It actually updated no matter if you had the auto-updates on or off. Incorrect. Automatic Updates has several settings:
- Automatic (downloads and installs updates automatically) - Download but not install (downloads automatically, but you choose when to install) - Notify but not download (notifies you of updates, but doesnt download) - Turn off Automatic Updates
If the 4th setting above is selected, there are no updates at all, stealth or otherwise. The service is off, and no communication is done with the WU servers.
This stealth update was a surprise for the people who had the 2nd or 3rd setting above selected. Under these settings you expect the update to be downloaded (or you expect to be notified of it) but you do not expect it to be installed without your input. Under these settings your computer still communicates with the Update servers on a regular basis to check whether new updates are available.
MS claims that the stealth update to the Windows Update system itself was required so that it could still check for new updates. Im not sure if I buy that myself, but as long as the limit this behaviour to Windows Update updates only, I can live with it. If they try it for any other updates (like WGA or the like) you can bet I'll be disabling the service entirely right quick.
I like how you say run Windows XP like that is a selling point Can run Windows is a selling point. Can only run Windows would not be. Luckily this thing ships with Linux.
The "pure" adventure games, like Kings Quest and Monkey Island (or my personal favourite, Sam & Max) get that label because their core game mechanic involves puzzle solving. The reason I believe Zelda warrants the Adventure moniker is because it too focuses on puzzle solving. Every dungeon in zelda is a large puzzle to be solved - the enemies are just there to get in the way while you solve the puzzle. Even the dungeon bosses usually require tricks to defeat, and themselves are mini-puzzles.
GoW on the other hand is much more combat focused. It's certainly not a mindless button smasher, but most of the time you are slashing through hordes of enemies just getting from one point to another. The core gameplay mechanic there is watching Kratos kick ass in awesome ways (and boy does he!). But as far as puzzles go Kratos doesnt have to deal with nearly as many non-sensical who-the-heck-devised-this puzzles as Link. And that's not a bad thing - they are just different games.
As an aside, I agree that the sea travelling in wind waker sucked. Whoever thought that was a good idea should have been fired. Hopefully Phantom Hourglass does better.
You think Zelda is a 3rd person combat game? WHAT? That's just plain wrong. Zelda is a classic adventure game to the core, while God of War is an action game with some character building thrown in. God of War is much more linear - once you exit one area you can't return. This is in complete contrast with zelda games. Zelda has more in common with a game like Shadow of Colossus than with God of War.
I'm not knocking God of War of course. Awesome game. But comparing it to Zelda is useless - they are different genres.
My monitor can display 200FPS. (Iiyama Vision Master Pro 454). The 200hz refresh rate likely only applies to 640x480 resolution, which you won't find many hardcore gamers using these days!
According to its manual, the 454 does support a refrest rate of 102Hz at 1600x1200 which is still pretty damn good though.
I'd like to point out that the gp said that (paraphrasing)
All All pimply teenagers want gore and sex-laden games Which I can somewhat agree with (but not entirely). What he did not say was
All people who want gore and sex-laden games are pimply teenagers Which is what you look like you are addressing. A implies B is not equivalent to B implies A.
The Voyager computer is the only one that will still be impressive in 5 years. Just wait. In ~250 years when it comes back home it will be even more impressive!
Unfortunately it's illegal to download. In the US, sure. But some countries are a bit more lax when it comes to such things (read: haven't had their legislatures targeted by big media lobbyists... yet).
At what point does it become viable to sue the police for their lies and denials on this case? Uh, what? You can't sue someone just for lying to you, and even if you could why would you want to? The cops didn't slander him or ruin his name. In fact it was his own decision to make a spectacle out of the situation, not the police's. Would you have preferred the police be less discreet and just follow the guy everywhere in a marked cruiser?
And what kind of law requires a warrent to do something, except when the police are claiming they are in a hurry and don't need a warrent if they think the judge will be on their side? Laws that understand that a judge isn't always available when there actually is an urgent sitation. Believe it or not police do have to be hurry every once in a while. For a larger city with plenty of judges it's not a problem to reach one 24/7, but what about smaller areas where a warrant at 3am means having to wrest an old man out of bed?
I bet 90% of the time, the police intend to be in a hurry, and don't even consider asking for the warrent. And I bet 90% of such ridiculous statistics are made up without any grounding in reality whatsoever.
It's an interesting story which can be deflated by geniouses like you if it's wrong. FUD stories shouldn't have to be deflated by the "geniouses" around here. They shouldn't get past the editors at all.
We can imagine kdawson made a good faith effort to find xbox policy An editor do research? Surely you jest!
They believe that absurd fictional super-powered entities are controlling our lives. Oh-ho-ho. You just wait until Xenu escapes from his intergalactic prison and comes back to Teegeeack with a fleet of DC-8 spaceplanes. Then you'll be sorry, unbeliever!
Unfortunately I have to agree with Mr. Smith here. In a free-market capitalist society, no one has a 'right' to a job that they want. If the working conditions in one field are unacceptible, you must find a new field or lower your standards.
It's not nice, but capitalism seldom is nice unless the government steps in and makes some rules (as they are doing here).
But given the kind of stuff that's been getting posted lately, I wouldn't want to underestimate the idiocy of some people in the legal system. If your source for news about legal matters is Slashdot, then I agree things look pretty bleak. Try checking out some sources that don't profit from blatant sensationalism however, and things look a bit better.
Slashdot Mirror
- Automatic (downloads and installs updates automatically)
- Download but not install (downloads automatically, but you choose when to install)
- Notify but not download (notifies you of updates, but doesnt download)
- Turn off Automatic Updates
If the 4th setting above is selected, there are no updates at all, stealth or otherwise. The service is off, and no communication is done with the WU servers.
This stealth update was a surprise for the people who had the 2nd or 3rd setting above selected. Under these settings you expect the update to be downloaded (or you expect to be notified of it) but you do not expect it to be installed without your input. Under these settings your computer still communicates with the Update servers on a regular basis to check whether new updates are available.
MS claims that the stealth update to the Windows Update system itself was required so that it could still check for new updates. Im not sure if I buy that myself, but as long as the limit this behaviour to Windows Update updates only, I can live with it. If they try it for any other updates (like WGA or the like) you can bet I'll be disabling the service entirely right quick.
The "pure" adventure games, like Kings Quest and Monkey Island (or my personal favourite, Sam & Max) get that label because their core game mechanic involves puzzle solving. The reason I believe Zelda warrants the Adventure moniker is because it too focuses on puzzle solving. Every dungeon in zelda is a large puzzle to be solved - the enemies are just there to get in the way while you solve the puzzle. Even the dungeon bosses usually require tricks to defeat, and themselves are mini-puzzles.
GoW on the other hand is much more combat focused. It's certainly not a mindless button smasher, but most of the time you are slashing through hordes of enemies just getting from one point to another. The core gameplay mechanic there is watching Kratos kick ass in awesome ways (and boy does he!). But as far as puzzles go Kratos doesnt have to deal with nearly as many non-sensical who-the-heck-devised-this puzzles as Link. And that's not a bad thing - they are just different games.
As an aside, I agree that the sea travelling in wind waker sucked. Whoever thought that was a good idea should have been fired. Hopefully Phantom Hourglass does better.
You think Zelda is a 3rd person combat game? WHAT? That's just plain wrong. Zelda is a classic adventure game to the core, while God of War is an action game with some character building thrown in. God of War is much more linear - once you exit one area you can't return. This is in complete contrast with zelda games. Zelda has more in common with a game like Shadow of Colossus than with God of War.
I'm not knocking God of War of course. Awesome game. But comparing it to Zelda is useless - they are different genres.
According to its manual, the 454 does support a refrest rate of 102Hz at 1600x1200 which is still pretty damn good though.
Unfortunately I have to agree with Mr. Smith here. In a free-market capitalist society, no one has a 'right' to a job that they want. If the working conditions in one field are unacceptible, you must find a new field or lower your standards.
It's not nice, but capitalism seldom is nice unless the government steps in and makes some rules (as they are doing here).