Apparently you have not noticed that Daikatana has been the whipping boy of gaming for the last four years. Looking Glass however, has been praised innumerable times.
Daikatana should just die die die.
Good troll attempt though, work a little harder at it next time.
I remember Theif, Thief II, and System Shock having excellent reviews. This is good evidence that good reviews don't mean success, and that the gaming industry, seen as some as a haven for programmers, can be a nasty place. And yet Ion "Egofest" Storm survives . ..
Yeah, there is a saying in the movie industry:
Guy: "Hey, didja see that movie eyes wide shut? I heard it was great!" Other Guy: "No, but I heard it was really good too." Guy: "I did not see it either, but I saw Die Hard 3." Other Guy: "Yeah, I saw it too. It really sucked."
In my personal list of my top 10 favorite games of all time, a full 6 of those are Looking Glass games. The only complaint that I ever had about their software is that it was not ported to Linux. Other than Half-Life, all the games by Looking Glass (well, not the golf or flight sim ones) are the only reason that I still have a Windows partiton.
I was really hoping for Loki to port some of their stuff.:(
For those of you who have NOT tried a Looking Glass game (or anything by Warren Spector, now of Ion Storm) I STRONGLY urge you to buy one. Thief I/II and System shock I/II are simply mind boggling in their depth. Of those four titles, only one is currently "expensive" that one is Thief II. The rest lie in the bargin bin. System Shock should run under Dosemu (Have not tried).
So, even though this wonderful game company is dissapering it does not mean that we should forego their wonderful games.
Linux does do multiprocessing, but not as well as Solaris and other commerical Unixes. Still, as the article says IBM will be releasing a beta version that will work on it. I wonder how much of that code will make it into 2.4? (Or rather 2.5 probably...) 2.4 is supposed to have better SMP support than 2.2, if the fella's over at IBM make a version of Linux that supports 64 way processing I would guess that there are direct modifications to the kernel, and many people have been posting here about how Linux needs better support for multiple (more than 4) processors.
(I mention the below because I KNOW it will come up in this thread...)
Kernel fragmentation? Possible, yes but unlikely I think because the code that benifits most Linux platforms from this version will eventually make it into the kernel anyways. Besides, even if it is a totally different version of Linux, how many people can afford the $73,000 price tag on one of these things!
That makes me very angry. Mr. Flibble is very angry.
(And moderators? If you are thinking about marking my post as Troll or Offtopic, go out and watch a few Red Dwarf episodes and the above will become clear...)
How Berkeley hackers built the Net's most fabled free operating system on the ashes of the '60s -- and then lost the lead to Linux.
I don't know if "Lost" is an appropriate term. Sure, there are more Linux users out there than BSD (I am one of them.) I am installing OpenBSD on the system I am currently piecing together. If it was not for Linux I would never have known about BSD. True, if not for Linux BSD would probably be at the forefront where Linux is now.
Still, is that really important? The most important thing about free software perhaps (IMO) even more important than the "free" is the compatible file formats. BSD and Linux are pretty much cousins, file formats are not a problem. BSD is very much like Linux as we all know, but it is not Linux, and thats a good thing. Some buisnesses may not like the GPL, but they need the Unix model, and like free software ideals -just not the GPL- Enter BSD.
To all the GPL zealots out there, I think that we need both: The BSD licence and the GPL. This promotes competition, and that is good.
Heh, well said. I started using Linux as my primary OS in '97 when it was as you say "cool". In my small town no one had heard of it (let alone Unix!) I kept telling people about it, and no one would listen. Then the Red Hat and VA Linux stock shot through the roof (never mind where it is now). The next thing I know people keep coming to work to ask me about "Linux this" and "Linux that". Suddenly I am "the Linux Guru" in town. I know I am no guru. I see the Guru posts on Usenet, and Slashdot and I wish I WAS a guru. Because I started using Linux first here in town everyone assumes I am. Wierd...
I have a few systems running Linux, and I am building a new one, I was going to install Debian on it (each system has a different flavour) but now I think I am going to install OpenBSD just because its "different" and nobody around here seems to know what this "BSD" thing is... I wonder if that will be the case three years from now....
As soon as I cross the border into Washington about 5k south of the border there is a gun shop. Its out in the middle of no where, and its the only shop along this stretch of highway. Its a bit wierd I must say, I have only seen one gun store in Canada, and this was in downtown Montreal when I lived in Quebec. When I was in the Seattle area I saw a few gun stores, and it really was a shock. It's something you just don't see here. I mean you see a few rifles and shotguns at the Canadian Tire stores, but that is about it.
The same thing goes for England. I have been to England numerous times and never have I seen a gun store.
It's just a matter of perspective I guess. A different culture produces a different environment. The gun stores are just something that I notice whenever I visit the US.
Carl Sagan mentions this in "The demon haunted world" (I lent it out again, don't have the exact stats mentioned thierin).
He compares the percentage of deaths via firearms in Vancouver BC Canada to Seattle WA USA. These cities are separated by approximatly 200 KM IIRC. The difference in the death toll due to firearms is insane.
No, No I DONT have the exact figures, like I said I lent the book out. It is an anstonishing read. -- I just said that to defray the inevitable flurry of pro-gun ownership follow up posts.
Well, damn, everyone seems to be breaking into it nowadays.
At least I can test the security of it, trouble is the MODERATORS seem to love marking me offtopic. I should have posted the woodpecker comment as an AC.
I will probably get marked down for this reply too. I really wish the moderators would READ the guidelines....
Re:Let me get this straight.
on
An MP3 Update
·
· Score: 1
Actually, I HAVE some Apocolyptica, but I did not feel like ripping it.
Its faster to download than it is to rip it. So, now I get banned by Metallica for having Apocolyptica songs.....
I got banned... Ironically.
on
An MP3 Update
·
· Score: 1
I normally use Gnap. A GPL'ed version of Napster for Linux. The version I have is still under development and does not allow for uploads.
I use Windows as well (I can't get Half Life to run under Wine, can YOU?) and I use Napster under Windows as well. I don't download much with the Windows version, I usually leave it on after a game of Half Life before I go to sleep. I figured that since I have a cable modem it would be nice of me to offer some of my bandwith to those who want MP3's. So I leave Napster on under Windows.
Now here is the funny part, I don't have any (direct) Metallica songs. I DO have some Apocolyptica covers of Metallica songs (four to be exact) and yup, you guessed it. I am banned.
The really annoying thing here is that I have a static IP and now I am going too have to change it so that I can use Napster again. (No, re-downloading and changing usernames does not work, it's IP based.)
Wow, banned for having covers of songs. Hrmph. Since I know how @home assigns IP's in my area I know how to make them cycle if I want to, and I am going too do just that. I am going to set up a dedicated Napster box now. I admit that I don't much like Metallica, (even less now) but Apocolyptica is ok. I am going to keep this bandwith up dammit, just because I am pissed off now.
I considered downloading all of Metallica's music so I can add that to the dedicated Napster box, but then, I don't want to help in distributing crap over the internet now do I?
If we move to a new X (as I think that we should) what are the odds that some programs depending on X will break? I believe that Xi graphics makes a good X server, and I have not heard of it breaking anything, has anyone else?
Still, it would be nice to run other resolutions within a window, (breakage or not!:).
As per the comment that "X is not GPL'ed" I don't know if a new version should be. Rather I think that a BSD style licence or (rather like apache) it could have both licences. X is not totally closed AFAIK (you have to be on the list to see the code) and I don't know how many graphics card makers would be forthcoming with the code if its fully open.
Then again, everyone (except nVidia Booo!) seems to be going open anyhow...
I think that the licence on a new version is an interesting issue.
Don't look at the windows source Marian!!!! Keep your eyes SHUT!!!
I would like to see the source to see just how convoluted it is. I do wonder if they did (because they had to) open the source if the comments would be in there, or, if they would have been stripped?
I really wonder if there are some "incriminating" comments in there like:
/* * Ok, this routine causes netscape to hang * 1 out of every 3 times */
/* detects if lotus 1-2-3 is installed, if it is * when the EXE runs it polls the crash function * to see if it GPF's this time. */
Probably not that blatant, but you never know. I would like to read the code much more for the comments than the code itself. Its like when you grep the Linux source for the words "fuck" and "shit" you actually come up with some funny comments.
That is my take IIRC from what I have read. If I am wrong someone else please enlighten me.
Actually no, you are quite correct. Again having been to Africa your summation that they cannot escape their fate is correct. The problem is the opressive governments that rule these people. Since these people only have access to (limited) government education, all they know is propaganda, they are ignorant because they don't have the access to better education. Not that they would be able to exploit it anyhow: they are too busy trying not to die.
As per your comments on nutrition, those might be correct, it reminds me of "rabbit starvation". Still, I would hardly call canabalism a solution..
I love this argument, I really do. Here *YOU* are bitching about how much this knowledge cost. Knowlege is invaluable. Yet you bitch at the apparent cost because people are starving in the world, true, many are. Many of these starving people don't have the internet either. Perhaps we should just get rid of the net until everyone is happy and well fed?
I know you are trolling, good job I guess, you got me. But the search for answers is a very important thing, the search for information is a very important facet of freedom.
What good can this knowlege do us? You might add? I bring up this:
When Faraday showed the Queen these sparks of "electricity" It is said that she commented:
"Of what use is this electricity?"
To which Faraday replied:
"Madam, of what use is a baby?"
So if you are trolling (as I expect you are) good job. And before you lambast me about the starving people in the world, I have been to Africa and bult some of those people a medical clinic in the middle of "nowhere" as it were, I did it with my own money. Compassion and knowlege go hand in hand I think. I fear the ignorant.
For people who can't afford the random breakage that crops up with 2.3.x on their production machines, it's pretty important for bugs to continue to be fixed in the 2.2 series. Also backporting new drivers is pretty nice.
Damn straight. I tried one of the 2.3.x kernels a few weeks back (sorry forgot which one) because it had the agpgart.o module avalible directly in the kernel. It worked fine.... EXCEPT for some bizzare reason it would not umount my drives when I issued a shutdown.
Ill stick with 2.2.X and a loadable agpgart.o for now.
Try here for as much of the memo as is legally released. You cannot actually read the damning statement for legal reasons. Still, The Register has a good article on it.
The fact that Slashdot has the balls to post a retraction/correction is excellent. Good job Timothy!!!
I hope to see this far far more often.
The only thing I might suggest is that the errors/retractions have its own icon. The quickies have a vaccuum, the errors (stickies?;) should have something like a Mr. Yuk.
Yeah, my guess is that the database can only hold one reference to one page at a time. Given that a previous poster had submitted slashdot that link cannot be chosen again. It should either deny the use of that link (bad idea IMO) or just accept it. This is obvious I know, but I have the feeling that with the/. effect someone is going to offer a few bug fixes for them in short order.
So I clicked on the link and took a look at the project. Its a neat idea. The first link it gave me was to the U.S. Department of Justice. Below, I was asked for a website to "suggest" according to the rules.
So, I thought for a moment, almost choosing www.freekevin.com, I then chose the obvious www.microsoft.com and I recieved the following:
Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers error '80004005'
[Microsoft][ODBC Microsoft Access Driver] The changes you requested to the table were not successful because they would create duplicate values in the index, primary key, or relationship. Change the data in the field or fields that contain duplicate data, remove the index, or redefine the index to permit duplicate entries and try again.
/project/SubmitReq.asp, line 48
Wow, click on a link related to the DOJ and they take apart Microsoft in a FLASH!
I was teaching an introductory course for Linux and one thing surprised me. Two of the students were older and wanted to learn Linux. They were very computer literate, but due to their age they had trouble with the command line because they had trouble controling their fine motor movements. This meant that they often mystyped commands.
After I noticed this, I went to help my mother who uses win 95, and I noticed the same thing. She is having trouble clicking on the proper icons, you hear the familar complaint "But I did not tell it to do that!" Which, before I noticed the motor control thing, used to make me angry because a computer just does not "go ahead and do things". You need to tell it to do something.
The problem that the older generation (and non computer savvy people) are facing is that they cannot communicate with the interface, either because they cannot understand it, or because their fine motor skills are gone and they end up clicking on the wrong icon, or double-clicking when they are trying to single click.
I still think that the interface of a computer needs a palm-style interface. It needs to be made really simple. I watch people wrestle with Windows Explorer all the time, but everyone I have handed my Palm to has understood the interface very quickly (my mother included).
I think that double-clicking needs to go, and right on the desktop should be the following icons: INTERNET EMAIL WORD PROCESSOR GAMES SCANNER INTERNET CHAT
Thats about all that the newbies need. They do NOT need a "AOL" "MSN" etc folder on their desktop that will never get clicked, and just consume precious desktop space. They need to be able to navigate their most used programs (see above list) in just seconds. Move mouse over icon - Click - Done.
Now, you could argue that you could modify the interface, or that many interfaces currently DO this already. Well, Windows does not. Not right out of the box it doesn't, and due to antitrust rulings they CAN'T include some of the above.
Sure, a computer guru can modify the interface for someone so that it conforms to the above... But note that someone else who knows how must do this for these people.
So what an intuitive interface needs is NOT more buttons apps and "innovation". There is just too much "innovation" going on. Things need to be removed from the interface.
As per voice control? A good idea, its not ready yet, but its a very very good idea.
Slashdot Mirror
Apparently you have not noticed that Daikatana has been the whipping boy of gaming for the last four years. Looking Glass however, has been praised innumerable times.
Daikatana should just die die die.
Good troll attempt though, work a little harder at it next time.
I remember Theif, Thief II, and System Shock having excellent reviews. .
This is good evidence that good reviews don't mean success, and that the gaming industry, seen as some as a haven for programmers, can be a nasty place.
And yet Ion "Egofest" Storm survives . .
Yeah, there is a saying in the movie industry:
Guy: "Hey, didja see that movie eyes wide shut? I heard it was great!"
Other Guy: "No, but I heard it was really good too."
Guy: "I did not see it either, but I saw Die Hard 3."
Other Guy: "Yeah, I saw it too. It really sucked."
You can sort of see the point can't you?
:/
This really really sucks.
:(
In my personal list of my top 10 favorite games of all time, a full 6 of those are Looking Glass games. The only complaint that I ever had about their software is that it was not ported to Linux. Other than Half-Life, all the games by Looking Glass (well, not the golf or flight sim ones) are the only reason that I still have a Windows partiton.
I was really hoping for Loki to port some of their stuff.
For those of you who have NOT tried a Looking Glass game (or anything by Warren Spector, now of Ion Storm) I STRONGLY urge you to buy one. Thief I/II and System shock I/II are simply mind boggling in their depth. Of those four titles, only one is currently "expensive" that one is Thief II. The rest lie in the bargin bin. System Shock should run under Dosemu (Have not tried).
So, even though this wonderful game company is dissapering it does not mean that we should forego their wonderful games.
*sigh*
Now my only hope is Warren Spectors "Deus Ex"
I'll miss you guys.
Linux does do multiprocessing, but not as well as Solaris and other commerical Unixes. Still, as the article says IBM will be releasing a beta version that will work on it. I wonder how much of that code will make it into 2.4? (Or rather 2.5 probably...) 2.4 is supposed to have better SMP support than 2.2, if the fella's over at IBM make a version of Linux that supports 64 way processing I would guess that there are direct modifications to the kernel, and many people have been posting here about how Linux needs better support for multiple (more than 4) processors.
(I mention the below because I KNOW it will come up in this thread...)
Kernel fragmentation? Possible, yes but unlikely I think because the code that benifits most Linux platforms from this version will eventually make it into the kernel anyways. Besides, even if it is a totally different version of Linux, how many people can afford the $73,000 price tag on one of these things!
That makes me very angry.
Mr. Flibble is very angry.
(And moderators? If you are thinking about marking my post as Troll or Offtopic, go out and watch a few Red Dwarf episodes and the above will become clear...)
How Berkeley hackers built the Net's most fabled free operating system on the ashes of the '60s -- and then lost the lead to Linux.
:)
I don't know if "Lost" is an appropriate term. Sure, there are more Linux users out there than BSD (I am one of them.) I am installing OpenBSD on the system I am currently piecing together. If it was not for Linux I would never have known about BSD. True, if not for Linux BSD would probably be at the forefront where Linux is now.
Still, is that really important? The most important thing about free software perhaps (IMO) even more important than the "free" is the compatible file formats. BSD and Linux are pretty much cousins, file formats are not a problem. BSD is very much like Linux as we all know, but it is not Linux, and thats a good thing. Some buisnesses may not like the GPL, but they need the Unix model, and like free software ideals -just not the GPL- Enter BSD.
To all the GPL zealots out there, I think that we need both: The BSD licence and the GPL. This promotes competition, and that is good.
So wish me luck on the install!
Heh, well said. I started using Linux as my primary OS in '97 when it was as you say "cool". In my small town no one had heard of it (let alone Unix!) I kept telling people about it, and no one would listen. Then the Red Hat and VA Linux stock shot through the roof (never mind where it is now). The next thing I know people keep coming to work to ask me about "Linux this" and "Linux that". Suddenly I am "the Linux Guru" in town. I know I am no guru. I see the Guru posts on Usenet, and Slashdot and I wish I WAS a guru. Because I started using Linux first here in town everyone assumes I am. Wierd...
I have a few systems running Linux, and I am building a new one, I was going to install Debian on it (each system has a different flavour) but now I think I am going to install OpenBSD just because its "different" and nobody around here seems to know what this "BSD" thing is... I wonder if that will be the case three years from now....
As soon as I cross the border into Washington about 5k south of the border there is a gun shop. Its out in the middle of no where, and its the only shop along this stretch of highway. Its a bit wierd I must say, I have only seen one gun store in Canada, and this was in downtown Montreal when I lived in Quebec. When I was in the Seattle area I saw a few gun stores, and it really was a shock. It's something you just don't see here. I mean you see a few rifles and shotguns at the Canadian Tire stores, but that is about it.
The same thing goes for England. I have been to England numerous times and never have I seen a gun store.
It's just a matter of perspective I guess. A different culture produces a different environment. The gun stores are just something that I notice whenever I visit the US.
Im from Canada, a few hours from Vancouver actually... I rarely see firearms here (other than on the RCMP (cops)) and I like it that way.
Yes, damn straight.
Carl Sagan mentions this in "The demon haunted world" (I lent it out again, don't have the exact stats mentioned thierin).
He compares the percentage of deaths via firearms in Vancouver BC Canada to Seattle WA USA. These cities are separated by approximatly 200 KM IIRC.
The difference in the death toll due to firearms is insane.
No, No I DONT have the exact figures, like I said I lent the book out. It is an anstonishing read. -- I just said that to defray the inevitable flurry of pro-gun ownership follow up posts.
Well, damn, everyone seems to be breaking into it nowadays.
At least I can test the security of it, trouble is the MODERATORS seem to love marking me offtopic. I should have posted the woodpecker comment as an AC.
I will probably get marked down for this reply too. I really wish the moderators would READ the guidelines....
Actually, I HAVE some Apocolyptica, but I did not feel like ripping it.
Its faster to download than it is to rip it.
So, now I get banned by Metallica for having Apocolyptica songs.....
I normally use Gnap. A GPL'ed version of Napster for Linux. The version I have is still under development and does not allow for uploads.
I use Windows as well (I can't get Half Life to run under Wine, can YOU?) and I use Napster under Windows as well. I don't download much with the Windows version, I usually leave it on after a game of Half Life before I go to sleep. I figured that since I have a cable modem it would be nice of me to offer some of my bandwith to those who want MP3's. So I leave Napster on under Windows.
Now here is the funny part, I don't have any (direct) Metallica songs. I DO have some Apocolyptica covers of Metallica songs (four to be exact) and yup, you guessed it. I am banned.
The really annoying thing here is that I have a static IP and now I am going too have to change it so that I can use Napster again. (No, re-downloading and changing usernames does not work, it's IP based.)
Wow, banned for having covers of songs. Hrmph.
Since I know how @home assigns IP's in my area I know how to make them cycle if I want to, and I am going too do just that. I am going to set up a dedicated Napster box now. I admit that I don't much like Metallica, (even less now) but Apocolyptica is ok. I am going to keep this bandwith up dammit, just because I am pissed off now.
I considered downloading all of Metallica's music so I can add that to the dedicated Napster box, but then, I don't want to help in distributing crap over the internet now do I?
If we move to a new X (as I think that we should) what are the odds that some programs depending on X will break? I believe that Xi graphics makes a good X server, and I have not heard of it breaking anything, has anyone else?
:).
Still, it would be nice to run other resolutions within a window, (breakage or not!
As per the comment that "X is not GPL'ed" I don't know if a new version should be. Rather I think that a BSD style licence or (rather like apache) it could have both licences. X is not totally closed AFAIK (you have to be on the list to see the code) and I don't know how many graphics card makers would be forthcoming with the code if its fully open.
Then again, everyone (except nVidia Booo!) seems to be going open anyhow...
I think that the licence on a new version is an interesting issue.
Don't look at the windows source Marian!!!!
Keep your eyes SHUT!!!
I would like to see the source to see just how convoluted it is. I do wonder if they did (because they had to) open the source if the comments would be in there, or, if they would have been stripped?
I really wonder if there are some "incriminating" comments in there like:
/*
* Ok, this routine causes netscape to hang
* 1 out of every 3 times
*/
/* detects if lotus 1-2-3 is installed, if it is
* when the EXE runs it polls the crash function
* to see if it GPF's this time.
*/
Probably not that blatant, but you never know.
I would like to read the code much more for the comments than the code itself. Its like when you grep the Linux source for the words "fuck" and "shit" you actually come up with some funny comments.
That is my take IIRC from what I have read. If I am wrong someone else please enlighten me.
Actually no, you are quite correct.
Again having been to Africa your summation that they cannot escape their fate is correct. The problem is the opressive governments that rule these people. Since these people only have access to (limited) government education, all they know is propaganda, they are ignorant because they don't have the access to better education. Not that they would be able to exploit it anyhow: they are too busy trying not to die.
As per your comments on nutrition, those might be correct, it reminds me of "rabbit starvation". Still, I would hardly call canabalism a solution..
Mystery Science Theater 3000.
I love this argument, I really do. Here *YOU* are bitching about how much this knowledge cost. Knowlege is invaluable. Yet you bitch at the apparent cost because people are starving in the world, true, many are. Many of these starving people don't have the internet either. Perhaps we should just get rid of the net until everyone is happy and well fed?
I know you are trolling, good job I guess, you got me. But the search for answers is a very important thing, the search for information is a very important facet of freedom.
What good can this knowlege do us? You might add?
I bring up this:
When Faraday showed the Queen these sparks of "electricity" It is said that she commented:
"Of what use is this electricity?"
To which Faraday replied:
"Madam, of what use is a baby?"
So if you are trolling (as I expect you are) good job. And before you lambast me about the starving people in the world, I have been to Africa and bult some of those people a medical clinic in the middle of "nowhere" as it were, I did it with my own money. Compassion and knowlege go hand in hand I think. I fear the ignorant.
Dont you mean 2.4.X or 2.6.X ?
:)
(I know I am just being a picky bastard!
Or are you using a 2.3.X kernel already?
For people who can't afford the random breakage that crops up with 2.3.x on their production machines, it's pretty important for bugs to continue to be fixed in the 2.2 series. Also backporting new drivers is pretty nice.
Damn straight. I tried one of the 2.3.x kernels a few weeks back (sorry forgot which one) because it had the agpgart.o module avalible directly in the kernel. It worked fine.... EXCEPT for some bizzare reason it would not umount my drives when I issued a shutdown.
Ill stick with 2.2.X and a loadable agpgart.o for now.
Try here for as much of the memo as is legally released. You cannot actually read the damning statement for legal reasons. Still, The Register has a good article on it.
The fact that Slashdot has the balls to post a retraction/correction is excellent. Good job Timothy!!!
;) should have something like a Mr. Yuk.
I hope to see this far far more often.
The only thing I might suggest is that the errors/retractions have its own icon. The quickies have a vaccuum, the errors (stickies?
Yeah, my guess is that the database can only hold one reference to one page at a time. Given that a previous poster had submitted slashdot that link cannot be chosen again. It should either deny the use of that link (bad idea IMO) or just accept it. This is obvious I know, but I have the feeling that with the /. effect someone is going to offer a few bug fixes for them in short order.
So, I thought for a moment, almost choosing www.freekevin.com, I then chose the obvious www.microsoft.com and I recieved the following:
Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers error '80004005'
[Microsoft][ODBC Microsoft Access Driver] The changes you requested to the table were not successful because they would create duplicate values in the index, primary key, or relationship.
Change the data in the field or fields that contain duplicate data, remove the index, or redefine the index to permit duplicate entries and try again.
/project/SubmitReq.asp, line 48
Wow, click on a link related to the DOJ and they take apart Microsoft in a FLASH!
Now thats what I call internet time!
(For those of you who don't know.... "j/k!!!")
I was teaching an introductory course for Linux and one thing surprised me. Two of the students were older and wanted to learn Linux. They were very computer literate, but due to their age they had trouble with the command line because they had trouble controling their fine motor movements. This meant that they often mystyped commands.
After I noticed this, I went to help my mother who uses win 95, and I noticed the same thing. She is having trouble clicking on the proper icons, you hear the familar complaint "But I did not tell it to do that!" Which, before I noticed the motor control thing, used to make me angry because a computer just does not "go ahead and do things". You need to tell it to do something.
The problem that the older generation (and non computer savvy people) are facing is that they cannot communicate with the interface, either because they cannot understand it, or because their fine motor skills are gone and they end up clicking on the wrong icon, or double-clicking when they are trying to single click.
I still think that the interface of a computer needs a palm-style interface. It needs to be made really simple. I watch people wrestle with Windows Explorer all the time, but everyone I have handed my Palm to has understood the interface very quickly (my mother included).
I think that double-clicking needs to go, and right on the desktop should be the following icons:
INTERNET
EMAIL
WORD PROCESSOR
GAMES
SCANNER
INTERNET CHAT
Thats about all that the newbies need. They do NOT need a "AOL" "MSN" etc folder on their desktop that will never get clicked, and just consume precious desktop space. They need to be able to navigate their most used programs (see above list) in just seconds. Move mouse over icon - Click - Done.
Now, you could argue that you could modify the interface, or that many interfaces currently DO this already. Well, Windows does not. Not right out of the box it doesn't, and due to antitrust rulings they CAN'T include some of the above.
Sure, a computer guru can modify the interface for someone so that it conforms to the above... But note that someone else who knows how must do this for these people.
So what an intuitive interface needs is NOT more buttons apps and "innovation". There is just too much "innovation" going on. Things need to be removed from the interface.
As per voice control? A good idea, its not ready yet, but its a very very good idea.