The real future of music is this. At home everybody will have multiple gigagbytes, even terabytes of storage. Hard disks are cheap now, and will become so much cheaper in the future. Everyone will have a huge collection of mp3s and divxs and the like. Everyone will carry around wirelessly networked devices that will play audio and video in some way. All the data will be sent from your file server at home to you in real time. And if you try to play a song you don't have, then a transparent p2p network layer will automatically seek out and retrieve it for you.
One step more than this is somebody somewhere make a database of all mp3s and videos, if that's possible. Then everybody will just get everything from that database and it's mirrors. Thus eliminating the personal file server. Or maybe it will work together with smaller file servers, so you only have to store the things you listen to often and the things you have acquired recently. The rest can be streamed and such.
There will be a wireless information network similar to MITs oxygen. All physical data storage formats will be lost to us. No more discs chips or flash. The network will be so fast and will be everywhere that it just wont matter.
One day in the semi-distant future this will be true.
I wish people would stop fighting over which stupid video card is better than which other stupid video card. All these people who care about benchmarks and all this other shit are the same people who think that audio cable made of gold and platinum will make their music sound better. All that matters is
a) is your video card good enough to do the things you do.
b) the price/performance ratio, unless you have tons of money.
That's all that matters. If your video card can run with vertical sync on and not lose frames in your favorite games, then you're all good. I've noticed Ati does a little better with the DirectX and Nvidia does a little better with the OpenGL. What it comes down to is they are both good cards that both work. Choose the one that suits your needs. Things like VIVO or DVI out are much more important features than 5fps more than the other guy.
I've got a GeForce FX5900, from gainward in fact. And you know what, it's not the fastest thing there is. It's fast enough for me though. I can play all my games. I will be able to play Doom3 and Half-Life 2. The card will last me 5 years. My TNT2 last me 5 years, there's no reason this one wont. It has VIVO, it has DVI, and I can plug two monitors into it. That's all that matters. If I lose some fps here or get some more over there, it wouldn't bother me a bit. I run vsync anyway so my fps is usually locked at 85.
So, what does your video card do different than mine? Well there's this one program that makes numbers show up on the screen. Your video card makes bigger numbers show up in this program and mine makes smaller numbers show up. Lucky you!
Does anyone have some windows software that lets me mount physical ext2/ext3/xfs paritions in read/write mode in windows? It really sucks that in linux I can only mount ntfs in read only and in windows I can't mount linux drives at all. I should be able to access all my data on all my drives in both oses (I'm a dual booter if you didn't guess). And running smb and vmware is not an option for me.
hmmm, I think you just configure improperly. All my stuff looks the same. How do I do this? Magic.
First of all I use xfce, I used to use KDE, but that was only because I couldn't be without Kwrite and Kmail. As soon as I figure out I could use those apps without kde, I was gone.
Second - I set my xfce theme and gtk theme to match and to use the crystal icons from kde.
Third - I set app specific themes to match, like my firebird theme.
Fourth - I set my qt theme to match.
Fifth - Use the same font for all UI stuffs. Bitstream Vera Sans. I also like luxi sans, but if I switch to it, I'll switch everything.
So, while all my apps might use different toolkits under the hood they all look the same. my icons, titlebars and everything are all matching. And whether I code an app using Pythong/Tkinter or C/gtk it all fits into my theme.
I chose to use crystal icons and some other stuff in my theme, but I found that if you want to use the Mac OSX aqua theme it's much easier. Since people have made perfect looking acqua themes for just about everything you can just download and set them and 90% of the hassle will be gone.
The news implies that google is going to start indexing irc logs from channels everywhere. But I don't think this is what they're going for. I think they'll include something that allows you to search for irc channels. So if I am looking for a channel where I can ask a question about something, google will point me towards the right server and channel that I can get into.
Also, they could be using IRC to facilitate google answers. Heck, if I was one of the google answer people you can sure bet I would use the IRC.
I see google indexing IRC channels as a good thing. It will help to clean out all those child porn channels from other countries. You'll be able to type child porn into google and get a list of channels full of sickos to lock up.
This is so a couple weeks ago. Second of all, gentoo LiveCDs aren't like knoppix or those other ones. Most of the time they are used to install a permanent gentoo installation. You just boot off of them to get to the first stage and to start compiling your gentoo system. The real reason this is awesome, is this allows you to mount Serial ATA drives, since 2.6 finally supports them. If I am correct this is the first major linux distribution that has real support for being able to install onto serial ata drives because of this disc. And you can bet it's going to be freakin' awesome.
If you are offended by something, there is something wrong with you.
There are only two types of things that someone can say. True things and False things. If someone says something false, then it's all BS and you can just shrug it off. Like if someone calls you a retard and you're not, it can't offend you. If it's true, then you should fess up to it with no regrets. Like say you're gay and someone calls you a fag, just be like "yeah I am, so what?".
So let's say I make a video game where you're a terrorist and you try to crash planes into buildings. That game doesn't actually hurt anyone. Nobody will die or suffer physical injury as a result of the game. And it might even really be good gameplay-wise. There might even be someone out there who has fun playing it. While the game is indeed made in very poor taste you shouldn't be offended by it. It is someones self expression that is covered under free speech, and free speech over all.
If the existance of this game offends you, then all that offense is actually on your end. A more correct way to say it is that you become offended by the game, you. Nothing can offend me, so obviously it's not the game. If it was the game then every single human being would be offended by it. Nobody is forcing you to buy it. Nobody is forcing you to like the game either. But you can't go around saying games like this shouldn't exist thereby depriving others of their right to make and play such a game. The games existance doesn't infringe upon any of the rights of the offended person, but censoring it or getting rid of it infringes upon the rights of the people who made it. Nowhere does it say you have the right not to be offended.
Sticks and Stones can break my bones... You know the old saying. But lately, especially in the US, people have been pussified by adding on "but words do hurt..." No, people are just pussies, wusses and cowards. People can't deal with their own personal emotional problems, lack of self esteem and lack of confidence. And anything that reminds them of their shitty lives and wussy ways "offends" them. Those people suck. They aren't even real people to me. Those are the extras in the movie of life. A real person wont be emotionally disturbed just because some idiot made a 9/11 simulation. Just think about how stupid it is for 1 minute.
I have an nforce2, but it's not integrated video. It's the abit NF7-S and I have a geforce FX5900 in it. The nvidia driver I'm running on gentoo works fine. 3d things work, just not fast. The nvidia logo pops up when X starts and X works just fine. So all fingers point to the driver being correctly installed and running. But I can't tell if the fact that 3d works is due to my fast cpu or due to hardware accelleration from the video card. My frame rates are definitely much slower than in windows, so I'm unsure.
As for the ethernet driver, mine works fine. I emerged nv-net or whatever it's called and it goes. I'll be upgrading to 2.6 when final comes out anyway because I desperately need Serial ATA support, and if this new GPL driver is a better choice than the current one I'm using then I'll go with it. I really don't care if it's from nvidia or if it's GPL because I'm never ever going to modify the driver for my NIC. So whichever is the better performer I will use.
Law is all about words. It all depends on what the word publishing is defined as in the applicable laws. And like most here, IANAL, so I couldn't tell you. It is slightly interesting though.
I'm a college student, and I can honestly say that if I had this I would use it.
I would use it to record all the songs I didn't already have on mp3. And for all the songs I couldn't get through this system, I would still hit the p2p. I don't supposed they have Super Eurobeat or garage bands music do they? No? The store doesn't either? Downloads for me.
Someone will write a patch/crack of some sort to make this not go. Someone else will write mods/total conversions that don't have 60fps caps. Someone else yet again will find some way to benchmark your computer using the game and not have an fps cap. A steady fps and a vertical sync will look better than a dynamic framerate over 100 anyway.
Remember those screenshots that were accidentally on medium quality? Even with the latest cards nobody will be able to turn the graphics all the way up and have a steady 60fps. Well, maybe some freaks with $5000 computers. Maybe people will start going by how many graphic enhancements they can turn on and still get 60. That's what it's really all about to me. How good can I make it look while keeping it playable. Not how many useless extra frames can I render that don't matter 99% of the time.
Apple is just smarter than MS. Windows is simply missing hundreds of obvious features. Tabbed browsing in IE. The ability to put stuff in the system tray. Virtual Desktops. Etc. These are basic functionalities that should be part of the os. Since MS to this day still does not include any of these tons of necessary features in its os, it is possible to make a business writing software that adds them to windows. As a result you get many incompatible implementations of many things.
Apple is much smarter. They realize that there is a feature that many people want added to the os. They realized the feature is a good thing and a lot of people use it. So they add it in. You can only make money developing applications for OSX. Which is the way it should be. You can't profit by making a piece of software that just adds some missing functionality to the os. This way everyone gets all the features necessary in an implementation that is compatible with the rest of the os. Not like Windows where you have 20 seperate little programs to add in all the missing stuff that should be there in the first place. And not like linux where you add it in yourself.
This is a plus for OSX in my book. I think I'm going to start saving now for the eventual arrival of the 12" G5 powerbook.
yeah, my stupid school is switching to exchange. They're going to leave up an IMAP interface though, so it's not the end of the world. Does the outlook web access work in non IE browsers though? That's my big worry there.
I have the same problem when I want to watch Formula 1 Races. They're only on the Speed channel in the US. Which is ok when I'm at home. But at college I don't get that channel, I would need to pay for super digital cable. The only thing you get on the official formula 1 wesite is a text sportscaster and a graphical representation of the field, kinda. It works well, but a video webcast would be the best. I think they just don't want to pay for the bandwith and they make more money from the tv channels than from the advertising they would have on a webcast. If tv ratings go down after a webcast goes up, then tv stations be pissed and they will lose money.
I forgot all about these guys, ever since I started using das Firebird(Phoenix). Despite their stupid advertising, I always kinda wanted one of their cameras. Or more specifically a camera that did the same thing. Would be able to set up a neat webcam with it. Oh well.
Reboot? Who the hell needs to reboot? Oh yeah, Windows. And seriously, even if you need to reboot, if your computers are fast, it takes what, 30 seconds? less? If that amount of time is going to interrupt you that much you have a problem. And if your computers take longer to reboot than that, you have another problem. Using network installers that will patch and reboot all the systems from a central location it should take you this long to patch
1) download patch depends on connection, 1 minutes for me for average large wad of Windows Update stuffs. probably be like 10 minutes for people with less than college quality connections.
2) time it takes to send patch to all systems and patch them. It takes me about 1 minutes to patch my single xp machine, so well generously give it 5 minutes if it's a whole bunch of machines.
3) Reboot all patched machines. As I already said, this should take maybe 30 seconds on an average pc. Unless you set it up bad. So we'll give this a minute.
So, I generously estimate 16 minutes it should take to patch a network of windows boxen with the latest fix. If you don't have a means to patch all the machines from one location, consider getting one. Patching should be something you can do over lunch break. And of course, use non-windows and you wont have to reboot. Doing that should make patching transparent to the employees.
I say freedom all the way. If you want to make a game about something, no matter what it is, go right ahead. And if some sicko wants to play that game, that's fine too. If you dont' like it, you don't have to play it. And if you don't think your children should play it, don't let them. And until someone infringes upon my rights, they can do as they please. You know the saying about swinging fists and noses.
If I made a flight sim where you try to hit buildings to score points, that's ok. If you think there's something wrong with that, then it's perfectly within your right to be that way. But you can't stop me from playing it or making it.
See, Nintendo pretty much has a monopoly on handheld gaming now. And usually I'll tell you that monopolies are bad, you all know the reasons. But this one is good! Nintendo doesn't use it's handheld monopoly for evil. They don't gouge us on prices. They don't make crappy games. They don't shoot puppies, lobby congress, or eat dead babies. They have a monopoly because they have in the past and continue to provide the highest quality handheld gaming experience. If they stopped doing it, they could very well lose their seat at the top.
But until then, why are these other companies even trying? If anything the GameBoy is just getting stronger, not weaker. And unless the gameboy starts sucking right now, none of these new handhelds have a chance. Especially at that kind of price point. I want to know what is going through the minds of these people when they decide to go up against the GBA. They know they are going to fail, so don't even bother, you're just throwing away money. You could have given me that money! Or you could have bought a bunch of GBAs and games for your friends. Or shiny new laptops from Japan. Wouldn't you rather have that than a useless handheld gaming system with 2 games that nobody will ever buy or play?
How can you possibly have a competetive bidding process? MS would have to give the software to the state for $0.00. They would never do that. If they don't then OSS automatically wins.
Slashdot Mirror
The real future of music is this. At home everybody will have multiple gigagbytes, even terabytes of storage. Hard disks are cheap now, and will become so much cheaper in the future. Everyone will have a huge collection of mp3s and divxs and the like. Everyone will carry around wirelessly networked devices that will play audio and video in some way. All the data will be sent from your file server at home to you in real time. And if you try to play a song you don't have, then a transparent p2p network layer will automatically seek out and retrieve it for you.
One step more than this is somebody somewhere make a database of all mp3s and videos, if that's possible. Then everybody will just get everything from that database and it's mirrors. Thus eliminating the personal file server. Or maybe it will work together with smaller file servers, so you only have to store the things you listen to often and the things you have acquired recently. The rest can be streamed and such.
There will be a wireless information network similar to MITs oxygen. All physical data storage formats will be lost to us. No more discs chips or flash. The network will be so fast and will be everywhere that it just wont matter.
One day in the semi-distant future this will be true.
I wish people would stop fighting over which stupid video card is better than which other stupid video card. All these people who care about benchmarks and all this other shit are the same people who think that audio cable made of gold and platinum will make their music sound better. All that matters is
a) is your video card good enough to do the things you do.
b) the price/performance ratio, unless you have tons of money.
That's all that matters. If your video card can run with vertical sync on and not lose frames in your favorite games, then you're all good. I've noticed Ati does a little better with the DirectX and Nvidia does a little better with the OpenGL. What it comes down to is they are both good cards that both work. Choose the one that suits your needs. Things like VIVO or DVI out are much more important features than 5fps more than the other guy.
I've got a GeForce FX5900, from gainward in fact. And you know what, it's not the fastest thing there is. It's fast enough for me though. I can play all my games. I will be able to play Doom3 and Half-Life 2. The card will last me 5 years. My TNT2 last me 5 years, there's no reason this one wont. It has VIVO, it has DVI, and I can plug two monitors into it. That's all that matters. If I lose some fps here or get some more over there, it wouldn't bother me a bit. I run vsync anyway so my fps is usually locked at 85.
So, what does your video card do different than mine? Well there's this one program that makes numbers show up on the screen. Your video card makes bigger numbers show up in this program and mine makes smaller numbers show up. Lucky you!
Does anyone have some windows software that lets me mount physical ext2/ext3/xfs paritions in read/write mode in windows? It really sucks that in linux I can only mount ntfs in read only and in windows I can't mount linux drives at all. I should be able to access all my data on all my drives in both oses (I'm a dual booter if you didn't guess). And running smb and vmware is not an option for me.
hmmm, I think you just configure improperly. All my stuff looks the same. How do I do this? Magic.
First of all I use xfce, I used to use KDE, but that was only because I couldn't be without Kwrite and Kmail. As soon as I figure out I could use those apps without kde, I was gone.
Second - I set my xfce theme and gtk theme to match and to use the crystal icons from kde.
Third - I set app specific themes to match, like my firebird theme.
Fourth - I set my qt theme to match.
Fifth - Use the same font for all UI stuffs. Bitstream Vera Sans. I also like luxi sans, but if I switch to it, I'll switch everything.
So, while all my apps might use different toolkits under the hood they all look the same. my icons, titlebars and everything are all matching. And whether I code an app using Pythong/Tkinter or C/gtk it all fits into my theme.
I chose to use crystal icons and some other stuff in my theme, but I found that if you want to use the Mac OSX aqua theme it's much easier. Since people have made perfect looking acqua themes for just about everything you can just download and set them and 90% of the hassle will be gone.
The news implies that google is going to start indexing irc logs from channels everywhere. But I don't think this is what they're going for. I think they'll include something that allows you to search for irc channels. So if I am looking for a channel where I can ask a question about something, google will point me towards the right server and channel that I can get into.
Also, they could be using IRC to facilitate google answers. Heck, if I was one of the google answer people you can sure bet I would use the IRC.
I see google indexing IRC channels as a good thing. It will help to clean out all those child porn channels from other countries. You'll be able to type child porn into google and get a list of channels full of sickos to lock up.
This is so a couple weeks ago. Second of all, gentoo LiveCDs aren't like knoppix or those other ones. Most of the time they are used to install a permanent gentoo installation. You just boot off of them to get to the first stage and to start compiling your gentoo system. The real reason this is awesome, is this allows you to mount Serial ATA drives, since 2.6 finally supports them. If I am correct this is the first major linux distribution that has real support for being able to install onto serial ata drives because of this disc. And you can bet it's going to be freakin' awesome.
You sound like the kind of person who would really like to use directfb.
If you are offended by something, there is something wrong with you.
There are only two types of things that someone can say. True things and False things. If someone says something false, then it's all BS and you can just shrug it off. Like if someone calls you a retard and you're not, it can't offend you. If it's true, then you should fess up to it with no regrets. Like say you're gay and someone calls you a fag, just be like "yeah I am, so what?".
So let's say I make a video game where you're a terrorist and you try to crash planes into buildings. That game doesn't actually hurt anyone. Nobody will die or suffer physical injury as a result of the game. And it might even really be good gameplay-wise. There might even be someone out there who has fun playing it. While the game is indeed made in very poor taste you shouldn't be offended by it. It is someones self expression that is covered under free speech, and free speech over all.
If the existance of this game offends you, then all that offense is actually on your end. A more correct way to say it is that you become offended by the game, you. Nothing can offend me, so obviously it's not the game. If it was the game then every single human being would be offended by it. Nobody is forcing you to buy it. Nobody is forcing you to like the game either. But you can't go around saying games like this shouldn't exist thereby depriving others of their right to make and play such a game. The games existance doesn't infringe upon any of the rights of the offended person, but censoring it or getting rid of it infringes upon the rights of the people who made it. Nowhere does it say you have the right not to be offended.
Sticks and Stones can break my bones... You know the old saying. But lately, especially in the US, people have been pussified by adding on "but words do hurt..." No, people are just pussies, wusses and cowards. People can't deal with their own personal emotional problems, lack of self esteem and lack of confidence. And anything that reminds them of their shitty lives and wussy ways "offends" them. Those people suck. They aren't even real people to me. Those are the extras in the movie of life. A real person wont be emotionally disturbed just because some idiot made a 9/11 simulation. Just think about how stupid it is for 1 minute.
then read my roomates related journal entry.
I have an nforce2, but it's not integrated video. It's the abit NF7-S and I have a geforce FX5900 in it. The nvidia driver I'm running on gentoo works fine. 3d things work, just not fast. The nvidia logo pops up when X starts and X works just fine. So all fingers point to the driver being correctly installed and running. But I can't tell if the fact that 3d works is due to my fast cpu or due to hardware accelleration from the video card. My frame rates are definitely much slower than in windows, so I'm unsure.
As for the ethernet driver, mine works fine. I emerged nv-net or whatever it's called and it goes. I'll be upgrading to 2.6 when final comes out anyway because I desperately need Serial ATA support, and if this new GPL driver is a better choice than the current one I'm using then I'll go with it. I really don't care if it's from nvidia or if it's GPL because I'm never ever going to modify the driver for my NIC. So whichever is the better performer I will use.
Hey Sega! You're remaking all the wrong games. I want Virtua Racing back!
If anyone knows where a Virtua Racing 2 machine is, tell me, I'm dying to play it again.
Law is all about words. It all depends on what the word publishing is defined as in the applicable laws. And like most here, IANAL, so I couldn't tell you. It is slightly interesting though.
I'm a college student, and I can honestly say that if I had this I would use it.
I would use it to record all the songs I didn't already have on mp3. And for all the songs I couldn't get through this system, I would still hit the p2p. I don't supposed they have Super Eurobeat or garage bands music do they? No? The store doesn't either? Downloads for me.
Someone will write a patch/crack of some sort to make this not go. Someone else will write mods/total conversions that don't have 60fps caps. Someone else yet again will find some way to benchmark your computer using the game and not have an fps cap. A steady fps and a vertical sync will look better than a dynamic framerate over 100 anyway.
Remember those screenshots that were accidentally on medium quality? Even with the latest cards nobody will be able to turn the graphics all the way up and have a steady 60fps. Well, maybe some freaks with $5000 computers. Maybe people will start going by how many graphic enhancements they can turn on and still get 60. That's what it's really all about to me. How good can I make it look while keeping it playable. Not how many useless extra frames can I render that don't matter 99% of the time.
Apple is just smarter than MS. Windows is simply missing hundreds of obvious features. Tabbed browsing in IE. The ability to put stuff in the system tray. Virtual Desktops. Etc. These are basic functionalities that should be part of the os. Since MS to this day still does not include any of these tons of necessary features in its os, it is possible to make a business writing software that adds them to windows. As a result you get many incompatible implementations of many things.
Apple is much smarter. They realize that there is a feature that many people want added to the os. They realized the feature is a good thing and a lot of people use it. So they add it in. You can only make money developing applications for OSX. Which is the way it should be. You can't profit by making a piece of software that just adds some missing functionality to the os. This way everyone gets all the features necessary in an implementation that is compatible with the rest of the os. Not like Windows where you have 20 seperate little programs to add in all the missing stuff that should be there in the first place. And not like linux where you add it in yourself.
This is a plus for OSX in my book. I think I'm going to start saving now for the eventual arrival of the 12" G5 powerbook.
SATA SUPPORT!! HALLELUJAH!!! As soon as 2.6 final official is out
emerge ac-sources
genkernel --config ac-sources
ph33R!!!!!!!
yeah, my stupid school is switching to exchange. They're going to leave up an IMAP interface though, so it's not the end of the world. Does the outlook web access work in non IE browsers though? That's my big worry there.
it's gtk alright, but those file selector screenshots really remind me of KMail. Are the lines between qt and gtk beginning to blur?
I have the same problem when I want to watch Formula 1 Races. They're only on the Speed channel in the US. Which is ok when I'm at home. But at college I don't get that channel, I would need to pay for super digital cable. The only thing you get on the official formula 1 wesite is a text sportscaster and a graphical representation of the field, kinda. It works well, but a video webcast would be the best. I think they just don't want to pay for the bandwith and they make more money from the tv channels than from the advertising they would have on a webcast. If tv ratings go down after a webcast goes up, then tv stations be pissed and they will lose money.
I forgot all about these guys, ever since I started using das Firebird(Phoenix). Despite their stupid advertising, I always kinda wanted one of their cameras. Or more specifically a camera that did the same thing. Would be able to set up a neat webcam with it. Oh well.
want to prevent gator from bothering your users? Don't use IE! Use Firebird, and all will be well.
Counter-Strike is an effective tool in training special forces. If so, the GIGN has a few recruits.
Reboot? Who the hell needs to reboot? Oh yeah, Windows. And seriously, even if you need to reboot, if your computers are fast, it takes what, 30 seconds? less? If that amount of time is going to interrupt you that much you have a problem. And if your computers take longer to reboot than that, you have another problem. Using network installers that will patch and reboot all the systems from a central location it should take you this long to patch
1) download patch depends on connection, 1 minutes for me for average large wad of Windows Update stuffs. probably be like 10 minutes for people with less than college quality connections.
2) time it takes to send patch to all systems and patch them. It takes me about 1 minutes to patch my single xp machine, so well generously give it 5 minutes if it's a whole bunch of machines.
3) Reboot all patched machines. As I already said, this should take maybe 30 seconds on an average pc. Unless you set it up bad. So we'll give this a minute.
So, I generously estimate 16 minutes it should take to patch a network of windows boxen with the latest fix. If you don't have a means to patch all the machines from one location, consider getting one. Patching should be something you can do over lunch break. And of course, use non-windows and you wont have to reboot. Doing that should make patching transparent to the employees.
I say freedom all the way. If you want to make a game about something, no matter what it is, go right ahead. And if some sicko wants to play that game, that's fine too. If you dont' like it, you don't have to play it. And if you don't think your children should play it, don't let them. And until someone infringes upon my rights, they can do as they please. You know the saying about swinging fists and noses.
If I made a flight sim where you try to hit buildings to score points, that's ok. If you think there's something wrong with that, then it's perfectly within your right to be that way. But you can't stop me from playing it or making it.
That's the way it should be.
See, Nintendo pretty much has a monopoly on handheld gaming now. And usually I'll tell you that monopolies are bad, you all know the reasons. But this one is good! Nintendo doesn't use it's handheld monopoly for evil. They don't gouge us on prices. They don't make crappy games. They don't shoot puppies, lobby congress, or eat dead babies. They have a monopoly because they have in the past and continue to provide the highest quality handheld gaming experience. If they stopped doing it, they could very well lose their seat at the top.
But until then, why are these other companies even trying? If anything the GameBoy is just getting stronger, not weaker. And unless the gameboy starts sucking right now, none of these new handhelds have a chance. Especially at that kind of price point. I want to know what is going through the minds of these people when they decide to go up against the GBA. They know they are going to fail, so don't even bother, you're just throwing away money. You could have given me that money! Or you could have bought a bunch of GBAs and games for your friends. Or shiny new laptops from Japan. Wouldn't you rather have that than a useless handheld gaming system with 2 games that nobody will ever buy or play?
How can you possibly have a competetive bidding process? MS would have to give the software to the state for $0.00. They would never do that. If they don't then OSS automatically wins.