Total agreement - considering the odds of the PS3 coming out around late 2003/early 2004-ish (comptition with the Xbox spurring this), Sony will want to keep the backwards compatibility (ensures a huge library of games), and give gamers a reason to purchase the new without losing the old.
Now, I'm still waiting for someone to make their console Dreamcast/Sega Saturn comptable. Bring back Panzer Dragoon Saga!
Considering that the Xbox launch in Japan, while not a total failure, isn't anywhere close to "good", there's rumors that MS may be dropping the price of the Xbox (at least in Japan, maybe perhaps but don't bet on it in Europe).
The PS2 in Japan is around $200, the Xbox around $263, if I remember right. So if MS brings Xbox down $200 (in Japan - no way in hell they'll drop it that low in the US - well, maybe, this is MS (free browser, anyone?)), then Sony can fight back with another drop to around $150 with their new technology. (Figure they'd take a hit on "old" PS2 units, and hope they make it up later.)
Either way, I'm actually glad that we've got 3 console makers in the market. Because it encourages competition (well, if you call all 2 good games for the Xbox compitition (and I'm not including PS2 remakes, thank you)), and competition is always good. (Except when I'm at a party trying to seduce a girl. Then I want monopoly power.)
Consider that most local news stations pick up their regional/national/international news from a wire service and feed it to a talking head, so that news is pretty much the same wherever you go.
Great - then we can make them just a 15 minute item, and leave the rest of the time for other local programming. That would still leave space for your local politics and what not, or for local response to national events. (I can already think of a few histerical shows that might result from the Little Old Ladies Group in Ass End having a 15 minute local show commenting on national news - my bet it would become a hit just because it would be so cute.)
Like I said, there's always a need for local programming - or it gets compressed. Take some news stations for the cities of Ass End, Back End, and No End. They have a "local" weather report - though it's delivered by the same guy who just tapes each cities segment before the show, then broadcast on the local transmitters. Or national shows now cut their programing from 1 hour to 45 minutes - and leave the last 15 minutes for either local broadcasts (so you can watch that), or for other "big news" (so you can switch the channel and watch that instead).
Again, it's about comptition, either in the local end of the world (I personally watch local news once in a blue moon, others only watch that), or the world news.
Then again, I could be wrong. And the only way we're going to find out is if we open it up to let people try it. (And make some regulations to prevent Clear Channel style "buy every damn station in the world" approach.)
Me, I hate network TV. My first choice for a Supreme Court verdict would be "Not only is it illegal for EchoStar to broadcast this crap, it's illegal for local stations or cable companies, too." Failing that, I'd settle for "The networks own the content, and if they license it to EchoStar, it's between them and their local affiliates who they're screwing."
Good lord - if this gets The Guardian, Family Law, First Monday, Everbody Loves Raymond, Baby Bob and the other crap shows off the air, more power to you.
You want real competition? This would let local broadcasts all over the f'cking nation compete with each other. Like the news presented better in New York than in Salt Lake City? Or you've got family in Kentucky and want to know what's going on out there with your high school sports?
The biggest change this could have is with advertising dollars. Local vendors would get national coverage - but if a local show suddenly became popular, it could get national dollars.
I'm not saying things are going to be perfect. Local channels that, well, suck, will find themselves really competing nationwide, and have to either get better, or change their tactics to find their niche.
There will always be local stories that are important - but for those who really want a choice, well, I hope that Echostar wins.
What I'd like to see will never happen, but I think it's a cool idea.
I'd like for either Apple to bring back the Newton (I've never used one, so that explains my next comments) with an iPod storage enhancement, or to contract with Palm to use the iPod.
Imagine a world like this. You have your PDA (Newton/Palm/otherwise), and there's a slot where you can slid your iPod inside. Now your iPod is supplying the power/disk space for your PDA. When you slid it out and plug it back into your Mac, now you can just pull whatever files you edited/autoupdate your calender software/send emails composed/etc, etc, etc. Leave your iPod inside the device, and you can still play MP3's while editing a document/spreadsheet with your little PDA. Or read e-books. Or do your calender thing. Or...you get the point.
Or with digital cameras. Why worry about uploading/downloading, if you had a digital camera that used the iPod as the storage device? (Probably would need extra battery power, but you get the idea.) Plug it back into the Mac, and there's the image files, ready to be edited/copied. When they're good, copy them back to the iPod, and plug it back intot the camera, and "preview" the pictures with other folks.
With Apple's whole "digital hub" idea, using the iPod as a major piece of that as a PDA enhancement/camera system/digital video (maybe not high quality - "good enough") would be an interesting move on their part.
While I'm a far faster typer than I am a writer, I can see where this might be useful in some situations. If I could plug this into my box on a USB port, and have it "share" with my mouse (ie - move either one, and the mouse pointer reponds), that would actually be useful.
For games, the mouse is still superior - but for graphic work, the fine precision with a pen is still better. Dooling? Pen. Selecting text? Depends - but I think a pen would work better a good chunk of the time. Porn surfing? Um, mouse.
Probably true more often than not - but I can tell you personally that it's not *always* true. And no, I'm not trying to plug here. (Let's see - +1 bonus off. There.)
There's also the guys who really believe in providing objective reviews, who even buy their own games to do it, and stand by what they say. Sadly, some of them go out of business. (The GIA just died today, I guess. Bummer. Gamefan died some times ago thanks to express.com's business shit.)
You can tell when a game is good or bad, and 95% of the time, it's about how much the developers love what they do.
Take a look at Morrowind, the upcoming game from Bethseda. I've spent a week with it, and while it's still beta and crashes, you can see that they give a damn if people like what they're doing. It's not about how much money you spend - the game Starships Unlimited and Serious Sam were made on a low budget - but they were both fun, entertaining games that succeeding in spite of their backgrounds. (Let's face it - who would have thought a no-name Crotian programming house would have made one of the best games of 2001, and 2002 with Serious Sam 2?)
Then look at Final Fantasy X. Basically, it's a movie that sometimes you walk from point A to point B to watch the next movie. And it tells - the designers just didn't have that same love, that same pride in what they did (except in making great movie scenes and giving a reason to make sure Lulu won so you could check her out when she bent over.)
It's true with fucking everything. If somebody doesn't care about what they make and what they do, then neither will anybody else. It doesn't always work (Battlecruiser 3000 - lots of love there, but not universally loved), but it's true with your work, your spouse, your children - and the games you play.
MS can crow all they want that Unix is hard to use - and I might have thought so, until I used OS X. Great GUI (needs some tweaking, but hell, what doesn't), start ssh, ftp, and Apache with a click of the mouse, and you can go configure the.conf files if you want - or if you don't want.
Yes, Unix is inflexible. That's why open source Linux runs on nearly every piece of hardware you can find. I use it for my Day Job web/general Unix servers, running on cheap desktops or expensive rack mount units.
Consultants are expensive. I can actually go out and buy a book on Unix, then look at the source code of FreeBSD, Linux, Darwin - and change things myself. Oh, good god, adduser is so hard to figure out.
Oh, yeah. Unix is so hard. Especially when those blue screens of death pop up that interfere with my work or those proprietary API's that I can't get all the info to, and - oh wait. Unix doesn't have that.
While I don't like the idea of those under 18 getting cut off from the development cycle, all it would take is some over-ambitious state attorney to say "Hey, Apple's got this kid working on code - and he's not old enough to enter contracts" - and then Apple would have to get into court and explain to a bone-headed Judge and lawyer that the kid volunteered to help, nobody paid him, etc.
Sad the legal shit we have to do to protect our asses sometimes. (Like me - I have to wear a warning label at all times stating how wonderful I smell so women don't go into a sexual frenzy around me. I hate that label.)
Look at it this way. Suppose that the actual game costs, $20, while the manual/box/cd-case/cd/etc costs another $10, so they tack on $10-$20 for profit.
Now, Valve says "We'll charge you $25 bucks for Half-Life 2 through our streaming server, and you can download the manual in PDF format. If you want a print copy, we'll mail you a copy for $5, and if you want a CD with that, it's another $10.
Now Valve is still making a good profit, and we have a choice in either printing a manual (in the case of most First Person Shooter games, the manual is basically "how to install, shoot what moves, in the case of a RPG, I might either spring $10 for the manual, or just buy the "help guide" for $20 (which would include the manual).
It's an interesting idea, and I give Valve credit for experimenting. Maybe it won't pan out, like Stephen King's e-Book idea, maybe it will (yes, I know it made money, shut up). But Valve can try it out, and if it takes off, we could see a *very* interesting shift in the balance of power between developers and publishers. Publishers would still be necessary for financing, but wouldn't have the total power of distribution they have now.
True dat - someday I'm going to figure out why Novell is determined not to have anything useful on any other platform but Windows. Yes, it's great that you can incorporate Linux/Solaris/NT boxes into the NDS - we do that at The Day Job (well, the NT part anyway - we haven't had the guys to try the Linux side).
But why can't we have some more *client* options from Novell? Where's the OS X Groupwise client? Or the Linux X-Windows Groupwise client? There's basic ConsoleOne support for Linux, but hardly the level for Win32 based systems.
Novell - please, I love NDS, but buy a fucking clue and get some clients on those "other" operating systems - you know, the ones *not* made by your #1 competitor. (Yes, Novell. Microsoft.)
Personally, I've thought about naming servers after sexually transmitted diseases. Imagine walking into a room: "Hey, can you check Syphylis? For some reason AIDS isn't talking to it."
Re:Broken computer
on
Penguin2Apple
·
· Score: 3, Informative
Actually, I'm pretty sure it's not (I wrote the article).
I've noticed with some regularity that when I tell Windows 2000 to reboot, it takes *forever* (well, not literally, but you know what I mean.)
Usually I wind up just killing the power to my Windows 2000 box rather than waiting for it to finish shutting down.
But that's just my opinion on it. I've had that problem on 2 different Compaq computers so far, so I'm pretty sure it's not a broken machine.
Not that your point isn't a valid one - I just don't think that's it.
Er, um, considering that there are plans for broadband and modem connections for the Gamecube (check those upgrade slots in the bottom), I think it's just as likely for a Gamecube Final Fantasy XI as a PS2 (since, unless you use a USB ethernet adapter, you haven't seen the PS2 broadband adapter yet either).
ATI doesn't have OS X drivers for their ATI-TV USB devices. Formac has OS X drivers for their Formac Studio, but it doesn't have all of the functionality of their OS 9 drivers.
I'm a new Apple guy (only 1 month on Mac so far), and I'm just not getting this. Why aren't more hardware/software developers writing their programs/drivers for OS X? I realize there's probably still a large OS 9 userbase, but since the future is obviously OS X, it seems a no brainer for companies who's products are targeted right at the Mac crowd don't update their systems. Is it a case of "Maybe Mac will give up on this OS X" idea, a lack of funds, or just general laziness?
Personally, I'm not bothered by the whole "ads sitting in an article" system, and I have no problem if Slashdot wants to do it. I noticed an IBM ad stuck at the end of this article, and just kept scrolling down.
I really don't think the addition of in-article ads are going to change slashdot in any significant way. Why?
My eyes, trained from years of web browsing, usually filter out the ads and just focus on text. Heck, I've noticed that I usually skip bold text, and have to force myself to go back and read it (probably since bold usually == shouting, ads, or stupidity).
Slashdot provides a useful service for me (I've learned more about computer systems from people's comments and the links they put here than nearly anywhere else). Do I like it enough to register? Maybe, maybe not. But even if they wrap the comments around ads, I still don't think that will bother me.
I don't have to buy what's advertised. A strange idea for some people, but it's true. Usually the only one's I click on are game/thinkgeek related.
So I say "Bring it on, Slashdot." I'll probably use the site just as much as in the past, ads or not, and I trust the admins to not do them stupidly (ie: pop-ups, etc).
I have to say that I'm impressed with what Mandrake has done. I've always believed that they're the best "desktop" Linux distro I've used - plenty of software, simple to use (like setting up a NAT - takes 5 minutes under Mandrake, took me 2 weeks under Redhat).
But after having had my Mac for 2 weeks, and basically unplugged my Linux box after I threw samba, imap, postfix, DarwinX, Gimp, etc on the Mac box, I have to ask if I'm all that interested in the Mandrake Linux now.
Well...not really. Perhaps if I was going to run G4 box as a pure server, then I'd consider that idea, but otherwise, I have everything I need. (And even then, I'd have to consider just what kind of server I was running that I'd want to switch from OS X).
But I think it's great that Mandrake is doing this anyway - there's always people who simply want to run Linux on whatever platforms they want, and if nothing else, it keeps Mac (and everybody else) on their toes to keep innovating.
(I'm reposting his comment because he's mod 0 and most people won't see what I'm replying to):
Ultima Underworld was that 3d first person rpg, right? They did that. It was sold in a set of about 6 old rpgs (also included Wasteland, Might and Magic 5 (I think it was 5. Clouds of Xeen or something like that), and several others. Have you actually been looking for these games, or just claiming they're impossible to find so you'll sleep better at night?
Sorry - I should have made this more clear. I own a copy of Ultima Underworld I and II, so sorry I didn't mention a specific game that's no longer published in stores by the publisher.
Tell you what. Check out The Underdogs - they provide a link to games you can buy on other websites, and where there isn't such a link, they simply have a download. If they have a game there that you can buy somewhere else, let them know. Heck, let me know too - and I'll see if it's one that I already have downloaded so I can buy it legit. (I'd rather have the "official" game that I can stick into a CD-ROM rather than taking up my valuable HDD space.)
Actually, I have, and usually rely on The Underdogs for this system. The Underdogs (search on Google) has a list of places where to buy these Abandonware titles.
Usually a search to Chips and Bits, or the CD-Rom shop, or Dragon Games (http://www.dragon.ca/) turns up a list of old software (I found Masters of Orion II this way). The CD-ROM shop even had an old copy of the Bungie Sack Pack I had been looking for (ah...Marathon...come to me.)
And no, I'm not going to publish a list just so that the SPA or SBA or whatever they call it can double check me, call me up, then stick the rectal probe to make sure I'm current. Sorry, I might be dumb, but I'm not stupid. But I can say that whenever I see a "collection" that contains the game I want (including a manual), I usually pick it up (like I did last night in pickingup the Journeyman Project Trilogy).
I guess my challenge to you would be to go to The Underdogs, and if you find a title you can buy somewhere, let *them* know, so that they can let *me* know.
I missed out on a lot of the years of gaming. I didn't have a Nintendo when I grew up, I didn't have a Genesis or all of the other games.
I use Abandonware to play the games that everybody else talks about. (It's been a near joke playing Final Fantasy I, and marveling that this launched a multi-billion dollar gaming franchise.)
What amazes me is how stupid most publishers are. How hard would it be to take Ultima Underworld I and II, Shadowcaster, update the code to a Win32/OSX/Linux base, then sell the CD for $20 and say "Hey, folks - the great games you loved? Come pay us $20 for it!" 90% of the development work is done, they just have to get an engine in.
Square gets it - look how they're rereleasing Final Fantasy games on the Wonderswan color - and making a mint. How much work did they really have to do? A little engine work, check it out, and *poof* - profit.
I abandonware because I can't find these games any other way, because the publishers won't do it. Heck, if they just sold the porting rights to another company (the way that Macplay ports Win32 games to OS X), they could leave the success/failure to somebody else, and probably still make a good profit.
But until publishers get half a brain that the past can still be profitable, I guess I'll have to keep going around them and downloading it for free elsewhere.
Slashdot Mirror
Total agreement - considering the odds of the PS3 coming out around late 2003/early 2004-ish (comptition with the Xbox spurring this), Sony will want to keep the backwards compatibility (ensures a huge library of games), and give gamers a reason to purchase the new without losing the old.
Now, I'm still waiting for someone to make their console Dreamcast/Sega Saturn comptable. Bring back Panzer Dragoon Saga!
Hm...
Considering that the Xbox launch in Japan, while not a total failure, isn't anywhere close to "good", there's rumors that MS may be dropping the price of the Xbox (at least in Japan, maybe perhaps but don't bet on it in Europe).
The PS2 in Japan is around $200, the Xbox around $263, if I remember right. So if MS brings Xbox down $200 (in Japan - no way in hell they'll drop it that low in the US - well, maybe, this is MS (free browser, anyone?)), then Sony can fight back with another drop to around $150 with their new technology. (Figure they'd take a hit on "old" PS2 units, and hope they make it up later.)
Either way, I'm actually glad that we've got 3 console makers in the market. Because it encourages competition (well, if you call all 2 good games for the Xbox compitition (and I'm not including PS2 remakes, thank you)), and competition is always good. (Except when I'm at a party trying to seduce a girl. Then I want monopoly power.)
Great - then we can make them just a 15 minute item, and leave the rest of the time for other local programming. That would still leave space for your local politics and what not, or for local response to national events. (I can already think of a few histerical shows that might result from the Little Old Ladies Group in Ass End having a 15 minute local show commenting on national news - my bet it would become a hit just because it would be so cute.)
Like I said, there's always a need for local programming - or it gets compressed. Take some news stations for the cities of Ass End, Back End, and No End. They have a "local" weather report - though it's delivered by the same guy who just tapes each cities segment before the show, then broadcast on the local transmitters. Or national shows now cut their programing from 1 hour to 45 minutes - and leave the last 15 minutes for either local broadcasts (so you can watch that), or for other "big news" (so you can switch the channel and watch that instead).
Again, it's about comptition, either in the local end of the world (I personally watch local news once in a blue moon, others only watch that), or the world news.
Then again, I could be wrong. And the only way we're going to find out is if we open it up to let people try it. (And make some regulations to prevent Clear Channel style "buy every damn station in the world" approach.)
Good point - forgive me my US Centric thinking :(. (Tunnel vision - comes from being denied Sakura Taisen for too long.)
Good lord - if this gets The Guardian, Family Law, First Monday, Everbody Loves Raymond, Baby Bob and the other crap shows off the air, more power to you.
You want real competition? This would let local broadcasts all over the f'cking nation compete with each other. Like the news presented better in New York than in Salt Lake City? Or you've got family in Kentucky and want to know what's going on out there with your high school sports?
The biggest change this could have is with advertising dollars. Local vendors would get national coverage - but if a local show suddenly became popular, it could get national dollars.
I'm not saying things are going to be perfect. Local channels that, well, suck, will find themselves really competing nationwide, and have to either get better, or change their tactics to find their niche.
There will always be local stories that are important - but for those who really want a choice, well, I hope that Echostar wins.
What I'd like to see will never happen, but I think it's a cool idea.
I'd like for either Apple to bring back the Newton (I've never used one, so that explains my next comments) with an iPod storage enhancement, or to contract with Palm to use the iPod.
Imagine a world like this. You have your PDA (Newton/Palm/otherwise), and there's a slot where you can slid your iPod inside. Now your iPod is supplying the power/disk space for your PDA. When you slid it out and plug it back into your Mac, now you can just pull whatever files you edited/autoupdate your calender software/send emails composed/etc, etc, etc. Leave your iPod inside the device, and you can still play MP3's while editing a document/spreadsheet with your little PDA. Or read e-books. Or do your calender thing. Or...you get the point.
Or with digital cameras. Why worry about uploading/downloading, if you had a digital camera that used the iPod as the storage device? (Probably would need extra battery power, but you get the idea.) Plug it back into the Mac, and there's the image files, ready to be edited/copied. When they're good, copy them back to the iPod, and plug it back intot the camera, and "preview" the pictures with other folks.
With Apple's whole "digital hub" idea, using the iPod as a major piece of that as a PDA enhancement/camera system/digital video (maybe not high quality - "good enough") would be an interesting move on their part.
While I'm a far faster typer than I am a writer, I can see where this might be useful in some situations. If I could plug this into my box on a USB port, and have it "share" with my mouse (ie - move either one, and the mouse pointer reponds), that would actually be useful.
For games, the mouse is still superior - but for graphic work, the fine precision with a pen is still better. Dooling? Pen. Selecting text? Depends - but I think a pen would work better a good chunk of the time. Porn surfing? Um, mouse.
Man, that's harsh.
Probably true more often than not - but I can tell you personally that it's not *always* true. And no, I'm not trying to plug here. (Let's see - +1 bonus off. There.)
There's also the guys who really believe in providing objective reviews, who even buy their own games to do it, and stand by what they say. Sadly, some of them go out of business. (The GIA just died today, I guess. Bummer. Gamefan died some times ago thanks to express.com's business shit.)
You can tell when a game is good or bad, and 95% of the time, it's about how much the developers love what they do.
Take a look at Morrowind, the upcoming game from Bethseda. I've spent a week with it, and while it's still beta and crashes, you can see that they give a damn if people like what they're doing. It's not about how much money you spend - the game Starships Unlimited and Serious Sam were made on a low budget - but they were both fun, entertaining games that succeeding in spite of their backgrounds. (Let's face it - who would have thought a no-name Crotian programming house would have made one of the best games of 2001, and 2002 with Serious Sam 2?)
Then look at Final Fantasy X. Basically, it's a movie that sometimes you walk from point A to point B to watch the next movie. And it tells - the designers just didn't have that same love, that same pride in what they did (except in making great movie scenes and giving a reason to make sure Lulu won so you could check her out when she bent over.)
It's true with fucking everything. If somebody doesn't care about what they make and what they do, then neither will anybody else. It doesn't always work (Battlecruiser 3000 - lots of love there, but not universally loved), but it's true with your work, your spouse, your children - and the games you play.
Of course, that's my opinion. I could be wrong.
MS can crow all they want that Unix is hard to use - and I might have thought so, until I used OS X. Great GUI (needs some tweaking, but hell, what doesn't), start ssh, ftp, and Apache with a click of the mouse, and you can go configure the .conf files if you want - or if you don't want.
Yes, Unix is inflexible. That's why open source Linux runs on nearly every piece of hardware you can find. I use it for my Day Job web/general Unix servers, running on cheap desktops or expensive rack mount units.
Consultants are expensive. I can actually go out and buy a book on Unix, then look at the source code of FreeBSD, Linux, Darwin - and change things myself. Oh, good god, adduser is so hard to figure out.
Oh, yeah. Unix is so hard. Especially when those blue screens of death pop up that interfere with my work or those proprietary API's that I can't get all the info to, and - oh wait. Unix doesn't have that.
It appears it does - I tried it out, and my Beta was already corrupted.
Sync has worked just fine so far.
Sadly, this seems like the case.
While I don't like the idea of those under 18 getting cut off from the development cycle, all it would take is some over-ambitious state attorney to say "Hey, Apple's got this kid working on code - and he's not old enough to enter contracts" - and then Apple would have to get into court and explain to a bone-headed Judge and lawyer that the kid volunteered to help, nobody paid him, etc.
Sad the legal shit we have to do to protect our asses sometimes. (Like me - I have to wear a warning label at all times stating how wonderful I smell so women don't go into a sexual frenzy around me. I hate that label.)
Oh, I don't know.
Look at it this way. Suppose that the actual game costs, $20, while the manual/box/cd-case/cd/etc costs another $10, so they tack on $10-$20 for profit.
Now, Valve says "We'll charge you $25 bucks for Half-Life 2 through our streaming server, and you can download the manual in PDF format. If you want a print copy, we'll mail you a copy for $5, and if you want a CD with that, it's another $10.
Now Valve is still making a good profit, and we have a choice in either printing a manual (in the case of most First Person Shooter games, the manual is basically "how to install, shoot what moves, in the case of a RPG, I might either spring $10 for the manual, or just buy the "help guide" for $20 (which would include the manual).
It's an interesting idea, and I give Valve credit for experimenting. Maybe it won't pan out, like Stephen King's e-Book idea, maybe it will (yes, I know it made money, shut up). But Valve can try it out, and if it takes off, we could see a *very* interesting shift in the balance of power between developers and publishers. Publishers would still be necessary for financing, but wouldn't have the total power of distribution they have now.
Just my opinion - I could be wrong.
True dat - someday I'm going to figure out why Novell is determined not to have anything useful on any other platform but Windows. Yes, it's great that you can incorporate Linux/Solaris/NT boxes into the NDS - we do that at The Day Job (well, the NT part anyway - we haven't had the guys to try the Linux side).
But why can't we have some more *client* options from Novell? Where's the OS X Groupwise client? Or the Linux X-Windows Groupwise client? There's basic ConsoleOne support for Linux, but hardly the level for Win32 based systems.
Novell - please, I love NDS, but buy a fucking clue and get some clients on those "other" operating systems - you know, the ones *not* made by your #1 competitor. (Yes, Novell. Microsoft.)
Personally, I've thought about naming servers after sexually transmitted diseases. Imagine walking into a room: "Hey, can you check Syphylis? For some reason AIDS isn't talking to it."
Actually, I'm pretty sure it's not (I wrote the article).
I've noticed with some regularity that when I tell Windows 2000 to reboot, it takes *forever* (well, not literally, but you know what I mean.)
Usually I wind up just killing the power to my Windows 2000 box rather than waiting for it to finish shutting down.
But that's just my opinion on it. I've had that problem on 2 different Compaq computers so far, so I'm pretty sure it's not a broken machine.
Not that your point isn't a valid one - I just don't think that's it.
Er, um, considering that there are plans for broadband and modem connections for the Gamecube (check those upgrade slots in the bottom), I think it's just as likely for a Gamecube Final Fantasy XI as a PS2 (since, unless you use a USB ethernet adapter, you haven't seen the PS2 broadband adapter yet either).
ATI doesn't have OS X drivers for their ATI-TV USB devices. Formac has OS X drivers for their Formac Studio, but it doesn't have all of the functionality of their OS 9 drivers.
I'm a new Apple guy (only 1 month on Mac so far), and I'm just not getting this. Why aren't more hardware/software developers writing their programs/drivers for OS X? I realize there's probably still a large OS 9 userbase, but since the future is obviously OS X, it seems a no brainer for companies who's products are targeted right at the Mac crowd don't update their systems. Is it a case of "Maybe Mac will give up on this OS X" idea, a lack of funds, or just general laziness?
I really don't think the addition of in-article ads are going to change slashdot in any significant way. Why?
So I say "Bring it on, Slashdot." I'll probably use the site just as much as in the past, ads or not, and I trust the admins to not do them stupidly (ie: pop-ups, etc).
So how does this product differ from using, say PHP, which already has MySql support and can do Object Oriented classes?
Not trolling, just curious to know if anyone's used Lasso.
I have to say that I'm impressed with what Mandrake has done. I've always believed that they're the best "desktop" Linux distro I've used - plenty of software, simple to use (like setting up a NAT - takes 5 minutes under Mandrake, took me 2 weeks under Redhat).
But after having had my Mac for 2 weeks, and basically unplugged my Linux box after I threw samba, imap, postfix, DarwinX, Gimp, etc on the Mac box, I have to ask if I'm all that interested in the Mandrake Linux now.
Well...not really. Perhaps if I was going to run G4 box as a pure server, then I'd consider that idea, but otherwise, I have everything I need. (And even then, I'd have to consider just what kind of server I was running that I'd want to switch from OS X).
But I think it's great that Mandrake is doing this anyway - there's always people who simply want to run Linux on whatever platforms they want, and if nothing else, it keeps Mac (and everybody else) on their toes to keep innovating.
(I'm reposting his comment because he's mod 0 and most people won't see what I'm replying to):
Ultima Underworld was that 3d first person rpg, right? They did that. It was sold in a set of about 6 old rpgs (also included Wasteland, Might and Magic 5 (I think it was 5. Clouds of Xeen or something like that), and several others. Have you actually been looking for these games, or just claiming they're impossible to find so you'll sleep better at night?
Sorry - I should have made this more clear. I own a copy of Ultima Underworld I and II, so sorry I didn't mention a specific game that's no longer published in stores by the publisher.
Tell you what. Check out The Underdogs - they provide a link to games you can buy on other websites, and where there isn't such a link, they simply have a download. If they have a game there that you can buy somewhere else, let them know. Heck, let me know too - and I'll see if it's one that I already have downloaded so I can buy it legit. (I'd rather have the "official" game that I can stick into a CD-ROM rather than taking up my valuable HDD space.)
Actually, I have, and usually rely on The Underdogs for this system. The Underdogs (search on Google) has a list of places where to buy these Abandonware titles.
Usually a search to Chips and Bits, or the CD-Rom shop, or Dragon Games (http://www.dragon.ca/) turns up a list of old software (I found Masters of Orion II this way). The CD-ROM shop even had an old copy of the Bungie Sack Pack I had been looking for (ah...Marathon...come to me.)
And no, I'm not going to publish a list just so that the SPA or SBA or whatever they call it can double check me, call me up, then stick the rectal probe to make sure I'm current. Sorry, I might be dumb, but I'm not stupid. But I can say that whenever I see a "collection" that contains the game I want (including a manual), I usually pick it up (like I did last night in pickingup the Journeyman Project Trilogy).
I guess my challenge to you would be to go to The Underdogs, and if you find a title you can buy somewhere, let *them* know, so that they can let *me* know.
I missed out on a lot of the years of gaming. I didn't have a Nintendo when I grew up, I didn't have a Genesis or all of the other games.
I use Abandonware to play the games that everybody else talks about. (It's been a near joke playing Final Fantasy I, and marveling that this launched a multi-billion dollar gaming franchise.)
What amazes me is how stupid most publishers are. How hard would it be to take Ultima Underworld I and II, Shadowcaster, update the code to a Win32/OSX/Linux base, then sell the CD for $20 and say "Hey, folks - the great games you loved? Come pay us $20 for it!" 90% of the development work is done, they just have to get an engine in.
Square gets it - look how they're rereleasing Final Fantasy games on the Wonderswan color - and making a mint. How much work did they really have to do? A little engine work, check it out, and *poof* - profit.
I abandonware because I can't find these games any other way, because the publishers won't do it. Heck, if they just sold the porting rights to another company (the way that Macplay ports Win32 games to OS X), they could leave the success/failure to somebody else, and probably still make a good profit.
But until publishers get half a brain that the past can still be profitable, I guess I'll have to keep going around them and downloading it for free elsewhere.