If I'm writing a game (or any application) and I'm footing the cost and time, and I see parts of it as boring to write, or not as part of the unifed whole, it's a clue that I might have a design error.
If you're taking the time and effort to write "a galactic scale civilization-type" game that's written well enough that it's worth the time for others to play, why not go all the way and do the GUI from scratch too?
Are you in a hurry to get it out? Running out of steam? Face it. Odds are it's largely an academic exercise and your game isn't going to be the next Unreal super-hit anyway , so why go the extra mile and innovate instead of imitate? If it does turn out to be a super hit, wouldn't it be best to hand-craft a quality game from the ground up?
Besides, If you were really clever you've got most of the hard part already done in the game components, so perhaps you can use the game engine itself, and it's active elements, to build the GUI as well and come up with something that's totally new.
-- Looking for short term neural disruption? Play tranquility
I bought a Dell Axim a30 Pocket PC a couple of weeks ago. It does lots of things, Bluetooth and WiFi, for around $300. A really nice piece of hardware, especially for the price.
I want to like it, but you know, it's got that 20% brain-damage-ness of Microsoft that makes it fall short of being a satisfying fetish device:
Convoluted menus, syncing with too many options to set, WiFi that won't connect without poking at it, remnants of applications that are left after uninstalling, crashes, install files that are seemingly sprayed all around the file system in random fashion, lots of extraneous interrface.
For some reason, even with all that talent they have on tap, Microsoft just can't seem to pull of anything with the polished simplicity and intuitive reliability that Apple does with consistency.
They have potential to do things right, but it's like there's a department that all products are run through before going gold that adds an intangible suck factor. Although I keep giving them chances over the years, M$ products never meet my expectations, while Apple products almost always exceed expectations, even years after purchasing them.
I don't expect this thing to be any different. Sorta cool, but screwed up.
Yes. It's an iMac. One unit. If it breaks, they'll fix it. After almost 10 years of Apple doing this, you would think that people would get the concept.
AAC is not the same thing as the the FairPlay DRM layer. Also, it's not toooo difficult to change the default encoder to one of several that Apple supplies (for free with iTunes).
If Falwell has his name trademarked, then he's engaged in "trade" and should not enjoy any tax-exemption benefits, for himself, or his "church" companies.
He's getting his congregation to vote for Bush, so at this point in time he could get away with any questionable activity he would care to undertake. I'm sure that even without coercion, the Church of Morons would vote for the King of Morons. I do hope that Mr. Falwell dies soon.
Maybe somebody else has already made this point, but there's too many misinformed or prejudicial post here to slog through them all.
I think Apple's stance is reasonable. They have to defend FairPlay DRM every time or it sets precedence and it gets more troublesome the next time somebody messes with it.
Apple's best justification is that iTMS isn't selling it's own content, it's belongs to the record labels and Apple has to show best effort in not allowing piracy if it expects to continue to do favorable trade with the labels now and in the future. It's a business folks.
Sure, it would be nice if iTMS used non-DRM'ed files, but wishing for that it just childish fantasy. Apple has been generous with what they do allow: iPods support several formats, you can share FairPlay protected files on several computers, and burning to CD is permitted. Plus, iTMS was a reasonably large selection, they provide a lot of added value with the store's feature set and integration with iTunes (which, by itself is free and has lots of features as well).
I also think that anybody out there that thinks that Real's intent was to strike a blow for music freedom is seriously deluded.
Slashdot Mirror
If I'm writing a game (or any application) and I'm footing the cost and time, and I see parts of it as boring to write, or not as part of the unifed whole, it's a clue that I might have a design error.
If you're taking the time and effort to write "a galactic scale civilization-type" game that's written well enough that it's worth the time for others to play, why not go all the way and do the GUI from scratch too?
Are you in a hurry to get it out? Running out of steam? Face it. Odds are it's largely an academic exercise and your game isn't going to be the next Unreal super-hit anyway , so why go the extra mile and innovate instead of imitate? If it does turn out to be a super hit, wouldn't it be best to hand-craft a quality game from the ground up?
Besides, If you were really clever you've got most of the hard part already done in the game components,
so perhaps you can use the game engine itself, and it's active elements, to build the GUI as well and come up with something that's totally new.
--
Looking for short term neural disruption? Play tranquility
If the Oil interests are screwing Iraq at the well, they won't screw us at the pump too?
Homeland piracy.
It's ok, they just get somebody to swab the poop deck!
HBO, Friday Night 11PM (ET) - Real Time with Bill Mahar
Why invade Iraq if he can in fact get a working missile defense system that would protect us against Iraq and North Korea?
Real Estate.
There's a lot of rich individuals "getting away with things" these days and doing exactly what they want.
Then again, I guess it's nothing new.
Thank you for your submission!
We have tallied your vote as "YES" for continuing the Politics category on Slashdot.
Jeb
Polly wanna cracker?
I guess that I have my answer. You don't seem too happy.
So, I'm curious.
Is ignorance really bliss?
And did you hear that the are increasing our chocolate rations from 10 grams to 15 grams?
Glorious!
Wow, you have a Windows PC!!?? That sounds really cool!
Thanks for sharing! Where can we get one? Got a link?
I bought a Dell Axim a30 Pocket PC a couple of weeks ago.
It does lots of things, Bluetooth and WiFi, for around $300.
A really nice piece of hardware, especially for the price.
I want to like it, but you know, it's got that 20% brain-damage-ness
of Microsoft that makes it fall short of being a satisfying fetish device:
Convoluted menus, syncing with too many options to set, WiFi that
won't connect without poking at it, remnants of applications that are
left after uninstalling, crashes, install files that are seemingly sprayed all
around the file system in random fashion, lots of extraneous interrface.
For some reason, even with all that talent they have on tap,
Microsoft just can't seem to pull of anything with the polished simplicity and
intuitive reliability that Apple does with consistency.
They have potential to do things right, but it's like there's a department
that all products are run through before going gold that adds an
intangible suck factor. Although I keep giving them chances over the
years, M$ products never meet my expectations, while Apple products
almost always exceed expectations, even years after purchasing them.
I don't expect this thing to be any different. Sorta cool, but screwed up.
It'll be called Microsoft Music. ..and soon, nobody will be able to call anything "music".
Yes. It's an iMac. One unit. If it breaks, they'll fix it.
After almost 10 years of Apple doing this,
you would think that people would get the concept.
I thought it was lame and was just celebrating the US as The Land of the Morons.
People thinking it was "hilarious" only proves that point.
-3 Uninformed
AAC is not the same thing as the the FairPlay DRM layer.
Also, it's not toooo difficult to change the default encoder to one of several that Apple supplies (for free with iTunes).
You're probably voting for Dubya too I bet.
Like you really care...
That's +2 insightful and probably the best use for this thing, if it's reasonably small.
Really scares you doesn't it?
Don't worry, you'll be able to heap 4 more years of
praise on your leader, King of the Morons. The fix is in.
If Falwell has his name trademarked, then he's engaged in "trade" and should not enjoy any
tax-exemption benefits, for himself, or his "church" companies.
He's getting his congregation to vote for Bush, so at this point in time he could get away with any
questionable activity he would care to undertake. I'm sure that even without coercion, the Church of Morons
would vote for the King of Morons. I do hope that Mr. Falwell dies soon.
Have you heard Reed's Berlin?
Maybe somebody else has already made this point,
but there's too many misinformed or prejudicial
post here to slog through them all.
I think Apple's stance is reasonable.
They have to defend FairPlay DRM every time or it
sets precedence and it gets more troublesome the next time
somebody messes with it.
Apple's best justification is that iTMS isn't selling it's own
content, it's belongs to the record labels and Apple has to
show best effort in not allowing piracy if it expects to
continue to do favorable trade with the labels now and
in the future. It's a business folks.
Sure, it would be nice if iTMS used non-DRM'ed files, but
wishing for that it just childish fantasy. Apple has been
generous with what they do allow: iPods support several formats,
you can share FairPlay protected files on several computers,
and burning to CD is permitted. Plus, iTMS was a reasonably
large selection, they provide a lot of added value with the
store's feature set and integration with iTunes (which, by
itself is free and has lots of features as well).
I also think that anybody out there that thinks that Real's
intent was to strike a blow for music freedom is seriously deluded.