Slashdot Mirror


User: BenJeremy

BenJeremy's activity in the archive.

Stories
0
Comments
831
First seen
Last seen
Profile
(view on slashdot.org)

Comments · 831

  1. Why are the win buttons set so low? on Microsoft To Revamp Windows 10 UI With Upcoming 'Project Neon' Update, Leaked Images Show (mspoweruser.com) · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Has the title bar expanded an inch or two? Why so much wasted vertical space?

    The same idiots who subverted 30 years of UI research at Microsoft are still at it with their inane attempts to enforce a hipster UI on us. I don't need buttons that get lost because they are not clear, multi-colored and where I expect them. I don't need monochrome, abstract icons. I don't need menus IN ALL CAPS.

    Stop changing stuff I've become accustomed to, stuff that makes me productive.

  2. Freesync has nothing to do with color gamut. on AMD Debuts Radeon FreeSync 2 For Gaming Displays With Stunning Image Quality (venturebeat.com) · · Score: 4, Interesting

    One thing is not related to the other.

    Freesync is just a way to handle variant refreshes without screen tearing. Those refreshes can happen faster or slower. If a refresh happens faster than the LCDs can make the transition (which is rare, and only will really be an issue on whole scene changes, and likely you'll never see ghosting anyway), it will still happen.

    That said, Sync tech has to do with human perception of changes that respond more precisely, and eliminating stutter (which happens because the refresh can't occur at the cyclical vertical refresh, which is mostly an artifact of CRT tech anyway). It is frustrating that nvidia has pushed proprietary sync tech that is costly to implement, rather than go with "Free Sync" which only requires firmware changes for most basic monitor controllers.

    It seems like AMD's real push here is to maintain Free Sync capability as monitor manufacturers increase the color gamut and enhance LCD response times.

  3. Re:The title is wrong. 4K != UHD on Lucasfilm Creates A 4K Ultra-HD Restoration of the Original 'Star Wars' (4k.com) · · Score: 1

    What about film grain? I thought there were limitations on resolution based on the original "analog" film because the grain simply doesn't allow you to get more detail... and I thought this was in issue back when we were just talking 1080p, let alone 4k resolutions.

    I can see color space being enhanced, though on a 40 year old film copy, I'd think that something has been lost in time, as well.

  4. Why is this news right now? on US Announces Response To Russian Election Hacking [Update] (reuters.com) · · Score: 1

    Seriously... why couldn't this wait for the actual, you know, measures to be announced before posting? At this point, it's akin to "in a few minutes, something will happen... we don't know what, but here's a news flash to tell you before anything actually occurs!"

  5. So it's another version of AceStream? on BitTorrent Live's 'Cable Killer' P2P Video App Finally Hits iOS (techcrunch.com) · · Score: 1

    AceStream has been around and just works. Lots of streaming sports and live shows, just not much "legit" programming.

  6. Re:Microsoft is positioned for success with c# on Is Microsoft 'Reaping the Rewards' From Open-Sourcing Its .NET Core? (infoworld.com) · · Score: 1

    So wrong.

    The advantage C/C++ has is that it compiles to native language binaries, while C# compiles to "IL" - a "bytecode" type binary. Native binaries will always be faster, but have to be created for each platform by the code maintainer. C# "binaries" work on any platform that has the equivalent .NET framework available, which is pretty much every platform these days (including iOS, Android, Mac and Linux through Mono). IL is interpreted... but at times runs as fast as native code because it may be better optimized.

    C# is actually far more "cross-platform" because the APIs it is built upon are global, whereas C/C++ often has to deal with wide differences in how it interfaces with the underlying platform and processor (C# programmers rarely worry about "big endian/little endian" number architecture, for example). The beauty of game engines is that all the low-level, platform-specific stuff is buried under a common API, so C# "stitches" everything together nicely.

    People need to understand that .NET Core is to C# what "stdlib" is to C/C++, except that .NET Core provides a LOT more functionality, as in several orders of magnitude more. All of that particular code runs as efficiently as any native binaries. Also, don't let the ".NET" fool you into thinking it is an internet-centric API, or that it requires a network connection. The name is merely marketing puffery from a time when associating with the internet was the in thing to do.

  7. Something haters have been saying for 15 years about .NET, and yet nothing has sprung, other than Microsoft selling lots of server licenses and MSDN licenses to big corporations, as well as actually maintaining a presence (albeit small compared to AWS) in the cloud with its Azure platform.

    It would be stupid and pointless for a company to wait this long to "spring a trap" - Oracle notwithstanding, because they've been working the Java legal gravy train for years against Google, and now the rest of their users. The sad fact is some critics refuse to grow up; Microsoft has been making plenty of profit on .NET, they don't need to feed their lawyers in a pointless pursuit of end users or small-time developers when the whole point has been to promote the big dollar items Microsoft sells to corporations around the world. They'll let you play with SharePoint Server, but if you run it in a business capacity, expect to pay 5~6 figures for the privilege. Same goes for IIS or Exchange. Creating a corporate culture based on Microsoft products means they also get to sell copies of Windows desktop OS (whether it's 7 or 10), along with the support contracts and tools.

    Making .NET free just means that as a sales tool, it's a bit sweeter, and with more extensions, more projects, more familiarity with C#, it becomes easier to work on a Microsoft stack... and that makes it an easier sell to the corporate bean counters. That's just good salesmanship. Based on their stock, I'd say Microsoft isn't changing course any time soon, thus has no need to "trap" anybody.

  8. Re:Microsoft is positioned for success with c# on Is Microsoft 'Reaping the Rewards' From Open-Sourcing Its .NET Core? (infoworld.com) · · Score: 1

    Yes, and your point? Unity games are built on C#, mostly. Javascript, aka UnityScript is far more difficult to maintain through the changes in the framework code and tends to be brutally ugly. C# has the added advantage of getting support from Microsoft's own Visual Studio tools.

    While the engine itself is coded "close to the metal" using C/C++ to generate native binaries, all of the game in Unity (and a good chunk of the editor, as well) logic relies strictly on C#-generated IL.

  9. This may shock you on Is Microsoft 'Reaping the Rewards' From Open-Sourcing Its .NET Core? (infoworld.com) · · Score: 1

    Outside of Linux (or at least, most flavors of Linux), other operating systems have just as much, if not more "spyware" embedded, and has had it far longer than Windows. You think Google gives Android away without getting its share of "telemetry" and user data? Let's not even discuss Apple and the walled gardens of iOS and MacOS/OSX.

    Most of the stuff Windows sends home is telemetry... debugging information used to gauge performance and recognize ways to improve the OS (most modern operating systems do this).

    User data is just today's profit model. Whether is is apps, operating systems, or hardware, if somebody is giving it away, it is likely because they are making money on the back end. If you don't like it, I hear the Amish are always welcoming new converts to an internet-free, disconnected lifestyle.

  10. Re:not quite correct on Is Microsoft 'Reaping the Rewards' From Open-Sourcing Its .NET Core? (infoworld.com) · · Score: 2

    Did I miss something when I installed node.js on my OS? I was under the impression that javascript code I ran with that is browser-agnostic (though built on Chrome's V8 tech)

  11. Deer crossings on Researchers Find Roads Shatter the Earth's Surface Into 600,000 Fragments (phys.org) · · Score: 4, Funny

    They need to stop putting deer crossings in places with high traffic.

  12. Global warming on Iceland Seeking 'Supercritical Steam' For Power Source (bbc.com) · · Score: 1

    Why deal with the middle man?

  13. An update installed last night and... on New Bug In Windows 10 Anniversary Update Brings Wi-Fi Disconnects (infoworld.com) · · Score: 3, Informative

    ...my keyboard wasn't working. I had to unplug it and re-plug it back in. Annoying. I haven't tried out the WiFi issue yet, because I wire my network connections everywhere possible.

    The keyboard not working is a strange issue, though. I don't need a "fast reboot" option - with my system drive speed, I boot in 6 seconds from power button on to desktop on a cold boot. I don't need sleep mode, hibernation... I just need proper memory management for longer up times.

  14. Will it feature almost daily awkward updates? on AMD's Major Radeon Software Graphics Driver Update Goes Live With Gameplay Capture, More (venturebeat.com) · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Say what you want about nvidia's bloatware, the driver installs are smooth as silk. AMD sends me to a browser page where I must try and figure out what download to select (considering the version numbers never match), then I have to download and install manually.

    Ugh. It's 2016, right? AMD's driver updates make me feel like I've timewarped to 1997.

  15. I love to numbers too! on Apple, Which Doesn't Reveal Watch Sales Data, Says Watch Sales Are Great (mashable.com) · · Score: 1

    Nice to see I'm in good company.

  16. h.265 is where it's at, excerpt a lot of devices don't support it yet.

    Still, at a quarter the bandwidth for the same quality, it should be the target, if supported.

    As for savings using h.264... what the hell were they using as a codec before?

  17. Incorrect headline on Crooks Need Just Six Seconds To Guess A Credit Card Number (independent.co.uk) · · Score: 0

    Geez.... they can't guess your CC# - only your CVV and Expiration Date in 6 seconds.

    The headline is grossly incorrect clickbait. Shame on you, Slashdot, but I know EditorDavid has no shame, nor any journalistic integrity.

  18. Deadly instructions... on Boot Camp Might Damage Speakers on 2016 MacBook Pro (digitaltrends.com) · · Score: 3, Funny

    Is this the guilty command in the boot loader?

    POKE 59458,62

  19. When the info leaks.... on The UK Is About to Legalize Mass Surveillance [Update] (vice.com) · · Score: 2

    It's not a matter of IF but WHEN hackers start leaking embarrassing information on the Royals and members of the government, all collected as part of this program, that their tune may change.

    Until then, the "Free world" seems to be engaged in a race to Orwell's vision of Big Brother.

  20. Re:I don't get it, or it's about miserable games on In 5 Years, Games Experience Will Move From Discrete To Indiscrete, Says EA CEO (theverge.com) · · Score: 1

    It's about an executive who has lots of preconceived notions about how "the future of gaming" will exist, and how his company will monetize that future... and too focused on his own experience to consider anything else.

    This is dangerous, from a business perspective; a smaller business would probably simply struggle to survive or go under, but unfortunately for us, a company the size of EA will drive the market. Sure, a lot of his ideas are impractical and even impossible, but he'll push enough of this sort of garbage on the public, who will buy the next Sims and Battlefield games and have to suffer through his crappy "social interaction" nonsense.

    They'll pay off journalists and cherry pick focus group commentaries to support their ideas and blame developers when it comes out buggy or nonfunctional... or consumers simply reject it out of hand.

    It's OK to be visionary... it's not to simply think you are visionary and force everybody else to follow through because you are the boss.

  21. Re:Concurrent users vs installations on US Navy Denies Pirating Software on 550K Computers, Says It Had Bought Licenses For 38 Machines (arstechnica.com) · · Score: 4, Informative

    Yeah, when deployed, seats cannot be pinging the internet over a ship's intranet (and the severely limited internet connection), it's seen as a security threat, and from my own experience working on the NMCI contract, vendors WILL hear about it.

  22. Connected Car and more on Samsung To Acquire Connected Car Firm Harman For $8 Billion (thestack.com) · · Score: 2

    I interviewed with Harman (I have a couple of ex-colleagues who work there) and Red Bend a while back. It's not a bad acquisition for Samsung, and will give them more than a foot in the door with automotive technologies. Some of the tech (particularly Red Bend's OTA update tech) is transferable to mobile devices, as well.

  23. Big difference... on Telco CEO: Consumers Have 'Double Standards' Over Data Privacy (thestack.com) · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I PAY my ISP or Cell provider, so I don't expect them to try and make even MORE money off of my data. Google and Facebook are "free" services, and we are well aware of the fact that they are using our data (and act accordingly, if we are concerned)

  24. Earth-centric nonsense on Slashdot Asks: Is It Time To Dump Time Zones In Favor of Coordinated Universal Time? (nytimes.com) · · Score: 5, Insightful

    We should be using Stardates. The concept of a 24 hour "day" is quaint and antiquated.

  25. Re:LOL. Click bait is click bait. on Windows 10's Store Locks 'Call of Duty' Purchasers Into Windows-10-Only Battles (vice.com) · · Score: 3, Insightful

    THIS.

    Windows Store isn't somehow magically preventing the game from talking to players on other platforms. This was a conscious decision by Activision to do this. Why? I have no idea, but let's simply skewer Microsoft over Activision's choice and not ask them why this was done.