Currently the best NES emulator for the Dreamcast runs fast enough to only render every other frame. This causes issues in certain games where a graphical entity such as a sprite is rendered every other frame for graphical effect. This can cause such aforementioned sprites to be completely invisible as the game renders every other frame that the emulator is not displaying!
Emulation on the dreamcast is interesting, but in practice its not all that great. The software is too young at the moment to be of use to hardcore gamers. FCE Ultra on an EPIA is just like the real thing! It runs at full speed, with perfect emulation.
Need I neven get into SNES or Arcade emulation on the Dreamcast? Its there, but its slow! Even for 1980s games!
Yes you should build your own NES box, and doing so is easy and inexpensive (about $250).
First off you will need a small x86 computer platform. The VIA Eden EPIA does the trick. The EPIA is smaller than the original Nintendo, it can be run without any fans, and it has built in CPU, Video, Audio, USB, and NIC. Not only that, but the built in video has TV-Outs, so you can hook up your NES Box to a big screen TV!
Next your home built NES box will need console gamepads. Not those cheesy PC gamepads, but real standard commonplace gamepads. The original Playstation gamepads will do the trick. They are tough, small, responsive, and easily fit in your hand. In order to be able to hook them up to your NES box, you will need PS Converter USB adapters (all parts listed below).
Finall you will need 64MB of PC133 SDRAM, and you will also need a harddrive. A 2GB drive should be enough. Put a barebones Debian Linux install on it, along with the best NES emulator there is: FCE Ultra. Everything wraps up into one neat package that you can hook up to your TV alongside your VCR.
Debian Linux doesn't break huge numbers of apps with releases. Maybe you are just using the wrong Linux? You sound like you want a conservative Linux, and therefore Debian is for you.
You hear me! Use the beta version of the PGI ISO, the graphical user-friendly autohardware detecting installer for Woody. Check out the website here, and the ISOs are at the first link (only 100MB download for the entire ISO).
Debian truely is the one true Linux distro. Its non-commercial, and developed by an open free internet community. Not only that, but Debian is superior to every other Linux distro. It is stable, easy to maintain, and it runs on any useful piece of computer hardware - no matter what platform that hardware is. Support Debian by simply spending the time to install and use it for your main Linux installation.
Your broad generalizations of people into groups such as "Palestinians" and "Jews" shows that you are nothing more than a racist. Many innocent people have lost their homes, friends, family, and their own lives in all of this crap going on in the "Holy Lands". These innocent people are found within the group you call "Palestinians" and the group you call "Jews". Furthermore, these innocent people were violated by evil people belonging to the group you call "Palestinians" and the group you call "Jews".
From a moral point of view, its best to debate about the middle east in terms of specific people. Otherwise you only contribute to the xenophobia, racism, genocide, and terrorism committed by the evil people of this world.
Just because a subset of Jews violates the human rights of Palestinians, it does not mean that Jews are evil. Furthermore, just because a subset of Palestinians violates the human rights of Jews, it does not mean that Palestinians are evil. Such gross generalizations of people into "Jews", "Pals", and "Arabs" only blurs the real issue and worsens the problem.
Remember that Jesus said that your neighbor is someone who shows you mercy. Not someone who belongs to the correct ethnic group. So lets stop this Israeli/Palestinian he said/she said crap. I mean, don't you think the world's paradigm for the holy lands might be the reason why peace has yet to be found? Until we realize that specific people commit crimes against humanity, not ethnic groups, and until we realize that tit-for-tat "retaliation" only continues the cycle of violence... peace will not come.
Palestine's attacks on Israel are at least as Justified as Israel's attacks on Palestine, considering that Israel has stolen most of the land from Palestinians.
Note that I am a born and bread USA citizen. I am not Muslim, nor do my ancestors come from the Middle East... let me try to open your eyes... (note the list below is by no means exhaustive, complete, or detailed)
What about all those Muslims who had their mosques fire bombed? What about all those who looked like they might be from the ME, the ones who were killed, harrassed, etc... by Americans?
What about all of the Kurds and Iranians who were killed by the USA using Iraq as a proxy? Giving killing machines and technology and giving them the go-ahead-and-kill-them-iranians is surely a morally questionable act.
What about the attacks on Iraq, which killed thousands of innocent civilians? Oops, American extremists.
Ok, that Iranian civilian passenger (747 sized btw) airplane that was shotdown by the USA? Sorry, American extremists again.
How about the bombing of Afganistan, which killed hundreds of innocent civilians and lead to the starvation of hundreds more? Need I remind you, it was the work of the good ol US of A!
What about the USA's use of tried and true imperialism in the middle east? Its all about oil when it comes to the USA and the ME. Damn their holy land! Damn their Mecca! WE NEED OUR OIL!
I won't even get into the numerous murderous acts committed by the USA using Israel as a proxy against Palestine, since a surprising number of people seem to feel that is justified. Wait, those aren't USA supplied war machines? Thats not USA nuke technology? That wasn't Prez Dubya calling Sharon a man of peace, while at the same time calling Arafat a corrupt leader? Do a little search on "Sharon war crimes" in google. Not necessarily the kind of guy that I would call a "man of peace".
It may not be PC to say that the main terrorist threat against the Muslim world in the Middle East comes from the USA, specifically jingoists like yourself, who are too small minded and selfish to realize that their shit stinks too. Your justifications for killing are the same justifications that your "enemy" uses. Until people begin to realize that such reasoning is flawed, the violence will never end.
What surprises me is how people like you can't see the forest for the trees.
A wise man once said, "Let he who has not sinned throw the first stone". I hope you can try to think outside of what the TV has told you. The way you think is biased towards a particular political agenda. The way you think contributes to the furthering of violence in this world. Has the USA sinned against the Muslim nations of the middle east? Most definitely! So why are we so quick to throw stones?
"Because we have a right to defend ourselves", you say, in justification of waging war. "Because we have a right to defend ourselves", the Muslim extremists say, in justification of waging war against the USA. And the circle goes round and round till we all fall down.
Hell, I would go a step further and recommend one of the new iBooks to anyone considering Windows. Those new iBooks are one complete solution for almost any computer user. It just feels like one complete and polished package.
Make a feature request report, and search around for Mozilla skins/themes/alternative ToolBars. Seriously though, surf with Mozilla, and if something bugs you, REPORT IT!
I still play the original and now open source Quake, and you can do the same with regards to lowering the settings. There are settings to turn off textures, weapon models, lights, etc... you can make Quake look uglier than all of the other Quakes, but you can't make the other Quakes play as good as the original Quake. When it comes to fast and furious deathmatch, the original Quake is still king!
Allot of slashdotters here spend hours just surfing the net. One easy way to help out is to surf the net with Mozilla, and everytime you encounter a site that doesn't work correctly with Mozilla... report it to the web admin! Not only that, but web servers can see and log what browsers its users are connecting with. Surfing with IE may seem harmless, but in fact, you are continuously voting for Microsoft each time you use it to surf.
Honestly, how many of you guys posting to slashdot are using Internet Explorer right now? For shame, for shame. Even if you are at work, you could still install Mozilla, as it doesn't take up much space at all and you can still use IE alongside it if necessitated by work.
I have a Unicomp trackpoint buckling spring keyboard. In fact, I am using it right now. My parent's are borrowing my old IBM type M. I love trackpoints, but I also have a traditional 3 button mouse, for gaming purposes. Yes, you can use both at the same time.
As far as I know, all of the Elite series boards are foam keyswitch based keyboards. Microsoft saves lots of money doing that, and in fact, they make more money when you come back to buy a new keyboard after your last MS Elite board stops working because of the shoddy foam keyswitches.
They do the same thing with their software... I mean, why not try the same practices with their hardware division?
Not true! You are wrong about Unicomp's keyboards. I own two boards bought from them. One is an old IBM model M (they used to have surplus inventory from IBM), and I also bought a new Unicomp keyboard. They sell two types of keyboards: buckling spring capacitive keyswitch and rubber dome keyswitch based keyboards. They call the former "buckling spring" keyboards and the latter "quiet touch" keyboards.
Of course, the cool thing about the model M keyboards is that they are slightly heavier than the newer Unicomp buckling spring boards.
The best thing about these boards is that they will nearly last a lifetime, and therefore you can get really used to one board, its shape, size, feel... makes for easier typing.
Are you kidding me? Microsoft uses whats known as "foam keyswitches" in their Natural Elite keyboards. Do a little research on keyboard technology and you will find that foam keyswitches are the cheapest, crapiest, most error prone type of keyswitches! Foam keyswitches don't last long, so plan on buying a new keyboard every few years. Foam keyswitches are very sensitive to moisture. Get them even the slightest bit wet, and you can forget it. Don't even get me started on the poor tactile feedback, the keystroke "bounce" errors, and the keystroke "sticking" and unrecognized keystroke errors... all of which occur with foam keyswitches.
Doing a little more research on the technologies and you will see why Microsoft uses foam keyswitches. Its not because they are quiet because a better more durable keyswitch technology with better tactile feedback exists: rubber dome keyswitches. No, Microsoft uses foam keyswitches in their keyboards because they are the cheapest. It saves them money because the average user doesn't know a damn thing about computers. Buzz words like CPU frequency numbers, RAM capacity numbers, and harddrive sizes are about the only specs that the average computer user looks for when buying a PC. Keyboards? Keyboard technology? Nah, they won't know any better, just give them foam keyswitches.
Any writer, programmer, or gamer should definitely keep away from foam keyswitch based keyboards. If you want a quiet keyboard, get a rubber dome keyswitch based keyboard. If you want THE best keyboard money can buy, minus loud typing noise, then go with a buckling spring capacitive switch keyboard.
Microsoft's mice are another topic in and of itself. Lets just say that compared to Microsoft's keyboards, their mice are pieces of gold! I mean, you can't get worse than a foam keyswitch based keyboard.
Most old timers remember the super loud "clicky" IBM keyboards that were super durable. Their only two disadvantages were the loud noise and their price, but if you want good tactile feedback, you pay the price of added noise. Furthermore, if you want a strong keyboard that will last, it will have to be built out of high quality components and materials. Doing a little research finds that the original technology used in the old IBM keyboards is still around. The technology is called "Buckling Spring Capacitive Keyswitches", and a company called Unicomp long ago bought the technology from IBM. In fact, they still sell those lovable clicky and nearly indestructable keyboards.
There are a few things you need to realize about this technology. It is truely superior to the foam and rubber dome keyswitches used in most mainstream keyboards. The BS capacitive keyswitches last for millions and millions more keystrokes than the other technologies, so buying one of these keyboards is an investment. Not only that, but BS keyswitch technology is more water resistant than the cheaper keyswitch technologies. You can spill your drink into an old IBM keyboard... and as long as you unplug it and let it dry out, it will still work. Other things play into this older IBM keyboard tech. For example, keys sticking or not registering is highly unlikely with the IBM technology, but it happens all the time with the foam keyswitches used in the popular Microsoft keyboards. Finally, touch typing is so much easier with buckling spring capacitive keyswitches as you can feel the click AND hear it.
I highly suggest any self respecting computer user to get one of these keyboards for their house. Just remember the only two drawbacks: noise and price. In every other way these keyboards excel! I suggest the old skool IBM keyboard that Unicomp sells through their Yahoo store.
Debian has already started using a DVD installer in addition to the more traditional CD installers.
Most Debian users hardly ever use DVD or CD installations... as they somehow get Debian installed once, and after that, Debian's robust package management system makes updating the OS fully automatic.
Yeah, I was just thinking that as I read this article. I thought, "Debian supports every practical platform and then some... whats the big news about some other Linux distro supporting a non x86 platform?"
For those that want to experiment with a auto-hardware detecting graphical user-friendly installer for Debian should try the new (this is a beta release!!! be careful) Progeny Graphical Installer ISO images. This installer is based on the now defunct Progeny Linux installer. Good Linux software doesn't drop dead, but instead gets reincarnated.
Remember, Debian is not commercial and is purely community based. Helping beta test this new installer on all sorts of various systems will help.
Slashdot Mirror
Currently the best NES emulator for the Dreamcast runs fast enough to only render every other frame. This causes issues in certain games where a graphical entity such as a sprite is rendered every other frame for graphical effect. This can cause such aforementioned sprites to be completely invisible as the game renders every other frame that the emulator is not displaying!
Emulation on the dreamcast is interesting, but in practice its not all that great. The software is too young at the moment to be of use to hardcore gamers. FCE Ultra on an EPIA is just like the real thing! It runs at full speed, with perfect emulation.
Need I neven get into SNES or Arcade emulation on the Dreamcast? Its there, but its slow! Even for 1980s games!
First off you will need a small x86 computer platform. The VIA Eden EPIA does the trick. The EPIA is smaller than the original Nintendo, it can be run without any fans, and it has built in CPU, Video, Audio, USB, and NIC. Not only that, but the built in video has TV-Outs, so you can hook up your NES Box to a big screen TV!
Next your home built NES box will need console gamepads. Not those cheesy PC gamepads, but real standard commonplace gamepads. The original Playstation gamepads will do the trick. They are tough, small, responsive, and easily fit in your hand. In order to be able to hook them up to your NES box, you will need PS Converter USB adapters (all parts listed below).
Finall you will need 64MB of PC133 SDRAM, and you will also need a harddrive. A 2GB drive should be enough. Put a barebones Debian Linux install on it, along with the best NES emulator there is: FCE Ultra. Everything wraps up into one neat package that you can hook up to your TV alongside your VCR.
Here are links for the ingredients:
Debian Linux doesn't break huge numbers of apps with releases. Maybe you are just using the wrong Linux? You sound like you want a conservative Linux, and therefore Debian is for you.
How long before those who use this are labelled "terrorist" in the new USA?
I suggest everyone chips in and runs a copy on a dedicated server with broadband internet access.
You hear me! Use the beta version of the PGI ISO, the graphical user-friendly autohardware detecting installer for Woody. Check out the website here, and the ISOs are at the first link (only 100MB download for the entire ISO).
Debian truely is the one true Linux distro. Its non-commercial, and developed by an open free internet community. Not only that, but Debian is superior to every other Linux distro. It is stable, easy to maintain, and it runs on any useful piece of computer hardware - no matter what platform that hardware is. Support Debian by simply spending the time to install and use it for your main Linux installation.
Your broad generalizations of people into groups such as "Palestinians" and "Jews" shows that you are nothing more than a racist. Many innocent people have lost their homes, friends, family, and their own lives in all of this crap going on in the "Holy Lands". These innocent people are found within the group you call "Palestinians" and the group you call "Jews". Furthermore, these innocent people were violated by evil people belonging to the group you call "Palestinians" and the group you call "Jews".
From a moral point of view, its best to debate about the middle east in terms of specific people. Otherwise you only contribute to the xenophobia, racism, genocide, and terrorism committed by the evil people of this world.
Just because a subset of Jews violates the human rights of Palestinians, it does not mean that Jews are evil. Furthermore, just because a subset of Palestinians violates the human rights of Jews, it does not mean that Palestinians are evil. Such gross generalizations of people into "Jews", "Pals", and "Arabs" only blurs the real issue and worsens the problem.
Remember that Jesus said that your neighbor is someone who shows you mercy. Not someone who belongs to the correct ethnic group. So lets stop this Israeli/Palestinian he said/she said crap. I mean, don't you think the world's paradigm for the holy lands might be the reason why peace has yet to be found? Until we realize that specific people commit crimes against humanity, not ethnic groups, and until we realize that tit-for-tat "retaliation" only continues the cycle of violence... peace will not come.
Was Noam Chomsky one of the programmers?
Palestine's attacks on Israel are at least as Justified as Israel's attacks on Palestine, considering that Israel has stolen most of the land from Palestinians.
Note that I am a born and bread USA citizen. I am not Muslim, nor do my ancestors come from the Middle East... let me try to open your eyes... (note the list below is by no means exhaustive, complete, or detailed)
What about all those Muslims who had their mosques fire bombed? What about all those who looked like they might be from the ME, the ones who were killed, harrassed, etc... by Americans?
What about all of the Kurds and Iranians who were killed by the USA using Iraq as a proxy? Giving killing machines and technology and giving them the go-ahead-and-kill-them-iranians is surely a morally questionable act.
What about the attacks on Iraq, which killed thousands of innocent civilians? Oops, American extremists.
Ok, that Iranian civilian passenger (747 sized btw) airplane that was shotdown by the USA? Sorry, American extremists again.
How about the bombing of Afganistan, which killed hundreds of innocent civilians and lead to the starvation of hundreds more? Need I remind you, it was the work of the good ol US of A!
What about the USA's use of tried and true imperialism in the middle east? Its all about oil when it comes to the USA and the ME. Damn their holy land! Damn their Mecca! WE NEED OUR OIL!
I won't even get into the numerous murderous acts committed by the USA using Israel as a proxy against Palestine, since a surprising number of people seem to feel that is justified. Wait, those aren't USA supplied war machines? Thats not USA nuke technology? That wasn't Prez Dubya calling Sharon a man of peace, while at the same time calling Arafat a corrupt leader? Do a little search on "Sharon war crimes" in google. Not necessarily the kind of guy that I would call a "man of peace".
It may not be PC to say that the main terrorist threat against the Muslim world in the Middle East comes from the USA, specifically jingoists like yourself, who are too small minded and selfish to realize that their shit stinks too. Your justifications for killing are the same justifications that your "enemy" uses. Until people begin to realize that such reasoning is flawed, the violence will never end.
What surprises me is how people like you can't see the forest for the trees.
A wise man once said, "Let he who has not sinned throw the first stone". I hope you can try to think outside of what the TV has told you. The way you think is biased towards a particular political agenda. The way you think contributes to the furthering of violence in this world. Has the USA sinned against the Muslim nations of the middle east? Most definitely! So why are we so quick to throw stones?
"Because we have a right to defend ourselves", you say, in justification of waging war. "Because we have a right to defend ourselves", the Muslim extremists say, in justification of waging war against the USA. And the circle goes round and round till we all fall down.
My id actually says that I have lurked for about a year, until I finally got a registered account.
Are you kidding me? Slashdot has always been pro-Gnome and anti-KDE. Even after KDE became fully GPL, Slashdot still stays biased towards Gnome.
Hell, I would go a step further and recommend one of the new iBooks to anyone considering Windows. Those new iBooks are one complete solution for almost any computer user. It just feels like one complete and polished package.
Make a feature request report, and search around for Mozilla skins/themes/alternative ToolBars. Seriously though, surf with Mozilla, and if something bugs you, REPORT IT!
I still play the original and now open source Quake, and you can do the same with regards to lowering the settings. There are settings to turn off textures, weapon models, lights, etc... you can make Quake look uglier than all of the other Quakes, but you can't make the other Quakes play as good as the original Quake. When it comes to fast and furious deathmatch, the original Quake is still king!
Scroll Lock, Scroll Lock, Up Arrow, on my keyboard and I toggle between my Linux box and Windows 98 SE box. One for software dev, one for gaming.
I thought you said you recommended MacOS, most likely OSX, which is a *nix OS... are you saying they won't be able to use OSX?
Allot of slashdotters here spend hours just surfing the net. One easy way to help out is to surf the net with Mozilla, and everytime you encounter a site that doesn't work correctly with Mozilla... report it to the web admin! Not only that, but web servers can see and log what browsers its users are connecting with. Surfing with IE may seem harmless, but in fact, you are continuously voting for Microsoft each time you use it to surf.
Honestly, how many of you guys posting to slashdot are using Internet Explorer right now? For shame, for shame. Even if you are at work, you could still install Mozilla, as it doesn't take up much space at all and you can still use IE alongside it if necessitated by work.
I have a Unicomp trackpoint buckling spring keyboard. In fact, I am using it right now. My parent's are borrowing my old IBM type M. I love trackpoints, but I also have a traditional 3 button mouse, for gaming purposes. Yes, you can use both at the same time.
As far as I know, all of the Elite series boards are foam keyswitch based keyboards. Microsoft saves lots of money doing that, and in fact, they make more money when you come back to buy a new keyboard after your last MS Elite board stops working because of the shoddy foam keyswitches.
They do the same thing with their software... I mean, why not try the same practices with their hardware division?
Not true! You are wrong about Unicomp's keyboards. I own two boards bought from them. One is an old IBM model M (they used to have surplus inventory from IBM), and I also bought a new Unicomp keyboard. They sell two types of keyboards: buckling spring capacitive keyswitch and rubber dome keyswitch based keyboards. They call the former "buckling spring" keyboards and the latter "quiet touch" keyboards.
Of course, the cool thing about the model M keyboards is that they are slightly heavier than the newer Unicomp buckling spring boards.
The best thing about these boards is that they will nearly last a lifetime, and therefore you can get really used to one board, its shape, size, feel... makes for easier typing.
Are you kidding me? Microsoft uses whats known as "foam keyswitches" in their Natural Elite keyboards. Do a little research on keyboard technology and you will find that foam keyswitches are the cheapest, crapiest, most error prone type of keyswitches! Foam keyswitches don't last long, so plan on buying a new keyboard every few years. Foam keyswitches are very sensitive to moisture. Get them even the slightest bit wet, and you can forget it. Don't even get me started on the poor tactile feedback, the keystroke "bounce" errors, and the keystroke "sticking" and unrecognized keystroke errors... all of which occur with foam keyswitches.
Doing a little more research on the technologies and you will see why Microsoft uses foam keyswitches. Its not because they are quiet because a better more durable keyswitch technology with better tactile feedback exists: rubber dome keyswitches. No, Microsoft uses foam keyswitches in their keyboards because they are the cheapest. It saves them money because the average user doesn't know a damn thing about computers. Buzz words like CPU frequency numbers, RAM capacity numbers, and harddrive sizes are about the only specs that the average computer user looks for when buying a PC. Keyboards? Keyboard technology? Nah, they won't know any better, just give them foam keyswitches.
Any writer, programmer, or gamer should definitely keep away from foam keyswitch based keyboards. If you want a quiet keyboard, get a rubber dome keyswitch based keyboard. If you want THE best keyboard money can buy, minus loud typing noise, then go with a buckling spring capacitive switch keyboard.
Microsoft's mice are another topic in and of itself. Lets just say that compared to Microsoft's keyboards, their mice are pieces of gold! I mean, you can't get worse than a foam keyswitch based keyboard.
Most old timers remember the super loud "clicky" IBM keyboards that were super durable. Their only two disadvantages were the loud noise and their price, but if you want good tactile feedback, you pay the price of added noise. Furthermore, if you want a strong keyboard that will last, it will have to be built out of high quality components and materials. Doing a little research finds that the original technology used in the old IBM keyboards is still around. The technology is called "Buckling Spring Capacitive Keyswitches", and a company called Unicomp long ago bought the technology from IBM. In fact, they still sell those lovable clicky and nearly indestructable keyboards.
There are a few things you need to realize about this technology. It is truely superior to the foam and rubber dome keyswitches used in most mainstream keyboards. The BS capacitive keyswitches last for millions and millions more keystrokes than the other technologies, so buying one of these keyboards is an investment. Not only that, but BS keyswitch technology is more water resistant than the cheaper keyswitch technologies. You can spill your drink into an old IBM keyboard... and as long as you unplug it and let it dry out, it will still work. Other things play into this older IBM keyboard tech. For example, keys sticking or not registering is highly unlikely with the IBM technology, but it happens all the time with the foam keyswitches used in the popular Microsoft keyboards. Finally, touch typing is so much easier with buckling spring capacitive keyswitches as you can feel the click AND hear it.
I highly suggest any self respecting computer user to get one of these keyboards for their house. Just remember the only two drawbacks: noise and price. In every other way these keyboards excel! I suggest the old skool IBM keyboard that Unicomp sells through their Yahoo store.
Debian has already started using a DVD installer in addition to the more traditional CD installers.
Most Debian users hardly ever use DVD or CD installations... as they somehow get Debian installed once, and after that, Debian's robust package management system makes updating the OS fully automatic.
Yeah, I was just thinking that as I read this article. I thought, "Debian supports every practical platform and then some... whats the big news about some other Linux distro supporting a non x86 platform?"
For those that want to experiment with a auto-hardware detecting graphical user-friendly installer for Debian should try the new (this is a beta release!!! be careful) Progeny Graphical Installer ISO images. This installer is based on the now defunct Progeny Linux installer. Good Linux software doesn't drop dead, but instead gets reincarnated.
Remember, Debian is not commercial and is purely community based. Helping beta test this new installer on all sorts of various systems will help.
Star Control 2 for: Linux, OSX, and Windows
Why isn't this a full Slashdot news article?
Similar to how the Nazis used the German legal system to persecute the Jews, where the open source developers are the Jews and Blizzard is the Nazis.