Computers can't be creative, at least not in the way humans _can_ be. The randomness of the Rogue levels was rather successful in making the game continuously challenging, but at a rather superficial level.
Compare this with a table game with five players and a DM for an ongoing game of AD&D (or other, insert your fav here) and you'll notice a truly _huge_ difference. Between the DM and the responses/actions of the other players, you have six people tossing out so much randomness a good DM actually spends a fair amount of energy keeping the game focused.
Perhaps one way around this problem for developers of computer-assisted (or just computer games, whatever) is to build into the game resources which mimic the random creativity a DM would supply during a table-top game. One way might be to supply with the game a database of random elements which could "happen" during any particular part/level/area of a game. Have the game engine check for triggers (events/times/states) which would allows for possible "random" insertion events.
For such a method to be successful though, the database would have to be large enough to seem truly random to the player (say BIG as in many,many possible random events.)
The Baldur's Gate PC game did try something like this in that when moving from city to city you might often be waylaid by some nasties, but that was mostly an annoying failure because it didn't seem to be random at all, IMO.
"I've been programming in various forms for about 20 years now, and I still can't type."
You work for Microsoft? They've been selling product for over twenty years, still can't get it working right. Just wondering if there is a coorelation.
Yes, your point in valid and not worthy of the "troll" mod you've received.
I deal with this issue by simply explaining to customers/friends/etc. that if they need or want secure, robost computing they need to _not_ use MS products. All these viruses and worms make this advice seem more obvious by the day.
I've been advocating and converting PC users since 1997. *creak*
Yes, that's the big downside of all these U.S.-based companies shipping as much of their production/labor overseas as they possibly can, all the while hoping to make big profits bringing back their products here to sell: Can you say "gutted consumer base?"
Otherwise, I hope this company's product is more robust than their website which seems to have gone t.u. very, very early in the/.ing process.
Oh, oh, oh! (Hand waving furiously in the air) I know!
Use any old method whatsoever and just use the Electoral College to overrule the popular vote and install the bastard of choice as designated by your friendly state representatives (who only bother to represent your interests when it's time for them to get re-elected -- otherwise they're owned by large corporations.)
With this technique, the actual popular vote doesn't mean crap but the sheep (we, the sheep) can have the illusion that what we say and think matters even one whit to D.C. and the multinationals can run the country (into the ground) as they please.
Oh, wait -- we're doing this already! Sheesh, I shoulda been faster on the draw.
Until IPv6 is implemented you will never be able to ID and prosecute the people who generate these types of attacks/viruses/worms/etc.
Anything short of IPv6 is simply silly symptom slaying -- as pointless as it is fruitless as it is less-than-effective.
As was discovered in the "old" BBS days: anonymity is an unnecessary evil: Make folks ID themselves properly and most of your problems (in that regard) go away.
"_must have_ increased their willingness to improve the security of their products once and for all"
Wrong! From MS's point of view, it isn't broken and doesn't need fixed. They get the money from their customers, anything beyond that is simply not relevant. MS has shown this to be true so many times and in so many ways over the years (decades!) that to think otherwise is nothing less than indulgent self-deception.
The only thing MS seeks to "secure" is their lock on foolish people's wallets through deceptive marketing, manipulation of the government, etc.
*boggle* Dude! If people who run MS try to "keep their systems up-to-date" it will ruin -- RUIN -- our economy! All the supposed gains in productivity will vanish as MS users spend most, if not all, their time applying patches to MS's seriously crappy products.
Slashdot Mirror
Computers can't be creative, at least not in the way humans _can_ be. The randomness of the Rogue levels was rather successful in making the game continuously challenging, but at a rather superficial level.
Compare this with a table game with five players and a DM for an ongoing game of AD&D (or other, insert your fav here) and you'll notice a truly _huge_ difference. Between the DM and the responses/actions of the other players, you have six people tossing out so much randomness a good DM actually spends a fair amount of energy keeping the game focused.
Perhaps one way around this problem for developers of computer-assisted (or just computer games, whatever) is to build into the game resources which mimic the random creativity a DM would supply during a table-top game. One way might be to supply with the game a database of random elements which could "happen" during any particular part/level/area of a game. Have the game engine check for triggers (events/times/states) which would allows for possible "random" insertion events.
For such a method to be successful though, the database would have to be large enough to seem truly random to the player (say BIG as in many,many possible random events.)
The Baldur's Gate PC game did try something like this in that when moving from city to city you might often be waylaid by some nasties, but that was mostly an annoying failure because it didn't seem to be random at all, IMO.
This explains the MS butterfly ads! MS is obliquely telling us they _know_ their products are buggy, flaunting it in the face of all humanity.
We need a really big beach bonfire somewhere Redmond.
The more laws a country has, the more corrupt its government.
Paraphrase from Tacitus
"how are you dealing with it?"
Microsoft free since February, 1997.
A variation on this theme: an emotional ice detector for attachment to human females. Such a device would be a great boon to humanity.
Ah, guess they did have time enough. Coolness!
Fours posts and I'm wondering if the Heinlein Society folks have time enough for A NEW SERVER.
Oy, that's too bad. *shake*
That's not his sister, that's the same guy in drag, sheesh. Talk about flexibility!
"I've been programming in various forms for about 20 years now, and I still can't type." You work for Microsoft? They've been selling product for over twenty years, still can't get it working right. Just wondering if there is a coorelation.
WTF!
Yes, your point in valid and not worthy of the "troll" mod you've received.
I deal with this issue by simply explaining to customers/friends/etc. that if they need or want secure, robost computing they need to _not_ use MS products. All these viruses and worms make this advice seem more obvious by the day.
I've been advocating and converting PC users since 1997. *creak*
Yes, that's the big downside of all these U.S.-based companies shipping as much of their production/labor overseas as they possibly can, all the while hoping to make big profits bringing back their products here to sell: Can you say "gutted consumer base?"
/.ing process.
Otherwise, I hope this company's product is more robust than their website which seems to have gone t.u. very, very early in the
"How much money did you make so far?"
:)
Hmmm, depends upon how one counts I suppose.
...it's closer and has an atmosphere from which to derive needed elements for the exploring man.
Oh, and it's not cold at all, especially on the sunny side.
I said it in 1996, I'll say it again:
"Keep the tools open and free: Make your money from developing applications."
Mr. Butler and company have done well following this philosophy.
Great article too.
"...but he got redundant while you got funny. how does that work?"
I truely don't know. Chalk it up to the
Oh, oh, oh! (Hand waving furiously in the air) I know!
Use any old method whatsoever and just use the Electoral College to overrule the popular vote and install the bastard of choice as designated by your friendly state representatives (who only bother to represent your interests when it's time for them to get re-elected -- otherwise they're owned by large corporations.)
With this technique, the actual popular vote doesn't mean crap but the sheep (we, the sheep) can have the illusion that what we say and think matters even one whit to D.C. and the multinationals can run the country (into the ground) as they please.
Oh, wait -- we're doing this already! Sheesh, I shoulda been faster on the draw.
Yes, trying anyway. Here's the clueful quote from the second link:
"The source IP didn't change for any of the message attempts."
I don't know whether or not the spammer mentioned in the message had tried to spoof or not.
Anyway, thanks for the info, interesting messages.
Until IPv6 is implemented you will never be able to ID and prosecute the people who generate these types of attacks/viruses/worms/etc.
Anything short of IPv6 is simply silly symptom slaying -- as pointless as it is fruitless as it is less-than-effective.
As was discovered in the "old" BBS days: anonymity is an unnecessary evil: Make folks ID themselves properly and most of your problems (in that regard) go away.
"_must have_ increased their willingness to improve the security of their products once and for all"
Wrong! From MS's point of view, it isn't broken and doesn't need fixed. They get the money from their customers, anything beyond that is simply not relevant. MS has shown this to be true so many times and in so many ways over the years (decades!) that to think otherwise is nothing less than indulgent self-deception.
The only thing MS seeks to "secure" is their lock on foolish people's wallets through deceptive marketing, manipulation of the government, etc.
Get your head outta your ass, please.
for SCO's legal abuse of Linux users "EXTORTION?"
The sound of the previously happy flight simulator person as his little server takes a ***CRUSHING*** blow from half a gazillion
Goodbye little server. *sniff* R.I.P.
*clap* Bravo! Supurb sarcasm. Too Bad I can't give you mod points for sarcasm or I would. Can't mod you funny since it's not at all funny.
/.?
How about a sarcasm mod,
Mostly I agree, but the "sham" part comes from trying to replicate human intelligence in a machine.
When the developers get that idea out of their heads and focus on developing machine intelligence then we'll get somewhere.
What's the difference between the two. Heh, that's the bug-bear: We can't even define what our intelligence is, so how can we define others?
Much of the problem is the abstract nature of human language. We think in our languages but they are abstracts of reality, not reality itself.
What's the answer? I donno.
*boggle* Dude! If people who run MS try to "keep their systems up-to-date" it will ruin -- RUIN -- our economy! All the supposed gains in productivity will vanish as MS users spend most, if not all, their time applying patches to MS's seriously crappy products.
Get a grip dude, sheesh!