I think maybe one in six managed to say it was some kind of software for looking at websites on the internet, it was pathetic.
Even if I'm a geek myself, I dont think it's that pathetic. There's so many areas in life that most of people wont know everything. Lots of people cant care about the internet, because its just something they use randomly. Just like both me and you cant care about ponies or different kinds of molecules or all the drama tv series (bold & beautiful) out there. Those who care about them think just the same way; "how cant that person know this stuff!!".
It's the same thing in every area of interest, but it seems to be more of a problem with computer community cos lots of people cant see some other people just aren't interested in the same stuff (no matter how great it is!)
Why MS can't conceive that people don't want a lot of that crap is beyond me.
I dont think "normal people" care that much though. They dont see the difference between IE being still installed but hidden and IE being completely removed from the system. They get to choose another browser tho.
Microsoft has responded by implementing the ballot screen as a web page inside IE.
I wonder how they've could had done it differently. If you provided the install exes along with OS setup, they would be outdated (bad bad thing in browsers). They could had made another protocol that tells the setup what browsers to show for the user and setup then downloads it, but whats the point. When it's an actual webpage, there's much more control in updating it, and it would had been pretty useless for MS to develop completely new rendering engine and browser just for that (and MS browser would still had been there). The security warnings are stupid however.
While PHP was originally developed to be a server-side scripting language to generate dynamic websites, it's really capable to work in CLI and even in GUI applications. I do most of my server scripts with it instead of bash or the other popular ones, just because it's a lot more readable and quicker language to work with.
So, you might want to tell me why would I be joking? The only problem currently is that there's no support for multiple processes in PHP and you have to use hacks and forking to accomplish it (not that Flash would have it either). I except this to change at some point too, and with iPhone it's hardly a problem as you cant even run multiple apps at the same time.
Sure, you cant do the next Crysis with it, but I can think of many kinds of games especially on mobile phones that would work great. On top of that PHP-GTK's and other frameworks drawing functions are fast.
WinBinder is one of such extension for PHP that provides easy access to Windows API's and builds an exe from it.
One of the powers in PHP is it's huge build-in function library (+ extensions) which really makes developing and programming faster and more fun, when you dont need to hunt such functions or libraries from Google or make the functions yourself (which in most cases probably aren't as good optimized). I always wish other languages would have such by default (c/c++ especially is pain in the ass and all the dependencies just create problems when moving from environment to another).
Flash might be great for action games, but I'd really like to see support for PHP in some mobile phone. There's already PHP-GTK and several other frameworks that let you do it in Windows/Linux. Powerful, and still easily learned and used language would make wonders in mobile development (man does Symbian C++ suck) and because PHP has so many functions and api's build-in, it would be easy to program lots of things quickly for your phone.
AT&T receives goverment aids so the rural area's get supported too, and then by law they have to support them. Google doesn't receive any money to run the *free* service, and they couldn't provide it as free if they had to support calls to those rural areas too (who are obviously abusing the system with their premium priced sex lines and so on)
Google could always make a system where users could call to those areas with credit so users cover the costs themself, but I dont see why they would need to.
As usual on slashdot regarding patents, everyone forgets that they are quite explicit about the actual patent claims. Atleast these hit my eye:
13. The processing device of claim 8, wherein the memory further comprises instructions for changing a type of a license from a first type to a second type.
14. The processing device of claim 8, wherein the memory further comprises instructions for changing a time-based license to a perpetual license based on a number of activations of the time-based license.
15. A tangible machine-readable medium having instructions recorded thereon for at least one processor, the instructions comprising:instructions for validating and using a received time-based license of any one of a plurality of types, the time-based license having a plurality of configurable parameters defining properties of the time-based license; andinstructions for displaying, an amount of time before a valid time-based license expires.
16. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for providing a user interface to permit a user to enter time-based license commands and to view information with respect to a time-based license.
17. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for displaying to a user a message warning of an impending license expiration at predetermined time periods before a time-based license expires.
18. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further comprise:instructions for granting a right to use a fully enabled software product associated with the time-based license when the time-based license has remaining time, andinstructions for not granting the right to use the fully enabled software product when the time-based license has no remaining time.
19. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further comprise:instructions for displaying information regarding a time-based license, andinstructions for executing the instructions for displaying an amount of time before a valid time-based license expires, at a predetermined time period before expiration of the valid time-based license.
20. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further comprise:instructions for providing an application program interface for an application to request activation of a time-based license.
And like is even stated in the patent description:
[0002]Some existing systems issue licenses for a predetermined period of time. However, the systems are not flexible enough to issue licenses suitable for a number of different licensing business models.
Read the whole thing before jumping into stupid conclusions.
Released early 2005. It includes many new security related features, particularly a controversial platform security module facilitating mandatory code signing. Symbian argues that applications and content, and therefore a developer's investment, are better protected than ever; however others contend that the requirement that every application be signed (and thus approved) violates the rights of the end-user, the owner of the phone, and limits the amount of free software available.
As compared to US market, in Europe it has been pretty common to buy your phone from store and *then* get a contract for it (or prepaid, refillable SIM card). The "make a contract with us, get a phone and pay for it monthly" came maybe 4-5 years ago, and they're not still even locked the operator you bought it from - you can switch to another operator and just pay the monthly price for the phone.
Interestingly, iPhone changed this a little bit in Europe where people haven't got used to it. It was exclusively available from single operators per country and you had to make a contract with them too. A bad market for Apple.
I rather buy the phone once than get tricked in to paying more to it, but just monthly for a long time. Even more so if its locked to a single operator.
That is why Android will be a lot more succesful in Europe than iPhone is. And what comes to software and the phones supporting Android, theres still only a few phones out and software starting to come out too as the userbase grows. This is different from Apple's way who just made a single phone, so it takes more time to grow.
I wish Symbian would die already, its a horrible system and all apps require certification from Symbian if other users want to run them.
Windows Mobile I still except to stick around, it's quite nice system and you can run any apps on it (I have HTC so I only have experience with their modifications to it, but still)
However it doesn't really come as a surprise that Android is going to climb it's place up, and great that it is. Even if iPhone is a nice phone OS, it's way too locked down, only runs on Apple's closed phones and apps store.
Now you dont need to extend it to the full realism. Make it take 5 seconds to eat, but so that if you're adventuring in a forest and you haven't eaten for a while, you have to decide if you turn back and try to find back to the town or if you try to find some food from the forest (killing beers or other animals, finding apple's etc). And you would need to build your experience and stats in to that so you can actually do it.
I loved Unreal World game as a kid just because it had this kind of system and you actually had to survive too. Game system and mechanics are quite open; you can become a fisherman or hunter, build your camp near some lake and live there and go see the town every once in a while. Getting bored or you pissed your hometown by killing and robbing some guys house? Travel to new locations (and remember not to go back there!). Or take the more usual route and become adventurer and go see what caves have inside them. Damn, now I need to play this again.
Even if you dont, lots of people do. I prefer realism over fantasy/scifi any day. For example Far Cry was a great game.. until the freaking aliens game!
That's why I also like sandbox games. Especially those where I can mess with the environment and see the results. Tycoon games and Civilization & SimCity series are a great example, but they wouldn't be anything without some level of realism in them.
And even in them (and especially in them), you can do the advertising subtly. Include some brands in the Corporations in Civ4. Include McDonald's, Burger Kings and such to be built in SimCity. Just be subtle about it, dont break the game and dont make the ads intrusive to the player. Just have them there for the added realism, and they will still have their advertisement effect.
Make players wait in line to buy items in an MMORPG. Require bathroom breaks or experience loss of social status as characters crap their pants.
Am I the only one who has always wanted to see more such in RPG games (single player or multiplayer)?
I've always hated how the character you're playing never needs to eat, drink, sleep or do something fun once in a while. He always just adventures and fights the bad guys till the campaign is over.
I've always wanted to have a realistic game like that. I even coded some such as a kid (obviously they never got finished, but the basic things we're there). Yeah The Sims is there, but its not exactly an RPG and haven't been fun since Sims 1 came out (and that stopped being fun after a few expansion packs too).
Some games are made to escape reality. But why do I always have to escape some scifi/fantasy/completely unrelated place of real world.
Combine normal "every day in life" things like these with a good, self-thinking AI and it makes a great sandbox game and brings some pause to the constant fighting, massive storytelling and questing in RPG's.
Wonder if you even read what the article and summary is about. It's not about blasting the ads all over you, popping up ads in-game or intrusive methods. It talks about improving the game world by using real world ads too.
Before just jumping to the usual "ADS ARE BAD; I PAID; I DONT WANT ADS; YOU'RE THE REASON WORLD IS A BAD PLACE!" ship, correctly integrated ads in the game world can have their place. Better if it can support the development cost too. Even if it doesn't show in the price tag, then they have bigger budget for the game or their next game (it's hard for them to drop the price below - ~$30 goes to store/distribution chain anyway, so if game costs $60 and they want to drop the price to $45 they drop their income to half).
You have to remember that the ads are integrated in the gameworld. Or atleast should be, not like how Wipeout HD did it.
He has a good point in that if you have a supposedly realistic world and lets say Manhattan or Tokyo, it's not really real without any ads. Surprisingly, fake product names break the illusion too (unless you can do them with humor like in GTA IV - but thats not always the case in more serious games). Real ads can add up to the player experience, if integrated correctly in to the game world.
He is right in that aspect that real-world products, trademarks or ads in real-world game can go towards players experience.
I rather see real Coca-Cola cans coming from the vending machine than some made up or close so "Joca Jola" name. It breaks the illusion.
Even if the gameworld doesn't take place in real world, but lets say future, it can still count for the user experience. It improves the scifi experience more when player can think "oh McDonalds is still around" and game designers can put more detail in to the game by coming up with some funky stuff for them.
But this also has the problem that trademark owners usually dont like showing their products in bad light and going even so far that the game is not allowed to break their cars and so on.
It's not a bad idea - but it can be really bad if done incorrectly.
Well haven't Google always used thousands and thousands of normal pc's in their server farms instead of powerful, actual premium server-grade hardware.
Not really a surprise that they tend to break more.
While that is true, there's certainly people who like to have a second pc for other purposes too. If you have a mac, you probably get Windows for its apps and especially games. Most people who have Linux PC (either as a server or a desktop) probably have a Windows PC too because you can't really do everything with Linux. I have a Windows pc and a linux server. I would probably have a Windows pc too if I had only a mac.
You have a point with the household's share, but it certainly counts for individuals too, only a bit less.
Do you understand that the only country by far that has used nuclear weapons is USA? And it wasn't anywhere near the last defence mechanism - it was just to show off (and then killing millions of people).
Slashdot Mirror
I think maybe one in six managed to say it was some kind of software for looking at websites on the internet, it was pathetic.
Even if I'm a geek myself, I dont think it's that pathetic. There's so many areas in life that most of people wont know everything. Lots of people cant care about the internet, because its just something they use randomly. Just like both me and you cant care about ponies or different kinds of molecules or all the drama tv series (bold & beautiful) out there. Those who care about them think just the same way; "how cant that person know this stuff!!".
It's the same thing in every area of interest, but it seems to be more of a problem with computer community cos lots of people cant see some other people just aren't interested in the same stuff (no matter how great it is!)
I'm sure Microsoft could include a small FTP program in the "choose your browser" screen to go retrieve the browsers directly
And just think of what an uproar other FTP program makers will do then.
You really want to have another ballot screen to select your favourite FTP program before the browser ballot screen comes up?
Why MS can't conceive that people don't want a lot of that crap is beyond me.
I dont think "normal people" care that much though. They dont see the difference between IE being still installed but hidden and IE being completely removed from the system. They get to choose another browser tho.
Microsoft has responded by implementing the ballot screen as a web page inside IE.
I wonder how they've could had done it differently. If you provided the install exes along with OS setup, they would be outdated (bad bad thing in browsers). They could had made another protocol that tells the setup what browsers to show for the user and setup then downloads it, but whats the point. When it's an actual webpage, there's much more control in updating it, and it would had been pretty useless for MS to develop completely new rendering engine and browser just for that (and MS browser would still had been there). The security warnings are stupid however.
While PHP was originally developed to be a server-side scripting language to generate dynamic websites, it's really capable to work in CLI and even in GUI applications. I do most of my server scripts with it instead of bash or the other popular ones, just because it's a lot more readable and quicker language to work with.
So, you might want to tell me why would I be joking? The only problem currently is that there's no support for multiple processes in PHP and you have to use hacks and forking to accomplish it (not that Flash would have it either). I except this to change at some point too, and with iPhone it's hardly a problem as you cant even run multiple apps at the same time.
Sure, you cant do the next Crysis with it, but I can think of many kinds of games especially on mobile phones that would work great. On top of that PHP-GTK's and other frameworks drawing functions are fast.
WinBinder is one of such extension for PHP that provides easy access to Windows API's and builds an exe from it.
One of the powers in PHP is it's huge build-in function library (+ extensions) which really makes developing and programming faster and more fun, when you dont need to hunt such functions or libraries from Google or make the functions yourself (which in most cases probably aren't as good optimized). I always wish other languages would have such by default (c/c++ especially is pain in the ass and all the dependencies just create problems when moving from environment to another).
Flash might be great for action games, but I'd really like to see support for PHP in some mobile phone. There's already PHP-GTK and several other frameworks that let you do it in Windows/Linux. Powerful, and still easily learned and used language would make wonders in mobile development (man does Symbian C++ suck) and because PHP has so many functions and api's build-in, it would be easy to program lots of things quickly for your phone.
AT&T receives goverment aids so the rural area's get supported too, and then by law they have to support them. Google doesn't receive any money to run the *free* service, and they couldn't provide it as free if they had to support calls to those rural areas too (who are obviously abusing the system with their premium priced sex lines and so on)
Google could always make a system where users could call to those areas with credit so users cover the costs themself, but I dont see why they would need to.
As usual on slashdot regarding patents, everyone forgets that they are quite explicit about the actual patent claims. Atleast these hit my eye:
13. The processing device of claim 8, wherein the memory further comprises instructions for changing a type of a license from a first type to a second type.
14. The processing device of claim 8, wherein the memory further comprises instructions for changing a time-based license to a perpetual license based on a number of activations of the time-based license.
15. A tangible machine-readable medium having instructions recorded thereon for at least one processor, the instructions comprising:instructions for validating and using a received time-based license of any one of a plurality of types, the time-based license having a plurality of configurable parameters defining properties of the time-based license; andinstructions for displaying, an amount of time before a valid time-based license expires.
16. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for providing a user interface to permit a user to enter time-based license commands and to view information with respect to a time-based license.
17. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for displaying to a user a message warning of an impending license expiration at predetermined time periods before a time-based license expires.
18. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further comprise:instructions for granting a right to use a fully enabled software product associated with the time-based license when the time-based license has remaining time, andinstructions for not granting the right to use the fully enabled software product when the time-based license has no remaining time.
19. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further comprise:instructions for displaying information regarding a time-based license, andinstructions for executing the instructions for displaying an amount of time before a valid time-based license expires, at a predetermined time period before expiration of the valid time-based license.
20. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further comprise:instructions for providing an application program interface for an application to request activation of a time-based license.
And like is even stated in the patent description:
[0002]Some existing systems issue licenses for a predetermined period of time. However, the systems are not flexible enough to issue licenses suitable for a number of different licensing business models.
Read the whole thing before jumping into stupid conclusions.
It's better than the occasional "Hey, I should try installing FreeBSD!" I get when drinking beer on the computer.
This pretty much sums up the image of "nerds party pack" or nerds throwing a fun party.
Sad, but insightful.
This changed in Symbian 9.1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbian_OS#Symbian_OS_9.1
Symbian OS 9.1
Released early 2005. It includes many new security related features, particularly a controversial platform security module facilitating mandatory code signing. Symbian argues that applications and content, and therefore a developer's investment, are better protected than ever; however others contend that the requirement that every application be signed (and thus approved) violates the rights of the end-user, the owner of the phone, and limits the amount of free software available.
As compared to US market, in Europe it has been pretty common to buy your phone from store and *then* get a contract for it (or prepaid, refillable SIM card). The "make a contract with us, get a phone and pay for it monthly" came maybe 4-5 years ago, and they're not still even locked the operator you bought it from - you can switch to another operator and just pay the monthly price for the phone.
Interestingly, iPhone changed this a little bit in Europe where people haven't got used to it. It was exclusively available from single operators per country and you had to make a contract with them too. A bad market for Apple.
I rather buy the phone once than get tricked in to paying more to it, but just monthly for a long time. Even more so if its locked to a single operator.
That is why Android will be a lot more succesful in Europe than iPhone is. And what comes to software and the phones supporting Android, theres still only a few phones out and software starting to come out too as the userbase grows. This is different from Apple's way who just made a single phone, so it takes more time to grow.
I wish Symbian would die already, its a horrible system and all apps require certification from Symbian if other users want to run them.
Windows Mobile I still except to stick around, it's quite nice system and you can run any apps on it (I have HTC so I only have experience with their modifications to it, but still)
However it doesn't really come as a surprise that Android is going to climb it's place up, and great that it is. Even if iPhone is a nice phone OS, it's way too locked down, only runs on Apple's closed phones and apps store.
Now you dont need to extend it to the full realism. Make it take 5 seconds to eat, but so that if you're adventuring in a forest and you haven't eaten for a while, you have to decide if you turn back and try to find back to the town or if you try to find some food from the forest (killing beers or other animals, finding apple's etc). And you would need to build your experience and stats in to that so you can actually do it.
I loved Unreal World game as a kid just because it had this kind of system and you actually had to survive too. Game system and mechanics are quite open; you can become a fisherman or hunter, build your camp near some lake and live there and go see the town every once in a while. Getting bored or you pissed your hometown by killing and robbing some guys house? Travel to new locations (and remember not to go back there!). Or take the more usual route and become adventurer and go see what caves have inside them. Damn, now I need to play this again.
Even if you dont, lots of people do. I prefer realism over fantasy/scifi any day. For example Far Cry was a great game.. until the freaking aliens game!
That's why I also like sandbox games. Especially those where I can mess with the environment and see the results. Tycoon games and Civilization & SimCity series are a great example, but they wouldn't be anything without some level of realism in them.
And even in them (and especially in them), you can do the advertising subtly. Include some brands in the Corporations in Civ4. Include McDonald's, Burger Kings and such to be built in SimCity. Just be subtle about it, dont break the game and dont make the ads intrusive to the player. Just have them there for the added realism, and they will still have their advertisement effect.
Make players wait in line to buy items in an MMORPG. Require bathroom breaks or experience loss of social status as characters crap their pants.
Am I the only one who has always wanted to see more such in RPG games (single player or multiplayer)?
I've always hated how the character you're playing never needs to eat, drink, sleep or do something fun once in a while. He always just adventures and fights the bad guys till the campaign is over.
I've always wanted to have a realistic game like that. I even coded some such as a kid (obviously they never got finished, but the basic things we're there). Yeah The Sims is there, but its not exactly an RPG and haven't been fun since Sims 1 came out (and that stopped being fun after a few expansion packs too).
Some games are made to escape reality. But why do I always have to escape some scifi/fantasy/completely unrelated place of real world.
Combine normal "every day in life" things like these with a good, self-thinking AI and it makes a great sandbox game and brings some pause to the constant fighting, massive storytelling and questing in RPG's.
http://cg.cs.tsinghua.edu.cn/montage/main.htm
Damn slashcode!
Since the link to homepage in the article is some old-dated one, here's a correct one:
And the binaries (it's a few command line programs, so no fancy UI)
Wonder if you even read what the article and summary is about. It's not about blasting the ads all over you, popping up ads in-game or intrusive methods. It talks about improving the game world by using real world ads too.
Before just jumping to the usual "ADS ARE BAD; I PAID; I DONT WANT ADS; YOU'RE THE REASON WORLD IS A BAD PLACE!" ship, correctly integrated ads in the game world can have their place. Better if it can support the development cost too. Even if it doesn't show in the price tag, then they have bigger budget for the game or their next game (it's hard for them to drop the price below - ~$30 goes to store/distribution chain anyway, so if game costs $60 and they want to drop the price to $45 they drop their income to half).
You have to remember that the ads are integrated in the gameworld. Or atleast should be, not like how Wipeout HD did it.
He has a good point in that if you have a supposedly realistic world and lets say Manhattan or Tokyo, it's not really real without any ads. Surprisingly, fake product names break the illusion too (unless you can do them with humor like in GTA IV - but thats not always the case in more serious games). Real ads can add up to the player experience, if integrated correctly in to the game world.
He is right in that aspect that real-world products, trademarks or ads in real-world game can go towards players experience.
I rather see real Coca-Cola cans coming from the vending machine than some made up or close so "Joca Jola" name. It breaks the illusion.
Even if the gameworld doesn't take place in real world, but lets say future, it can still count for the user experience. It improves the scifi experience more when player can think "oh McDonalds is still around" and game designers can put more detail in to the game by coming up with some funky stuff for them.
But this also has the problem that trademark owners usually dont like showing their products in bad light and going even so far that the game is not allowed to break their cars and so on.
It's not a bad idea - but it can be really bad if done incorrectly.
Exactly, and it's a software that manipulates what it displayed on the page, just like AdBlock. There's not really much Google can do about it.
Well haven't Google always used thousands and thousands of normal pc's in their server farms instead of powerful, actual premium server-grade hardware.
Not really a surprise that they tend to break more.
While that is true, there's certainly people who like to have a second pc for other purposes too. If you have a mac, you probably get Windows for its apps and especially games. Most people who have Linux PC (either as a server or a desktop) probably have a Windows PC too because you can't really do everything with Linux. I have a Windows pc and a linux server. I would probably have a Windows pc too if I had only a mac.
You have a point with the household's share, but it certainly counts for individuals too, only a bit less.
Exactly. And this is modded -1? It's insightful. If USA can have them, why not other countries?
Do you understand that the only country by far that has used nuclear weapons is USA? And it wasn't anywhere near the last defence mechanism - it was just to show off (and then killing millions of people).