Notice that we are making some assumptions here that may not be entirely valid. For instance, we've priced the Socket AM3 Phenom II processors on a Socket AM2+ motherboard with DDR2 memory, though we tested most of them with DDR3 memory. As you may have noticed, memory type didn't make much difference at all to the performance of the Phenom II X4 810
and we expect the story will be similar for the rest. In the same vein, we priced the Core 2 processors with DDR2 memory, though we tested them with DDR3. Our goal in selecting these components was to settle on a standard platform for each CPU type with a decent price-performance ratio, not to exactly replicate our sometimes-exotic test systems.
"and we expect the story will be similar for the rest."
You expect that, huh? Based on what? My experience with Intel processors has always been that they're memory starved. Core i7 may be a huge improvement, but please provide me proof. After all, DDR3 is more expensive, Core i7 CPUs are more expensive, and Core i7 boards are more expensive. It adds up to a 50% jump in cost. (~$500 -> ~$750+)
I'd like to know whether that was factored in - but the quote right there makes me think maybe it wasn't?
By their own admission, their results may be skewed in Intel's favour, because they couldn't be bothered benching with the hardware they priced out.
I think you're missing the key point of a repository: it's a (large) set of software packages that are tested to work together. If you let devs update their packages willy-nilly, you're going to get horrible breakage very quickly.
Lol.:D
Must not be very thorough testing, then. I can't count the number of times some package has been updated and then suddenly all the programs depending on it crash instantly.;)
For non-breakage, the Windows method is probably best; stick the libraries in the program's folder, and if they go out of date, it doesn't matter, because they still work exactly as expected for as long as that computer has the program installed on it. Programs can use different versions of the same library simultaneously without issue.
Security fixes? Wha? What are those? Well, I suppose any updates for the program could also install runtime/library updates... once the program has been updated to work with the new version... a year or two after it is available.:P
When the company went under, these things showed up on Amazon for $50! For that kind of price, what devout hardware hacker wouldn't pick one up?
Now that they are being produced by a company that needs to survive, I'm guessing the price will go back up? Hopefully not all the way back to the original $200.
I wouldn't classify Assassin's Creed as one of the creepy games. It's clearly designed to be a fun platformer. (focused around killing, I suppose)
You're right - the media has done its part to desensitize me to regular killing. But I can still spot when something is totally f*cked up. Mainly when torture or other illegal activities become the primary focus of the game.
At least with stuff like GTA:SA it's the openness that attracts people. You get to do whatever the hell you want. When the single defining element of a game is illegal and quite disturbing, then there may be an issue.
I really feel idiots who think people shouldn't be allowed to do something because it's "creepy" to them should fuck off. There is a *lot* of weird shit out there that people get off to and much of it thoroughly creeps me out, but I'm smart enough to realize that this is an entirely subjective matter and it is not reasonable to deprive a person of something they enjoy, even if they don't absolutely need it, even if it creeps out 99.9% of the population, on such grounds.
Reminds me of when someone told me to google "Scat Lovers". More disgusting(to me) than creepy, but not illegal.
Contrary to popular belief, you do not have the right to do whatever you damn well want. You still have to fit into society. Society has laws. If you want to fantasize about breaking those laws, you are allowed to, but I'm not sure if we should be encouraging it as a society... Some things should be shunned instead. I feel hardcore rape depictions should be. It appears you don't.
Just be aware that if enough people encourage something, it happens, regardless of the law. See: Female circumcision.
According to your logic there's something wrong with the people who watch Dexter.
Actually, I found Dexter's first season to be quite interesting. It got me thinking on a lot of psychology stuff.
But... I don't think I'd watch the uncut "Showtime" version. (Sorry, I'm Canadian - the F*** really gets to me after a while, since I'm not used to it.)
You also missed the time factor that I mentioned. It's one thing to watch the show, and quite another to go back and watch the episodes over and over - focusing on any torture scenes you can find. One promotes thinking in new ways, and the other... well, you get the picture.
If we could monitor the thoughts of every citizen and punish anyone who thinks bad things (like harming others), would it be a good thing for society?
No. Too much power spread to too few. It would only work if the people or AI monitoring our thoughts could be programmed to not take advantage of it, which at the current time is 100% impossible.
Is the act of playing a video game in the privacy of your home sufficiently far removed from the act of fantasizing within one's own mind to warrant being treated differently?
You raise an interesting question, and one that I have not thought about previously, but I shall once I've slept on it.:)
I suppose since I play many online games, I view it as a more social thing by default.
I don't think it's safe to put any person or group of people in charge of deciding which fantasies are permissible.
Me neither. But we already have laws against the real act.
Your worries are not a sufficient reason to constrain the rights of others.
The right to fantasize, daydream, and drool over violating people and committing crimes? I'm pretty sure I missed that right when reading the constitution.
Focus on actual abuse instead, not just things that remind you of abuse.
If people do have certain fantasies, ain't it better to give them way to realize them in virtual world? Just like people who cannot be achiever in real life drown in MMOs, have would-be rapists drown in these games?
I'm going to bet it's more like smoking, or drugs. Once you get your first hit, and all those endorphins or other hormones go off, you want more!
Even better: Ownership of these games can be used to identify dangerous people. Sure, they can have them, they are not hurting anyone. But as long as police/whoever knows they own those games, well... would-be rapist will know he is gonna be first one to be investigated should something happen.
If that isn't a privacy violation, strike me down right now please.
And you're right - like all porn, I'm sure it's been around for a long time. I'm still not sure I want it in my mainstream media, though.
There's a difference between a depiction of someone getting raped(Ex: Law & Order: SVU), and a video or game that lets someone fantasize about the act - and perhaps even spins it to be fun or positive.
Indeed, but when most of us "kill" or "murder" said characters, we're playing games like TF2 or L4D. Games where you can have an arrow sticking through your head and keep on going, or your only worry is getting eaten by zombies. Not very realistic.
Now, lets say you knew someone in college, and he spent most of his day playing a single player game where you murder people. Lets say it has superior graphics to the current stuff - at least as good as Crysis.
The primary objective is to abduct and subdue people in different ways, take them to a hideout, and then murder them. Lets say you have options like... carving them up, strangling them, pulling them apart on a Rack, throwing acid on them, cutting off their limbs, flaying them alive, etc. etc., all while they writhe in agony and scream. Makes a pretty picture, doesn't it?
Don't you find it creepy that this guy plays it all day long? I really feel that some fantasies don't have to be fulfilled... we shouldn't go there, even if that sort of game will have no effect on most of us.
No, of course not. It'd be a very big deal because someone was actually harmed.
Prove it. I'm sure it's possible to find 12 year olds that are having sex. Offer them money to record motion capture info, and you're set.
But I still disagree with a game like this. I don't think it's safe to let people indulge in... certain fantasies. I couldn't give a crap about a game where you have sex - it's the age thing that worries me.
Raping those poor pixels and imaginary children may not matter, but it certainly is easier and harder to detect than stalking someone, don't you think?
It's like that freak that tried to kill someone after watching Dexter. Plant a seed, watch it grow. There's many people with messed up soil, but without the seed they probably won't turn into murders/rapists/thieves/etc.
Mind you, it is possible to turn the soil. Catch a kid stealing candy in the act, and punish them, and they're far less likely to become thieves later in life. I'm not sure how well that'd work with a Rapist or Murderer... it's not something I'd want to check through experimentation.
And how would you go about removing an Array containing a bunch of BufferedImage objects?
I'm pretty sure the garbage collector isn't going to just wipe them out on the off chance they aren't used. When I don't need them anymore, I null them out, and hope it frees the memory soon after.
My computer is green, but I built it based on cost and wanting to play L4D.
I have an Athlon X2 4000($70?), Asus M3N78 Pro($120), 2x1GB of RAM ($15), 8800GS ($45), a Corsair HX620 ($100), and a 640GB WD HDD($110).
Those prices are from around when I built it, which is just about a year back, and are in CAD.
Just recently I picked up a Kill-A-Watt. It turns out it consumes 170 watts when playing L4D. But if I shut off my monitor, that drops to about 135w. Then I shut off my speakers, 128w. Then I exit from L4D to the desktop, and it only consumes ~85 watts.
Oh yeah, I'm overclocked to 2.6ghz. Turns out it really isn't that hard to make a green PC that plays your target game. Mine only cost ~$500 and it does the job just fine.
My advice - go with a reputable PSU brand. That'd be Corsair, Seasonic, Silverstone, or PC P&C. Seasonic makes the most efficient power supplies, and Silverstone the most stable. (According to oscilloscopes) Corsair rebrands Seasonsic PSUs, and PC P&C is well known for making great(but noisy and not so efficient) single-rail PSUs, which are wonderful for heavy overclockers.
I did it to a million, and stuck it in another loop to a million, inside another loop to a million.
It finished in 0 milliseconds, according to the horrible precision timer.
Maybe something is wrong with your configuration. I've found Java to be far smarter than C++ compilers when it comes to optimizations when the -server flag is enabled.
Sun didn't "quietly edit" the release notes; they announced it [sun.com] publicly and appologized for having been unclear (which seems like a bit dishonest, but not quiet).
It was established in the prior slashdot post ranting about it that it was just headline mongering. Nobody commenting had trouble understanding the true meaning.
But as usual, anything Java is SLOW, EVIL, BAD and out to steal your monies!
Yeah, I remember reading up on finalization before I even knew Java's syntax. I decided to create a method in every class - "deleteMe", which nulls everything out when called.
I'm sure the garbage collector cleans it up soon after. Good enough. Has worked fine ever since.
Slashdot Mirror
Oh, I'm sorry - I didn't realize the E6300 and E8400 had integrated memory controllers. ;)
Here I thought they'd get a performance boost from the benchmarks being DDR3!
Notice that we are making some assumptions here that may not be entirely valid. For instance, we've priced the Socket AM3 Phenom II processors on a Socket AM2+ motherboard with DDR2 memory, though we tested most of them with DDR3 memory. As you may have noticed, memory type didn't make much difference at all to the performance of the Phenom II X4 810
and we expect the story will be similar for the rest. In the same vein, we priced the Core 2 processors with DDR2 memory, though we tested them with DDR3. Our goal in selecting these components was to settle on a standard platform for each CPU type with a decent price-performance ratio, not to exactly replicate our sometimes-exotic test systems.
"and we expect the story will be similar for the rest."
You expect that, huh? Based on what? My experience with Intel processors has always been that they're memory starved. Core i7 may be a huge improvement, but please provide me proof. After all, DDR3 is more expensive, Core i7 CPUs are more expensive, and Core i7 boards are more expensive. It adds up to a 50% jump in cost. (~$500 -> ~$750+)
I'd like to know whether that was factored in - but the quote right there makes me think maybe it wasn't?
By their own admission, their results may be skewed in Intel's favour, because they couldn't be bothered benching with the hardware they priced out.
Kids aren't very good at stuff until they practice it a bit. ;)
Most parents have chemicals in their brains that make them want to stay alive for their children.
I think you're missing the key point of a repository: it's a (large) set of software packages that are tested to work together. If you let devs update their packages willy-nilly, you're going to get horrible breakage very quickly.
Lol. :D
Must not be very thorough testing, then. I can't count the number of times some package has been updated and then suddenly all the programs depending on it crash instantly. ;)
For non-breakage, the Windows method is probably best; stick the libraries in the program's folder, and if they go out of date, it doesn't matter, because they still work exactly as expected for as long as that computer has the program installed on it. Programs can use different versions of the same library simultaneously without issue.
Security fixes? Wha? What are those? Well, I suppose any updates for the program could also install runtime/library updates... once the program has been updated to work with the new version... a year or two after it is available. :P
When the company went under, these things showed up on Amazon for $50! For that kind of price, what devout hardware hacker wouldn't pick one up?
Now that they are being produced by a company that needs to survive, I'm guessing the price will go back up? Hopefully not all the way back to the original $200.
No. I argued against that.
Though now that my posts have been modded into the ground, you probably didn't see that.
My point was, we shouldn't be creating content that is likely to be used for creepy fantasies(subjective) of illegal activites.
Nobody can or should be able to hear/stop your thoughts, but society as a whole can discourage/shun certain behaviour or actions.
I wouldn't classify Assassin's Creed as one of the creepy games. It's clearly designed to be a fun platformer. (focused around killing, I suppose)
You're right - the media has done its part to desensitize me to regular killing. But I can still spot when something is totally f*cked up. Mainly when torture or other illegal activities become the primary focus of the game.
At least with stuff like GTA:SA it's the openness that attracts people. You get to do whatever the hell you want. When the single defining element of a game is illegal and quite disturbing, then there may be an issue.
I really feel idiots who think people shouldn't be allowed to do something because it's "creepy" to them should fuck off. There is a *lot* of weird shit out there that people get off to and much of it thoroughly creeps me out, but I'm smart enough to realize that this is an entirely subjective matter and it is not reasonable to deprive a person of something they enjoy, even if they don't absolutely need it, even if it creeps out 99.9% of the population, on such grounds.
Reminds me of when someone told me to google "Scat Lovers". More disgusting(to me) than creepy, but not illegal.
Contrary to popular belief, you do not have the right to do whatever you damn well want. You still have to fit into society. Society has laws. If you want to fantasize about breaking those laws, you are allowed to, but I'm not sure if we should be encouraging it as a society... Some things should be shunned instead. I feel hardcore rape depictions should be. It appears you don't.
Just be aware that if enough people encourage something, it happens, regardless of the law. See: Female circumcision.
According to your logic there's something wrong with the people who watch Dexter.
Actually, I found Dexter's first season to be quite interesting. It got me thinking on a lot of psychology stuff.
But... I don't think I'd watch the uncut "Showtime" version. (Sorry, I'm Canadian - the F*** really gets to me after a while, since I'm not used to it.)
You also missed the time factor that I mentioned. It's one thing to watch the show, and quite another to go back and watch the episodes over and over - focusing on any torture scenes you can find. One promotes thinking in new ways, and the other... well, you get the picture.
If we could monitor the thoughts of every citizen and punish anyone who thinks bad things (like harming others), would it be a good thing for society?
No. Too much power spread to too few. It would only work if the people or AI monitoring our thoughts could be programmed to not take advantage of it, which at the current time is 100% impossible.
Is the act of playing a video game in the privacy of your home sufficiently far removed from the act of fantasizing within one's own mind to warrant being treated differently?
You raise an interesting question, and one that I have not thought about previously, but I shall once I've slept on it. :)
I suppose since I play many online games, I view it as a more social thing by default.
I don't think it's safe to put any person or group of people in charge of deciding which fantasies are permissible.
Me neither. But we already have laws against the real act.
Your worries are not a sufficient reason to constrain the rights of others.
The right to fantasize, daydream, and drool over violating people and committing crimes? I'm pretty sure I missed that right when reading the constitution.
Focus on actual abuse instead, not just things that remind you of abuse.
Things that depict abuse.
Prove it.
No. You prove otherwise. That is how the legal system works in civilized countries: we don't presume guilt.
You got confused by the double negative. I asked him for proof that someone might be hurt by the act of motion capturing sex.
You're saying that no proof is required. (not your intent)
If people do have certain fantasies, ain't it better to give them way to realize them in virtual world? Just like people who cannot be achiever in real life drown in MMOs, have would-be rapists drown in these games?
I'm going to bet it's more like smoking, or drugs. Once you get your first hit, and all those endorphins or other hormones go off, you want more!
Even better: Ownership of these games can be used to identify dangerous people. Sure, they can have them, they are not hurting anyone. But as long as police/whoever knows they own those games, well ... would-be rapist will know he is gonna be first one to be investigated should something happen.
If that isn't a privacy violation, strike me down right now please.
You can find anything on the Internet. :D
And you're right - like all porn, I'm sure it's been around for a long time. I'm still not sure I want it in my mainstream media, though.
There's a difference between a depiction of someone getting raped(Ex: Law & Order: SVU), and a video or game that lets someone fantasize about the act - and perhaps even spins it to be fun or positive.
Which further proves my point that nobody would be harmed. :)
You are correct.
Yes indeed. Murder is all around us now, and there's not much we can do about it. Every day a crazy person somewhere Sees and Does.
But how many shows or games do you know of that visually depict Rape? The cork is still in the bottle, but for how long?
Indeed, but when most of us "kill" or "murder" said characters, we're playing games like TF2 or L4D. Games where you can have an arrow sticking through your head and keep on going, or your only worry is getting eaten by zombies. Not very realistic.
Now, lets say you knew someone in college, and he spent most of his day playing a single player game where you murder people. Lets say it has superior graphics to the current stuff - at least as good as Crysis.
The primary objective is to abduct and subdue people in different ways, take them to a hideout, and then murder them. Lets say you have options like... carving them up, strangling them, pulling them apart on a Rack, throwing acid on them, cutting off their limbs, flaying them alive, etc. etc., all while they writhe in agony and scream. Makes a pretty picture, doesn't it?
Don't you find it creepy that this guy plays it all day long? I really feel that some fantasies don't have to be fulfilled... we shouldn't go there, even if that sort of game will have no effect on most of us.
No, of course not. It'd be a very big deal because someone was actually harmed.
Prove it. I'm sure it's possible to find 12 year olds that are having sex. Offer them money to record motion capture info, and you're set.
But I still disagree with a game like this. I don't think it's safe to let people indulge in... certain fantasies. I couldn't give a crap about a game where you have sex - it's the age thing that worries me.
They're worried about escalation.
Raping those poor pixels and imaginary children may not matter, but it certainly is easier and harder to detect than stalking someone, don't you think?
It's like that freak that tried to kill someone after watching Dexter. Plant a seed, watch it grow. There's many people with messed up soil, but without the seed they probably won't turn into murders/rapists/thieves/etc.
Mind you, it is possible to turn the soil. Catch a kid stealing candy in the act, and punish them, and they're far less likely to become thieves later in life. I'm not sure how well that'd work with a Rapist or Murderer... it's not something I'd want to check through experimentation.
And how would you go about removing an Array containing a bunch of BufferedImage objects?
I'm pretty sure the garbage collector isn't going to just wipe them out on the off chance they aren't used. When I don't need them anymore, I null them out, and hope it frees the memory soon after.
If that makes me lazy, then... hurray?
This one flies!
My computer is green, but I built it based on cost and wanting to play L4D.
I have an Athlon X2 4000($70?), Asus M3N78 Pro($120), 2x1GB of RAM ($15), 8800GS ($45), a Corsair HX620 ($100), and a 640GB WD HDD($110).
Those prices are from around when I built it, which is just about a year back, and are in CAD.
Just recently I picked up a Kill-A-Watt. It turns out it consumes 170 watts when playing L4D. But if I shut off my monitor, that drops to about 135w. Then I shut off my speakers, 128w. Then I exit from L4D to the desktop, and it only consumes ~85 watts.
Oh yeah, I'm overclocked to 2.6ghz. Turns out it really isn't that hard to make a green PC that plays your target game. Mine only cost ~$500 and it does the job just fine.
My advice - go with a reputable PSU brand. That'd be Corsair, Seasonic, Silverstone, or PC P&C. Seasonic makes the most efficient power supplies, and Silverstone the most stable. (According to oscilloscopes) Corsair rebrands Seasonsic PSUs, and PC P&C is well known for making great(but noisy and not so efficient) single-rail PSUs, which are wonderful for heavy overclockers.
for(i=0; i 100000; ++i) { a = 5; }
It handles that fine. (with the < added)
I did it to a million, and stuck it in another loop to a million, inside another loop to a million.
It finished in 0 milliseconds, according to the horrible precision timer.
Maybe something is wrong with your configuration. I've found Java to be far smarter than C++ compilers when it comes to optimizations when the -server flag is enabled.
Sun didn't "quietly edit" the release notes; they announced it [sun.com] publicly and appologized for having been unclear (which seems like a bit dishonest, but not quiet).
It was established in the prior slashdot post ranting about it that it was just headline mongering. Nobody commenting had trouble understanding the true meaning.
But as usual, anything Java is SLOW, EVIL, BAD and out to steal your monies!
Yeah, I remember reading up on finalization before I even knew Java's syntax. I decided to create a method in every class - "deleteMe", which nulls everything out when called.
I'm sure the garbage collector cleans it up soon after. Good enough. Has worked fine ever since.