"Will these things be region locked, or can I order on from the Japanese release and play US games on it when they are released on this side of the pond?"
It's a very weird sequence of events to get the system to bluescreen under UT. You have to be:
* Running new nVidia drivers * Have a profile created for UT in the driver set * Run the game (which is fine) then close it (which'll cause it to crash)
When I added a DEP exception for the exe, thing worked fine.
Sort of. They've hinted that Bungie has joked around with them (wanting to put an ad on their site that said "Halo 2. Remember that game that sucked? Here's the sequel!")
I just finished watching the behind the scenes DVD, and Bungie looks like a group of fairly fun, geeky guys. I'm just curious if they laid into the duo when they arrived ("So, you're here to see the game that sucks. No, you can't come in.", or something).:)
True, but this is more about asking for Slashdotter's opinions.
In my case, SP2 has been a mixed bag, but in a very strange way. At work, I upgraded our entire fleet using SUS (we're a small company of about 50 machines) after testing with a few testbeds. Outside of explaining to users what the information bar was, it installed like a dream. I was very satisfied to see even basic stuff, like the admin share, closed off via the firewall until you open it.
On the other hand, my home computer has been less than friendly. I built a cutting-edge rig with an Athlon 64 chipset, and I've run into all kinds of strange bluescreens. A lot of them have to do with DEP (data execution prevention). I want to leave it on, but I've had to create so many exceptions I wonder how useful it is. Offhand, two apps I know cause problems are UT2004 and NAV 8 (haven't tried 9 yet). I'm not too thrilled that *programs* now (not just drivers) can bluescreen a current NT OS.
Overall, I'm fairly satisfied with it though, just based on work experiences. The problems at home are addressable -- although I'd hate to be young and foolish, just building my first gaming rig, and wondering what the hell is going on.
You guys absolutely roasted the original Halo, then gradually grew to like it. You've said you've met with Bungie since then. Were the meetings amicable?
Perhaps because absolutely 0.00% of the mainstream players agree with your sentiment that there's an "Evil Platform". Me and my cohorts were out there November 8th in the bitter cold, waiting for the game to come out. We had fun, and are still having fun to this day.
Uh, hey, asshole: I grew up in a very large family (5 children) with one parent. I know what it's like to have sick children -- I've been one of them, and I've had to comfort siblings as I grew older.
You apparently have never dealt with a sick child overnight. Here's the deal: you stay up all night with the bucket, running back and forth, and having cold water compresses at the ready. If you DO stay up until 7:00 AM, you likely are in no position to fall asleep for 3 hours (and then claim to "sleep late"). At that point you likely make yourself some tea/coffee, call the school to tell them the child isn't coming in, and call your boss and say "Hey, sorry, I can't come in". If you have a 6-digit salary, you can afford to request this day off. Later on in the day, after you're sure the kid is ok, you get some sleep.
This guy's story reeks with falsehoods. If someone were to stay up all night with their sick kid, why would they "oversleep" the following morning? How does one "oversleep" when they've only been in bed 3 hours (I don't know about you, but my definition of "oversleep" is that I've slept *more* hours than I expected). Why would he not call in to say he was late (hell, he was awake at 7; why not call then)? This guy obviously made this shit up and tried to fake things at the last minute. That's why he's tell two different stories: a fake child one, and a real "I actually just overslept because I don't care about my job" one.
And who says I don't? The bottom line is, if you're going to spend much of your waking life doing something, why complain and fidget and have your finger grow tired from holding it up to the man all the time? Why not find a job you're comfortable in, with bosses you can trust, in an industry you're proud of? Not doing so is just doing yourself a great disservice.
"First of all, get off the completely immature "pussy programmers vs. manly sysadmins" trip. I'm a sysadmin too, and from your comments you wouldn't last two days in the shops most of the admins I know run. They have no tolerance (nor do I) for that kind of artificial ego-inflating crap."
Oh, by the way, the reason I have an attitude at all is because I know I'm smarter and work harder than the programmers I've worked with. They have a small set of defined skills (code in X language for Y purpose). Take them out of their "shell", in an environment where everything isn't so clearly defined (for example, adjusting to a crashing computer and they crack. Rather than figure out the problem, they instead complain and take a smoke break.
Meanwhile, I use a bevy of skills as a sysadmin. I administrate, I code (if something needs to get done, like a log analyzer, I don't wait for the programmers to "find time" to do it; I just write the damn thing), and I adapt.
"You missed the part where these assignments didn't come from his boss. They came from other people."
The article didn't say where the assignments came from. Could have been his boss. Could have been other superiors. If it was underlings I'd usually tell them to shove it, but what if they said "Uh, supreme programmer god with the 6-digit salary, if you don't fix this, the thing won't build at all." He doesn't go into any detail about what these "extra" assignments were, who gave them, or how important they were. They could've very well directly affected the project.
"Second, he and I and you all have every right to decide what we consider acceptable. And if the company decides to meet your or my or his demands, they better make good on their promise."
And the employee better make good on their promise. You think this guy got a comfy moving bonus with no stipulations? I don't think I've ever gotten a raise where a boss didn't say "You've done well. This is partially to reward that, but also to acknowledge that you have more responibilities now, and you better meet them".
It's simple: you weren't supposed to have a copy in the first place. Valve specifically stated that retailers couldn't sell the game before its release date. A few did (and are getting in trouble), so a few customers got copies.
But does that absolve the customer from all guilt? Should they be allowed to do whatever they want with Valve's product just because stores made a mistake? Of course not. It'd be like having a ban on assault weapons time out in 2006, and a store selling you an assault weapon early. Just because you got your hands on the gun doesn't mean you can shoot it in the streets. Retailer decisions don't affect how customers use products.
The average computer user would probably know where the Word Count command is in Word no more than wc on the command line. They would, however, have an inkling of where to look (Tools on the menu bar should jump out of them). It's often a lot easier to find what you're looking for in a GUI.
I recently got an iBook (recently as in 6 months ago) after installing a G5 for a user in our art department. I'm not sure I'm a big fan of Apple's hardware or pricing schemes ($600 for an iPod that plays photos), but Mac OS X is pretty robust.
What I especially like about their use of the Terminal is pretty much anything that can be done in the OS, can be done on the command line. Example: changing a computer's name. Think fast: how does one do this in Windows? If you started saying "command line, net with options..." you know more than most. Windows coerces you to use the GUI. Mac encourages it, but doesn't force it (at least, since they got rid of OS 9).
Not to mention the Fink project, which adds tons of great apps to the command line. Again, I'm no Apple zealot, but their decision to have a robust command line in OS X was a great one.
It's completely relevant, in that most programmers are pussies compared to network support. We're on call 24/7. We're the lifeblood of an entire organization. We don't complain about salaries, and certainly don't wimp out of assignments.
Contrast that with this guy: a game programmer. Paid to sit by himself and code all day for entertainment purposes. His boss hands him a long list of assignments, some of which come last minute. A network administrator would say "fine" and finish the job, regardless of the fact that it ate up some of us weekend.
His job is not an hourly assignment: it's salaried. He's expected to get the job done, whether it's working a "standard" 8-hour shift or working ridiculous hours right before E3. That's pretty much known throughout the industry. If he *didn't* expect that, he obviously didn't take the time to research that industry thoroughly enough.
I knew going headfirst into system administration that I'd work some crappy hours. Things break, people mess up, it happens. But I don't sit around like a pussy programmer and complain that my 6-digit salary isn't enough, or I have "special needs" when the company moves. He wasn't part of upper-management, he doesn't have the right to make those decisions. Again, I'd fire his ass.
"If your boss wants his network running on weekends, he should pay a network admin to work weekends, or at least pay one of his present ones to be on call."
Uh, I am paid that. Who said I wasn't? It's part and parcel of my salary and contract.
"You're prepared to work for nothing so someone else can get paid."
People rely on me. I don't find anything "spineless" about keeping a communications center running, so Joe User can work, so Joe User can get money to feed his family. When you have a large number of people you care about (and yes, I do care about my coworkers), a little inconvenience on a weekend is a small price to pay.
It's one thing to be a "corporate drone". It's quite another to be responsible and care about one's work. I am quite disappointed that you didn't take more responsibility in your own, so that you would've chosen a more satisfying job. If you did, you would realize that it's far better to fill one's workday with something you care about, than take any old job and complain about "spineless corporate drones".
If EA's the whole industry, then the industry is apparently full of ranting whiners.
Read through this guy's story. The whole thing. He went to work for a company (Maxis) that he knew was being slowly drawn into the EA collective. He was given a 6-digit relocation package because he complained about the move.
I don't know about you, but if I'm upper management and offer a 6-digit package to an employee, I expect 6-digit work. None of this "I'm late because of my sick daughter" crap. None of this "I don't need to do these extra tasks given at the last minute, but were clearly written down and assigned to me". You're paid to do what I assign you.
Not to mention, this guy is a game programmer. He's not coding for NASA or nuclear scientists, he's putting together a few SimCity expansions. His "complaint" about getting moved to the Urbz project from the Sims was particularly laughable. Management doesn't need to "consult" with programmers before they change projects. Any programmer that thinks that has an extremely big (nay, unrescuable) ego.
I can understand complaining about the hours, or thinking the workload is rough, but you don't sit there and *not do work* because you don't like it. This guy was basically giving the middle finger to management, and management gave him more than enough chances to put his finger down and realize a) he's getting paid a damn fine salary for being a game program and b) you need to lose the attitude if you want to survive at any company. If I was in EA's shoes, I would've fired his ass, too.
According to the blog, it was an accidental collision. I wanted wanton mayhem! The Segway with James Bond-esque spikes on its hubcaps. The Roomba spitting out dustballs with razors embedded.
Weak! Call me when they get the Roomba to vacuum up some gasoline and *then* battle. That'll be a fight for the ages.
I commute quite a bit (about 2 hours on trains each day) and a gMini is perfect. I watch MST3K episodes when I'm stationary, and when I'm moving (for example, walking from train to train) I leave the earbuds in and switch to music mode. Exactly like an iPod at that point.
Slashdot Mirror
"Will these things be region locked, or can I order on from the Japanese release and play US games on it when they are released on this side of the pond?"
Why? Do you want to transfer PSP over P2P?
It's a very weird sequence of events to get the system to bluescreen under UT. You have to be:
* Running new nVidia drivers
* Have a profile created for UT in the driver set
* Run the game (which is fine) then close it (which'll cause it to crash)
When I added a DEP exception for the exe, thing worked fine.
Sort of. They've hinted that Bungie has joked around with them (wanting to put an ad on their site that said "Halo 2. Remember that game that sucked? Here's the sequel!")
:)
I just finished watching the behind the scenes DVD, and Bungie looks like a group of fairly fun, geeky guys. I'm just curious if they laid into the duo when they arrived ("So, you're here to see the game that sucks. No, you can't come in.", or something).
True, but this is more about asking for Slashdotter's opinions.
In my case, SP2 has been a mixed bag, but in a very strange way. At work, I upgraded our entire fleet using SUS (we're a small company of about 50 machines) after testing with a few testbeds. Outside of explaining to users what the information bar was, it installed like a dream. I was very satisfied to see even basic stuff, like the admin share, closed off via the firewall until you open it.
On the other hand, my home computer has been less than friendly. I built a cutting-edge rig with an Athlon 64 chipset, and I've run into all kinds of strange bluescreens. A lot of them have to do with DEP (data execution prevention). I want to leave it on, but I've had to create so many exceptions I wonder how useful it is. Offhand, two apps I know cause problems are UT2004 and NAV 8 (haven't tried 9 yet). I'm not too thrilled that *programs* now (not just drivers) can bluescreen a current NT OS.
Overall, I'm fairly satisfied with it though, just based on work experiences. The problems at home are addressable -- although I'd hate to be young and foolish, just building my first gaming rig, and wondering what the hell is going on.
DELETED!
Next and final question... after which you can choose from these three BEAUTIFUL ladies!
You guys absolutely roasted the original Halo, then gradually grew to like it. You've said you've met with Bungie since then. Were the meetings amicable?
Perhaps because absolutely 0.00% of the mainstream players agree with your sentiment that there's an "Evil Platform". Me and my cohorts were out there November 8th in the bitter cold, waiting for the game to come out. We had fun, and are still having fun to this day.
Uh, hey, asshole: I grew up in a very large family (5 children) with one parent. I know what it's like to have sick children -- I've been one of them, and I've had to comfort siblings as I grew older.
You apparently have never dealt with a sick child overnight. Here's the deal: you stay up all night with the bucket, running back and forth, and having cold water compresses at the ready. If you DO stay up until 7:00 AM, you likely are in no position to fall asleep for 3 hours (and then claim to "sleep late"). At that point you likely make yourself some tea/coffee, call the school to tell them the child isn't coming in, and call your boss and say "Hey, sorry, I can't come in". If you have a 6-digit salary, you can afford to request this day off. Later on in the day, after you're sure the kid is ok, you get some sleep.
This guy's story reeks with falsehoods. If someone were to stay up all night with their sick kid, why would they "oversleep" the following morning? How does one "oversleep" when they've only been in bed 3 hours (I don't know about you, but my definition of "oversleep" is that I've slept *more* hours than I expected). Why would he not call in to say he was late (hell, he was awake at 7; why not call then)? This guy obviously made this shit up and tried to fake things at the last minute. That's why he's tell two different stories: a fake child one, and a real "I actually just overslept because I don't care about my job" one.
And who says I don't? The bottom line is, if you're going to spend much of your waking life doing something, why complain and fidget and have your finger grow tired from holding it up to the man all the time? Why not find a job you're comfortable in, with bosses you can trust, in an industry you're proud of? Not doing so is just doing yourself a great disservice.
"First of all, get off the completely immature "pussy programmers vs. manly sysadmins" trip. I'm a sysadmin too, and from your comments you wouldn't last two days in the shops most of the admins I know run. They have no tolerance (nor do I) for that kind of artificial ego-inflating crap."
Oh, by the way, the reason I have an attitude at all is because I know I'm smarter and work harder than the programmers I've worked with. They have a small set of defined skills (code in X language for Y purpose). Take them out of their "shell", in an environment where everything isn't so clearly defined (for example, adjusting to a crashing computer and they crack. Rather than figure out the problem, they instead complain and take a smoke break.
Meanwhile, I use a bevy of skills as a sysadmin. I administrate, I code (if something needs to get done, like a log analyzer, I don't wait for the programmers to "find time" to do it; I just write the damn thing), and I adapt.
"You missed the part where these assignments didn't come from his boss. They came from other people."
The article didn't say where the assignments came from. Could have been his boss. Could have been other superiors. If it was underlings I'd usually tell them to shove it, but what if they said "Uh, supreme programmer god with the 6-digit salary, if you don't fix this, the thing won't build at all." He doesn't go into any detail about what these "extra" assignments were, who gave them, or how important they were. They could've very well directly affected the project.
"Second, he and I and you all have every right to decide what we consider acceptable. And if the company decides to meet your or my or his demands, they better make good on their promise."
And the employee better make good on their promise. You think this guy got a comfy moving bonus with no stipulations? I don't think I've ever gotten a raise where a boss didn't say "You've done well. This is partially to reward that, but also to acknowledge that you have more responibilities now, and you better meet them".
It's simple: you weren't supposed to have a copy in the first place. Valve specifically stated that retailers couldn't sell the game before its release date. A few did (and are getting in trouble), so a few customers got copies.
But does that absolve the customer from all guilt? Should they be allowed to do whatever they want with Valve's product just because stores made a mistake? Of course not. It'd be like having a ban on assault weapons time out in 2006, and a store selling you an assault weapon early. Just because you got your hands on the gun doesn't mean you can shoot it in the streets. Retailer decisions don't affect how customers use products.
Well, I can see what he's getting at.
The average computer user would probably know where the Word Count command is in Word no more than wc on the command line. They would, however, have an inkling of where to look (Tools on the menu bar should jump out of them). It's often a lot easier to find what you're looking for in a GUI.
But what if you want to do the word count of 50 files, and print the results? Using the command line, you can get this done in under 5 seconds.
I recently got an iBook (recently as in 6 months ago) after installing a G5 for a user in our art department. I'm not sure I'm a big fan of Apple's hardware or pricing schemes ($600 for an iPod that plays photos), but Mac OS X is pretty robust.
What I especially like about their use of the Terminal is pretty much anything that can be done in the OS, can be done on the command line. Example: changing a computer's name. Think fast: how does one do this in Windows? If you started saying "command line, net with options..." you know more than most. Windows coerces you to use the GUI. Mac encourages it, but doesn't force it (at least, since they got rid of OS 9).
Not to mention the Fink project, which adds tons of great apps to the command line. Again, I'm no Apple zealot, but their decision to have a robust command line in OS X was a great one.
It's completely relevant, in that most programmers are pussies compared to network support. We're on call 24/7. We're the lifeblood of an entire organization. We don't complain about salaries, and certainly don't wimp out of assignments.
Contrast that with this guy: a game programmer. Paid to sit by himself and code all day for entertainment purposes. His boss hands him a long list of assignments, some of which come last minute. A network administrator would say "fine" and finish the job, regardless of the fact that it ate up some of us weekend.
His job is not an hourly assignment: it's salaried. He's expected to get the job done, whether it's working a "standard" 8-hour shift or working ridiculous hours right before E3. That's pretty much known throughout the industry. If he *didn't* expect that, he obviously didn't take the time to research that industry thoroughly enough.
I knew going headfirst into system administration that I'd work some crappy hours. Things break, people mess up, it happens. But I don't sit around like a pussy programmer and complain that my 6-digit salary isn't enough, or I have "special needs" when the company moves. He wasn't part of upper-management, he doesn't have the right to make those decisions. Again, I'd fire his ass.
"If your boss wants his network running on weekends, he should pay a network admin to work weekends, or at least pay one of his present ones to be on call."
Uh, I am paid that. Who said I wasn't? It's part and parcel of my salary and contract.
"You're prepared to work for nothing so someone else can get paid."
Uh, no. Again, where did I say this?
People rely on me. I don't find anything "spineless" about keeping a communications center running, so Joe User can work, so Joe User can get money to feed his family. When you have a large number of people you care about (and yes, I do care about my coworkers), a little inconvenience on a weekend is a small price to pay.
It's one thing to be a "corporate drone". It's quite another to be responsible and care about one's work. I am quite disappointed that you didn't take more responsibility in your own, so that you would've chosen a more satisfying job. If you did, you would realize that it's far better to fill one's workday with something you care about, than take any old job and complain about "spineless corporate drones".
Read between the lines. "Sick with daughter, up until 7 AM" and then he says "Overslept until 10". It was a lie.
Wrong, 9-5 and then some network administrator. If a boss calls me in on the weekend to finish the job, I do it. No need to pussy out.
If EA's the whole industry, then the industry is apparently full of ranting whiners.
Read through this guy's story. The whole thing. He went to work for a company (Maxis) that he knew was being slowly drawn into the EA collective. He was given a 6-digit relocation package because he complained about the move.
I don't know about you, but if I'm upper management and offer a 6-digit package to an employee, I expect 6-digit work. None of this "I'm late because of my sick daughter" crap. None of this "I don't need to do these extra tasks given at the last minute, but were clearly written down and assigned to me". You're paid to do what I assign you.
Not to mention, this guy is a game programmer. He's not coding for NASA or nuclear scientists, he's putting together a few SimCity expansions. His "complaint" about getting moved to the Urbz project from the Sims was particularly laughable. Management doesn't need to "consult" with programmers before they change projects. Any programmer that thinks that has an extremely big (nay, unrescuable) ego.
I can understand complaining about the hours, or thinking the workload is rough, but you don't sit there and *not do work* because you don't like it. This guy was basically giving the middle finger to management, and management gave him more than enough chances to put his finger down and realize a) he's getting paid a damn fine salary for being a game program and b) you need to lose the attitude if you want to survive at any company. If I was in EA's shoes, I would've fired his ass, too.
According to the blog, it was an accidental collision. I wanted wanton mayhem! The Segway with James Bond-esque spikes on its hubcaps. The Roomba spitting out dustballs with razors embedded.
Weak! Call me when they get the Roomba to vacuum up some gasoline and *then* battle. That'll be a fight for the ages.
I commute quite a bit (about 2 hours on trains each day) and a gMini is perfect. I watch MST3K episodes when I'm stationary, and when I'm moving (for example, walking from train to train) I leave the earbuds in and switch to music mode. Exactly like an iPod at that point.
I can't imagine it. Halo 2 has been in my Xbox for the past few days and I'm sure as hell not taking it out.