I've actually had that happen before. I never installed the drivers for my touchpad on my laptop (I use a usb mouse). A couple days after my install was finished, I accidentally pressed one of the touchpad buttons and lo and behold...
"New Hardware Found!"
And yes, I did have to reboot. Now my cursor jumps randomly whenever I glide over the pad. Yay.
Agreed. I still wince when I see Crash Bandicoot:Wrath of Cortex in game stores. I rented that once, and the load times made it absolutely unplayable. Sad, since my girlfriend would have really enjoyed that game.
I am a programmer, and I know there are techniques to avoid this, but it takes some design thinking, and of course, time.
GTA and GTA:VC do this beautifully (especially VC) for huge environments, and Jak and Daxter does it even better (which they mostly acheived while using LISP, if you can believe that).
If there are game developers out there, please listen:"Load times suck. Long load times may not decrease sales, but they will decrease your company's image. Oh, and hire me will you? I'll fix the load times. Swear."
I believe there is a piece of the puzzle we are missing here. I'm sure that many companies out there would like to do more with their websites, but can't because of the many problems with IE. There must be some companies out there who are MS-friendly that have been telling MS "Can we please get transparent pngs? Oh, and we've been trying to make our new site (with obligatory MS portal) look nice with CSS but IE is not capable of it, and is blocking our development."
Although I believe MS is a bit concerned about losing market share, I doubt that is a motivator. The competing browsers are light years ahead of IE and they have yet to make a significant impact on the number of IE users. It would take a browser going ludicrous speed to make MS revamp IE based on market share alone.
It's even possible there are some MS friendly companies that have secretly been wishing they could make their websites useful for both Windows and (gasp!) those techy Linux gurus.
It's discouraging to see someone actually selling a Linux laptop that doesn't even support all of it's own hardware. Yes, it's a minor 56k modem, and it does 3D, but can't we step back a second? Ship a 2D laptop that can run any flavor of Linux, then work on getting the way cool features to work.
This is also similar to cell phone companies striving for
3D gaming on phones whilst I still can't get a clear signal on my cell phone in common areas. "Form following function" is the design principle to emulate. Perhaps we should change that to "Features following fixing the function."
Or, as I call it, "F**k with it after it's finished."
Your USB devices are not "distro dependent", but are "kernel dependent". There is no reason that it might work on one distribution and not on another.
Distro dependent is approximately equal to kernel dependent when we are discussing Linux desktop installation. Certain distro's have certain kernels with certain patches, and autoload certain modules. In other words, not all distro's install the same kernel. My wireless NIC requires a certain version of wireless tools, and on some kernels even requires a patched module. The end result that lack of vendor support means a variety of alternatives that may or may not work and I have to decide which one. This illustrates the largest issue of Linux: choice. There are thousands of programs I can use, that's great, and certainly better than windows, however, without community support, I have to try many of those alternatives and fail before I find something that works.
It takes 30 minutes just to install device drivers...Reboot...Install 250 service packs. Reboot reboot...
Service packs/security updates and rebooting are annoying:agreed. I have slipstreamed SPs as the sibling article states to alleviate this somewhat. It's still a pain though. As to drivers though, on an unknown system installing Linux, audio drivers require a similar process of "install module, test audio in 3 different types of apps, uninstall module, try another" etc (I still can't get the damn flash plugin to play audio at normal speed though). The big difference is that if you are installing Linux on your own known system with drivers you know to work, that's great, but rarely do I have do any kind of research on Windows boxes I know very little about.
You're never done with Windows in 30 minutes. With Slackware, for me, it's a 20 minute install...
Actually, I did it for my brother last week in about 40 minutes (WinXP + OfficeXp). I haven't tried Slackware in a few years, maybe I'll give it a shot. However, I suspect the speed of your install is largely dependent on your knowledge of the hardware, whereas in Windows such knowledge is a lot less important
Don't forget I love my Linux systems, and my Gentoo box is my current favorite. However, I still believe Linux won't be ready to challenge Windows on the desktop until including Linux drivers with the hardware becomes more commonplace.
This is very on point. If you're a linux power user, I defy you to put a video on your website of you installing linux. I've heard people say here they can do it in 20 minutes. I'm basically Joe Average when it comes to linux, but I've never done a *full* install (with sound, samba, and cable modem/wireless) in less than *2 days*.
Show me a video of you installing XP (30 minutes) and then a video of you installing a version of Linux with the same functionality in a comparable amount of time. You might be able to do it, but let me tell you I'm certainly not there yet.
Keep in mind I've been trying to get rid of my Windows totally for about 2 years now. My biggest problem is always device drivers. Getting support for my usb devices is always difficult, and I still can't seem to get drivers for my gba development flash cable. My little keychain USB drive is also hit or miss depending on the distro.
I would love to ditch Windows forever, but let's face it, without proper vendor support, it's just not going to be as simple as XP.
Just to head off the inevitable anti-win comments: Yes, it will be less secure for whatever reasons. Yes, I won't have a webserver installed. Yes, I won't be able to natively ssh to the box. Yes, I'll have to spend 5 minutes turning off annoying graphical options.
At the end of the 30 min XP install though, I will be able to browse the web, share files, use all of my hardware, and both share my printer and use others. All without ever having to look into the innards of my box.
Yes, StarCraft's protection is not all that intrusive. However, would you want to find your Office CD everytime you wanted to open up Word?
It's a computer game, I have a huge hard drive, it should install completely. It is *not* a console game. Many games do this and it really ticks me off when I have to search for CDs.
I should not have to prove to my computer that I own the game everytime I want to play it, period. The 'protection' does little to those who pirate the game, again, only annoys legitimate users.
We've gone over this countless times. You are 100% correct, pirates will pirate, regardless of protection. I remember my pirated copy of 3DStudio MAX, which was cracked despite requiring a bunch of serials and an actual hardware dongle.
The end 'legitimate' user will always pay the price of hacked-up protection schemes. I still install my warezed copy of starcraft instead of the copy I bought. Searching for the CD for a game that completely installs on my drive is just annoying.
Companies don't understand this, and for some reason it seems they never will. Or perhaps they just don't care. Either way, we should just let the subject die, or come up with a better way for users to benefit from protection.
"..you need to buy an extra "output adapter" and "remote control" to unlock all its features - but that's only to make up on the money lost by MS on the base system..."
Actually, making the remote control as a seperate purchase was a slick way to avoid paying licenses to the DVD consortium (or whateverTF they're called). At first I thought this was stupid, but now I realize it makes sense. You would have to pay another $15-20 per Xbox if they shipped it as a viable DVD player, and what if I don't want another DVD player? If I do want that feature, I buy it for a nominal fee. It's a great solution. When the XBox does drop low enough for me to consider making it my 3rd console, I don't need a 3rd DVD player, and don't incur the cost.
As to the extra video cables, that's just the sellers choice. Their are currently 4 ways to hook a console up to a TV (RF, Composite, SVideo, and Component), and I don't mind the fact that they don't ship every console with all 4 different types of cables. That also doesn't really count as an Xbox 'weak spot', since the other consoles also do the same.
Oh, and I try very hard to avoid excessive bias. Case in point, I don't own an XBox, still think it's an awkward, although interesting duck, yet will defend it's good points.
"... but that's only to make up on the money lost by MS on the base system."
So in conclusion, no.
Re:Definately a bad choice on the part of the devs
on
A New Look For Firefox
·
· Score: 1
Winamp users are now pretty much only 'power users'. I don't know any average joe's who use winamp anymore. Windows Media player plays their illegal mp3s for the moment, and that's good enough for them.
Nights needs to make it into someone's hall of belated fame. That game was spectaculary done in all levels. Music, level design, graphics, hell it even introduced an analog controller to the Saturn.
If I recall correctly, it was the first really widely adopted analog controller. Sorta widely anyway.
Notable mention also goes to 'hidden keys' which you had to place a piece of red plastic over to read.
First place for 'Nostalgic Interactive Copy Protections of the Past' definetly goes to decoder wheels though. Rocket ranger was one of my favorite wheels. Useless, as the game sucked, but the wheel was fun.:)
"Microsoft sells a lot of upgrade and retail copies to hobbyists...That is a *lot* of copies"
Well, I'm sure it is a lot, but as far as percentage of total Windows sales (including OEMS), how much?
I'll be generous, let's call that 10%, that's barely enough to even consider in a CEO meeting. If said meeting has good donuts, I think MS would consider the 'hobbyist' market pretty much insignificant. The only possible use I see MS getting out of having Windows in every Staples and Best Buy in the country is to keep the brand on peoples mind, because I know for a fact most computer users do not understand what Windows is, or why they need it.
Feel free to prove me wrong, as I would love to see a breakdown of where the largest share of Windows revenue comes from. My money is on OEMs to homes, with Corporate OEMs being a close second, and 'Retail' not even being a pie crust.
Yeah, a lot of people are talking about restocking. It really doesn't matter, because I can honestly never recall seeing an open slot. Ever. Even if they are only empty boxes.
I just think that someone, somewhere, should be taking a copy of the 'Best Selling OS in the World' up to the register to buy. That's my only point on that.
Coincidentally, my grocery store never seems to have enough bananas. Maybe they should just put up an empty box with a picture of a banana, then I could bring that to the register.:)
I am wondering how many 'regular users' go out and buy a copy of Windows at the store. They retail for about $250-300, and I never see a shelf with a slot missing. Every single user that I know that has windows, got it with their computer.
So how many *retail* copies of Windows does MS sell?
It's rare that I encounter a pirated copy of Windows anymore, except on home made PCs. The funny part is, those that pirate usually have the key written on the CD. In contrast, whenever I have to reinstall at a relatives with their legitimate copy, they never can find their key.
Microsoft should just go back to the C64 days of 'What is the third word of the fifth paragraph on the fifteenth page of your EULA?'
This is, of course, assuming any printed copy of the EULA would be kept by Joe User. Estimates vary.
That window haunts my dreams. I keep clicking it though. I'm hoping that after perhaps a zillion clicks it'll open up an easter egg which fills my bookmarks with free pr0n.
"Factor in the reduction in bad press that MS gets every time there's a worm..."
Where is this bad press Microsoft is getting? I keep hearing about it on/., but when I watch the news I only hear about "potential viruses" or "security vulnerabilities". The name "Microsoft" only comes up in telling the user how to check if they have one. The point is, the mainstream media basically just assumes everyone has windows, and virus reports are treated like thunderstorm warnings. Informative, but no one get's sued after a thunderstorm.
Read this article about the Sasser virus from CNN and see how much "blame" is given to MS. I can't find any. This
is typical. Computer viruses are too easily associated with biological viruses which, like thunderstorms, are treated more as an 'act of god' then as improper design.
Ever see a headline that said "SARS Virus Infects 100s in China, Designer of Human Beings Believed to be 'Slacking.'" I haven't.
I do a lot of repair work for everyday users. While they currently *sell* 3+ Ghz computers on average, that doesn't mean that is the average computer *in use*. People are simply not upgrading unless they have to. The 'average' computer I work on is about a 500mhz Celeron.
You see, people who aren't slashdot reading techies only upgrade their computers when their is a tangible benefit. I.e. they need to upgrade to use their new digital camera, or upgrade so they can get a new cd burner. There really are a scant few people out there who bought a computer at best buy and now feel they need an upgrade.
Interestingly, this is not true of cell phones. I know of 3 people who cannot explain to me why they replaced their cell phone with a newer $150+ model. I'm not talking picture phones, I'm talking these people were attracted to basically the pretty pictures on the color phone.
3DO did this, and I loved the idea. It was called the 3DO Blaster, and marketed by Creative.
Basically it was a 3DO (which, for you youngins, was a game system) on a card.
It was a brilliant idea, but mostly was made possible by 3DO's creative 'hardware licensing' model. Manufacturers paid 3DO a fee, and they could make any console they wanted that played 3DO games.
The two problems that probably killed the 3DO Blaster were the fact that you could only use the 3DO blaster with Panasonic's cd-rom drive, and it came out almost precisely at the start of 3DO's decline.
So Microsoft has two available plans for dealing with those old and outmoded '98 boxes.
Plan A: 1. Issue security patch for 98 (COSTS MS $) 2. Fix issues caused by hackers examining patches and determining new exploits. (COST MS TIME AND $) 3. Goto 1
Or, there is another way...
Plan B: 1. Issue bulletins telling those 25% of the home user base that their systems are insecure. 2. Sell new copies of an OS to those 25% peoples. 3. PROFIT!!!! 4. Issue new bulletins telling those that upgraded that their *new* replacement OS is insecure. 5. Goto 2
Yep, Plan B has a few more steps, but in the end I think even the silliest would choose that route, provided they could get away with it.
"...Above all else, remember that no console has removed major hardware functionality yet..."
*Almost* true. I'm still pissed that my GBA SP needs an adapter for the headphones. Unlike the GB/GBA.
Yea, a large problem with removing the HDD is the backwards-compatibility issue. The NextBox is going to be *mostly* like the XBox, but not quite. This will be the first time in console history (if they maintain compatibility) that a console will be a 'sort of' upgrade. I look forward to seeing how MS pulls this off.
Slashdot Mirror
I've actually had that happen before. I never installed the drivers for my touchpad on my laptop (I use a usb mouse). A couple days after my install was finished, I accidentally pressed one of the touchpad buttons and lo and behold...
"New Hardware Found!"
And yes, I did have to reboot. Now my cursor jumps randomly whenever I glide over the pad. Yay.
I feel like Britney is stealing from me every time I hear her songs on the radio. It's like my soul is just a little smaller.
Then I see videos of her practicing in sweats. Alright, we're even.
You should so be modded Insightful and Funny. Shortest reply, longest laugh.
"...MythTV will be indistinguishable from "Movie Pirates" in the MPAA's eyes..."
Ahem. They prefer to be called buccaneer americans.
I mean honestly, the insensitivity of some people.
Agreed. I still wince when I see Crash Bandicoot:Wrath of Cortex in game stores. I rented that once, and the load times made it absolutely unplayable. Sad, since my girlfriend would have really enjoyed that game.
I am a programmer, and I know there are techniques to avoid this, but it takes some design thinking, and of course, time.
GTA and GTA:VC do this beautifully (especially VC) for huge environments, and Jak and Daxter does it even better (which they mostly acheived while using LISP, if you can believe that).
If there are game developers out there, please listen:"Load times suck. Long load times may not decrease sales, but they will decrease your company's image. Oh, and hire me will you? I'll fix the load times. Swear."
I believe there is a piece of the puzzle we are missing here. I'm sure that many companies out there would like to do more with their websites, but can't because of the many problems with IE. There must be some companies out there who are MS-friendly that have been telling MS "Can we please get transparent pngs? Oh, and we've been trying to make our new site (with obligatory MS portal) look nice with CSS but IE is not capable of it, and is blocking our development."
Although I believe MS is a bit concerned about losing market share, I doubt that is a motivator. The competing browsers are light years ahead of IE and they have yet to make a significant impact on the number of IE users. It would take a browser going ludicrous speed to make MS revamp IE based on market share alone.
It's even possible there are some MS friendly companies that have secretly been wishing they could make their websites useful for both Windows and (gasp!) those techy Linux gurus.
Yeah, that little snippet gave me concerns too.
Especially since we just had a discussion about Linux on the desktop, and the problem of vendor support.
It's discouraging to see someone actually selling a Linux laptop that doesn't even support all of it's own hardware. Yes, it's a minor 56k modem, and it does 3D, but can't we step back a second? Ship a 2D laptop that can run any flavor of Linux, then work on getting the way cool features to work.This is also similar to cell phone companies striving for 3D gaming on phones whilst I still can't get a clear signal on my cell phone in common areas. "Form following function" is the design principle to emulate. Perhaps we should change that to "Features following fixing the function."
Or, as I call it, "F**k with it after it's finished."
Your USB devices are not "distro dependent", but are "kernel dependent". There is no reason that it might work on one distribution and not on another.
Distro dependent is approximately equal to kernel dependent when we are discussing Linux desktop installation. Certain distro's have certain kernels with certain patches, and autoload certain modules. In other words, not all distro's install the same kernel. My wireless NIC requires a certain version of wireless tools, and on some kernels even requires a patched module. The end result that lack of vendor support means a variety of alternatives that may or may not work and I have to decide which one. This illustrates the largest issue of Linux: choice. There are thousands of programs I can use, that's great, and certainly better than windows, however, without community support, I have to try many of those alternatives and fail before I find something that works.
It takes 30 minutes just to install device drivers...Reboot...Install 250 service packs. Reboot reboot...
Service packs/security updates and rebooting are annoying:agreed. I have slipstreamed SPs as the sibling article states to alleviate this somewhat. It's still a pain though. As to drivers though, on an unknown system installing Linux, audio drivers require a similar process of "install module, test audio in 3 different types of apps, uninstall module, try another" etc (I still can't get the damn flash plugin to play audio at normal speed though). The big difference is that if you are installing Linux on your own known system with drivers you know to work, that's great, but rarely do I have do any kind of research on Windows boxes I know very little about.
You're never done with Windows in 30 minutes. With Slackware, for me, it's a 20 minute install...
Actually, I did it for my brother last week in about 40 minutes (WinXP + OfficeXp). I haven't tried Slackware in a few years, maybe I'll give it a shot. However, I suspect the speed of your install is largely dependent on your knowledge of the hardware, whereas in Windows such knowledge is a lot less important
Don't forget I love my Linux systems, and my Gentoo box is my current favorite. However, I still believe Linux won't be ready to challenge Windows on the desktop until including Linux drivers with the hardware becomes more commonplace.
This is very on point. If you're a linux power user, I defy you to put a video on your website of you installing linux. I've heard people say here they can do it in 20 minutes. I'm basically Joe Average when it comes to linux, but I've never done a *full* install (with sound, samba, and cable modem/wireless) in less than *2 days*.
Show me a video of you installing XP (30 minutes) and then a video of you installing a version of Linux with the same functionality in a comparable amount of time. You might be able to do it, but let me tell you I'm certainly not there yet.
Keep in mind I've been trying to get rid of my Windows totally for about 2 years now. My biggest problem is always device drivers. Getting support for my usb devices is always difficult, and I still can't seem to get drivers for my gba development flash cable. My little keychain USB drive is also hit or miss depending on the distro.
I would love to ditch Windows forever, but let's face it, without proper vendor support, it's just not going to be as simple as XP.
Just to head off the inevitable anti-win comments:
Yes, it will be less secure for whatever reasons.
Yes, I won't have a webserver installed.
Yes, I won't be able to natively ssh to the box.
Yes, I'll have to spend 5 minutes turning off annoying graphical options.
At the end of the 30 min XP install though, I will be able to browse the web, share files, use all of my hardware, and both share my printer and use others. All without ever having to look into the innards of my box.
Meh. Flame on now.
Yes, StarCraft's protection is not all that intrusive. However, would you want to find your Office CD everytime you wanted to open up Word?
It's a computer game, I have a huge hard drive, it should install completely. It is *not* a console game. Many games do this and it really ticks me off when I have to search for CDs.
I should not have to prove to my computer that I own the game everytime I want to play it, period. The 'protection' does little to those who pirate the game, again, only annoys legitimate users.
We've gone over this countless times. You are 100% correct, pirates will pirate, regardless of protection. I remember my pirated copy of 3DStudio MAX, which was cracked despite requiring a bunch of serials and an actual hardware dongle.
The end 'legitimate' user will always pay the price of hacked-up protection schemes. I still install my warezed copy of starcraft instead of the copy I bought. Searching for the CD for a game that completely installs on my drive is just annoying.
Companies don't understand this, and for some reason it seems they never will. Or perhaps they just don't care. Either way, we should just let the subject die, or come up with a better way for users to benefit from protection.
"..you need to buy an extra "output adapter" and "remote control" to unlock all its features - but that's only to make up on the money lost by MS on the base system..."
Actually, making the remote control as a seperate purchase was a slick way to avoid paying licenses to the DVD consortium (or whateverTF they're called). At first I thought this was stupid, but now I realize it makes sense. You would have to pay another $15-20 per Xbox if they shipped it as a viable DVD player, and what if I don't want another DVD player? If I do want that feature, I buy it for a nominal fee. It's a great solution. When the XBox does drop low enough for me to consider making it my 3rd console, I don't need a 3rd DVD player, and don't incur the cost.
As to the extra video cables, that's just the sellers choice. Their are currently 4 ways to hook a console up to a TV (RF, Composite, SVideo, and Component), and I don't mind the fact that they don't ship every console with all 4 different types of cables. That also doesn't really count as an Xbox 'weak spot', since the other consoles also do the same.
Oh, and I try very hard to avoid excessive bias. Case in point, I don't own an XBox, still think it's an awkward, although interesting duck, yet will defend it's good points.
"... but that's only to make up on the money lost by MS on the base system."
So in conclusion, no.
Winamp users are now pretty much only 'power users'. I don't know any average joe's who use winamp anymore. Windows Media player plays their illegal mp3s for the moment, and that's good enough for them.
Nights needs to make it into someone's hall of belated fame. That game was spectaculary done in all levels. Music, level design, graphics, hell it even introduced an analog controller to the Saturn.
If I recall correctly, it was the first really widely adopted analog controller. Sorta widely anyway.
"..make a TEXT FILE and append it into the ISO file structure..."
Or you could just edit the .ini file to not require a CD key, while you're slipstreaming in a new service pack.
*sniff* decoders wheels. Those were the days.
:)
Notable mention also goes to 'hidden keys' which you had to place a piece of red plastic over to read.
First place for 'Nostalgic Interactive Copy Protections of the Past' definetly goes to decoder wheels though. Rocket ranger was one of my favorite wheels. Useless, as the game sucked, but the wheel was fun.
"Microsoft sells a lot of upgrade and retail copies to hobbyists ...That is a *lot* of copies"
Well, I'm sure it is a lot, but as far as percentage of total Windows sales (including OEMS), how much?
I'll be generous, let's call that 10%, that's barely enough to even consider in a CEO meeting. If said meeting has good donuts, I think MS would consider the 'hobbyist' market pretty much insignificant. The only possible use I see MS getting out of having Windows in every Staples and Best Buy in the country is to keep the brand on peoples mind, because I know for a fact most computer users do not understand what Windows is, or why they need it.
Feel free to prove me wrong, as I would love to see a breakdown of where the largest share of Windows revenue comes from. My money is on OEMs to homes, with Corporate OEMs being a close second, and 'Retail' not even being a pie crust.
Yeah, a lot of people are talking about restocking. It really doesn't matter, because I can honestly never recall seeing an open slot. Ever. Even if they are only empty boxes.
:)
I just think that someone, somewhere, should be taking a copy of the 'Best Selling OS in the World' up to the register to buy. That's my only point on that.
Coincidentally, my grocery store never seems to have enough bananas. Maybe they should just put up an empty box with a picture of a banana, then I could bring that to the register.
I am wondering how many 'regular users' go out and buy a copy of Windows at the store. They retail for about $250-300, and I never see a shelf with a slot missing. Every single user that I know that has windows, got it with their computer.
So how many *retail* copies of Windows does MS sell?
It's rare that I encounter a pirated copy of Windows anymore, except on home made PCs. The funny part is, those that pirate usually have the key written on the CD. In contrast, whenever I have to reinstall at a relatives with their legitimate copy, they never can find their key.
Microsoft should just go back to the C64 days of 'What is the third word of the fifth paragraph on the fifteenth page of your EULA?'
This is, of course, assuming any printed copy of the EULA would be kept by Joe User. Estimates vary.
That window haunts my dreams. I keep clicking it though. I'm hoping that after perhaps a zillion clicks it'll open up an easter egg which fills my bookmarks with free pr0n.
"Factor in the reduction in bad press that MS gets every time there's a worm..."
Where is this bad press Microsoft is getting? I keep hearing about it on /., but when I watch the news I only hear about "potential viruses" or "security vulnerabilities". The name "Microsoft" only comes up in telling the user how to check if they have one. The point is, the mainstream media basically just assumes everyone has windows, and virus reports are treated like thunderstorm warnings. Informative, but no one get's sued after a thunderstorm.
Read this article about the Sasser virus from CNN and see how much "blame" is given to MS. I can't find any. This is typical. Computer viruses are too easily associated with biological viruses which, like thunderstorms, are treated more as an 'act of god' then as improper design.
Ever see a headline that said "SARS Virus Infects 100s in China, Designer of Human Beings Believed to be 'Slacking.'" I haven't.
I do a lot of repair work for everyday users. While they currently *sell* 3+ Ghz computers on average, that doesn't mean that is the average computer *in use*. People are simply not upgrading unless they have to. The 'average' computer I work on is about a 500mhz Celeron.
You see, people who aren't slashdot reading techies only upgrade their computers when their is a tangible benefit. I.e. they need to upgrade to use their new digital camera, or upgrade so they can get a new cd burner. There really are a scant few people out there who bought a computer at best buy and now feel they need an upgrade.
Interestingly, this is not true of cell phones. I know of 3 people who cannot explain to me why they replaced their cell phone with a newer $150+ model. I'm not talking picture phones, I'm talking these people were attracted to basically the pretty pictures on the color phone.
Just odd.
3DO did this, and I loved the idea. It was called the 3DO Blaster, and marketed by Creative.
Basically it was a 3DO (which, for you youngins, was a game system) on a card. It was a brilliant idea, but mostly was made possible by 3DO's creative 'hardware licensing' model. Manufacturers paid 3DO a fee, and they could make any console they wanted that played 3DO games.
The two problems that probably killed the 3DO Blaster were the fact that you could only use the 3DO blaster with Panasonic's cd-rom drive, and it came out almost precisely at the start of 3DO's decline.
So Microsoft has two available plans for dealing with those old and outmoded '98 boxes.
Plan A:
1. Issue security patch for 98 (COSTS MS $)
2. Fix issues caused by hackers examining patches and determining new exploits. (COST MS TIME AND $)
3. Goto 1
Or, there is another way...
Plan B:
1. Issue bulletins telling those 25% of the home user base that their systems are insecure.
2. Sell new copies of an OS to those 25% peoples.
3. PROFIT!!!!
4. Issue new bulletins telling those that upgraded that their *new* replacement OS is insecure.
5. Goto 2
Yep, Plan B has a few more steps, but in the end I think even the silliest would choose that route, provided they could get away with it.
"...Above all else, remember that no console has removed major hardware functionality yet..."
*Almost* true. I'm still pissed that my GBA SP needs an adapter for the headphones. Unlike the GB/GBA.
Yea, a large problem with removing the HDD is the backwards-compatibility issue. The NextBox is going to be *mostly* like the XBox, but not quite. This will be the first time in console history (if they maintain compatibility) that a console will be a 'sort of' upgrade. I look forward to seeing how MS pulls this off.