I would respond by making a statement about dada, Mr. Breton, but it would be silly to make a statement about dada.;)
Anyhow, I agree with you except that DivX isn't good example. It's just not something that I see standing the test of time. I know OS X users who are heavily into burning VCDs from DivX, but they are ones with more Unix experience and are willing to mess around in dark areas more than some (like you and, admittedly, me). But there is still voodoo and mystery surrounding it, and I don't know if a pro package would make things better, or make them worse.
C&G might have looked at DivX or somesuch but, let's be honest: would you be willing to put your company on the line by wading into a grey legal area? Has C&G really done anything slightly risky other than SoundJam (which was, really, rather tame)?
No, Apple didn't kill them. But, where would they head without a killer app of some sort once SoundJam was gone?
sigh
All this talk makes me realize that I miss SoundJam.
I was one of the first Mac users out of my circle of friends and coworkers to use SoundJam (in fact, my 6500/225 still has it installed). I can understand why Apple bought it and turned it into iTunes, but I almost wonder if, when they bought it, did Apple kill C&G?
After OS X came out, I stopped using Conflict Catcher, too (which, yes, is still on my 6500).
Just thinking this through: Apple definitely dealt a mjor blow buying SoundJam off of C&G, but does anyone think of C&G as an OS X developer?
I'm wrong and should apologize? Go look in the mirror, Sparkles. I'm right, I know I'm right, and I stand my ground when I'm right. I don't let Rush Limbaugh/Morton Downey, Jr.-like tactics shut me up. I make sure that all the facts and opinions are taken into consideration before a decision is made, unlike you and unlike our Army.
Now here's a brainstorm: Maybe that's not Redmond Kool-Aid you're drinking after all. Maybe it's Dubya-flavored instead...
Never said they weren't - but the potential in the PS2 isn't there yet. Sony doesn't have Ultimate TV or WebTV or its own ISP
Now, let's say Sony buys Tivo or Replay, steps up development of their Linux distro OR starts working closely with Apple (which both companies have stated there are talks going on about making the Mac and the PS work together somehow). Then they would just be missing an ISP (not that important - buy a little one or partner up with Earthlink, etc.)...then Sony would be in the position MS is in. But Sony just doesn't have the infrastructure in place to pull that off right now.
And, please remember, MS is a monopoly - even they agree with it. The legal questions surrounding them are if they are leveraging their position as a monopoly illegally.
But what features are they actually giving us? MS has stated, very clearly, that they aren't as much interested in getting good games to market as they are getting into the living room.
MS wants to own your entertainment venue - gaming, PVR, web surfing, digital media playback. Think about it - what does an "Xbox" mean? A "PlayStation" clearly states "play" and a "GameCube" says "games." What does "Xbox" mean? "X" sounds like a variable to me...
As for the online play - that's not a killer app for me or most of my friends. I do have an adapter for my PS2, and I have SOCOM (and I enjoy it), no adapter for my GC, though (no need - don't have time for PSO)...but it's just not a compelling thing for a console for me. If its there - cool. If not, that's fine too.
I bought the PS2 for the games library. I love my GC and its games. The graphics, when handled correctly, are nothing but beautiful - just look at Pikmin (a new game, by the way). Add the Game Boy Player into the mix, and the GC is, quite simply, the best piece of hardware on the market. No, it doesn't have Halo or GTA...but it does have some wonderful games that my wife and I enjoy playing.
I will readily admit that, by time my kids are ready to play games, I will stick with Nintendo's offerings, possibly Sony's...though I will watch, very carefully, what they play...
MS, however, has done nothing to make me think they'll ever properly support kid's games...
Double yawn. You certainly are the big man, aren't you, "Sheldon?" Might as well pull out the yard stick and pull down our pants, cause you just ain't gonna give up till you prove you're bigger, are you?
All I know is that MS is good for the tech support business: as long as MS exists and keeps putting out crappy software and users like you lap it up, I'll have a job bailing your asses out of the fixes you get yourself into.
Be seeing you, Sheldon. Enjoy the new Win2K Service Pack. Hopefully this one comes with pre-sweetened Kool-Aid, but I wouldn't be surprised if its the tyep that changes colors and flavors on you later on down the line.
I knew this sort of thing was going to happen. When the WonderSwan outsells the Xbox, you seriously have to wonder if the Japanese are even interested in MS's product...which they obviously aren't. And, personally, I find the Xbox to be a major yawn-fest, wth Halo being the only exclusive worthwhile on there (and, even then, I've fooled with Halo on a friend's Xbox and wasn't that impressed).
Xbox is dying its deserved death. I, for one, know there is no way I'm buying one unless Shenmue III is an Xbox exclusive. Even then, I may just borrow a friend's Xbox to play it...
My prediction: there may be an Xbox 2, but there will not be an Xbox 3.
Yawn. The point is the ship didn't work. Usually that's a sign that something has gone wrong. Call me odd, but that might even be the point where you start troubleshooting.
Have you ever seen an app crash on NT? I have. I used to supervise a lab of 200 workstations with the shit on it. And, damn, wouldn't you know it? An app crashes and 70% of the time the OS went down. Try as they might, the systems administrators could never get NT to work in the way all of you Redmond stormtroopers like to imagine. BSODs were a regular part of my and my staff's day.
I may be a "moron," but at least I know what happens in the real world when MS fucks up (like it usually does), and I know that real work needs to be done to fix the shit.
Enjoy your beverage.
Re:Why the XBox is bad for Microsoft
on
Hacking the XBox
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
No, he's right. If you look at some of the interviews, etc., you'll learn that the motivation is to get into the living room - not to create great game consoles. They want to create an uber-Xbox that does all soerts of things. Let's look at a few things:
1) "Xbox" is a pretty generic name (about as generic as "iPod" - but I'll leave that where its at). It doesn't really bring games to mind. A "PlayStation" and a "GameCube" definitely do, but an "Xbox?" They chose a generic name for a reason.
2) Both Xbox 1.5 and Xbox 2 are rumored to have PVR capability (Xbox/Ultimate TV, anyone?). There is talk of media center-like uses for the Xbox (yep - like the computers MS worked with HP on...embrace, extend, extinguish...). The Xbox is already a DVD and CD player, and Bill Gates has begun to make noise much the same to Steve Jobs's "digital hub" talk.
3) What's missing? A browser and e-mail...WebTV. Just drop some of that into the mix while you're at it...your Gamer Tag can be your "@xbox.net" e-mail address or somesuch...
With all of that, MS has its hands in your recreational and entertainment activities. They want to do so - just dig around, you'll find it.
Actually, I'm not a Linux zealot. In fact, I'm not currently running Linux on any of my machines.
I am, however, a realist: The OS can crash on a desktop - that is understandable. BUT the OS should not fucking crash on a Naval vessel! Period! There is no excuse M$ can make - custom app or otherwise - for NT to have crashed on that boat.
200,000 of anything isn't a success. Doesn't matter if it outdid Sony and Nintendo - 200K is still a stellarly poor result when you look at the fact that there are 13 million Xboxen that have been sold.
What, you think that the more MS makes the more people it needs? This isn't a car company, son! The same team is making Office whether or not it ships five copies or 5,000,000 copies. You don't need more people to create the software. And the duplicating and boxing is done by machines, so don't even think there are more jobs needed in that area.
It's SOCOM...and I think the guys in the tent are supposed to be real SEALs playing the game. They're sorta non-descript, all in all (could be SEALs, could be Army, etc.).
The Xbox is still hobbled by the fact that broadband adoption has stalled and that there are way too many users out there who think 56k is enough. When you consider how comparitively few people have broadband Internet access, then consider how few of those have Xboxes...I have no doubt that this killer app will be a killer dud.
You must be in the games subsection, because this is not on the front page (at least not at 3:50pm ET). Thus, in the games subsection, the postings are going to be about...games.
...hence the reason M$ isn't getting my money for an Xbox. I'll live without Halo 2, thank you very much.:)
Honestly, though, I had heard (about six months ago, but still) that Sony was going to announce a $39.99 price point for the PS2 games and that people were hoping M$ and Nintendo would follow. Has anyone heard more about that?
Slashdot Mirror
Anyhow, I agree with you except that DivX isn't good example. It's just not something that I see standing the test of time. I know OS X users who are heavily into burning VCDs from DivX, but they are ones with more Unix experience and are willing to mess around in dark areas more than some (like you and, admittedly, me). But there is still voodoo and mystery surrounding it, and I don't know if a pro package would make things better, or make them worse.
C&G might have looked at DivX or somesuch but, let's be honest: would you be willing to put your company on the line by wading into a grey legal area? Has C&G really done anything slightly risky other than SoundJam (which was, really, rather tame)?
No, Apple didn't kill them. But, where would they head without a killer app of some sort once SoundJam was gone?
sigh
All this talk makes me realize that I miss SoundJam.
But not Conflict Catcher. ;)
After OS X came out, I stopped using Conflict Catcher, too (which, yes, is still on my 6500).
Just thinking this through: Apple definitely dealt a mjor blow buying SoundJam off of C&G, but does anyone think of C&G as an OS X developer?
Oh, well. Farewell, C&G. We'll miss you.
Now here's a brainstorm: Maybe that's not Redmond Kool-Aid you're drinking after all. Maybe it's Dubya-flavored instead...
Now, let's say Sony buys Tivo or Replay, steps up development of their Linux distro OR starts working closely with Apple (which both companies have stated there are talks going on about making the Mac and the PS work together somehow). Then they would just be missing an ISP (not that important - buy a little one or partner up with Earthlink, etc.)...then Sony would be in the position MS is in. But Sony just doesn't have the infrastructure in place to pull that off right now.
And, please remember, MS is a monopoly - even they agree with it. The legal questions surrounding them are if they are leveraging their position as a monopoly illegally.
MS wants to own your entertainment venue - gaming, PVR, web surfing, digital media playback. Think about it - what does an "Xbox" mean? A "PlayStation" clearly states "play" and a "GameCube" says "games." What does "Xbox" mean? "X" sounds like a variable to me...
As for the online play - that's not a killer app for me or most of my friends. I do have an adapter for my PS2, and I have SOCOM (and I enjoy it), no adapter for my GC, though (no need - don't have time for PSO)...but it's just not a compelling thing for a console for me. If its there - cool. If not, that's fine too.
I bought the PS2 for the games library. I love my GC and its games. The graphics, when handled correctly, are nothing but beautiful - just look at Pikmin (a new game, by the way). Add the Game Boy Player into the mix, and the GC is, quite simply, the best piece of hardware on the market. No, it doesn't have Halo or GTA...but it does have some wonderful games that my wife and I enjoy playing.
Obviously, so do the Japanese. ;)
I will readily admit that, by time my kids are ready to play games, I will stick with Nintendo's offerings, possibly Sony's...though I will watch, very carefully, what they play...
MS, however, has done nothing to make me think they'll ever properly support kid's games...
All I know is that MS is good for the tech support business: as long as MS exists and keeps putting out crappy software and users like you lap it up, I'll have a job bailing your asses out of the fixes you get yourself into.
Be seeing you, Sheldon. Enjoy the new Win2K Service Pack. Hopefully this one comes with pre-sweetened Kool-Aid, but I wouldn't be surprised if its the tyep that changes colors and flavors on you later on down the line.
Xbox is dying its deserved death. I, for one, know there is no way I'm buying one unless Shenmue III is an Xbox exclusive. Even then, I may just borrow a friend's Xbox to play it...
My prediction: there may be an Xbox 2, but there will not be an Xbox 3.
Man, that completely destroys my utopic view of Canada. I think I'll have to postpone that trip to Toronto now...
Ahhh...so you know Alanis Morrisette, do you? ;)
Have you ever seen an app crash on NT? I have. I used to supervise a lab of 200 workstations with the shit on it. And, damn, wouldn't you know it? An app crashes and 70% of the time the OS went down. Try as they might, the systems administrators could never get NT to work in the way all of you Redmond stormtroopers like to imagine. BSODs were a regular part of my and my staff's day.
I may be a "moron," but at least I know what happens in the real world when MS fucks up (like it usually does), and I know that real work needs to be done to fix the shit.
Enjoy your beverage.
1) "Xbox" is a pretty generic name (about as generic as "iPod" - but I'll leave that where its at). It doesn't really bring games to mind. A "PlayStation" and a "GameCube" definitely do, but an "Xbox?" They chose a generic name for a reason.
2) Both Xbox 1.5 and Xbox 2 are rumored to have PVR capability (Xbox/Ultimate TV, anyone?). There is talk of media center-like uses for the Xbox (yep - like the computers MS worked with HP on...embrace, extend, extinguish...). The Xbox is already a DVD and CD player, and Bill Gates has begun to make noise much the same to Steve Jobs's "digital hub" talk.
3) What's missing? A browser and e-mail...WebTV. Just drop some of that into the mix while you're at it...your Gamer Tag can be your "@xbox.net" e-mail address or somesuch...
With all of that, MS has its hands in your recreational and entertainment activities. They want to do so - just dig around, you'll find it.
MS wants all your base.
I am, however, a realist: The OS can crash on a desktop - that is understandable. BUT the OS should not fucking crash on a Naval vessel! Period! There is no excuse M$ can make - custom app or otherwise - for NT to have crashed on that boat.
How is that Red(mond) Kool-Aid?
200,000 of anything isn't a success. Doesn't matter if it outdid Sony and Nintendo - 200K is still a stellarly poor result when you look at the fact that there are 13 million Xboxen that have been sold.
We all do remember what happened to the USS Yorktown in 1998, yes?
Tillian is a character in HHGTTG..."trillion" is a number. 1/2 of Trillian would be kinda messy...and morbid.
Go back to college and take Econ 101 again.
It's SOCOM...and I think the guys in the tent are supposed to be real SEALs playing the game. They're sorta non-descript, all in all (could be SEALs, could be Army, etc.).
The Xbox is still hobbled by the fact that broadband adoption has stalled and that there are way too many users out there who think 56k is enough. When you consider how comparitively few people have broadband Internet access, then consider how few of those have Xboxes...I have no doubt that this killer app will be a killer dud.
Don't smack others down unless you have your facts completely straight - it undercuts your argument.
iPod.
Shocking, but true.
Honestly, though, I had heard (about six months ago, but still) that Sony was going to announce a $39.99 price point for the PS2 games and that people were hoping M$ and Nintendo would follow. Has anyone heard more about that?
The game should have taken place in the Expanded Universe...
Think about it:
You know who David Boies is, don't you? ;)