For those of you not familiar with Spore, here is a 35-minute videoor Will Wright demoing the game.
...yes, he..uhm.. does a great job of..uhm.. procedurally describing the game and how all of the..uhm.. characters are procedurally created through dynamic... uhm.. procedures.
Its called screen. That way when gnome-terminal crashes(does it really crash? I haven't seen it crash in ages) you don't lose any of your terminals. I have two profiles setup in gnome-terminal. The default that starts up screen and NOSCREEN that just gives me bash. I use the NOSCREEN option when I want to start screen on another host. Really, screen is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Screen is all well and good, but I think you're using it backwards. Running a shell on a remote host is where screen shines because if you lose your connection, have to shift machines, or simply want to monitor a long file transfer's progress remotely, detatching and re-attaching is ideal.
*but* using screen locally is much less convenient. You need to use Ctrl-A-Esc and the arrow keys to scroll through the back buffer (instead of the scroll wheel on your mouse), resizing displays doesn't always work correctly due to terminal emulation, and the Ctrl-A preceeding every command to screen sometimes interferes with terminal apps (like moving around the command line or "simple" editors like nano).
anyway, agreed that screen is great for many uses, but really gnome-terminal should be a bit smarter and user friendly for an app that gets used so frequently!
gnome-terminal: best terminal since xterm. I love this thing, and it's the first terminal emulator that was able to do what xterm did without insisting that I put up with any extras (they're all there if I want them). Most of all, I love the fact that it handles arbitrary character sets.
Bah.
Wake me up when one gnome-terminal crashing doesn't automatically kill every other terminal running in my session.
Better yet, give me the ability to shift tabs around, not just open and close them. Galeon had this ages ago, so there must be a GTK+ widget floating around for it. Firefox 1.5 just got around to it - its a handy feature
I can't find the link on their site, but CodeWeaver's Crossover Office lists almost verbatim the apps from the dropdown in the survey among their "supported" apps when you're installing new software.
Ximian was a small outfit and Novell bought them out, maybe they're considering a similar move with CodeWeavers?
In any case, for comparison here's a list of top most wanted apps for Crossover to support next.
While I neither rammed other people's cars nor pulled out a rocket launcher to teach the cop a lesson, I certainly KNOW that games can bleed into reality and if the person is just messed up enough in the head already, I don't doubt they could live out the game.
I clearly remember taking a break from an extended session of GTA:SA for a quick trip down the road to pick up some takeaway, and having to consciously resist the temptation to blow through a red light, or nudge a few cars out of my way with my front bumper.
Why can't we all just admit, whether these violent games have an effect on some people or not, most of us don't really care just as long as no one takes them away.. they're so much damn fun!
Speaking seriously, that "fun" aspect to these games provides a welcome release after long, stressful days at school/work/whatever, which is surely more beneficial to the majority than is is detrimental to an unbalanced few.
When I was in grade school (East Coast US) I was put into a program called "ATP" (Academically Talented People). Basically they gave everyone in Kindergarten and later the 1st grade half of an IQ test in the classroom. The kids who did well were called into an interview to complete the test. Kids over a certain threshold were put into the ATP program.
Once a week we would leave our regular classroom, and board a bus for a spare classroom in another school, along with kids from other schools in the district. We would study things like Dinosaurs, try to work out puzzles and riddles, and do special "creative" projects like breaking into groups and writing, drawing, and filming our own cartoons using drawings or cutouts and a mounted camera. In 5th grade we were asked to do a project on any topic of our choosing, alone or in a group. I think one of the groups learned how to tie-dye shirts and that was their presentation.
The program also afforded us a second special "class trip" each year, to a museum or something generally educational. I think in the end the jealously from the other kids over this second class trip, plus the physical distinction of dissapearing once a week on the bus balanced favourably against the benefit of the specialized education.
In later years I was diagnosed with ADD (not ADHD), after trouble with grades and paying attention. The high school I attended put me into the "second track" because of it - mainly with the jocks and average students. The "smart" kids were placed in the first track. I think that too happened a just the right time. I spent most of my high school classes in the back of class reading novels, paying just enough attention to get reasonable grades. The jocks looked at me as one of the "smart" kids but I never acted like I was "above" them and made it through all four years without anyone giving me so much as a hard time - despite being a generally shy person.
In the ATP program I learned that I was "smart" and was rewarded with more interesting material and an extra class trip. In high school I learned that I wasn't "better" than anyone else and in a way it was "smarter" to get good grades without having to try hard, since in the end colleges didn't have any concept of which "track" I was in - it looked like I was putting in more effort than I really needed to.
Most people I know who want to listen to mp3s will use an ipod or zen, since the quality is higher and they have more storage, and most people I know who actually take many photos carry round a digital camera. Most people I know who have a camera phone have used the camera only once or twice.
I use my camera phone to take quick "notes" and transport information on the go. I have a directory of "store hours" signs from some of my favourite takeaway restaurants, so I can look up if they're open when I happen to pass nearby the area a mealtime.
I frequently take pictures of the last couple lines of online directions, if I have a pretty good idea of where I'm going and don't feel the need to waste printer paper/ink or bother with bluetooth. Usually I get can myself in the vicinity, but its nice having the photo to look up if I can't remember the last few street names.
The same goes for business cards, expense receipts, and other forms of "disposable" information. I can toss the cards (or hand them back) and transcribe the information later (I would have to anyway!), and the 1.0 megapixel of the phone is nowhere near what you see on "real" cameras (or in japan) but plenty to be able to read text later.
And while I do a lot of amateur photography as a hobby in my spare time, and use my camera phone frequently at events where it would be impractical to bring a camera (quick shots of friends at a party or small live bands playing in bars on a weekend) or when I'm out somewhere and don't have anything better handy (when a custom-modded harley pulls along side me in traffic with a mean NOS tank installed).
Anyone who seems to be interested in science in this country was and still is a "nerd" and thus unpopular and a social outcast. Everyone wants to be friends with the athletic football jocks, the nerds and geeks are the ones who get picked on.
You're wrong, and its a common misconception. "Nerds" aren't "uncool" because they are into science or computers or anything like that. Nerds are uncool because the type of thinking it takes to focus down on small minutae and solvie problems doesn't apply well at all social situations. If you try to focus too much on what everyone is doing and all the things someone could have meant when they said something five minutes ago, you've already lost the "flow" of everything happening around you.
"Cool" kids know how to walk in to a room and add something to whatever is going on. They understand that telling a joke and making it funny are two different things. They know how to do these things without looking like they're trying very hard. They are cool because when they are not around, people wished they were, because whatever they are doing at the time would be more fun.
"Nerdy" kids tend to argue about pointless details, always trying to be "better" or more accurate, which is boring and misses the whole point. You can't treat a social situation like a scientific problem, because the more you want it and the harder you try the less "cool" you become.
I think there's a good many people out there who know that the "smart" kids will make the big bucks and be very successful in life. They might resent the "smart" ones on some level because of that, but mostly they pick on the people who don't seem to know how to have fun.
So, get yourself an egg timer... Set it to 24. When it rings at 8:24 monday morning, go to your boss and say "1% of my work week has passed, which is all you said I was required to work as a sysadmin. Please feel free to report any problems to me next week between 8:00 and 8:24."
Of course if you ask like an ass your boss will think of you like one.
My advice is to give it a shot and see if you like it, all the while keeping track of time spent doing the System Administration work - reconfiguring the network, studying the book they buy you, fixing problems as they come along, etc.
Once you have a document you have something you can point to when you later confront your boss. Its not unreasonable for management to ask an employee to work a couple extra hours a week for a short period of time, and if you take it in stride and have a "good attitude" about it you should be compensated for it.
When you feel the time is right, pull your boss aside, show him how much time you're spending on these "new" activities, and tell him you either want a raise, more time off, telecommuting days, or even 100% flex hours. You're not being shit on with more work dumped on your head, this is an opportunity to advance a little if you look at it right. If nothing else its real-world work experience you can use to pad out your resume ("my company needed a SysAdmin but couldn't afford it and while that's not what interests me I stepped up...")
If you absolutely don't want to do it then consider quitting your job and finding "strictly programming" work elsewhere.
Just don't be a dick about it from square one because that's "not what you do"
I bet if your stupid ass rode a bike you would have loud pipes as well. We have loud pipe so idiots much as yourself can damn sure hear us comming. I cannot tell you how many times I have narrowly escaped serious injury or death because somebody turned in front of me or ran me off the frigging road while changing lanes.
You're way off. My ride's a GSX1200, stock pipes. The bike can pull 0-60 in 2.9 seconds, but its quiet enough to slip up behind someone at a crosswalk without their noticing from a meter away (when parking on the sidewalk and re-entering traffic).
Problems with people changing lanes and not seeing you won't be fixed by louder volume - hell, you could wear a day-glo yellow reflective vest and still be missed. The only solution is to drive like everyone is constantly out to kill you.
Its easier to fit into blindspots on bikes, and quite frankly people with cranked-up stereos who are speeding along trying to weave in and out of traffic are the ones that are going to nail you anyway.. they won't hear you no matter way. You're just doing damange to your ears.
...was requiring the user to use gconf to put it back.
It's bad enough to change default behavior on a user (at least it was during a major release) but all they had to do was add a preference to "open new folders in the same window".. the same way windows does, and a lot less people would be upset.
Personally, I think the spatial idea is pretty useful when you have multiple monitors, and lots of space to spread out the "remembered" window locations. On a single screen the benefit just isn't as big.
not only can we turn on the tele-mirror and see all of the beautiful people running around doing beautiful people things wearing beautiful people clothes, but we can immediately see how much less beautiful we really look when compared to those idealized images.
then we can watch commercials featuring make-up and creams, clothes and other products that we need so that we can be beautiful too.
(please ignore previous post. Preview button/Submit button, same thing, right?)
I was wondering the same question myself recently, although I don't mind booting into Windows periodically to do the actual syncing. I have an iPAQ, also running Pocket PC 2002.
What I had in mind was this:
Sync iPAQ to Outlook under Windows, using USB cradle
Sync Outlook to an LDAP server
Sync Evolution to LDAP server (or KMail if you prefer, and LDAP is supported)
What I haven't fully explored yet is Outlook's ability to sync to an LDAP server. I'm thinking of running one of my personal linux fileserver, not just to keep my iPAQ and Evolution in sync, but to simply have a cetralized place to keep all of my contact information (calendaring would be great too though).
Is anyone aware of a better solution than just rolling my own LDAP server to be compatible with Outlook?
I was wondering the same question myself recently, although I don't mind booting into windows periodically to do the actual syncing. What I had in mind was this:
Well, I'm a little late to the discussion, but in an act of shameless self-promotion, you might want to check out the Cog Engine, which lets you create graphical and text-based adventure games, with an interface somewhere between the old Sierra games, and MYST.
It's not exactly the same idea as the "Construction Kits" you're refering to, but it is targetted towards children who want to create their own games. There is already a complete game available, although it's missing graphics here and there, it's still playable from beginning to end.
sidenote: it's tough to meet all of the dependancies under Linux, but with Windows all you need to install is the Microsoft Text-To-Speech API, and you're good to go.
Can someone tell me (us) where to get the good RPGs and other games?
In an act of shameless self-promotion, you might want to check out the Cog Engine, which lets you create graphical and text-based adventure games, with an interface somewhere between the old Sierra games, and MYST.
It's not an RPG, but there is already a complete game available, although it's missing graphics here and there, it's still playable from beginning to end.
sidenote: it's tough to meet all of the dependancies under Linux, but with Windows all you need to install is the Microsoft Text-To-Speech API, and you're good to go.
For the most part, voice is covered, we have cell phones, short wave radios, walkie-taklies with a 2 mile range and more! These things are all entrenched, they work, and they are now fairly cheap. Do we need anything else? Would WiFi voice provide better communication than those voice-based devices we are already using?
WiFi would seem like a far better solution than any of those you mention above once you add in the obvious component:
Voice over IP
With a VOIP WiFi "cell phone" you could conceivable talk to anyone in range (peer-to-peer) at no cost, and to anyone connected to the internet if you are in range of a base station.
You even already have an MPL'd H.323 protocol library to provide communication with NetMeeting and GnomeMeeting users. In fact, I've been looking for something like this which could compile on the LinuxARM architecture, in order to turn my iPAQ running Linux into a WiFi cellular phone.
I don't personally have anything to do with the project, but I thought it might be worth mentioning that there's an OpenCyc
project being hosted by SourceForge. From their website:
OpenCyc is the open source version of the Cyc technology, the world's largest and most complete general knowledge base and commonsense reasoning engine. Cycorp, the builders of Cyc, have set up an independent organization, OpenCyc.org, to disseminate and administer OpenCyc, and have committed to a pipeline through which all current and future Cyc technology will flow into ResearchCyc (available for R&D in academia and industry) and then OpenCyc.
I thinking about similar questions a few years ago, and I can tell you what I came up with:
Write a series of small games, paying attention to details like story and plot development. End each game with a cliff-hanger, or at least an opportunity to continue the story.
Give each game away for free, and see which (if any) of them become popular. Create a sequel to the most popular game(s), and charge a small fee for it (something like $5). If the sequel does well, consider making more sequels in the series.
If you build your project like this, you won't be spending all of your time building a large game that doesn't end up going anywhere. Small games are also easier for a single person to create in their spare time (so you won't have to quit your job and take a chance on your project).
All that being said, you might want to investigate already-existing projects. You might find a lot of GPL'd code you can use for your own games, and you may be able to learn from other's mistakes before you get too involved.
Disclaimer: I've written my own Open Source create-your-own-game software.
Apache gained 2.63% and IIS fell 2.06%. However, the previous month showed an even larger change in Microsoft's favor, so Apache is (quickly) making up for lost ground, as discussed before. Was this turnaround due to the release of Apache 2.0?
According to the Netcraft Web Server Survey page, the drop in IIS over the past month was due to a change in Homestead.com's policies:
Microsoft drop back a couple of percentage points this month, primarily attributable to the reaping of around a million expired sites at homestead.com. Homestead used to offer limited free hosting supported by advertising, but has revised its business model. As of April 15th has announced that it is migrating to a traditional paid-for services model.
We've all been in this position before, but the multi-lingual angle is a new twist.
Well I don't know about you Cliff, but I've never found myself in the position of having to set up a linux network for Chilean Monks, bilingual or not... (c:
That is to say, you already have web-magazines that divide up articles into far more pages than necessary, just for the sake of more banner ads being displayed. How many more sites are going to start breaking up content into multiple pages, just for the extra pennies?
And what happens when a page fails to load? Or if I want to revist a page I've already paid for?
I'm rather curious why no one has attempted to emulate a game such as the "war simulation" found in Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. I don't want to give away any of the plot of the book, but basically you can play the game on any level you choose. You can be a single fighter, command a squadron of fighters, or as a general, command all of the squadron commanders.
The game could be set up a like a tree, in which you start off flying a ship, and the better you are, the higher your "respect points" rise. If you reach a certain level of respect, you have the option of becoming a squadron leader. If your squadrons do particularly well, you have the option of moving up again, and so on.
Most importantly, the general only had a specific, limited number of ships that had to last throughout an entire campaign. You don't build new troups, you don't worry about supplies, or any of that other tedious stuff they've kept out of video games. You're essentially in blitz mode, but depending on where you strike and how you delegate your troups over the front will affect how many troups you lose in each battle, and only if your strategy is strong will you be able to defeat your enemy.
--Cycon
Believe it or not...
on
Dorm Storm?
·
· Score: 5, Funny
...but this is a great way to meet women.
No, seriously. Especially if you're not getting paid to do it, but are just helping out a friend-of-a-friend kinda situation. You're doing something you know how to do for someone who doesn't, and there's a pretty good amount of downtime in between reboots and so on. It's a great opportunity to meet some new people, and mingle with the ladies.
Just don't come on too strong, or act like there's anything special about what you know. Sitting around in someone's dorm is a great way to learn a bit about them too. Ask about the people in the pictures on their desk. Ask if they have a particular interest in the artist who did the painting they have a poster of on the wall.
There's no reason that you should look at this as a "Sisyphean task"... it's more of an opportunity to meet some new people.
When I'm interviewing someone with whom I'm going to be working with, I'm just as concerned about how well I'm going to get along with them (and how they will interact with the rest of the team) as with their technical experience/ability.
My favorite means of testing this out? Troll them. Ask them which editor they use. Ask them which O'Reilly books they own. Ask them which distro of Linux they prefer. If they're zealots about things like that, its going to make it a lot harder for me to get along with them.
Of course, it's very important that you don't make them feel like they're being grilled/trolled, because they're also interviewing you, and deciding whether or not they want to be a part of your team.
Slashdot Mirror
(uhm)
Screen is all well and good, but I think you're using it backwards. Running a shell on a remote host is where screen shines because if you lose your connection, have to shift machines, or simply want to monitor a long file transfer's progress remotely, detatching and re-attaching is ideal.
*but* using screen locally is much less convenient. You need to use Ctrl-A-Esc and the arrow keys to scroll through the back buffer (instead of the scroll wheel on your mouse), resizing displays doesn't always work correctly due to terminal emulation, and the Ctrl-A preceeding every command to screen sometimes interferes with terminal apps (like moving around the command line or "simple" editors like nano).
anyway, agreed that screen is great for many uses, but really gnome-terminal should be a bit smarter and user friendly for an app that gets used so frequently!
Bah.
Wake me up when one gnome-terminal crashing doesn't automatically kill every other terminal running in my session.
Better yet, give me the ability to shift tabs around, not just open and close them. Galeon had this ages ago, so there must be a GTK+ widget floating around for it. Firefox 1.5 just got around to it - its a handy feature
Ximian was a small outfit and Novell bought them out, maybe they're considering a similar move with CodeWeavers?
In any case, for comparison here's a list of top most wanted apps for Crossover to support next.
I clearly remember taking a break from an extended session of GTA:SA for a quick trip down the road to pick up some takeaway, and having to consciously resist the temptation to blow through a red light, or nudge a few cars out of my way with my front bumper.
Why can't we all just admit, whether these violent games have an effect on some people or not, most of us don't really care just as long as no one takes them away .. they're so much damn fun!
Speaking seriously, that "fun" aspect to these games provides a welcome release after long, stressful days at school/work/whatever, which is surely more beneficial to the majority than is is detrimental to an unbalanced few.
When I was in grade school (East Coast US) I was put into a program called "ATP" (Academically Talented People). Basically they gave everyone in Kindergarten and later the 1st grade half of an IQ test in the classroom. The kids who did well were called into an interview to complete the test. Kids over a certain threshold were put into the ATP program.
Once a week we would leave our regular classroom, and board a bus for a spare classroom in another school, along with kids from other schools in the district. We would study things like Dinosaurs, try to work out puzzles and riddles, and do special "creative" projects like breaking into groups and writing, drawing, and filming our own cartoons using drawings or cutouts and a mounted camera. In 5th grade we were asked to do a project on any topic of our choosing, alone or in a group. I think one of the groups learned how to tie-dye shirts and that was their presentation.
The program also afforded us a second special "class trip" each year, to a museum or something generally educational. I think in the end the jealously from the other kids over this second class trip, plus the physical distinction of dissapearing once a week on the bus balanced favourably against the benefit of the specialized education.
In later years I was diagnosed with ADD (not ADHD), after trouble with grades and paying attention. The high school I attended put me into the "second track" because of it - mainly with the jocks and average students. The "smart" kids were placed in the first track. I think that too happened a just the right time. I spent most of my high school classes in the back of class reading novels, paying just enough attention to get reasonable grades. The jocks looked at me as one of the "smart" kids but I never acted like I was "above" them and made it through all four years without anyone giving me so much as a hard time - despite being a generally shy person.
In the ATP program I learned that I was "smart" and was rewarded with more interesting material and an extra class trip. In high school I learned that I wasn't "better" than anyone else and in a way it was "smarter" to get good grades without having to try hard, since in the end colleges didn't have any concept of which "track" I was in - it looked like I was putting in more effort than I really needed to.
I use my camera phone to take quick "notes" and transport information on the go. I have a directory of "store hours" signs from some of my favourite takeaway restaurants, so I can look up if they're open when I happen to pass nearby the area a mealtime.
I frequently take pictures of the last couple lines of online directions, if I have a pretty good idea of where I'm going and don't feel the need to waste printer paper/ink or bother with bluetooth. Usually I get can myself in the vicinity, but its nice having the photo to look up if I can't remember the last few street names.
The same goes for business cards, expense receipts, and other forms of "disposable" information. I can toss the cards (or hand them back) and transcribe the information later (I would have to anyway!), and the 1.0 megapixel of the phone is nowhere near what you see on "real" cameras (or in japan) but plenty to be able to read text later.
And while I do a lot of amateur photography as a hobby in my spare time, and use my camera phone frequently at events where it would be impractical to bring a camera (quick shots of friends at a party or small live bands playing in bars on a weekend) or when I'm out somewhere and don't have anything better handy (when a custom-modded harley pulls along side me in traffic with a mean NOS tank installed).
-Cycon
You're wrong, and its a common misconception. "Nerds" aren't "uncool" because they are into science or computers or anything like that. Nerds are uncool because the type of thinking it takes to focus down on small minutae and solvie problems doesn't apply well at all social situations. If you try to focus too much on what everyone is doing and all the things someone could have meant when they said something five minutes ago, you've already lost the "flow" of everything happening around you.
"Cool" kids know how to walk in to a room and add something to whatever is going on. They understand that telling a joke and making it funny are two different things. They know how to do these things without looking like they're trying very hard. They are cool because when they are not around, people wished they were, because whatever they are doing at the time would be more fun.
"Nerdy" kids tend to argue about pointless details, always trying to be "better" or more accurate, which is boring and misses the whole point. You can't treat a social situation like a scientific problem, because the more you want it and the harder you try the less "cool" you become.
I think there's a good many people out there who know that the "smart" kids will make the big bucks and be very successful in life. They might resent the "smart" ones on some level because of that, but mostly they pick on the people who don't seem to know how to have fun.
So, get yourself an egg timer... Set it to 24. When it rings at 8:24 monday morning, go to your boss and say "1% of my work week has passed, which is all you said I was required to work as a sysadmin. Please feel free to report any problems to me next week between 8:00 and 8:24."
Of course if you ask like an ass your boss will think of you like one.
My advice is to give it a shot and see if you like it, all the while keeping track of time spent doing the System Administration work - reconfiguring the network, studying the book they buy you, fixing problems as they come along, etc.
Once you have a document you have something you can point to when you later confront your boss. Its not unreasonable for management to ask an employee to work a couple extra hours a week for a short period of time, and if you take it in stride and have a "good attitude" about it you should be compensated for it.
When you feel the time is right, pull your boss aside, show him how much time you're spending on these "new" activities, and tell him you either want a raise, more time off, telecommuting days, or even 100% flex hours. You're not being shit on with more work dumped on your head, this is an opportunity to advance a little if you look at it right. If nothing else its real-world work experience you can use to pad out your resume ("my company needed a SysAdmin but couldn't afford it and while that's not what interests me I stepped up...")
If you absolutely don't want to do it then consider quitting your job and finding "strictly programming" work elsewhere.
Just don't be a dick about it from square one because that's "not what you do"
You're way off. My ride's a GSX1200, stock pipes. The bike can pull 0-60 in 2.9 seconds, but its quiet enough to slip up behind someone at a crosswalk without their noticing from a meter away (when parking on the sidewalk and re-entering traffic).
Problems with people changing lanes and not seeing you won't be fixed by louder volume - hell, you could wear a day-glo yellow reflective vest and still be missed. The only solution is to drive like everyone is constantly out to kill you.
Its easier to fit into blindspots on bikes, and quite frankly people with cranked-up stereos who are speeding along trying to weave in and out of traffic are the ones that are going to nail you anyway .. they won't hear you no matter way. You're just doing damange to your ears.
It's bad enough to change default behavior on a user (at least it was during a major release) but all they had to do was add a preference to "open new folders in the same window" .. the same way windows does, and a lot less people would be upset.
Personally, I think the spatial idea is pretty useful when you have multiple monitors, and lots of space to spread out the "remembered" window locations. On a single screen the benefit just isn't as big.
--Cycon
not only can we turn on the tele-mirror and see all of the beautiful people running around doing beautiful people things wearing beautiful people clothes, but we can immediately see how much less beautiful we really look when compared to those idealized images.
then we can watch commercials featuring make-up and creams, clothes and other products that we need so that we can be beautiful too.
reminds me why i don't own a tv anymore...
--Cycon
http://www.deltaflux.org
I was wondering the same question myself recently, although I don't mind booting into Windows periodically to do the actual syncing. I have an iPAQ, also running Pocket PC 2002.
What I had in mind was this:
Sync iPAQ to Outlook under Windows, using USB cradle
Sync Outlook to an LDAP server
Sync Evolution to LDAP server (or KMail if you prefer, and LDAP is supported)
What I haven't fully explored yet is Outlook's ability to sync to an LDAP server. I'm thinking of running one of my personal linux fileserver, not just to keep my iPAQ and Evolution in sync, but to simply have a cetralized place to keep all of my contact information (calendaring would be great too though).
Is anyone aware of a better solution than just rolling my own LDAP server to be compatible with Outlook?
--Cycon
It's not exactly the same idea as the "Construction Kits" you're refering to, but it is targetted towards children who want to create their own games. There is already a complete game available, although it's missing graphics here and there, it's still playable from beginning to end.
sidenote: it's tough to meet all of the dependancies under Linux, but with Windows all you need to install is the Microsoft Text-To-Speech API, and you're good to go.
--Cycon
In an act of shameless self-promotion, you might want to check out the Cog Engine, which lets you create graphical and text-based adventure games, with an interface somewhere between the old Sierra games, and MYST.
It's not an RPG, but there is already a complete game available, although it's missing graphics here and there, it's still playable from beginning to end.
sidenote: it's tough to meet all of the dependancies under Linux, but with Windows all you need to install is the Microsoft Text-To-Speech API, and you're good to go.
--Cycon
WiFi would seem like a far better solution than any of those you mention above once you add in the obvious component:
Voice over IP
With a VOIP WiFi "cell phone" you could conceivable talk to anyone in range (peer-to-peer) at no cost, and to anyone connected to the internet if you are in range of a base station.
You even already have an MPL'd H.323 protocol library to provide communication with NetMeeting and GnomeMeeting users. In fact, I've been looking for something like this which could compile on the LinuxARM architecture, in order to turn my iPAQ running Linux into a WiFi cellular phone.
--Cycon
--Cycon
Write a series of small games, paying attention to details like story and plot development. End each game with a cliff-hanger, or at least an opportunity to continue the story.
Give each game away for free, and see which (if any) of them become popular. Create a sequel to the most popular game(s), and charge a small fee for it (something like $5). If the sequel does well, consider making more sequels in the series.
If you build your project like this, you won't be spending all of your time building a large game that doesn't end up going anywhere. Small games are also easier for a single person to create in their spare time (so you won't have to quit your job and take a chance on your project).
All that being said, you might want to investigate already-existing projects. You might find a lot of GPL'd code you can use for your own games, and you may be able to learn from other's mistakes before you get too involved.
Disclaimer: I've written my own Open Source create-your-own-game software.
--Cycon
According to the Netcraft Web Server Survey page, the drop in IIS over the past month was due to a change in Homestead.com's policies:
--Cycon
Well I don't know about you Cliff, but I've never found myself in the position of having to set up a linux network for Chilean Monks, bilingual or not... (c:
--Cycon
-click next page-
until
-click next page-
ADVERTISEMENT
-click next page-
content starts
-click next page-
getting broken up
-click next page-
into multiple pages...
That is to say, you already have web-magazines that divide up articles into far more pages than necessary, just for the sake of more banner ads being displayed. How many more sites are going to start breaking up content into multiple pages, just for the extra pennies?
And what happens when a page fails to load? Or if I want to revist a page I've already paid for?
--Cycon
The game could be set up a like a tree, in which you start off flying a ship, and the better you are, the higher your "respect points" rise. If you reach a certain level of respect, you have the option of becoming a squadron leader. If your squadrons do particularly well, you have the option of moving up again, and so on.
Most importantly, the general only had a specific, limited number of ships that had to last throughout an entire campaign. You don't build new troups, you don't worry about supplies, or any of that other tedious stuff they've kept out of video games. You're essentially in blitz mode, but depending on where you strike and how you delegate your troups over the front will affect how many troups you lose in each battle, and only if your strategy is strong will you be able to defeat your enemy.
--Cycon
No, seriously. Especially if you're not getting paid to do it, but are just helping out a friend-of-a-friend kinda situation. You're doing something you know how to do for someone who doesn't, and there's a pretty good amount of downtime in between reboots and so on. It's a great opportunity to meet some new people, and mingle with the ladies.
Just don't come on too strong, or act like there's anything special about what you know. Sitting around in someone's dorm is a great way to learn a bit about them too. Ask about the people in the pictures on their desk. Ask if they have a particular interest in the artist who did the painting they have a poster of on the wall.
There's no reason that you should look at this as a "Sisyphean task" ... it's more of an opportunity to meet some new people.
--Cycon
My favorite means of testing this out? Troll them. Ask them which editor they use. Ask them which O'Reilly books they own. Ask them which distro of Linux they prefer. If they're zealots about things like that, its going to make it a lot harder for me to get along with them.
Of course, it's very important that you don't make them feel like they're being grilled/trolled, because they're also interviewing you, and deciding whether or not they want to be a part of your team.
--Cycon