I agree with you that good user interface for an office suite is key. I use OpenOffice, but it isn't the greatest. The reason I use it is because it is as close as I can get to what I want, with or without paying money.
I know I'm not alone when I say I think all these office suites are too bloated and full of crap. Sure, there are lots of lite word processors out there, but wordpad doesn't cut it either. I can't seem to find a word processor that has all the stuff I need and none of the stuff I don't.
As for XML the real advantage is that any old application can modify your files. Let's say I'm playing a game and I change the controls. The game can dynamically change the help files, which can be in the XML format of my word processor. That's the kind of stuff that we needs.
Here's the thing. Back in my great grandparents day, there was no tv. Even in my grandparents earlier years there was no tv. So my parents had tv and my grandparents didn't get it. My parents likewise to me, knew all about tv. So, as a result they regulated tv. No TV, and such, because they knew. Video games however, they did not know.
When I have kids I'm going to be like "you're not getting a playstation 5 unless you beat Zelda 1 for me first." So when my generation becomes parents then kids will get video games the right way. But then something else will come out, like vr or some crap that I wont understand.
Stuff like this will be hacked a cracked inside of a few weeks. Stop spending so much money developing DRM technology, it's a total waste. Maybe if you did that, then it would offset some of the money you say you are losing due to infringement.
The big change that I see with this new BTX spec is video cards will be PCI Express and not AGP. I think I can safely assume that PCI Express has a bandwith that is much faster than that of AGP can ever have, which is why it would be desireable. But isn't the point of AGP that it allows you to set an arperture and use some of the system RAM as an extension of the memory on the graphics card? So unless every PCI Express Video card has like 256MB plus video ram on it, wont AGP still be better? I really know nothing about this PCI Express thing except that expansion cards go in it, and it's fast.
People think, ok China moving to linux big deal. Or they say, ok big deal, but not anything amazing.
China moving to linux is huge. Think about it, over 1 billion people will use linux isntead of Windows. Microsoft could have potentially sold a billion copies of windows for $100-$200 each. Now, much much less will be the case.
Now, with a billion linux users I'm sure at least a few of them will have technical problems. Someone who offers linux support in Chinese for a reasonable price could stand to profit considerably...
Red Hat isn't my particular choice of distro, but hey, linux companies doing good = good news.
The bit torrent is 10,000 times better for this sort of thing. Nobody who knows better will go download the spyware laden official kazaa just to get this demo. But just about anybody will get the torrent if they don't already have it. And the torrent works better for this sort of thing, since it is a one time extreme popularity explosion.
Yeah, that's the thing. The dems always want to tax everything so they can spend money on all kinds of programs. And while I like the programs, I don't like getting everything taxed. The reps, however, want to get rid of all the taxes, but still have enough to only pay for the stuff they care about, like the military.
I learned in economics class that if x then taxes should go up and if y taxes should go down. I want a government that took economics class. They should change the taxes to match the current economic situation. And bush's tax cut was very much not the correct decision to help our economy.
But staying on topic, thank god there will never be an internet tax. If ever there was an internet tax there would be a bigger uproar than when the RIAA decided to sue a 12 year old girl. So, hooray, we are saved. But... does this law say anything about paying sales tax for goods purchased over the net? If I have to start paying sales tax to amazon and such that would royally blow. A law clearly stating that sales tax should not be levied on goods purchased in e-tailers would be quite excellent.
Nobody uses anything besides AIM or ICQ anyway. The only people I know who use MSN are students from India. And the only people I know who use Yahoo! are old people and dumb people. Everyone else and there mother uses AIM or ICQ or both. And the best client for that on all OSes (besides mac I think) is gaim. http://gaim.sf.net
I don't know why you would use something else. It's just dumb. I mean, seriously, do you like advertising and paying money that much???
For once the article about violent video games informed the reader that there was no causality. Usually you have to look to the/. comments to find that out, if you didn't already know it. At least someone out there has a little bit of common sense.
I don't know who makes these Simpson's games, but they are seriously not using their license to the full potential. All they have done since the beginning is take cookie cutter genre games and replace all the graphics and sound with simpsons stuff. Started out with generic beat 'em up, then platform games, mario kart type games. It goes on.
If I had the Simpsons video game license you can sure as hell bet that I'd be making some innovative games. Maybe something like an episode maker. Include craploads of animations and sounds and graphics on a CD, or DVD even for the PC, and let people make Simpson's episodes.
Another good one, a virtual springfield. Pick any one of the zillion characters and live out their day in the town. Have multiple decision paths for each character, unlockable characters and a zillion minigames or some such to determine outcomes of things.
There is so much you can do with a license like the Simpsons. It's one of the most popular shows ever because of its high creativity, which it's video games have always lacked. Stop sucking!
Ah, the slight trueness. It is true that some SUV drivers actually need a superior vehicle. And sometimes a pick up truck wont do. Like when you want extra passengers instead of a big flat bed. However, in most cases (including yours, sorry), the SUV is purchased for ego.
4 wheel drive doesn't help you as much as you'd like to believe in Montana winters. A Volvo with all wheel drive is actually superior in that respect. And for carrying just musical gear a minivan or full sized van would be just as quality. You chose the SUV over the minivan probably because of style. Any minivan would suit your needs, drive more like a car and less like a truck, and save you a crapload of money on gas. But you chose the SUV.
So yeah, that guy who tows his boat, or his RV while he's got 4 kids in the back and his wife in shotgun. That guy needs the SUV. Most, do not. And it is most often the ones who don't need it that complain the most about the gas price.
For less than the price of a PSX controller you can get a Gravis Gamepad Pro USB. Plug it into any USB PC and it just works, perfectly. And it's almost the same as a PSX controller too. I often see them for 15, 10, and sometimes even $5. Mine has lasted me 3 years so far, and it works with all my games. Highly reccomended, must have.
The thing worng with these benchmarks is they only cover DirectX9. Any self respecting Half-Life player always keeps it in OpenGL mode, especially if it's in the land of NVidia. I can't think of a single game that lets me choose between DirectX and OpenGL where I have chosen OpenGL over the dx. Carmack likes opengl, and he knows more about it than anyone I know.
I've sait it before, but it's so relevant to this article I gotta say it again.
In Germany, and other parts of Europe, they make board games very unlike we do in America. We have things like Monopoly or Sorry, where the winner is determined mostly by luck. Over there, they have games where luck is a small or non-existant factor. This is why those games are awesome. Me and my friends have been playing German board games for like 2 or 3 years now. Puerto Rico and El Grande are our favorites. Settlers is just the gateway game, so if you like that then come on in. I hope one day these good games will be on the shelf next to Monopoly, rather than in the specialty shop only.
Head to http://www.boardgamegeek.com to see what I mean.
How come companies still don't get it? Sure, there aren't as many GameCubes out there are there are PS2s. But look at the sales numbers on cube games. The big hit games sell big. Soul Calibur 2 for the cube sold tons more copies than for the other two consoles. Games like "dumb movie license game 3" and "crummy sports game 20X6" don't sell crap on the cube. But they sell on the other systems.
Why is this? Cube owners expect extremely high quality games, games that compete with the extremely high quality of games made by Nintendo. Games like F-ZERO, The Wind Waker and Smash Brothers. EIDOS and Acclaim make only shitty games, that's why they dropped the cube. Cube owners are too smart to buy that crap. Not to say PS2 owners are dumb. There are good games for the Playstation, and when they come out they sell big. But they don't sell bigger than the cube. A hit cube game sells about 1 disc per every 2 or 3 consoles out there. A hit ps2 game sells about 1 disc for every 20 or 25 consoles out there. Because of the large number of ps2 consoles, you can make money by selling crap games. Because even if every 100th guy buys your game you got cash.
So, what does this have to do with GTA? It's a huge hit game! If they sold it for the cube they would probably sell one copy for every 2.5 cubes out there. With PS2 only, they are selling at most one copy for every 15 PS2s.
Games companies, listen here. You can make a lot of money on the GCN, but you have to make hit games. If you are in the business of making crap, don't bother making a cube version, you're just taking up shelf space.
Besides, all those PS2 and XboX games come out for the PC eventually anyway. That's why my money is in the cube.
DON'T apply for Amnesty! It's a trick! And if you get sued, don't settle! The RIAA is suing people like nuts right now because everyone is settling. They are pretty much getting tens of thousands of dollars for free. Forget selling music, they're making up their lost money by stealing money from college students.
The amnesty is a trick. The way it works is they get you into a contract that says you will stop sharing music. Once you're in that contract you no longer have the option of fighting them in court. They will sue you for breah of contract as opposed to copyright infringement, and then you're screwed.
If you get sued fight them tooth and nail. Get a good lawyer, and some help from the EFF and other folks. We just need one person with balls enough to fight, and when they win it will set a precedent. Everyone else will be able to fight and win by default. If I got sued, I would fight.
Don't let the greedy RIAA get away with this crap. Fight!
This is exactly what I'm saying. When I got F-ZERO and found out it was hard I was overjoyed. The best part is that it's not the kind of game you can become the master of just by reading a strategy guide. You actually need to play it a lot and increase your skill level. Just like in the NES days, finally we have a new game that is "Nintendo hard."
It really pisses me off that they dumb down all these games for the american audience. Since the Final Fantasies they have been making games easier for the US. The Japanese think that we are too dumb, or that we wont like games that take time and effort to beat. The sad part is that for the most part, it is true. I see too many kids these days, kids who's first console was a PSX, buying strategy guides with their games. Kids with a pc with gamefaqs.com next to their tv.
When I have kids, they're getting an NES. When they master Mega Man 2, Zelda 1, Bionic Commando, Mario 1, 2 and 3, and all the other classics. Then I'll give 'em an SNES.
My kids will be brought up right. Not like the shmucky kids of today who run at the slightest difficulty.
Oh yeah, lastly, if I ever happen to make a video game. I will be sure not to publish an official strategy guide, and include a EULA to prevent anyone else from writing one. I will also make it a game like F-ZERO where all the strategy guides in the world wont help you, you have to practice and build skill. I'll make up for my loss in sales by suing the pants off all the unofficial strategy guides.
Holy crap. So I'm setting up my new computer. Clean install, moving files, making partitions. I get on the network and I start downloading and installing drivers and software. I go to get firebird, and I get the new.2, without even realizing it came out within the hour. I wondered why the icon was different. I head to/. and lo and behold the top story.
I see MSN losing a lot of users over this one. I mean, people who use MSN now are going to upgrade and keep using it. But the only people I know who use MSN are people from India. Go to my college and you'll see walking around any lab. From India? using MSN. From USA? AIM. From elsewhere? ICQ.
Second of all, all of those people who presently use Trillian to connect to AIM/MSN/ICQ might be switching to the superior, IMO, gaim.
I don't know where MS is getting new users from. Probably nowhere. But this maneuver is definitely going to cost them a few. I'm glad I've totally avoided the.NET Passport/Hotmail/Messenger boat. My gAIM jetski is very nice.
Slashdot Mirror
lynx good! Also, I recently installed gentoo, which familiarized me with links2. A lot like lynx, but differenter.
How about some serial ATA support? I just built a new gentoo this weekend, and it does it all. Except for serial ata, which I need.
I agree with you that good user interface for an office suite is key. I use OpenOffice, but it isn't the greatest. The reason I use it is because it is as close as I can get to what I want, with or without paying money.
I know I'm not alone when I say I think all these office suites are too bloated and full of crap. Sure, there are lots of lite word processors out there, but wordpad doesn't cut it either. I can't seem to find a word processor that has all the stuff I need and none of the stuff I don't.
As for XML the real advantage is that any old application can modify your files. Let's say I'm playing a game and I change the controls. The game can dynamically change the help files, which can be in the XML format of my word processor. That's the kind of stuff that we needs.
Here's the thing. Back in my great grandparents day, there was no tv. Even in my grandparents earlier years there was no tv. So my parents had tv and my grandparents didn't get it. My parents likewise to me, knew all about tv. So, as a result they regulated tv. No TV, and such, because they knew. Video games however, they did not know.
When I have kids I'm going to be like "you're not getting a playstation 5 unless you beat Zelda 1 for me first." So when my generation becomes parents then kids will get video games the right way. But then something else will come out, like vr or some crap that I wont understand.
Stuff like this will be hacked a cracked inside of a few weeks. Stop spending so much money developing DRM technology, it's a total waste. Maybe if you did that, then it would offset some of the money you say you are losing due to infringement.
The big change that I see with this new BTX spec is video cards will be PCI Express and not AGP. I think I can safely assume that PCI Express has a bandwith that is much faster than that of AGP can ever have, which is why it would be desireable. But isn't the point of AGP that it allows you to set an arperture and use some of the system RAM as an extension of the memory on the graphics card? So unless every PCI Express Video card has like 256MB plus video ram on it, wont AGP still be better? I really know nothing about this PCI Express thing except that expansion cards go in it, and it's fast.
People think, ok China moving to linux big deal. Or they say, ok big deal, but not anything amazing.
China moving to linux is huge. Think about it, over 1 billion people will use linux isntead of Windows. Microsoft could have potentially sold a billion copies of windows for $100-$200 each. Now, much much less will be the case.
Now, with a billion linux users I'm sure at least a few of them will have technical problems. Someone who offers linux support in Chinese for a reasonable price could stand to profit considerably...
Red Hat isn't my particular choice of distro, but hey, linux companies doing good = good news.
The bit torrent is 10,000 times better for this sort of thing. Nobody who knows better will go download the spyware laden official kazaa just to get this demo. But just about anybody will get the torrent if they don't already have it. And the torrent works better for this sort of thing, since it is a one time extreme popularity explosion.
Yeah, that's the thing. The dems always want to tax everything so they can spend money on all kinds of programs. And while I like the programs, I don't like getting everything taxed. The reps, however, want to get rid of all the taxes, but still have enough to only pay for the stuff they care about, like the military.
I learned in economics class that if x then taxes should go up and if y taxes should go down. I want a government that took economics class. They should change the taxes to match the current economic situation. And bush's tax cut was very much not the correct decision to help our economy.
But staying on topic, thank god there will never be an internet tax. If ever there was an internet tax there would be a bigger uproar than when the RIAA decided to sue a 12 year old girl. So, hooray, we are saved. But... does this law say anything about paying sales tax for goods purchased over the net? If I have to start paying sales tax to amazon and such that would royally blow. A law clearly stating that sales tax should not be levied on goods purchased in e-tailers would be quite excellent.
Nobody uses anything besides AIM or ICQ anyway. The only people I know who use MSN are students from India. And the only people I know who use Yahoo! are old people and dumb people. Everyone else and there mother uses AIM or ICQ or both. And the best client for that on all OSes (besides mac I think) is gaim. http://gaim.sf.net
I don't know why you would use something else. It's just dumb. I mean, seriously, do you like advertising and paying money that much???
For once the article about violent video games informed the reader that there was no causality. Usually you have to look to the /. comments to find that out, if you didn't already know it. At least someone out there has a little bit of common sense.
I don't know who makes these Simpson's games, but they are seriously not using their license to the full potential. All they have done since the beginning is take cookie cutter genre games and replace all the graphics and sound with simpsons stuff. Started out with generic beat 'em up, then platform games, mario kart type games. It goes on.
If I had the Simpsons video game license you can sure as hell bet that I'd be making some innovative games. Maybe something like an episode maker. Include craploads of animations and sounds and graphics on a CD, or DVD even for the PC, and let people make Simpson's episodes.
Another good one, a virtual springfield. Pick any one of the zillion characters and live out their day in the town. Have multiple decision paths for each character, unlockable characters and a zillion minigames or some such to determine outcomes of things.
There is so much you can do with a license like the Simpsons. It's one of the most popular shows ever because of its high creativity, which it's video games have always lacked. Stop sucking!
Let's see if they search for
Led Zlepneipn - Sriawty to Hvaeen.mp3
hahahahah!!!!!
(applies pearl script to mp3 directory)
Ah, the slight trueness. It is true that some SUV drivers actually need a superior vehicle. And sometimes a pick up truck wont do. Like when you want extra passengers instead of a big flat bed. However, in most cases (including yours, sorry), the SUV is purchased for ego.
4 wheel drive doesn't help you as much as you'd like to believe in Montana winters. A Volvo with all wheel drive is actually superior in that respect. And for carrying just musical gear a minivan or full sized van would be just as quality. You chose the SUV over the minivan probably because of style. Any minivan would suit your needs, drive more like a car and less like a truck, and save you a crapload of money on gas. But you chose the SUV.
So yeah, that guy who tows his boat, or his RV while he's got 4 kids in the back and his wife in shotgun. That guy needs the SUV. Most, do not. And it is most often the ones who don't need it that complain the most about the gas price.
$0.02
For less than the price of a PSX controller you can get a Gravis Gamepad Pro USB. Plug it into any USB PC and it just works, perfectly. And it's almost the same as a PSX controller too. I often see them for 15, 10, and sometimes even $5. Mine has lasted me 3 years so far, and it works with all my games. Highly reccomended, must have.
it's a typo silly, I meant to save "haven't". But of course, /. doesn't let you go back and correct that type of thing.
damn! that kinda sux
The thing worng with these benchmarks is they only cover DirectX9. Any self respecting Half-Life player always keeps it in OpenGL mode, especially if it's in the land of NVidia. I can't think of a single game that lets me choose between DirectX and OpenGL where I have chosen OpenGL over the dx. Carmack likes opengl, and he knows more about it than anyone I know.
I've sait it before, but it's so relevant to this article I gotta say it again.
In Germany, and other parts of Europe, they make board games very unlike we do in America. We have things like Monopoly or Sorry, where the winner is determined mostly by luck. Over there, they have games where luck is a small or non-existant factor. This is why those games are awesome. Me and my friends have been playing German board games for like 2 or 3 years now. Puerto Rico and El Grande are our favorites. Settlers is just the gateway game, so if you like that then come on in. I hope one day these good games will be on the shelf next to Monopoly, rather than in the specialty shop only.
Head to http://www.boardgamegeek.com to see what I mean.
How come companies still don't get it? Sure, there aren't as many GameCubes out there are there are PS2s. But look at the sales numbers on cube games. The big hit games sell big. Soul Calibur 2 for the cube sold tons more copies than for the other two consoles. Games like "dumb movie license game 3" and "crummy sports game 20X6" don't sell crap on the cube. But they sell on the other systems.
Why is this? Cube owners expect extremely high quality games, games that compete with the extremely high quality of games made by Nintendo. Games like F-ZERO, The Wind Waker and Smash Brothers. EIDOS and Acclaim make only shitty games, that's why they dropped the cube. Cube owners are too smart to buy that crap. Not to say PS2 owners are dumb. There are good games for the Playstation, and when they come out they sell big. But they don't sell bigger than the cube. A hit cube game sells about 1 disc per every 2 or 3 consoles out there. A hit ps2 game sells about 1 disc for every 20 or 25 consoles out there. Because of the large number of ps2 consoles, you can make money by selling crap games. Because even if every 100th guy buys your game you got cash.
So, what does this have to do with GTA? It's a huge hit game! If they sold it for the cube they would probably sell one copy for every 2.5 cubes out there. With PS2 only, they are selling at most one copy for every 15 PS2s.
Games companies, listen here. You can make a lot of money on the GCN, but you have to make hit games. If you are in the business of making crap, don't bother making a cube version, you're just taking up shelf space.
Besides, all those PS2 and XboX games come out for the PC eventually anyway. That's why my money is in the cube.
DON'T apply for Amnesty! It's a trick! And if you get sued, don't settle! The RIAA is suing people like nuts right now because everyone is settling. They are pretty much getting tens of thousands of dollars for free. Forget selling music, they're making up their lost money by stealing money from college students.
The amnesty is a trick. The way it works is they get you into a contract that says you will stop sharing music. Once you're in that contract you no longer have the option of fighting them in court. They will sue you for breah of contract as opposed to copyright infringement, and then you're screwed.
If you get sued fight them tooth and nail. Get a good lawyer, and some help from the EFF and other folks. We just need one person with balls enough to fight, and when they win it will set a precedent. Everyone else will be able to fight and win by default. If I got sued, I would fight.
Don't let the greedy RIAA get away with this crap. Fight!
This is exactly what I'm saying. When I got F-ZERO and found out it was hard I was overjoyed. The best part is that it's not the kind of game you can become the master of just by reading a strategy guide. You actually need to play it a lot and increase your skill level. Just like in the NES days, finally we have a new game that is "Nintendo hard."
It really pisses me off that they dumb down all these games for the american audience. Since the Final Fantasies they have been making games easier for the US. The Japanese think that we are too dumb, or that we wont like games that take time and effort to beat. The sad part is that for the most part, it is true. I see too many kids these days, kids who's first console was a PSX, buying strategy guides with their games. Kids with a pc with gamefaqs.com next to their tv.
When I have kids, they're getting an NES. When they master Mega Man 2, Zelda 1, Bionic Commando, Mario 1, 2 and 3, and all the other classics. Then I'll give 'em an SNES.
My kids will be brought up right. Not like the shmucky kids of today who run at the slightest difficulty.
Oh yeah, lastly, if I ever happen to make a video game. I will be sure not to publish an official strategy guide, and include a EULA to prevent anyone else from writing one. I will also make it a game like F-ZERO where all the strategy guides in the world wont help you, you have to practice and build skill. I'll make up for my loss in sales by suing the pants off all the unofficial strategy guides.
okay, but let's say I'm a landlord, and I get a T1. Depending on my agreement with my T1 provider (the phone company?) I can be my own ISP. What then?
Holy crap. So I'm setting up my new computer. Clean install, moving files, making partitions. I get on the network and I start downloading and installing drivers and software. I go to get firebird, and I get the new .2, without even realizing it came out within the hour. I wondered why the icon was different. I head to /. and lo and behold the top story.
Freaky.
I see MSN losing a lot of users over this one. I mean, people who use MSN now are going to upgrade and keep using it. But the only people I know who use MSN are people from India. Go to my college and you'll see walking around any lab. From India? using MSN. From USA? AIM. From elsewhere? ICQ.
.NET Passport/Hotmail/Messenger boat. My gAIM jetski is very nice.
Second of all, all of those people who presently use Trillian to connect to AIM/MSN/ICQ might be switching to the superior, IMO, gaim.
I don't know where MS is getting new users from. Probably nowhere. But this maneuver is definitely going to cost them a few. I'm glad I've totally avoided the