty of functions.
After a few days of playing with Blender, even without the manual, it becomes easier.
I had similar experiences when I alternated between 3DS MAX and TrueSpace. MAX had a good modeler, but TrueSpace had better renderer's. So I switched between the two and found that while Truespace's interface is fun and easy to learn, it is highly limiting because of the many widgets.
Max's menus were hard at first, but tinkering got me around soon enough. Still, after the initial learning stage, the menu's themselves were a speed limit. I kept asking myself where the shortcut keys were.
Blender is like this. Lot's of shortcut keys, but virtually no menu's. Better work speed, but slower learning.
I happen to like Blender, which is becoming better with each new release. And while I hope it doesn't go commercial, I wouldn't mind paying for it when it does. This is because it IS a quality product.
The UI seems hard because people are not used to it. Once you do get used to it, you'll find that what seemed like UI mistakes are actually UI improvements.
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
I agree with you wholeheartedly. Once again, a remainder that there are indeed many perspectives and that it is easy for one, such as myself, to get stuck only seeing from one angle.
However, while quite a few of the users requesting refunds are probably doing it more for fun than for a cause, there are some issues here which should be addressed. Namely, the validity of EULA's and contracts which seem to be at odds. The difficulty of legitimate users from really obtaining a refund.
I can appreciate the fact that you are having a good time with windows. I too used to have a relatively good time. But as time went on, the crashes got worse and the frequency of the crashes increased. I kept my system clean and powered down cleanly. But in the end, the system basically chokes itself to death.
My main reason for switching OS's was reliability. Something I couldn't find in Windows. Games are great under Windows, but to be honest, with the new wave of games being offered for Linux, I really don't see the reason for my even bothering with Windows anymore. That's just my point of view and my personal method of doing things.
But while the level of orderliness for the refund participants was not of the highest level, the repeated refusals on the part of the OEM/VAR with MS as the excuse and the defensive nature of company's responses to requests for legitimate refunds has likewise been disorderly and I would imagine, abrupt, leaving the refundee with no place to turn.
It may not be a big issue in the general populace, but it is a big issue in the world of non-windows users. Much like it wasn't of much concern to people in England in regards to the revolts about a simple thing like tax, it comes down to one simple thing.
People who aren't going to use the OS or benefit from it are paying for it. That there is a structure in place which allows for little or no deviation from this form of taxation.
I can't and really won't bother refunding. I'm one of those people in the masses who's used windows, didn't like it, and have decided to move on to better things. But at the same time, knowing that if I ever decide to buy who systems and knowing I get charged extra because of the OS, it is something of pride and principal. And in the case of mass manufacturing, profit.
It is like buying bugs which come prepackaged with a bottle of soda. But it is a type of soda you really don't like because it makes you sick. But all the mugs out there come with it prepackaged. Clerks look at you funny when you ask for just the mug without the soda. They tell you to just buy it and toss the soda if you don't want it or to return the whole package and go shop elsewhere.
It is ifuriating and in many senses, there is a feeling of prejudice. Of belittlement. And that feeling and attitude is not appreciated.
I myself want a laptop. But I don't want the pre-bundled OS. Nor would I want a laptop specifically hardware tied to an OS I don't want.
It is as simple as saying I want to buy a mug without soda. Without paying for the extra soda because unlike the Coke Cola drinkers, Pepsi drinkers won't benefit from the tax.
Btw, on my campus, that is the case. There is no coke cola on campus, only pepsi. This is due to contractual agreements which force all shops on campus to sell only pepsi and pepsi related drinks.
Many Coke Cola drinkers want Coke.. but are stuck with Pepsi, paying for a Pepsi drink which doesn't help them or their Coke Cola.
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
I agree completely! There should be more people who are integrating alternative OS's such as Linux into the Notebook systems.
More importantly, I think it is vital to have more OEM type parts available for would-be laptop builders.
I too have looked for parts to assemble my own laptop, but have found that what little parts which are supplied are not enough to build a whole laptop. This in itself is a problem as well.
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
I meant the people who support Windows and Microsoft. There are such people. MS could have done some damage control of their public image during this event through a show of goodwill towards people who were seeking a refund and at least make a token effort to strengthen the loyalty of people who ARE still using Windows, to quell the fears of those who work for MS and to show to the media that MS is strong enough to pay to refund would be's, that their EULA stands and is worth the paper it is printed on.
Instead, MS has squandered their chances on a cheap attempt to brush aside a "weak" attempt at a refund. In doing so, they have not only added fuel to the big bad image already associated with them, but weakened the belief that Windows users had in MS.
So no, I was not referring to the trust and public image held by the refunders, but rather, by the IT's and businesses, the home users and VAR's who are paying attention to such an event. I refer to their sense of belief, public image, and trust in MS. What little trust remains, that is.
My apologies for not having been clear as to which group of people I was referring to.
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
Build your own computers. Install whichever OS YOU want to install and run!
VAR's and OEM's suffer because of their contracts. And as so many people have pointed out, it is because many people want WINOS that the OEM's stock it.
While I believe that to be false, I also believe that people should have the full rights to chose.
If that means building your own computer, then why the hell not? you get to chose the parts and better yet, you get to see which parts work for Linux and buy accordingly.
OEM's need us. Not the otherway around. When they wise up to the growing need of alternative OS's in the market, then it may be worthwhile to go back. But for those who can, why not make your own computer and avoid windows completely?
Why pay them to wait for a refund when you can avoid them completely and not ever have to shed a penny in their direction?
I speak from personal experience as I've not bought a prepackaged computer system in my life. My systems being built from from parts of my chosing and the OS of my choice. (Linux).
If you don't know how or lack knowledge of building computers, take that $50-$100 that you would have spent on Windows and spend it on a good book.
Read and learn. Then go and buy the parts to build your system. Avoid companies who FORCE you to buy a Windows system.
Crashes aren't appealing or sexy. They cost money and detracts from the enjoyment of entertainment.
Lost term papers due to a crash sucks. Frozen systems during an art project bites. Knowing you actually paid for this faulty software is sad, but knowing you could have avoided all this is when it really stings.
Learn and build your own. Free yourself from another limited system running a limited OS.
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
Boy, reading this really gives me the warm fuzzy feeling about Microsoft. The same kind of warm fuzzy feeling one get's when a bottle of hot sauce is rammed up your rear end, that is.
This could have been THE big chance of MS to improve their public image and reaffirm to Win- Users everywhere that MS is still there to back them up. They could have performed the refund as an act of good faith and goodwill to both the public at large and the DOJ.
But no. Like the tight a**'d, customer screwing brute that they are, MS decides to lock out the very movement which could have helped them. I mean, come on. All these people wanted was a measly $50 or so check from the company. Is that so damn hard to provide? Probably. And if so, then they have real problems. As right now, MS is in the realm of "can-do-no-right".
EULA's are contracts between two or more parties. As the EULA is worded, the parties are the producer(MS), the end-user(US), and the place of purchase(Wherever you bought the software).
In the words of the EULA, the refund has to come from the supplier. Be it the store, the shop where the computer was bought, or wherever. If they don't honour the EULA contract, then the users should contact the producer of the EULA of the software. In this case, MS.
They made the crappy software. They wrote the EULA. They are the one's who enter into contracts with VAR's and OEM's where a refund is not possible.
It sounds like they want to sell software and put into place a scheme where no refund is possible.
If this is true, they are violating consumer rights.
They are violating their contractual agreements.
This also means that they are liable for their product since they don't honour their side of the agreement, we don't have to honour ours.
Did Windows crash and cost you money? Did a security hole in your WinOS allow people to steal your credit card numbers? Personal info? Allow people to crash you from afar?
I think it's time to give back to MS what they have given to us for so god damn long.
What goes around comes around, and it is high time that MS got a taste of the shit that they have been pouring down our throats for who knows how long.
Don't pirate their software. Why would you want to violate federal law AND spread windows? If any thing, write letters to your representatives in the house. In the senate. Write letters to the better business beurouas. Let the people in official positions know what shit we are going through.
But don't pirate. Pirating is NOT the way to go. They were unlawful in their conduct, we shouldn't have to sink to their level.
MS turned their backs on the license agreement.
They should realise the legal entailments of that action. And people who have lost countless hours worth of work and customers because the system crashed, should be compensated for their losses.
Money isn't the important factor. It is basic responsibility. A contract which was accepted in good faith between parties. A contract which has not only not been honoured, but one which has been encapsulated in a system of contracts where a refund is either improbable or incredibly hard to obtain through normal means.
Money isn't the goal. But money is one of the few things the company in question understands. And if that is the only method of redressment, then that is what should be reclaimed.
Just my two cents.
My apologies for the emotionally tinged post. but just hearing about their about turn face at such a public event and their disgraceful actions at a time when they should be attentive to the customers is a disgrace to any business.
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
The MPman is sold online at a variety of places. See:
www.mpman.com Info on the MPman and product support. www.shopper.com Search for "mpman" www.pricewatch.com Search for "mpman" www.eigerlabs.com Info on the device and other misc. http://www.eigerlabs.com/MPMan/partners.htm Places to buy the MPman.
Hope that helps.:)
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
Hmm... personally, I think the authors of UltraHLE are great coders for creating such an emulator.
However, I think their placing their code on the web where they knew people who could use it to run pirated roms DOES put them in a position where they should be held responsible for the repercussions of such an action. Just because they pull it off the web doesn't free them from responsibilities.
While this doesn't put them in the same boat as warez users, common sense would suggest that any one in the emulation scene would know about pirating. But then again, who knows. One could be wrong.
Nintendo, I think, is barking up the wrong tree at the wrong time. Attacking UltraHLE, who has already made a gesture of good faith in pulling their code only invites attacks on Nintendo itself. It shows a flaw in character and will probably hurt them in the peoples' perception of them and their products.
As for the copyright issues, some things come to mind. First of all, Nintendo claims that UltraHLE's creation would have required bypassing of certain security features. Personally, I'm pretty curious as to what this feature is, exactly.
If the security feature prevents any form of "personality" replication of components, subsystems, and rom images on the chips of the N64 units, and they can prove this, then they are right. UHLE may have broken US federal laws in circumventing copyprotection features.
Rom images are another area. True, in the past, there was a precedent set. The emulation of one platform's hardware so that the software from one platform can be played on another hardware platform was deemed okay.
However, how those rom images are obtained is something more of a gray area.:| For one thing, how exactly did someone get the image of the rom from the cartridge/circuit and into digital form for copying. If the cartridge had copyprotection on it to prevent direct reads/copies of the roms, then this may violate US federal law in regards to circumventing copyprotection methods as well.
It just depends on how it was done and the means by which it was done.
To be quiet honest, I believe the arguments of some are right in that emulators CAN increase sales of games of the platform being emulated. Whether it affects sale of the hardware is another matter.
In the end, it all comes down to two things. Rights and Money.
Emulators mean money. Selling software means money. And apparently, the right to that software is quite important as well.
I'm sure that most people agree that warez trading and pirating does have an effect on a company. How exactly is probably where most people diverge in opinions.
Personally, I think it DOES hurt a company when pirating happens. As for the thought that the lost sales due to pirating was not a sale which would have been made anyway, is just an excuse warez traders use.
If there was no potential sale, then why is there a market for pirated goods? No, those goods ARE in demand. Just that when they are available for a lower price, in this case, heavily reduced prices, more people are willing to buy. This is simple economics. Lower the price and the threshold for purchases changes.
In the end, though, it is the courts which will decide the issue's legality. But it will be the users who decide some of the more "messy" issues. More specifically, responsible users. Warez folk are getting a free ride while bootleggers and piraters are getting literally pure profits at the cost of legitimate companies who have spent countless hundreds of millions in research and marketing.
Those who think that warez and pirating doesn't affect the industry, maybe it would help for them to start a company and see how much of an affect it would have when someone rips their ideas.
Just another two cents.
-
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
If only Mesa supported RivaTNT
on
Parallel Mesa
·
· Score: 1
Le'Sigh...
If only Mesa supported RivaTNT's... the graphics processors on those could probably do a good amount of graphics churning.:) Better yet, if all PCI/AGP slots in a system were RivaTNT's... heehee...
RivaTnT Render farm? Nah... - Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
I'm not much of a conspiracy buff, but one look at Intel's website with it's "This Way In" slogan and the graphic of a martial artist kicking "His Way In" doesn't give me any positive vibes.
I mean... what? Does installing the chip mean that someone can and will come breaking into my home or office where I have the computer installed?
Will they be able to find out when I'm at home and when I'm not? Wow!
Conspiracy or no, Intel might want to consider more positive and comfort/performance inspiring marketing...
"This Way In" is on it's way out.
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
Personally, I think emulators are quite possibly, the coolest things, right next to the consoles that they emulate.
Technical beauty? Seriously, yes, they are quite nice pieces of work. But then again, I seriously doubt someone sat down one day and said, "Gee, I think I shall create and give unto the world a thing of technical beauty that people may marvel over. And this thing shall be an emulator." More likely it was, "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if I could play that console game on my PC/Server/etc while I get work done?".
For people who argue for technical beauty and all that's black and white, go take a gander at some of the nice overseas computer shopping centers. Dedicated hardware for ripping roms from systems and carts/discs. Copied software up the *ss. Hardware and software emulation of games. 30-50 dollar games sold in disk, cd, tape, zip, etc. for mere dollars. Yeah, I find that REAL beautiful. The simple efficiency of it. A business of warez and ripping off the companies that developed the original hardware and software.
I'm sorry, but warez and emulators/emulation are virtually synonymous in most gamer circles. If you can emulate, then you can rip roms or know where to get them. And quite seriously, in most of those circles, if you know how and you're not doing it for a profit, you're and idiot. But then again, some people appreciate good coding for the beauty, right?
I can't seriously believe that a team who goes about creating an emulator wouldn't know that it would result in warez use. Almost seems to defy something called common sense.
As for "backup copies" of games and such, I agree that people have a right to "fair use". But seriously, I don't think fair use entails people copying the game and playing it while their friend borrows the original.
As for backup copies, that is a legitimate reason, but one which I think should be taken up with the companies themselves. We as consumers who buy the games should demand that if they want us to respect their "rules", they should respect our rights! If they don't want us to copy, then they should give us a way to obtain a new copy if our original is damaged or lost due to unforseen circumstances. If they can't provide such a means, then by all means, back it up.
But warez is here to stay. I can't speak for any other part of the world, but here in good old LA in California, warez IS rampant on a commercial level. It's a business in and of itself tuned to tee that you can as a consumer, walk into a game shop and flip through a large catalog and buy any psx/sega/etc game you want for $5-$20/disc. Yup, packaged in cellophane and with colour printouts for the cd cover and what not. The disk ain't black and the deals aren't legit. A good sign that the war against piracy is raging and piracy isn't showing signs of losing.
I applaud the people who work hard to increase their knowledge and build great things like emulators. But I don't believe that they are free from and guilt as they should be well aware that their work WILL contribute to the warez scene.
The whole concept of how an insolvable problem for you may be a solved problem for another which is heralded with pride in the software community is likewise sounded with pride in the warez community.
There are rippers and there are coders. The rippers are already out there. Just need the coders.
People will always think what they want. If you seek to change the thoughts of people and turn them from pirating, then aren't you branding yourself like the tyrants who would restrict your thinking and freedoms? And if you support those who would pirate, then aren't you taking value away from the hard working people?
A theft is still a theft and a contribution to society, whether or not it is recognized as such, is still a contribution.
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
The ZDNET article glossed over the subject rather quickly, almost as if wanting to report, but fearing some dark menacing force was about to stomp out their existence.
Seriously, "just between the end-user and OEM's"?
The contract is written BY Microsoft FOR end-users, OEM's, and to benefit themselves. MS charges for Win?? to be installed on OEM systems, but when refund time comes, OEM's pay while MS is free of any responsibility. All because of the EULA.
I think MS has ALOT to do with this refund issue.
This is another nail in the coffin, but it is also a wakeup call to OEM's out there. To be more care- ful of the contract they are signing with MS AND the contract that MS is dishing out to the end- users.
MS is right. OEM's ARE adults and should be able to take care of themselves. Should have been adult enough to read things carefully and not have agreed to something they didn't understand.
MS is probably going to issue a counter statement later in this issue. Why? Because they will have realised that once again, they have made light of a serious issue, one which will snowball itself against their company.
Because.. if the OEM's realise that there is another choice and decide that they've been screwed even more deeply than they had originally thought, it won't take much more to convince them to more seriously consider a split from MS.
Vote with your dollars. Even if those votes are in the negative value range, VOTE WITH YOUR $$$.
Without a strong OEM foundation, other OS's will stand a much better chance of breaking through to the OEM's.
Vote with your dollars.
I for one am looking forward to Feb 15th to see how it will turn out. I've no win?? to refund since my system is completely Linux. ^_^;
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
Personally, I can't understand why there is such a strong sense of distrust and antagonism against this person who obviously has worked hard to both learn the material and work on the code. At least for that, she deserves credit.
Call me cynical if you will, but if the NSA or RSA announced that they had a new algorithm, the opinions would not have been this biased, bigoted, and enflamed. There have been posts in this thread that denounces her achievements on the basis of gender, ethnicity, the reputation of the reporters, the reputation of the events, or in some limited cases, the plain ignorance of the poster. Why do I feel that if there had been a corporate logo and an army of suits that people would have been more respectful of the news?
But don't get me wrong, I believe that with all forms of coding, thorough testing of the algorithms and continued work is not only a good thing, but required. Just don't discount the work of people like Ms. Flannery's before the vote is even in.
Linus's work was denounced by a figurehead at the birth of his idea. But time has told who was right and who was in need of an open mind.
Her work might not meet with the approval of many people, but instead of turning one's back on it so quickly, perhaps one should take a closer look at it.
Personally, I hope she patents it and decides to release it under one form of open source license or another. It would be a boon to the net community for new ideas to be tossed about and snowball.
*smiles* Maybe even give some of the critics a little something to chew on.
Anyways, that's my two cents. The Intel site has some pretty cool pics of Ms. Flannery. Whether her code turns out to be a big thing or just another blip on the scope, I hope she has a long and bright career in the field of Cryptography. She seems to already have a pretty good start and a knowledgable father to lend her a hand if she would ever need the help.
- Wing - Reap the fires of the soul. - Harvest the passion of life.
Slashdot Mirror
Shortly following the announcement and release of the AMY-3X, the current giant in the silicone idustry, Intehl ordered the gagging of all representatives and companies which sold or used their special P3 implants. The industry is in an uproar over this. Not just for free speach, but mainly because by god, that's was what they wanted to do at home.
The AMY hasn't made any comments on their competitor's latest move, they are glad that they hadn't gone so far as to gag their employees. That is something that they thankfully do on their own.
Compounded with their recent legal complications involving the monopolizing of the silicone hardware industry and the recently disovered peeping function of their P3, Intehl is definitely in hot water... no, not the gushing fun kind.. but more like the "it scorched my balls you @#$#%!" kind.
In either case, the public, valued consumers of their silcone products and implants, are in a tizzy of the recent turn of events. In random interviews conducted just today, we can see that the opinions are somewhat inconclusive:
ConsumerA: I think the new P3 rocks! My girlfriend is into this sort of thing and well.. I think it really helps us get work done, you know, especially how it helps to speed up the work involved with curves and modeling. I mean.. responsive hands on work of this kind was just not possible before a P3!
ConsumerB: Well, all I can say is that if Intehl has to gag people, I want out. Maybe Amy is the way for me to go. I'm just not that kind of girl, you know? I mean.. sure, I want to be better endowed and get the faster and harder hitting Knky instruction sets.. but it's just all too expensive. I think Amy-3X with its lower price and good reviews will please me alot more in the long run. Besides, I don't like that gag reflex.
ConsumerC: P3? Like.. what's that? *listens* Oh!! Yeah! I completely dig that! I mean.. I'm like using the P2 now and I get complete satisfaction every time, ya know? But I think the P3 will be the real pleaser for me.. I mean.. it takes alot of.. *listens again* Oh what? No way..! Damn.. where can I get my p3? Cuts down the oral dicktate time from 30min to 2-3mins? Hell, I'd pay $2k for that!
ConsumerD: I don't know.. I mean.. where I come from, an 88 was good enough, you know what I mean? Didn't need all this Knky instruction sets and 3Xnow technology. I mean.. when our net-friends told us bout 369 and 369, we were shocked! I mean.. who needed all that extra stuff? It was just for getting work done, right? Well with all this P2 and P3 stuff going on, it's just too strange for me. I like to keep it simple.. one on the bottom and one on top. None of this dual and quad setups.. I mean.. that's just SICK!! I..
Anyways, as we can see, the opinions are varied and well, to be quite honest, I don't know myself. I mean.. I don't mind dualing my systems, if you get my drift. But apparently the costs are somewhat high and alot of people are saying to just wait.
But if you've got the money to go out and grab it, guess that's your kind of system.
This roving reporter is signing off.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
*ahems* But then again, these days, exotic forms of intercourse are quite prevelant, aren't they?
Yeah, but then again, considering the price of one of those suckers, one wonders if there isn't a "don't over use or you might go blind" warning label on the stick.
( a totally uncalled for post, but bored and well, if you really are waiting half an hour to an hour to have your computer learn your voice and commands, then well.. who knows. )
( yeah, that was uncalled for either. But some might even find it funny. )
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
Just to make a comment. The UI's good or bad
points are highly SUBJECTIVE based on the user.
Blender's UI is highly optimized for work and
power, not for new users to get into the field
of 3D. If someone wanted to really use Blender,
they should seriously consider checking the
various howto's on the web and/or purchasing
the extremely good and stylish manual.
Their URL is: www.blender.nl
Linux and Windows are examples of a conflict of
style and UI priorities. Linux(Unix) focuses on getting
the job done by making commands and flexibility
of programming and scripting at the command line.
This allows for faster and more effective work
to be done while making it harder to use for
new users.
Windows is easy to use for new users, but has a
limit on functionality after that initial learning
curve has been reached.
Blender is like this. Focus was on efficient use
of functions and accessibilty of functions.
After a few days of playing with Blender, even
without the manual, it becomes easier.
I had similar experiences when I alternated between
3DS MAX and TrueSpace. MAX had a good modeler, but
TrueSpace had better renderer's. So I switched
between the two and found that while Truespace's
interface is fun and easy to learn, it is highly
limiting because of the many widgets.
Max's menus were hard at first, but tinkering got
me around soon enough. Still, after the initial
learning stage, the menu's themselves were a
speed limit. I kept asking myself where the
shortcut keys were.
Blender is like this. Lot's of shortcut keys, but
virtually no menu's. Better work speed, but
slower learning.
I happen to like Blender, which is becoming better
with each new release. And while I hope it doesn't
go commercial, I wouldn't mind paying for it when
it does. This is because it IS a quality product.
The UI seems hard because people are not used to
it. Once you do get used to it, you'll find that
what seemed like UI mistakes are actually UI
improvements.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
I agree with you wholeheartedly. Once again, a remainder that there are indeed many perspectives and that it is easy for one, such as myself, to get stuck only seeing from one angle.
However, while quite a few of the users requesting refunds are probably doing it more for fun than for a cause, there are some issues here which should be addressed. Namely, the validity of EULA's and contracts which seem to be at odds. The difficulty of legitimate users from really obtaining a refund.
I can appreciate the fact that you are having a good time with windows. I too used to have a relatively good time. But as time went on, the crashes got worse and the frequency of the crashes increased. I kept my system clean and powered down cleanly. But in the end, the system basically chokes itself to death.
My main reason for switching OS's was reliability. Something I couldn't find in Windows. Games are great under Windows, but to be honest, with the new wave of games being offered for Linux, I really don't see the reason for my even bothering with Windows anymore. That's just my point of view and my personal method of doing things.
But while the level of orderliness for the refund participants was not of the highest level, the repeated refusals on the part of the OEM/VAR with MS as the excuse and the defensive nature of company's responses to requests for legitimate refunds has likewise been disorderly and I would imagine, abrupt, leaving the refundee with no place to turn.
It may not be a big issue in the general populace, but it is a big issue in the world of non-windows users. Much like it wasn't of much concern to people in England in regards to the revolts about a simple thing like tax, it comes down to one simple thing.
People who aren't going to use the OS or benefit from it are paying for it. That there is a structure in place which allows for little or no deviation from this form of taxation.
I can't and really won't bother refunding. I'm one of those people in the masses who's used windows, didn't like it, and have decided to move on to better things. But at the same time, knowing that if I ever decide to buy who systems and knowing I get charged extra because of the OS, it is something of pride and principal. And in the case of mass manufacturing, profit.
It is like buying bugs which come prepackaged with a bottle of soda. But it is a type of soda you really don't like because it makes you sick. But all the mugs out there come with it prepackaged. Clerks look at you funny when you ask for just the mug without the soda. They tell you to just buy it and toss the soda if you don't want it or to return the whole package and go shop elsewhere.
It is ifuriating and in many senses, there is a feeling of prejudice. Of belittlement. And that feeling and attitude is not appreciated.
I myself want a laptop. But I don't want the pre-bundled OS. Nor would I want a laptop specifically hardware tied to an OS I don't want.
It is as simple as saying I want to buy a mug without soda. Without paying for the extra soda because unlike the Coke Cola drinkers, Pepsi drinkers won't benefit from the tax.
Btw, on my campus, that is the case. There is no coke cola on campus, only pepsi. This is due to contractual agreements which force all shops on campus to sell only pepsi and pepsi related drinks.
Many Coke Cola drinkers want Coke.. but are stuck with Pepsi, paying for a Pepsi drink which doesn't help them or their Coke Cola.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
I agree completely! There should be more people
who are integrating alternative OS's such as
Linux into the Notebook systems.
More importantly, I think it is vital to have
more OEM type parts available for would-be
laptop builders.
I too have looked for parts to assemble my own
laptop, but have found that what little parts
which are supplied are not enough to build a whole
laptop. This in itself is a problem as well.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
I meant the people who support Windows and
Microsoft. There are such people. MS could have
done some damage control of their public image
during this event through a show of goodwill
towards people who were seeking a refund and
at least make a token effort to strengthen the
loyalty of people who ARE still using Windows,
to quell the fears of those who work for MS and
to show to the media that MS is strong enough
to pay to refund would be's, that their EULA
stands and is worth the paper it is printed on.
Instead, MS has squandered their chances on a
cheap attempt to brush aside a "weak" attempt at
a refund. In doing so, they have not only added
fuel to the big bad image already associated with
them, but weakened the belief that Windows users
had in MS.
So no, I was not referring to the trust and public
image held by the refunders, but rather, by the
IT's and businesses, the home users and VAR's who
are paying attention to such an event. I refer to
their sense of belief, public image, and trust in
MS. What little trust remains, that is.
My apologies for not having been clear as to which
group of people I was referring to.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
Build your own computers. Install whichever OS YOU
want to install and run!
VAR's and OEM's suffer because of their contracts.
And as so many people have pointed out, it is because
many people want WINOS that the OEM's stock it.
While I believe that to be false, I also believe
that people should have the full rights to chose.
If that means building your own computer, then why
the hell not? you get to chose the parts and better
yet, you get to see which parts work for Linux and
buy accordingly.
OEM's need us. Not the otherway around. When they
wise up to the growing need of alternative OS's in
the market, then it may be worthwhile to go back.
But for those who can, why not make your own
computer and avoid windows completely?
Why pay them to wait for a refund when you can
avoid them completely and not ever have to shed
a penny in their direction?
I speak from personal experience as I've not
bought a prepackaged computer system in my life.
My systems being built from from parts of my
chosing and the OS of my choice. (Linux).
If you don't know how or lack knowledge of building
computers, take that $50-$100 that you would have
spent on Windows and spend it on a good book.
Read and learn. Then go and buy the parts to build
your system. Avoid companies who FORCE you to
buy a Windows system.
Crashes aren't appealing or sexy. They cost money
and detracts from the enjoyment of entertainment.
Lost term papers due to a crash sucks. Frozen systems
during an art project bites. Knowing you actually
paid for this faulty software is sad, but knowing
you could have avoided all this is when it really stings.
Learn and build your own. Free yourself from
another limited system running a limited OS.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
Boy, reading this really gives me the warm
fuzzy feeling about Microsoft. The same kind of
warm fuzzy feeling one get's when a bottle of
hot sauce is rammed up your rear end, that is.
This could have been THE big chance of MS to
improve their public image and reaffirm to Win-
Users everywhere that MS is still there to back
them up. They could have performed the refund as
an act of good faith and goodwill to both the
public at large and the DOJ.
But no. Like the tight a**'d, customer screwing
brute that they are, MS decides to lock out the
very movement which could have helped them. I mean,
come on. All these people wanted was a measly
$50 or so check from the company. Is that so
damn hard to provide? Probably. And if so, then
they have real problems. As right now, MS is
in the realm of "can-do-no-right".
EULA's are contracts between two or more parties.
As the EULA is worded, the parties are the
producer(MS), the end-user(US), and the place of
purchase(Wherever you bought the software).
In the words of the EULA, the refund has to come
from the supplier. Be it the store, the shop
where the computer was bought, or wherever. If they
don't honour the EULA contract, then the users
should contact the producer of the EULA of the
software. In this case, MS.
They made the crappy software. They wrote the
EULA. They are the one's who enter into contracts
with VAR's and OEM's where a refund is not possible.
It sounds like they want to sell software and
put into place a scheme where no refund is possible.
If this is true, they are violating consumer rights.
They are violating their contractual agreements.
This also means that they are liable for their
product since they don't honour their side of
the agreement, we don't have to honour ours.
Did Windows crash and cost you money? Did a
security hole in your WinOS allow people to steal
your credit card numbers? Personal info? Allow
people to crash you from afar?
I think it's time to give back to MS what they
have given to us for so god damn long.
What goes around comes around, and it is high
time that MS got a taste of the shit that they
have been pouring down our throats for who knows
how long.
Don't pirate their software. Why would you want
to violate federal law AND spread windows? If any
thing, write letters to your representatives in
the house. In the senate. Write letters to the
better business beurouas. Let the people in
official positions know what shit we are going
through.
But don't pirate. Pirating is NOT the way to go. They were
unlawful in their conduct, we shouldn't have to
sink to their level.
MS turned their backs on the license agreement.
They should realise the legal entailments of that
action. And people who have lost countless hours
worth of work and customers because the system
crashed, should be compensated for their losses.
Money isn't the important factor. It is basic
responsibility. A contract which was accepted in
good faith between parties. A contract which has
not only not been honoured, but one which has
been encapsulated in a system of contracts where
a refund is either improbable or incredibly hard
to obtain through normal means.
Money isn't the goal. But money is one of the few
things the company in question understands. And if
that is the only method of redressment, then that
is what should be reclaimed.
Just my two cents.
My apologies for the emotionally tinged post. but just hearing about their about turn face at such a public event and their disgraceful actions at a time when they should be attentive to the customers is a disgrace to any business.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
The MPman is sold online at a variety of places.
:)
See:
www.mpman.com
Info on the MPman and product support.
www.shopper.com
Search for "mpman"
www.pricewatch.com
Search for "mpman"
www.eigerlabs.com
Info on the device and other misc.
http://www.eigerlabs.com/MPMan/partners.htm
Places to buy the MPman.
Hope that helps.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
Bought the MPman a few months ago and while it
isn't as flashy in appearance as the Rio, it DID
cost me less and perform quite well.
I've also noticed that the MPman doesn't skip and
will handle MP3's up to 256kbps as opposed to
Rio's 128.
Just two cents.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
Hi all,
:| For one thing,
Hmm... personally, I think the authors of UltraHLE
are great coders for creating such an emulator.
However, I think their placing their code on the
web where they knew people who could use it to
run pirated roms DOES put them in a position where
they should be held responsible for the
repercussions of such an action. Just because
they pull it off the web doesn't free them from
responsibilities.
While this doesn't put them in the same boat as
warez users, common sense would suggest that
any one in the emulation scene would know about
pirating. But then again, who knows. One could
be wrong.
Nintendo, I think, is barking up the wrong tree
at the wrong time. Attacking UltraHLE, who has
already made a gesture of good faith in pulling
their code only invites attacks on Nintendo
itself. It shows a flaw in character and will
probably hurt them in the peoples' perception
of them and their products.
As for the copyright issues, some things come to
mind. First of all, Nintendo claims that UltraHLE's
creation would have required bypassing of certain
security features. Personally, I'm pretty curious
as to what this feature is, exactly.
If the security feature prevents any form of
"personality" replication of components, subsystems,
and rom images on the chips of the N64 units, and
they can prove this, then they are right. UHLE
may have broken US federal laws in circumventing
copyprotection features.
Rom images are another area. True, in the past,
there was a precedent set. The emulation of one
platform's hardware so that the software from one
platform can be played on another hardware platform
was deemed okay.
However, how those rom images are obtained is
something more of a gray area.
how exactly did someone get the image of the rom
from the cartridge/circuit and into digital form
for copying. If the cartridge had copyprotection
on it to prevent direct reads/copies of the
roms, then this may violate US federal law in
regards to circumventing copyprotection methods as well.
It just depends on how it was done and the means
by which it was done.
To be quiet honest, I believe the arguments of some
are right in that emulators CAN increase sales of
games of the platform being emulated. Whether it
affects sale of the hardware is another matter.
In the end, it all comes down to two things.
Rights and Money.
Emulators mean money. Selling software means money.
And apparently, the right to that software is
quite important as well.
I'm sure that most people agree that warez trading
and pirating does have an effect on a company.
How exactly is probably where most people diverge
in opinions.
Personally, I think it DOES hurt a company when
pirating happens. As for the thought that the
lost sales due to pirating was not a sale which
would have been made anyway, is just an excuse
warez traders use.
If there was no potential sale, then why is there
a market for pirated goods? No, those goods ARE
in demand. Just that when they are available for
a lower price, in this case, heavily reduced
prices, more people are willing to buy. This is
simple economics. Lower the price and the threshold
for purchases changes.
In the end, though, it is the courts which will
decide the issue's legality. But it will be the
users who decide some of the more "messy" issues.
More specifically, responsible users. Warez folk
are getting a free ride while bootleggers and
piraters are getting literally pure profits at
the cost of legitimate companies who have spent
countless hundreds of millions in research and
marketing.
Those who think that warez and pirating doesn't
affect the industry, maybe it would help for them
to start a company and see how much of an affect
it would have when someone rips their ideas.
Just another two cents.
-
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
Le'Sigh...
:) Better yet, if
If only Mesa supported RivaTNT's... the graphics
processors on those could probably do a good
amount of graphics churning.
all PCI/AGP slots in a system were RivaTNT's...
heehee...
RivaTnT Render farm? Nah...
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
I'm not much of a conspiracy buff, but one look
at Intel's website with it's "This Way In" slogan
and the graphic of a martial artist kicking "His Way In"
doesn't give me any positive vibes.
I mean... what? Does installing the chip mean that
someone can and will come breaking into my home or
office where I have the computer installed?
Will they be able to find out when I'm at home and
when I'm not? Wow!
Conspiracy or no, Intel might want to consider
more positive and comfort/performance inspiring
marketing...
"This Way In" is on it's way out.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
If that's their plan, I think Intel's got a good thing going, baby. :) j/k.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
Personally, I think emulators are quite possibly, the coolest things, right next to the consoles that they emulate.
Technical beauty? Seriously, yes, they are quite nice pieces of work. But then again, I seriously doubt someone sat down one day and said, "Gee, I think I shall create and give unto the world a thing of technical beauty that people may marvel over. And this thing shall be an emulator." More likely it was, "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if I could play that console game on my PC/Server/etc while I get work done?".
For people who argue for technical beauty and all that's black and white, go take a gander at some of the nice overseas computer shopping centers. Dedicated hardware for ripping roms from systems and carts/discs. Copied software up the *ss. Hardware and software emulation of games. 30-50 dollar games sold in disk, cd, tape, zip, etc. for mere dollars. Yeah, I find that REAL beautiful. The simple efficiency of it. A business of warez and ripping off the companies that developed the original hardware and software.
I'm sorry, but warez and emulators/emulation are virtually synonymous in most gamer circles. If you can emulate, then you can rip roms or know where to get them. And quite seriously, in most of those circles, if you know how and you're not doing it for a profit, you're and idiot. But then again, some people appreciate good coding for the beauty, right?
I can't seriously believe that a team who goes about creating an emulator wouldn't know that it would result in warez use. Almost seems to defy something called common sense.
As for "backup copies" of games and such, I agree that people have a right to "fair use". But seriously, I don't think fair use entails people copying the game and playing it while their friend borrows the original.
As for backup copies, that is a legitimate reason, but one which I think should be taken up with the companies themselves. We as consumers who buy the games should demand that if they want us to respect their "rules", they should respect our rights! If they don't want us to copy, then they should give us a way to obtain a new copy if our original is damaged or lost due to unforseen circumstances. If they can't provide such a means, then by all means, back it up.
But warez is here to stay. I can't speak for any other part of the world, but here in good old LA in California, warez IS rampant on a commercial level. It's a business in and of itself tuned to tee that you can as a consumer, walk into a game shop and flip through a large catalog and buy any psx/sega/etc game you want for $5-$20/disc. Yup, packaged in cellophane and with colour printouts for the cd cover and what not. The disk ain't black and the deals aren't legit. A good sign that the war against piracy is raging and piracy isn't showing signs of losing.
I applaud the people who work hard to increase their knowledge and build great things like emulators. But I don't believe that they are free from and guilt as they should be well aware that their work WILL contribute to the warez scene.
The whole concept of how an insolvable problem for you may be a solved problem for another which is heralded with pride in the software community is likewise sounded with pride in the warez community.
There are rippers and there are coders. The rippers are already out there. Just need the coders.
People will always think what they want. If you seek to change the thoughts of people and turn them from pirating, then aren't you branding yourself like the tyrants who would restrict your thinking and freedoms? And if you support those who would pirate, then aren't you taking value away from the hard working people?
A theft is still a theft and a contribution to society, whether or not it is recognized as such, is still a contribution.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
Hi all,
The ZDNET article glossed over the subject rather
quickly, almost as if wanting to report, but
fearing some dark menacing force was about to
stomp out their existence.
Seriously, "just between the end-user and OEM's"?
The contract is written BY Microsoft FOR end-users,
OEM's, and to benefit themselves. MS charges for
Win?? to be installed on OEM systems, but when
refund time comes, OEM's pay while MS is free
of any responsibility. All because of the EULA.
I think MS has ALOT to do with this refund issue.
This is another nail in the coffin, but it is also
a wakeup call to OEM's out there. To be more care-
ful of the contract they are signing with MS AND
the contract that MS is dishing out to the end-
users.
MS is right. OEM's ARE adults and should be able
to take care of themselves. Should have been
adult enough to read things carefully and not have
agreed to something they didn't understand.
MS is probably going to issue a counter statement
later in this issue. Why? Because they will have
realised that once again, they have made light of
a serious issue, one which will snowball itself
against their company.
Because.. if the OEM's realise that there is another
choice and decide that they've been screwed even
more deeply than they had originally thought, it
won't take much more to convince them to more
seriously consider a split from MS.
Vote with your dollars. Even if those votes are
in the negative value range, VOTE WITH YOUR $$$.
Without a strong OEM foundation, other OS's will
stand a much better chance of breaking through
to the OEM's.
Vote with your dollars.
I for one am looking forward to Feb 15th to see
how it will turn out. I've no win?? to refund
since my system is completely Linux. ^_^;
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.
Personally, I can't understand why there is such
a strong sense of distrust and antagonism against
this person who obviously has worked hard to both
learn the material and work on the code. At least
for that, she deserves credit.
Call me cynical if you will, but if the NSA or RSA
announced that they had a new algorithm, the
opinions would not have been this biased, bigoted,
and enflamed. There have been posts in this thread
that denounces her achievements on the basis of
gender, ethnicity, the reputation of the reporters,
the reputation of the events, or in some limited
cases, the plain ignorance of the poster. Why do
I feel that if there had been a corporate logo and
an army of suits that people would have been more
respectful of the news?
But don't get me wrong, I believe that with all
forms of coding, thorough testing of the algorithms
and continued work is not only a good thing, but
required. Just don't discount the work of people
like Ms. Flannery's before the vote is even in.
Linus's work was denounced by a figurehead at the
birth of his idea. But time has told who was right
and who was in need of an open mind.
Her work might not meet with the approval of many
people, but instead of turning one's back on it
so quickly, perhaps one should take a closer look
at it.
Personally, I hope she patents it and decides to
release it under one form of open source license
or another. It would be a boon to the net community
for new ideas to be tossed about and snowball.
*smiles* Maybe even give some of the critics a
little something to chew on.
Anyways, that's my two cents. The Intel site has
some pretty cool pics of Ms. Flannery. Whether her
code turns out to be a big thing or just another
blip on the scope, I hope she has a long and
bright career in the field of Cryptography. She
seems to already have a pretty good start and
a knowledgable father to lend her a hand if she
would ever need the help.
- Wing
- Reap the fires of the soul.
- Harvest the passion of life.