Technically, I've never ported a full game. I maintained PC versions of my features on a couple of games I worked on, and that was more than enough fun. And yes, I missed a few issues.
But you make my point for me - there are plenty of areas that need extra attention. Even if you right a wrapper, somebody has to write and test the platform specific code - it doesn't write itself. Then there's additional cost for testing, marketing, manufacturing of an extra SKU, and shelf space. You need to sell quite a few copies to make that money back.
Have I ported a game? No, but I did cross-platform development on XBox/GC/PS2/PC, and have seen it on 360/PS3/PC. So I have sort of a clue, I'd like to think. And having/not having OGL was a minor factor in that. The things I mentioned above are all just additional contributors to the porting headache, not the only reasons.
Most of the major players in the PC market might indeed be using Miles/FMod/OAL - but that still doesn't solve the sound problem entirely. Unless you're doing a shitty port, you've got a boatload of additional tasting with interesting hardware combos to do - and the linux market is not big enough to justify that.
And File I/O is most certainly different once you start using memory mapped files, asynchronous reading, etc.
The problem with NK is that they sell their tech to anybody who's willing to pay. That would include terrorists. And it's kind of hard to retaliate against them, as we're finding out. So it seems a wise idea to stop the spread of nuclear weapons to more countries. I believe if you looked for "non-proliferation treaty" you might find that pretty much everybody is trying to do exactly that.
Next up - China. They're not exactly "pursuing" nuke tech - they have it for quite some time. They just have less than we do. I'm sure you meant India & *Pakistan*. We're not happy about either, but neither is run by somebody who's completely insane. As a result, their economy is healthy enough that we simply can't pressure them. Hence, less efforts. (Plus, we need Pakistan for the War On Terror - of course we're making deals when it's in our best interests. Or at least, when we think so)
Let's go to the "who would trust us with nukes" bs. The rest of the world pretty much does, because we've so far shown a remarkable constraint when using them. Yes, we used them at the end of WW2 - to spare a couple of hundred thousand lives a traditional invasion would've cost. Was it a nice thing to do? No, but war is never nice. We haven't done so since then, and up until a few years ago we had fairly sane leaders. That, I think, makes the US a bit more trustworthy than NK. If this was really a US problem only, why do you think China and Russia are in the negotiations?
Which part about "smaller, more reliable arsenal" in the article you cite makes you think we're making even more powerful nukes? I know this is slashdot, but could you at least read the fine articles you quote yourself?
I sugest you actually try porting a game. Yes, OGL/DX is a major factor, but if you think the rest just needs to be recompiled, I suggest you think again.
* Sound on Linux is, well, "a debacle" comes to mind * File I/O is different * Input devices are handled differently * Networking is ever so slightly different. (Go Winsock!:( ) * If you thought DX capability flags are a nightmare, you need to spend more time with OGL vendor extensions
And I'm still waiting for a console actually using OGL. Where'd you get that idea? (Yes, GC is close. But it's *not* OGL)
Please do not confuse religious fascists with Christians. They might call themselves that, but they are not. There are plenty of decent Christians out there.
Hm. People dying vs. marriage between same-gendered people. Yes, clearly priorities here are only personal preferences.
Look - nobody is saying his (or your) way to reform the medical system is right. But it *is* broken, and we need to talk about fixing it. It's not bums who don't get coverage - it's blue collar people who need to take several jobs and *still* can't get decent coverage. Who's poking whom where is not exactly an overriding concern, compared to that.
Iraq is undebatably a clusterfuck - even el Jefe agrees by now. Again, nobody says either side has the right solution, but shouldn't that discussion *also* receive more exposure than sex between consenting adults? (BTW: If your complaint is that they now get privileges from the government, there's an easy solution - neither hetero nor homo couples get any preferrential treatment over singles. Screw government interference).
As to your other perceived threats: Kim Il Jong, on a *really* good day for him might be able to kill a million Americans. That's if he's having a really good day, and around 2015 when he might have ICBMs. In the meantime, each year 60,000 Americans *do* die due to missing medical coverage. (I'm not even going into the fact that Dick Cheney more or less killed negotiations with both NK and Iran because "you don't negotiate from a position of power" - water under the bridge).
Either way, nobody is proposing to ignore NK. Or Osama. Just maybe focusing a couple of the billions we hand to Haliburton (look at the GOA reports how *much* of that is just waste) on other topics, and doing something good on the side.
But I guess the thought that you might have to give up some of your money to do humanitarian works as opposed to blowing people up is just not bearable...
And, just to be clear, the 20% is a guess on my part. I'm not in charge of installing the systems. I've seen a 50% failure rate in my group, though, and I hear from other groups that they have some issues too.
Well, your install base is definitely larger than what we have. The crucial difference I can see between your and our installation is that we have Dell Desktops, not laptops. FWIW....
Yes, they sell a lot. And it's not top quality. From what I've seen there's about a 20% failure rate on machines. (I.e. needs a part replaced fairly soon. Usually the HDs).
Keep in mind that huge corps also base their software on Windows, and that doesn't make that inherently better either. Huge corporations go with the flow - nothing to upset the cart, because that can get you fired. If you're old enough, you'll remember the "Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM" slogan. *That* is why Windows and Dell are prevalent.
Uhuh. Could you name *any* game that was actually completed in April and only released in November?
Sorry, but the way this works is that the schedule is actively tailored towards November if you're a heavy hitter, and around it if you want to break into the market. (I.e. September or January)
Blame the market - people buy more games around XMas & Turkey Day.
If you'd *ever* connected a System6 Mac to a PC network, you'd know it was entirely realistic. Power up the damn thing, and your network goes up in flames...;)
You'll actually be able to *see* how small choices can completely screw you over. It's a much different type of learning than just watching a documentary, hearing a speech, or reading a book.
Do I know if *Spore* can do that? No. I haven't seen the thing except as hypeware. But it has the potential to do it. That's where the advantage of video games as a medium lies. Which is why the flood of FPS/GTA games is getting tedious. We've got a marvellous medium on hand, but we just can't say anything with it. (And that's why people pin high hopes on Spore. Will Wright is one of the very few designers to think slightly outside the genre box)
Actually, the "high ground" in space isn't defined by distance from Earth. Moon is a better base than Mars (simply because Mars is too far away from the action, plus it has higher gravity), but if you really want to control the solar system, you aim for the Lagrange Points.
That - in an other discipline - is called "double bookkeeping". You specify things twice, independently. Once in the actual source code, once in the description.
That way, you'll know when the two disagree. It doesn't prove that it does what you *intend* to do, but it proves that spec and source say the same thing. If they're written by different people, you can now have a fairly high degree of confidence.
Does it make your program bug-free? Only if you can write a bug-free spec. But it's a useful concept to reduce the likelihood of problems.
Slashdot Mirror
They *used* to be laughed at. I heard good things about Guild Hall.
Ultimately, I don't care what your degree is, though. Convince me that you are smart and get things done, and I'll recommend we hire you.
Gaah. I hope you had the sarcasm hat on, and the mods are just too stupid to see it. (Insightful, indeed...)
For our mods: NZ is part of the *southern* hemisphere. Being far north means it's closer to the equator, and hence, *warmer*. Sheesh
Maybe - but at least I'm willing to put my name on my statements.
Technically, I've never ported a full game. I maintained PC versions of my features on a couple of games I worked on, and that was more than enough fun. And yes, I missed a few issues.
But you make my point for me - there are plenty of areas that need extra attention. Even if you right a wrapper, somebody has to write and test the platform specific code - it doesn't write itself. Then there's additional cost for testing, marketing, manufacturing of an extra SKU, and shelf space. You need to sell quite a few copies to make that money back.
Have I ported a game? No, but I did cross-platform development on XBox/GC/PS2/PC, and have seen it on 360/PS3/PC. So I have sort of a clue, I'd like to think. And having/not having OGL was a minor factor in that. The things I mentioned above are all just additional contributors to the porting headache, not the only reasons.
Most of the major players in the PC market might indeed be using Miles/FMod/OAL - but that still doesn't solve the sound problem entirely. Unless you're doing a shitty port, you've got a boatload of additional tasting with interesting hardware combos to do - and the linux market is not big enough to justify that.
And File I/O is most certainly different once you start using memory mapped files, asynchronous reading, etc.
Yes, he is. Don't debate that he a warlord, or an "ally". I am referring to Kim Jong Il. (Who from here certainly *looks* like he's certifiable...)
Correction. The PS3 *can* use OpenGL. I could tell you more, but then I'd have to kill you ;)
Oh my, where to begin...
The problem with NK is that they sell their tech to anybody who's willing to pay. That would include terrorists. And it's kind of hard to retaliate against them, as we're finding out. So it seems a wise idea to stop the spread of nuclear weapons to more countries. I believe if you looked for "non-proliferation treaty" you might find that pretty much everybody is trying to do exactly that.
Next up - China. They're not exactly "pursuing" nuke tech - they have it for quite some time. They just have less than we do. I'm sure you meant India & *Pakistan*. We're not happy about either, but neither is run by somebody who's completely insane. As a result, their economy is healthy enough that we simply can't pressure them. Hence, less efforts. (Plus, we need Pakistan for the War On Terror - of course we're making deals when it's in our best interests. Or at least, when we think so)
Let's go to the "who would trust us with nukes" bs. The rest of the world pretty much does, because we've so far shown a remarkable constraint when using them. Yes, we used them at the end of WW2 - to spare a couple of hundred thousand lives a traditional invasion would've cost. Was it a nice thing to do? No, but war is never nice. We haven't done so since then, and up until a few years ago we had fairly sane leaders. That, I think, makes the US a bit more trustworthy than NK. If this was really a US problem only, why do you think China and Russia are in the negotiations?
Which part about "smaller, more reliable arsenal" in the article you cite makes you think we're making even more powerful nukes? I know this is slashdot, but could you at least read the fine articles you quote yourself?
I sugest you actually try porting a game. Yes, OGL/DX is a major factor, but if you think the rest just needs to be recompiled, I suggest you think again.
:( )
* Sound on Linux is, well, "a debacle" comes to mind
* File I/O is different
* Input devices are handled differently
* Networking is ever so slightly different. (Go Winsock!
* If you thought DX capability flags are a nightmare, you need to spend more time with OGL vendor extensions
And I'm still waiting for a console actually using OGL. Where'd you get that idea? (Yes, GC is close. But it's *not* OGL)
Please do not confuse religious fascists with Christians. They might call themselves that, but they are not. There are plenty of decent Christians out there.
And those are no problem if they're of the opposing sex?
That would've been "printer on fire". Here ya go: http://www.eeggs.com/items/1037.html
Hm. People dying vs. marriage between same-gendered people. Yes, clearly priorities here are only personal preferences.
Look - nobody is saying his (or your) way to reform the medical system is right. But it *is* broken, and we need to talk about fixing it. It's not bums who don't get coverage - it's blue collar people who need to take several jobs and *still* can't get decent coverage. Who's poking whom where is not exactly an overriding concern, compared to that.
Iraq is undebatably a clusterfuck - even el Jefe agrees by now. Again, nobody says either side has the right solution, but shouldn't that discussion *also* receive more exposure than sex between consenting adults? (BTW: If your complaint is that they now get privileges from the government, there's an easy solution - neither hetero nor homo couples get any preferrential treatment over singles. Screw government interference).
As to your other perceived threats: Kim Il Jong, on a *really* good day for him might be able to kill a million Americans. That's if he's having a really good day, and around 2015 when he might have ICBMs. In the meantime, each year 60,000 Americans *do* die due to missing medical coverage. (I'm not even going into the fact that Dick Cheney more or less killed negotiations with both NK and Iran because "you don't negotiate from a position of power" - water under the bridge).
Either way, nobody is proposing to ignore NK. Or Osama. Just maybe focusing a couple of the billions we hand to Haliburton (look at the GOA reports how *much* of that is just waste) on other topics, and doing something good on the side.
But I guess the thought that you might have to give up some of your money to do humanitarian works as opposed to blowing people up is just not bearable...
And, just to be clear, the 20% is a guess on my part. I'm not in charge of installing the systems. I've seen a 50% failure rate in my group, though, and I hear from other groups that they have some issues too.
;)
Then again, maybe we just write abrasive code
Well, your install base is definitely larger than what we have. The crucial difference I can see between your and our installation is that we have Dell Desktops, not laptops. FWIW....
One hopes that the truly educated in MA would call the ads "appalling", not "appauling" ;)
I'm not talking OOTB. I'm talking MTTF of about 3 months.
Yes, they sell a lot. And it's not top quality. From what I've seen there's about a 20% failure rate on machines. (I.e. needs a part replaced fairly soon. Usually the HDs).
Keep in mind that huge corps also base their software on Windows, and that doesn't make that inherently better either. Huge corporations go with the flow - nothing to upset the cart, because that can get you fired. If you're old enough, you'll remember the "Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM" slogan. *That* is why Windows and Dell are prevalent.
Uhuh. Could you name *any* game that was actually completed in April and only released in November?
Sorry, but the way this works is that the schedule is actively tailored towards November if you're a heavy hitter, and around it if you want to break into the market. (I.e. September or January)
Blame the market - people buy more games around XMas & Turkey Day.
If you'd *ever* connected a System6 Mac to a PC network, you'd know it was entirely realistic. Power up the damn thing, and your network goes up in flames... ;)
In a nutshell: Interactivity.
You'll actually be able to *see* how small choices can completely screw you over. It's a much different type of learning than just watching a documentary, hearing a speech, or reading a book.
Do I know if *Spore* can do that? No. I haven't seen the thing except as hypeware. But it has the potential to do it. That's where the advantage of video games as a medium lies. Which is why the flood of FPS/GTA games is getting tedious. We've got a marvellous medium on hand, but we just can't say anything with it. (And that's why people pin high hopes on Spore. Will Wright is one of the very few designers to think slightly outside the genre box)
Actually, the "high ground" in space isn't defined by distance from Earth. Moon is a better base than Mars (simply because Mars is too far away from the action, plus it has higher gravity), but if you really want to control the solar system, you aim for the Lagrange Points.
Read Apple's Human Interface Guidelines - they have a whole section on color and i18n, IIRC
That - in an other discipline - is called "double bookkeeping". You specify things twice, independently. Once in the actual source code, once in the description.
That way, you'll know when the two disagree. It doesn't prove that it does what you *intend* to do, but it proves that spec and source say the same thing. If they're written by different people, you can now have a fairly high degree of confidence.
Does it make your program bug-free? Only if you can write a bug-free spec. But it's a useful concept to reduce the likelihood of problems.