I'm glad at least one of the companies "gets it" - when I'm playing games, I'm looking at my HDTV and listening to my 5.1 surround, not looking at the box in the corner or listening for fan noise.
Seriously, if you notice anything other than the game you're playing, then the game you're playing sucks. It looks like MS is about to pack their console full of features that'll let me enjoy an immersive experience, while playing against my friends. If they can pull that off, who cares if the box is hideous or loud?
I can imagine Microsoft's response to the reverend's claims that he stopped Microsoft.
"Fuck this asshole - we'll back every anti-discrimination bill we see, just to spite this piece of shit! No one pushes us around!"
Even if that really was their motivation, in this case, the ends justify the means. Glad to see MS picking this particular ball back up, even if it's after the fact.
Keep in mind that the cost of a man-hour is much more than salary. Factor in non-salary compensation (insurance, 401k, etc.), overhead (I find I work much better when my computer has electricity, a network connection, etc. - not to mention a desk, chair, building, etc.), and other crap.
It's a little more than a bus ticket... there's an extensive point system that determines how likely you are to get by in Canada (to avoid becoming a drain on the sytem) and a requirement of a certain amount of cash to prove you'll be able to establish yourself there.
So unless the neocons are about to fund this exodus, there's not much to be done about the liberals. Hell, I'm a moderate, and the neocons scare me senseless.
I love my country, but I get the distinct impression that the red-staters would rather I left. And why stick around in a country that clearly doesn't want people like me?
Nobody else has any issues documenting the file formats they use? Nobody? You're telling me that MS Office uses the only proprietary formats in existence?
Let's see some links to the 3ds max and Maya file formats. Since nobody else has issues documenting their file formats, I'm sure you'll have no trouble providing these.
Not a parent yet, but I think if I had a daughter and had to accept that she was sexually active, I'd rather it wasn't with a significantly older partner. Young and stupid is better than mature and manipulative.
Of course, young and stupid tend to forget important things like contraceptives, but hopefully I'll raise kids smart enough to know you don't have sex without protecting yourself.
Translation: You don't have to switch to get all these features. We'll have them ready for you next year. (Except for Dashboard - MS would be smart to buy Konfabulator if Dashboard really takes off.)
This is a standard compare/contrast between MS' and Apple's products, nothing more. I'd hardly even consider it newsworthy.
Of course, I use both Windows and OS X, so I could care less if they copy features from one another - in fact, I benefit from it.
How many end users know the man command? Ask your mother what a man page is. (Just watch, his mother has a CS doctorate and I just stuck my foot in my mouth.)
Hell, I had enough trouble teaching people to use the Office Assistant. And you think a monolithic text document viewed from the command line is the answer?
Non-technical end users NEED a natural-language-queryable help engine. Technical users are just fine with man pages. Remembering that non-technical users have different needs would go a long way towards better software.
Isn't Sony setting up their event independently, and not even in the same city? I'm pretty sure that Sony went ahead and set up their event intentionally to be just before the MS event, and conveniently far enough away that reporters would have to scramble if they were to cover both.
I'm glad MS is doing something different to launch the Xbox, but I doubt I'll get the kind of information I want from an MTV special. I want a release date, price, hardware info (backwards compatible? hard drive? HD capable?) and a look at launch titles. That's a lot of info to try to lay out in half an hour, especially for marketing fluff.
I'm talking about redistribution, not licensing. If Lotus developers are licensing MS' technology, they'd have to have some sort of specification, and likely some source as well.
No, the question is, if Lotus decides they want to give away their source code, why do they have to be able to give away the parts derived from MS' tech?
However, let me restate my question: what purpose is served by forcing MS to allow source redistribution of software implementing licensed IP, that isn't served by allowing binary-only redistribution?
Open source developers can still provide binaries for interoperability with Windows, or they can forgo the licensed IP if they insist on being able to provide every single line of source code.
Why should MS be forced to allow source-form redistrubution of derived works from their IP?
This might be an unpopular idea, but developers don't have to release their source. The SAMBA team can choose between having an all-open-source project, a binary-only project that allows them to redistribute their own MS-derived implementation, or a hybrid of the two (mostly open-source, with the sections derived from MS' spec being binary-only).
As I understand the GPL, you're allowed to link to proprietary code - it's when others link to your code that they have to open up. (Correct me if I'm wrong, please.) Sure, free software purists won't want binary-only code on their systems, but you're free to choose between ideology and practicality.
No, they'd be able to use MS products. Their licenses wouldn't go away.
They wouldn't be able to license new products though. That means new versions, service packs, security patches... the EU would have to do without or switch to Linux.
I don't think MS is going to pull out, but there's no way they're going to open up any code. It'd be suicide for them.
I keep seeing this claim of undocumented APIs, but to be honest, I've never seen any proof. Yes, I know about the kernel API that's not published, but that's not a guaranteed interface - it's subject to change every version (which would break old apps running a newer version of Windows).
CDW is a distributor, not a manufacturer. JIT is a bigger deal in manufacturing because having a warehouse is less aligned with the core business. Apple saves money if they can operate as small a warehouse as they can get away with. So would CDW, but the nature of your business demands that you store at least some product.
Now, JIT taken to an extreme can be bad, as your example illustrates ("ship it today or we find someone else").
You're right about the desirable window being less than two days though. My custom iBook went ~36 hours from ordered to shipped - good enough for me.
I've seen what happens when you let monkeys run any server, Windows, Linux, or otherwise. This attitude is part of the problem.
And MS isn't helping, with their TCO studies. Competent admins cost, no matter what platform they are hired to work on. Sure, MS may have other features of their OS that make it cheaper to operate, but "you can hire stupid people dirt-cheap" should NOT be one of them.
I was simply referring to the logistics of it. In my previous post, I said the real question was whether it would be done by April 1, not whether they could go from a gold master to retail copies in two weeks.
Unfortunately, the only people who know what shape Tiger really is in are all bound by NDAs.
Perhaps if Rockstar were creating material advocating real-world violence, they would bear more responsibility. But they're not - they're creating fiction, meant to be consumed by people who understand that it's not real.
And even if they were, you have to balance that responsibility against their freedom of speech.
If anyone's got a narrow definition of "game", it's Nintendo. One more puzzle game, and they're going to have to put me in an institution.
Where's a good stealth action game like Splinter Cell? A good racing title (arcade, realistic, or futuristic)? A good first-person shooter (is Metroid EVER coming out)? Maybe an air combat title (no, Ace Combat Advance doesn't count).
Ah, screw it, they're just going to do another puzzle game anyway.
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I'm glad at least one of the companies "gets it" - when I'm playing games, I'm looking at my HDTV and listening to my 5.1 surround, not looking at the box in the corner or listening for fan noise.
Seriously, if you notice anything other than the game you're playing, then the game you're playing sucks. It looks like MS is about to pack their console full of features that'll let me enjoy an immersive experience, while playing against my friends. If they can pull that off, who cares if the box is hideous or loud?
I can imagine Microsoft's response to the reverend's claims that he stopped Microsoft.
"Fuck this asshole - we'll back every anti-discrimination bill we see, just to spite this piece of shit! No one pushes us around!"
Even if that really was their motivation, in this case, the ends justify the means. Glad to see MS picking this particular ball back up, even if it's after the fact.
Keep in mind that the cost of a man-hour is much more than salary. Factor in non-salary compensation (insurance, 401k, etc.), overhead (I find I work much better when my computer has electricity, a network connection, etc. - not to mention a desk, chair, building, etc.), and other crap.
It's a little more than a bus ticket... there's an extensive point system that determines how likely you are to get by in Canada (to avoid becoming a drain on the sytem) and a requirement of a certain amount of cash to prove you'll be able to establish yourself there.
So unless the neocons are about to fund this exodus, there's not much to be done about the liberals. Hell, I'm a moderate, and the neocons scare me senseless.
I love my country, but I get the distinct impression that the red-staters would rather I left. And why stick around in a country that clearly doesn't want people like me?
So, if 3 is too hard for you, just pay someone else to do it. Adobe Acrobat will do exactly what's being described here.
Nobody else has any issues documenting the file formats they use? Nobody? You're telling me that MS Office uses the only proprietary formats in existence?
Let's see some links to the 3ds max and Maya file formats. Since nobody else has issues documenting their file formats, I'm sure you'll have no trouble providing these.
No, they're mountains in Switzerland.
Not a parent yet, but I think if I had a daughter and had to accept that she was sexually active, I'd rather it wasn't with a significantly older partner. Young and stupid is better than mature and manipulative.
Of course, young and stupid tend to forget important things like contraceptives, but hopefully I'll raise kids smart enough to know you don't have sex without protecting yourself.
Translation: You don't have to switch to get all these features. We'll have them ready for you next year. (Except for Dashboard - MS would be smart to buy Konfabulator if Dashboard really takes off.)
This is a standard compare/contrast between MS' and Apple's products, nothing more. I'd hardly even consider it newsworthy.
Of course, I use both Windows and OS X, so I could care less if they copy features from one another - in fact, I benefit from it.
Okay, 100% agreement there. Programmers are not technical writers.
How many end users know the man command? Ask your mother what a man page is. (Just watch, his mother has a CS doctorate and I just stuck my foot in my mouth.)
Hell, I had enough trouble teaching people to use the Office Assistant. And you think a monolithic text document viewed from the command line is the answer?
Non-technical end users NEED a natural-language-queryable help engine. Technical users are just fine with man pages. Remembering that non-technical users have different needs would go a long way towards better software.
2001 called... they'd like their jokes back.
MS introduced a smaller controller a long time ago.
Isn't Sony setting up their event independently, and not even in the same city? I'm pretty sure that Sony went ahead and set up their event intentionally to be just before the MS event, and conveniently far enough away that reporters would have to scramble if they were to cover both.
I'm glad MS is doing something different to launch the Xbox, but I doubt I'll get the kind of information I want from an MTV special. I want a release date, price, hardware info (backwards compatible? hard drive? HD capable?) and a look at launch titles. That's a lot of info to try to lay out in half an hour, especially for marketing fluff.
I'm talking about redistribution, not licensing. If Lotus developers are licensing MS' technology, they'd have to have some sort of specification, and likely some source as well.
No, the question is, if Lotus decides they want to give away their source code, why do they have to be able to give away the parts derived from MS' tech?
It's supposed to hurt them, not kill them.
However, let me restate my question: what purpose is served by forcing MS to allow source redistribution of software implementing licensed IP, that isn't served by allowing binary-only redistribution?
Open source developers can still provide binaries for interoperability with Windows, or they can forgo the licensed IP if they insist on being able to provide every single line of source code.
Why should MS be forced to allow source-form redistrubution of derived works from their IP?
This might be an unpopular idea, but developers don't have to release their source. The SAMBA team can choose between having an all-open-source project, a binary-only project that allows them to redistribute their own MS-derived implementation, or a hybrid of the two (mostly open-source, with the sections derived from MS' spec being binary-only).
As I understand the GPL, you're allowed to link to proprietary code - it's when others link to your code that they have to open up. (Correct me if I'm wrong, please.) Sure, free software purists won't want binary-only code on their systems, but you're free to choose between ideology and practicality.
No, they'd be able to use MS products. Their licenses wouldn't go away.
They wouldn't be able to license new products though. That means new versions, service packs, security patches... the EU would have to do without or switch to Linux.
I don't think MS is going to pull out, but there's no way they're going to open up any code. It'd be suicide for them.
I keep seeing this claim of undocumented APIs, but to be honest, I've never seen any proof. Yes, I know about the kernel API that's not published, but that's not a guaranteed interface - it's subject to change every version (which would break old apps running a newer version of Windows).
Where are these "sekrit APIs"?
CDW is a distributor, not a manufacturer. JIT is a bigger deal in manufacturing because having a warehouse is less aligned with the core business. Apple saves money if they can operate as small a warehouse as they can get away with. So would CDW, but the nature of your business demands that you store at least some product.
Now, JIT taken to an extreme can be bad, as your example illustrates ("ship it today or we find someone else").
You're right about the desirable window being less than two days though. My custom iBook went ~36 hours from ordered to shipped - good enough for me.
I've seen what happens when you let monkeys run any server, Windows, Linux, or otherwise. This attitude is part of the problem.
And MS isn't helping, with their TCO studies. Competent admins cost, no matter what platform they are hired to work on. Sure, MS may have other features of their OS that make it cheaper to operate, but "you can hire stupid people dirt-cheap" should NOT be one of them.
I was simply referring to the logistics of it. In my previous post, I said the real question was whether it would be done by April 1, not whether they could go from a gold master to retail copies in two weeks.
Unfortunately, the only people who know what shape Tiger really is in are all bound by NDAs.
I've seen major game titles go from gold to retail in two weeks before. I'd assume this isn't a much bigger challenge.
The question is, will it be gold on April 1st?
I've heard reports of as many as 9 stuck pixels, all in a row. I've never seen an LCD sold with that many defects.
My 17" Samsung has one dead pixel. One. I'll live with that. (Stuck pixels, IMO, are unacceptable, but two or three dead pixels are okay.)
Perhaps if Rockstar were creating material advocating real-world violence, they would bear more responsibility. But they're not - they're creating fiction, meant to be consumed by people who understand that it's not real.
And even if they were, you have to balance that responsibility against their freedom of speech.
If anyone's got a narrow definition of "game", it's Nintendo. One more puzzle game, and they're going to have to put me in an institution.
Where's a good stealth action game like Splinter Cell? A good racing title (arcade, realistic, or futuristic)? A good first-person shooter (is Metroid EVER coming out)? Maybe an air combat title (no, Ace Combat Advance doesn't count).
Ah, screw it, they're just going to do another puzzle game anyway.