imgur is blocked at work (dunno why, possibly related to it being related to reddit). Anyone want to explain what pictures are linked so I know whether to check it out later at home?
Unless you've been smoking for so long that giving it up might cause worse health problems than continuing to smoke (which I can easily believe - seen it happen)
You're reminding me of why I play games like Wolf: ET and Urban Terror still - people running their OWN servers under their OWN control, with games that aren't dependent on a corp-controller master server which if it does, the MP dies.
Big-budget games are treated as short-term commodities - to be created and discarded in a few months. It's possibly because of the competitiveness in the gaming market, but I'm already seeing new shit for Battlefield 4, with EA talking almost as if BF3 doesn't exist anymore despite it still being one of the prettiest games I've ever seen. With that kind of attitude, no wonder we don't get downloadable server builds for public-run dedicated servers anymore, not to mention modding capabilities (can't have that - might mean people will keep playing BF3 and not plonk $60-$70 for BF4).
Having said that, I'm a weirdo that doesn't use Steam due to a stubborn refusal to support and encourage DRM. I seem to find a happy spot just replaying older games with source ports and texture packs, and the occasional new indie game which is often DRM free anyway (or whatever's on GoG).
Just because you don't, doesn't mean it's completely without merit.
Cracks are available yes. That's at least empowering if something goes wrong. Actually sometimes cracks do a better job for certain games than what's supplied with the binaries used in Steam (e.g. GTA San Andreas on Steam won't show most widescreen resolutions like 1920x1080 unless you download the 1.01 crack from gamecopyworld and replace the game's.exe).
Having said that, the principle that you have cracks as a final recourse if something goes wrong sucks as an option. They're illegal, they are probably only available for Windows (OS X and Linux users don't have much in the way of game cracks for obvious reasons) and they might malfunction or be hard to acquire depending on the source. An official DRM-free installer would negate ALL of these concerns.
Like everyone else I hated those retarded disc copy-protection implementations as well. Steam is definitely better in that regard, and I don't disagree at all with this. But in the end, it's an unnecessary impediment given the fact people WILL be able to pirate the game anyway, DRM or not, so there's no reason to punish your actual buying customers. Most won't be affected by Steam's DRM, but some do.
Steam DRM doesn't give you the ability to auto update your games, have achievements and whatnot - that's Steam itself, the DRM is not relevant in those capabilities. I also highly doubt DRM is responsible for cheaper game prices, given the number of new games released at full price. Valve just know the power of sales like no-one else apparently.
My own experience with Steam support is when I requested a refund for Dead Space because the mouse sensitivity and control was (in my and a lot of people's opinions) really bad for the PC version. They refused. I said "bye!" and stopped using Steam. I later learnt that Steam apparently allow one refund and only refund after that under very special circumstances. I must have had my request put in before this came about.
I kinda wish GoG was taken more seriously by the larger publishers/developers. Then we'd have more competition in the DRM-free sector - and then I wouldn't care what Steam does, because we'd have more options. But now Steam has most of the PC gaming sector locked up - buy at Amazon, they'll give you a Steam key anyway. The only real way to have DRM-free gaming with high-profile games is to basically pirate them...
There's always the possibility the attackers found a "fake" blueprint under a lighter level of security, put there to make them think they found something worthwhile and back out to avoid further detection. Then you make it public (like it now has) and make the enemy believe something that's actually a complete ruse.
Sure, it looks embarrassing for you, but one of the major elements of intelligence is counter-intelligence and misdirection. Let the enemy believe they now know something juicy, and they'll further base actions on incorrect intel.
Just a thought. Of could be as simple as the Aussie Government completely fucking up by running a poorly patched Windows XP infected with a compromised USB. Some idiot on the article's comments section (tonyy) did suggest Linux would have been more secure. As if the Chinese wouldn't know how to write Linux malware and infect via social engineering if it were the predominant OS used on Government machines (which it will never be - Windows is just too well designed for corporate use on the desktop).
Indeed. You can't stop progress (progress as in new technology, not necessarily what's best for humanity). Better to just accept what will happen will happen and not worry too much about it.
And no, I'm not being sarcastic. You really think you can fight change? You can certainly try, but too many people take too long to realize that you can only win some battles, but you'll never win the war.
I think some people keep forgetting how many resources Microsoft has at their disposal to get something like this to work.
Having said that, these same people think Microsoft is on their knees and will soon be wiped out when Linux finally takes hold on the mainstream desktop (all it takes is that one good distro!), so I don't listen to them much.
Shhh! Don't point out the fact that most games purchased via Steam are DRMed and hence require permission from the vendor (i.e. Valve) in order to continue working. You'll get shouted at and booed for not falling in line with the rest of the gaming community. Believe me I've tried (in other accounts).
People here really don't like vendor lock-in, but are happy to do it with Steam because Valve is, at THIS point in time, fairly trustworthy and decent in their behavior, and are also likely quite flush with cash so aren't likely to collapse anytime soon. But Steam also pushes the idea of acceptable DRM to the next generation of gamers - to the point where a lot of games are now appearing on Linux, but require Steam. If you don't agree with how Steam works and want to play new titles without any form of DRM, you're basically out of luck in terms of being a PC gamer it seems. And that just fucking sucks (GoG doesn't count because you won't find Far Cry 3 or Skyrim on GoG any time soon).
But now that Ubuntu's moving towards Mir, Wayland is pointless. I mean, Wayland can't possibly be any good, otherwise why would Mir be in development? At least that's what people have told me.
Negativity works, yes, but it's also affects society because it ends up being so pervasive that everyone is doing it. It's the reason fanboys are so fucking annoying and prevalent on tech sites - they WANT to denigrate anyone who doesn't agree with them because that negativity is rewarding apparently. Shit, if companies are acting like this with each other, why wouldn't impressionable young folk not act the same way?
It's surprising how hard it is to stick to one's morals and try to remain ethical in the face of everyone using a lack of morals and mutual respect in order to get ahead in the world. Human nature maybe, I dunno, but it shouldn't be necessary.
I get that companies have to be competitive, that's cool. It's a necessity. What I don't like are the public spats between them. Shit like Microsoft's Scroogled campaign (which is both insightful and hypocritical at the same time), the CEOs of all the companies talking about how their competitors are useless or stupid - particularly if you're sufficiently well informed to know they're talking BS and in fact are guilty of the very things they criticize their competitors for doing.
I also seriously dislike the fact that this industry has a HUGE number of fanboys. There's absolutely nothing wrong about liking the products a company creates, but when it starts to be come a situation where you'll defend them to the hilt even though they're not paying you, you don't work for them, and you're unable to accept differing opinions without resorting to flame wars - well it's enough to not bother with most forums on the net these days anymore.
I'm just so tired, so very fucking tired, of all the negativity in the tech world these days. All I want is to hear about new stuff, interesting developments, without the comments section of any site being filled with Google vs Microsoft vs Apple vs Linux fanboys, arguing between one another and reducing the ability to actually get some decent discourse going.
Maybe I'm just an idiot for thinking I can find decent discussions anymore on the net. Too many fucking idiots, and the behavior of corporations these days are not helping one bit. Why fanboys even exist to defend these bastards I have no idea.
No, they're not. They're bringing back the start button. Instead of there being an invisible hot corner or hidden clickable area to access the Start screen while in the desktop, there's now a clear button to do so. But the start menu itself is as dead as Microsoft can make it - despite the fact that restoring the menu even if it's "old-fashioned" would alleviate nearly all the major concerns people have with the fucking OS.
I have a text file which contains a list of changes to make in about:config upon a fresh install of Firefox (or a fresh profile). I've noticed this list has been gradually increasing every so often, generally after 2 or 3 new versions of Firefox. There aren't too many changes - ones that come to mind are to reverse the download box as was mentioned, while another one is to remove the default action trimming the protocol http and the trailing slash behind the domain name.
I'm sure there are reasons for all the changes - mostly to reduce confusion for non-tech minded individuals. I just don't agree with them and appreciate that I can reverse them easily enough. For others that were removed entirely (like a persistent status bar), extensions fix the rest.
App? Heck a link would have been enough, and it would have easily satisfied the ToS. Sure it's not as elegant as a dedicated app but the mobile site is still very functional, scales properly and plays videos in fullscreen if desired. All the app does is expose features a bit easier and more directly, but it's not a terrible loss to not have it.
Won't happen. Can't happen. You'd have to somehow change the mindset of millions of people who like and buy the stuff they sell (giving them more money and influence in the process). The actions of these companies are not widely known except for tech sites, so again, nothing will happen. They've been behaving like dicks for YEARS, and are still hugely profitable.
OK, point made. So long as the overall actions and ultimate legacy of an individual is more good than bad, any slights (no matter how serious) can safely be ignored. The ends justify the means I guess.
I'm aware no-one's perfect, but it does... ah fuck it. Not worth debating really.
I dunno - if there are "normal" bronies around, unfortunately they don't seem to be particularly common on the net. I am prepared to change my mind if I meet one though.
So how is it in any way relevant to his argument hen?
Simple - if the person trying to make the world a better place is despicable, they do not deserve any credit for doing so. It would have been better if they didn't, as their charitable actions taint the outcome due to who they are.
Like I said the Bronies are as bad as Colombian drug lords, but they are disgusting and disturbing individuals regardless and so taint the image of any charity work performed under their banner.
Pablo Escobar was known to provide to charities and give aid to the poor. Perhaps he was also trying to make the world (or at least his part of it) a better place. Does mean he was particularly nice though.
Not trying to say the Bronies are as bad as Colombian drug lords, just shooting down your argument.
The OS isn't worthless. The fact it's used on so many devices shows it has value, and the fact it hasn't died despite the fierce resistance from a lot of sectors in the industry still shows it has value. However, it's probably a waste of energy to press for desktop domination at this point in time. Time to give up that battle and appreciate where Linux already has dominance as the primary OS or as the base OS used for specialized systems (embedded devices, supercomputers, etc). The desktop can be left to Windows because frankly, the desktop is where Windows excells. And there's nothing wrong with that.
I will say though, I am deeply disappointed that the Linux community seems to attract a huge number of douchbags. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only sane man surrounded by dickheads.
On the bright side, sounds like a good place to direct a post-apocalyptic movie. On the down side, the number of locations such a movie could be made in the US appear to be rapidly increasing (though possibly a good thing for the movie industry).
But seriously, your country seems kinda fucked. How the hell are you guys gonna get out of that?
Would you hire me? I have developed a process by which I can store data in both ASCII and UTF-8 encoding, at the same time, without requiring any additional filespace compared to a simple ASCII-encoded document!
No need to apologize. You're quite right, and in particular about how it seems like they're just wasting money. But as for winning new money, sounds like they're making quite a penny over licensing agreements with Android. So that's something.:)
Slashdot Mirror
Good idea.
In any case I'm home now and saw the full set of images. Thinking I probably shouldn't show my wife any of these.
imgur is blocked at work (dunno why, possibly related to it being related to reddit). Anyone want to explain what pictures are linked so I know whether to check it out later at home?
Give up smoking dude. It's bad for you!
Unless you've been smoking for so long that giving it up might cause worse health problems than continuing to smoke (which I can easily believe - seen it happen)
You're reminding me of why I play games like Wolf: ET and Urban Terror still - people running their OWN servers under their OWN control, with games that aren't dependent on a corp-controller master server which if it does, the MP dies.
Big-budget games are treated as short-term commodities - to be created and discarded in a few months. It's possibly because of the competitiveness in the gaming market, but I'm already seeing new shit for Battlefield 4, with EA talking almost as if BF3 doesn't exist anymore despite it still being one of the prettiest games I've ever seen. With that kind of attitude, no wonder we don't get downloadable server builds for public-run dedicated servers anymore, not to mention modding capabilities (can't have that - might mean people will keep playing BF3 and not plonk $60-$70 for BF4).
Having said that, I'm a weirdo that doesn't use Steam due to a stubborn refusal to support and encourage DRM. I seem to find a happy spot just replaying older games with source ports and texture packs, and the occasional new indie game which is often DRM free anyway (or whatever's on GoG).
Just because you don't, doesn't mean it's completely without merit.
Cracks are available yes. That's at least empowering if something goes wrong. Actually sometimes cracks do a better job for certain games than what's supplied with the binaries used in Steam (e.g. GTA San Andreas on Steam won't show most widescreen resolutions like 1920x1080 unless you download the 1.01 crack from gamecopyworld and replace the game's .exe).
Having said that, the principle that you have cracks as a final recourse if something goes wrong sucks as an option. They're illegal, they are probably only available for Windows (OS X and Linux users don't have much in the way of game cracks for obvious reasons) and they might malfunction or be hard to acquire depending on the source. An official DRM-free installer would negate ALL of these concerns.
Like everyone else I hated those retarded disc copy-protection implementations as well. Steam is definitely better in that regard, and I don't disagree at all with this. But in the end, it's an unnecessary impediment given the fact people WILL be able to pirate the game anyway, DRM or not, so there's no reason to punish your actual buying customers. Most won't be affected by Steam's DRM, but some do.
Steam DRM doesn't give you the ability to auto update your games, have achievements and whatnot - that's Steam itself, the DRM is not relevant in those capabilities. I also highly doubt DRM is responsible for cheaper game prices, given the number of new games released at full price. Valve just know the power of sales like no-one else apparently.
My own experience with Steam support is when I requested a refund for Dead Space because the mouse sensitivity and control was (in my and a lot of people's opinions) really bad for the PC version. They refused. I said "bye!" and stopped using Steam. I later learnt that Steam apparently allow one refund and only refund after that under very special circumstances. I must have had my request put in before this came about.
I kinda wish GoG was taken more seriously by the larger publishers/developers. Then we'd have more competition in the DRM-free sector - and then I wouldn't care what Steam does, because we'd have more options. But now Steam has most of the PC gaming sector locked up - buy at Amazon, they'll give you a Steam key anyway. The only real way to have DRM-free gaming with high-profile games is to basically pirate them...
There's always the possibility the attackers found a "fake" blueprint under a lighter level of security, put there to make them think they found something worthwhile and back out to avoid further detection. Then you make it public (like it now has) and make the enemy believe something that's actually a complete ruse.
Sure, it looks embarrassing for you, but one of the major elements of intelligence is counter-intelligence and misdirection. Let the enemy believe they now know something juicy, and they'll further base actions on incorrect intel.
Just a thought. Of could be as simple as the Aussie Government completely fucking up by running a poorly patched Windows XP infected with a compromised USB. Some idiot on the article's comments section (tonyy) did suggest Linux would have been more secure. As if the Chinese wouldn't know how to write Linux malware and infect via social engineering if it were the predominant OS used on Government machines (which it will never be - Windows is just too well designed for corporate use on the desktop).
Indeed. You can't stop progress (progress as in new technology, not necessarily what's best for humanity). Better to just accept what will happen will happen and not worry too much about it.
And no, I'm not being sarcastic. You really think you can fight change? You can certainly try, but too many people take too long to realize that you can only win some battles, but you'll never win the war.
I think some people keep forgetting how many resources Microsoft has at their disposal to get something like this to work.
Having said that, these same people think Microsoft is on their knees and will soon be wiped out when Linux finally takes hold on the mainstream desktop (all it takes is that one good distro!), so I don't listen to them much.
Shhh! Don't point out the fact that most games purchased via Steam are DRMed and hence require permission from the vendor (i.e. Valve) in order to continue working. You'll get shouted at and booed for not falling in line with the rest of the gaming community. Believe me I've tried (in other accounts).
People here really don't like vendor lock-in, but are happy to do it with Steam because Valve is, at THIS point in time, fairly trustworthy and decent in their behavior, and are also likely quite flush with cash so aren't likely to collapse anytime soon. But Steam also pushes the idea of acceptable DRM to the next generation of gamers - to the point where a lot of games are now appearing on Linux, but require Steam. If you don't agree with how Steam works and want to play new titles without any form of DRM, you're basically out of luck in terms of being a PC gamer it seems. And that just fucking sucks (GoG doesn't count because you won't find Far Cry 3 or Skyrim on GoG any time soon).
But now that Ubuntu's moving towards Mir, Wayland is pointless. I mean, Wayland can't possibly be any good, otherwise why would Mir be in development? At least that's what people have told me.
Yeah, like Apple.
People seem to keep picking on Microsoft as if this is still the 90's/
Negativity works, yes, but it's also affects society because it ends up being so pervasive that everyone is doing it. It's the reason fanboys are so fucking annoying and prevalent on tech sites - they WANT to denigrate anyone who doesn't agree with them because that negativity is rewarding apparently. Shit, if companies are acting like this with each other, why wouldn't impressionable young folk not act the same way?
It's surprising how hard it is to stick to one's morals and try to remain ethical in the face of everyone using a lack of morals and mutual respect in order to get ahead in the world. Human nature maybe, I dunno, but it shouldn't be necessary.
I get that companies have to be competitive, that's cool. It's a necessity. What I don't like are the public spats between them. Shit like Microsoft's Scroogled campaign (which is both insightful and hypocritical at the same time), the CEOs of all the companies talking about how their competitors are useless or stupid - particularly if you're sufficiently well informed to know they're talking BS and in fact are guilty of the very things they criticize their competitors for doing.
I also seriously dislike the fact that this industry has a HUGE number of fanboys. There's absolutely nothing wrong about liking the products a company creates, but when it starts to be come a situation where you'll defend them to the hilt even though they're not paying you, you don't work for them, and you're unable to accept differing opinions without resorting to flame wars - well it's enough to not bother with most forums on the net these days anymore.
I'm just so tired, so very fucking tired, of all the negativity in the tech world these days. All I want is to hear about new stuff, interesting developments, without the comments section of any site being filled with Google vs Microsoft vs Apple vs Linux fanboys, arguing between one another and reducing the ability to actually get some decent discourse going.
Maybe I'm just an idiot for thinking I can find decent discussions anymore on the net. Too many fucking idiots, and the behavior of corporations these days are not helping one bit. Why fanboys even exist to defend these bastards I have no idea.
No, they're not. They're bringing back the start button. Instead of there being an invisible hot corner or hidden clickable area to access the Start screen while in the desktop, there's now a clear button to do so. But the start menu itself is as dead as Microsoft can make it - despite the fact that restoring the menu even if it's "old-fashioned" would alleviate nearly all the major concerns people have with the fucking OS.
Indeed.
I have a text file which contains a list of changes to make in about:config upon a fresh install of Firefox (or a fresh profile). I've noticed this list has been gradually increasing every so often, generally after 2 or 3 new versions of Firefox. There aren't too many changes - ones that come to mind are to reverse the download box as was mentioned, while another one is to remove the default action trimming the protocol http and the trailing slash behind the domain name.
I'm sure there are reasons for all the changes - mostly to reduce confusion for non-tech minded individuals. I just don't agree with them and appreciate that I can reverse them easily enough. For others that were removed entirely (like a persistent status bar), extensions fix the rest.
App? Heck a link would have been enough, and it would have easily satisfied the ToS. Sure it's not as elegant as a dedicated app but the mobile site is still very functional, scales properly and plays videos in fullscreen if desired. All the app does is expose features a bit easier and more directly, but it's not a terrible loss to not have it.
Won't happen. Can't happen. You'd have to somehow change the mindset of millions of people who like and buy the stuff they sell (giving them more money and influence in the process). The actions of these companies are not widely known except for tech sites, so again, nothing will happen. They've been behaving like dicks for YEARS, and are still hugely profitable.
OK, point made. So long as the overall actions and ultimate legacy of an individual is more good than bad, any slights (no matter how serious) can safely be ignored. The ends justify the means I guess.
I'm aware no-one's perfect, but it does... ah fuck it. Not worth debating really.
I dunno - if there are "normal" bronies around, unfortunately they don't seem to be particularly common on the net. I am prepared to change my mind if I meet one though.
Simple - if the person trying to make the world a better place is despicable, they do not deserve any credit for doing so. It would have been better if they didn't, as their charitable actions taint the outcome due to who they are.
Like I said the Bronies are as bad as Colombian drug lords, but they are disgusting and disturbing individuals regardless and so taint the image of any charity work performed under their banner.
Pablo Escobar was known to provide to charities and give aid to the poor. Perhaps he was also trying to make the world (or at least his part of it) a better place. Does mean he was particularly nice though.
Not trying to say the Bronies are as bad as Colombian drug lords, just shooting down your argument.
The OS isn't worthless. The fact it's used on so many devices shows it has value, and the fact it hasn't died despite the fierce resistance from a lot of sectors in the industry still shows it has value. However, it's probably a waste of energy to press for desktop domination at this point in time. Time to give up that battle and appreciate where Linux already has dominance as the primary OS or as the base OS used for specialized systems (embedded devices, supercomputers, etc). The desktop can be left to Windows because frankly, the desktop is where Windows excells. And there's nothing wrong with that.
I will say though, I am deeply disappointed that the Linux community seems to attract a huge number of douchbags. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only sane man surrounded by dickheads.
On the bright side, sounds like a good place to direct a post-apocalyptic movie. On the down side, the number of locations such a movie could be made in the US appear to be rapidly increasing (though possibly a good thing for the movie industry).
But seriously, your country seems kinda fucked. How the hell are you guys gonna get out of that?
Sorry, you're overqualified.
No need to apologize. You're quite right, and in particular about how it seems like they're just wasting money. But as for winning new money, sounds like they're making quite a penny over licensing agreements with Android. So that's something. :)