Anyone else notice how strangly the ilovebees blog has been handled? At first, it was a scared "character" in the story. Now it's taking on the role of some of the ilovebees wikis, in that the "character" has full knowledge of the game and is detailing the story and mysteries.
Aside from all this, the whole ilovebees story has so little in common with Halo 2 it's amazing. I know the AI game was equally separated, but shouldn't a marketing effort like this be bolstering the story? I showed ilovebees to some fellow gamers, and while they thought some of it was cool, they had a hard time figuring out what the revealed "stories" had to do with Halo.
I'm sorry, but you've taken the "change letters in a word to express your disgust" principle to ridiculous extremes. M$ is acceptable here at Slashdot. "LongTHORN" is just silly. I vote to suspend your account. Any other takers?
I use my computers with alarming regularity (Windows XP, Windows 2000, Mac OS X and Linux [KDE]). I have yet to find an OS that is "easy to navigate and use". I do, however, appreciate the functionality of a personal computer, the same way I appreciate the functionality of a multi-function player. If I have to hack the OS a little I certainly don't mind. After all, this is Slashdot.
"I'm thinking you've never really used an iPod before..."
I own one. It's collecting dust, but I own one.
"I know this is Slashdot, but the fact that you had to write your own script should tell you that it'll never make it."
It actually does support syncing -- to Windows Media Player. I don't use Windows Media Player. And what's the matter with wanting a device that does as much as it possibly can with the available hardware out there? Why do I have to be constrained to MP3s when, for less money, I can get an equally good system that does so much more?
In the eye of the beholder. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the "breath on the back and your iPod gets scratched".
"It's pretty and it works with no effort."
Uh, plug in, open, drag files. No harder than iTunes to me, personally. I even wrote a script that does "syncs" (when the drive appears, copy over files).
Yes, but I don't see the point. I had an iPod, and aside from the UI, everything else has been topped. What's the point of giving extra money to Apple when I can get more features somewhere else?
So basically you're saying "Here's the door, here's the keys, and there's only 1000 of them to test in a few seconds. People think their doors are locked but they're not. Get cracking." Wonderful.
I've got a real Mac, next to a real PC (that I built), a real Linux firewall in the basement, and a real 802.11 router with a pringles can attached to the top. You don't get hacking.
The gMini400 is identical size. I'm actually using an iPod case for it.
As for software, again: UI. That's about the only thing Apple has left. (Personally, I write my own software. iTunes inability to store ratings within ID3 tags drove me nuts).
I bought a gMini400 from Archos to primarily watch movies/shows on long commutes. I'm on a train/bus/plane. I'm not the one driving. Why not enjoy myself?
As for the pure "geek" factor: you can get a 20 GB iPod for $300. For $60 more (if you shop around) you can get the same hard drive space with the ability to play DivX movies, read from compact flash and get roughly the same battery life (the gMini is rated for 10 hours playing MP3s). Why *wouldn't* a geek get one over an iPod? The only reason I can see for iPod left is UI (I transferred all my iTunes music to MP3).
Personally, I was less than impressed with the Halo PC port. The graphics looked horrific on all but the best cards, and simple things like finding a game online were screwed up (sync errors, anyone)? Halo on Xbox, in comparison, is a blast.
By the way, anyone see what they're doing with the graphics on the Xbox? Impressive shit. That's the oft-spoken of advantage of a console: by the time last-generation software rolls around for it, developers know the hardware inside-out.
That's like saying Blizzard "doesn't exist" because Vivendi Entertainment owns it. Or Retro Studios (the great company that put together Metroid Prime) "doesn't exist" because Nintendo owns the franchise.
Just because MS buys a developer doesn't necessarily make it bad. Bungie still makes kickass games. There's also a ton of other games that have come directly from MS in-house (MechWarrior, Age of Empires, etc).
Ok, let's look at a few things outside gaming that I recently had trouble doing on Mac/UNIX.
1.) Video encoding: I was looking for a program that decrypted DVDs, encoded them in DivX and compressed audio stream into MP3 all in one shot. Linux had these tools separately. Mac didn't have very many tools at all (although I could download a few through Fink). Windows had no less than a dozen tools to choose from. Plus, it was faster. I don't know what optimizations they are using, but encoding on my Athlon 64 3200 box is flat out faster than on my G5 dual-processor 1.8.
2.) Audio: I've bought a ton of protected music from iTunes music store (about 150 songs) and wanted to convert them to MP3. Linux had no tools to do this. Mac had a few, but they didn't work well and actually cut off a second or two of music on each song. Windows had a program, i-Opener, that ran through the entire library and decrypted everything. Worked fine.
3.) Basic Word processing: OpenOffice is better than it's ever been before, and Office for Mac is ok (if a little slow), but I still can't get a program other than Microsoft Word for Windows to actually read most of the.doc files out their correctly. This is mostly MS's fault, but when 99.9% of the people you work with rely on Word, you've got to support them.
"Hmmm... FINK, which allows me to run all kinds of Linux software on my Mac, blows your argument completely out of the water."
I run Fink too. Great program... for UNIX people. I mention Fink to "regular" Mac users and they shrug their shoulders. Running LaTex, to them, is not a driving point for the platform.
Company X's computer comes with Windows. X computers always come with Windows. You hate Windows. Why on earth would you buy computers from company X then?
Gates makes the point, which is correct, that UNIX is losing marketshare, not Windows. If anything, scientists/network admins are moving to a combination of Linux and Mac just because UNIX-creators (*cough* Sun *cough*) haven't innovated in years.
The battle for desktop supremacy, however, is already won. I like the fact that I can run UNIX apps on my iBook, but I just built a tower for Windows. There's just too much breadth of software to shift away from the platform. MS has also come up with some good stuff recently (.NET, which in some cases is what Java should've been) that cement their hold.
Also, one would think UNIX refugees coming to Mac would boost the platform on the desktop. Not happening. I think people are finally settling on the fact that UNIX is a rock-solid server, but that doesn't necessarily make it a great desktop. Whether it's Windows or some other windowing system that wins the crown, I'm not sure, but classic UNIX is pretty much finished.
Slashdot Mirror
Anyone else notice how strangly the ilovebees blog has been handled? At first, it was a scared "character" in the story. Now it's taking on the role of some of the ilovebees wikis, in that the "character" has full knowledge of the game and is detailing the story and mysteries.
Aside from all this, the whole ilovebees story has so little in common with Halo 2 it's amazing. I know the AI game was equally separated, but shouldn't a marketing effort like this be bolstering the story? I showed ilovebees to some fellow gamers, and while they thought some of it was cool, they had a hard time figuring out what the revealed "stories" had to do with Halo.
So, basically, "anything". Just like cancer.
Who wants to view pictures? Movies, man. I've got a ton of MST3K episodes in DivX and now I watch them during my morning train commute.
I'm sorry, but you've taken the "change letters in a word to express your disgust" principle to ridiculous extremes. M$ is acceptable here at Slashdot. "LongTHORN" is just silly. I vote to suspend your account. Any other takers?
I use my computers with alarming regularity (Windows XP, Windows 2000, Mac OS X and Linux [KDE]). I have yet to find an OS that is "easy to navigate and use". I do, however, appreciate the functionality of a personal computer, the same way I appreciate the functionality of a multi-function player. If I have to hack the OS a little I certainly don't mind. After all, this is Slashdot.
"I'm thinking you've never really used an iPod before..."
I own one. It's collecting dust, but I own one.
"I know this is Slashdot, but the fact that you had to write your own script should tell you that it'll never make it."
It actually does support syncing -- to Windows Media Player. I don't use Windows Media Player. And what's the matter with wanting a device that does as much as it possibly can with the available hardware out there? Why do I have to be constrained to MP3s when, for less money, I can get an equally good system that does so much more?
Get one of these and you can watch pr0n movies in DivX and XviD. And it's the same size as an iPod.
"It's so ugggggly though!"
In the eye of the beholder. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the "breath on the back and your iPod gets scratched".
"It's pretty and it works with no effort."
Uh, plug in, open, drag files. No harder than iTunes to me, personally. I even wrote a script that does "syncs" (when the drive appears, copy over files).
"Now I just have to find $500..."
Save your money and get a gmini400 that does more for cheaper.
Yes, but I don't see the point. I had an iPod, and aside from the UI, everything else has been topped. What's the point of giving extra money to Apple when I can get more features somewhere else?
I'm quite happy with my much cheaper, able-to-play DivX and Xvid movies, Linux-running, JUST AS SMALL AND WITH EQUAL BATTERY LIFE Archos gmini400.
And the odds are surely one of them will work without blowing on the cartridge.
So basically you're saying "Here's the door, here's the keys, and there's only 1000 of them to test in a few seconds. People think their doors are locked but they're not. Get cracking." Wonderful.
"They are uninformed how important their vote is."
Yes, and we all know gamers are the only classification of people this applies to. *rolls eyes*.
From my perspective, 9 out of 10 of my gamer friends know how to build their own machines, have good-paying jobs, and know their vote is important.
I've got a real Mac, next to a real PC (that I built), a real Linux firewall in the basement, and a real 802.11 router with a pringles can attached to the top. You don't get hacking.
The gMini400 is identical size. I'm actually using an iPod case for it.
As for software, again: UI. That's about the only thing Apple has left. (Personally, I write my own software. iTunes inability to store ratings within ID3 tags drove me nuts).
I bought a gMini400 from Archos to primarily watch movies/shows on long commutes. I'm on a train/bus/plane. I'm not the one driving. Why not enjoy myself?
As for the pure "geek" factor: you can get a 20 GB iPod for $300. For $60 more (if you shop around) you can get the same hard drive space with the ability to play DivX movies, read from compact flash and get roughly the same battery life (the gMini is rated for 10 hours playing MP3s). Why *wouldn't* a geek get one over an iPod? The only reason I can see for iPod left is UI (I transferred all my iTunes music to MP3).
Personally, I was less than impressed with the Halo PC port. The graphics looked horrific on all but the best cards, and simple things like finding a game online were screwed up (sync errors, anyone)? Halo on Xbox, in comparison, is a blast.
By the way, anyone see what they're doing with the graphics on the Xbox? Impressive shit. That's the oft-spoken of advantage of a console: by the time last-generation software rolls around for it, developers know the hardware inside-out.
That's like saying Blizzard "doesn't exist" because Vivendi Entertainment owns it. Or Retro Studios (the great company that put together Metroid Prime) "doesn't exist" because Nintendo owns the franchise.
Just because MS buys a developer doesn't necessarily make it bad. Bungie still makes kickass games. There's also a ton of other games that have come directly from MS in-house (MechWarrior, Age of Empires, etc).
Actually, my first reaction was "what the hell's an e-bike"?
My second reaction was "why not spent the dough on a Segway or Prius and really geek out"?
"I told them that I'd never buy another Kodak product again as long as I live... and I'm dead serious about it."
Sounds remarkably childish. Did you read the article? The patent? Do you realize that Kodak hasn't actually been awarded anything?
Besides, why would they care? If they did get a billion dollars, why would they need you to buy their film? They wouldn't.
Ok, let's look at a few things outside gaming that I recently had trouble doing on Mac/UNIX.
.doc files out their correctly. This is mostly MS's fault, but when 99.9% of the people you work with rely on Word, you've got to support them.
1.) Video encoding: I was looking for a program that decrypted DVDs, encoded them in DivX and compressed audio stream into MP3 all in one shot. Linux had these tools separately. Mac didn't have very many tools at all (although I could download a few through Fink). Windows had no less than a dozen tools to choose from. Plus, it was faster. I don't know what optimizations they are using, but encoding on my Athlon 64 3200 box is flat out faster than on my G5 dual-processor 1.8.
2.) Audio: I've bought a ton of protected music from iTunes music store (about 150 songs) and wanted to convert them to MP3. Linux had no tools to do this. Mac had a few, but they didn't work well and actually cut off a second or two of music on each song. Windows had a program, i-Opener, that ran through the entire library and decrypted everything. Worked fine.
3.) Basic Word processing: OpenOffice is better than it's ever been before, and Office for Mac is ok (if a little slow), but I still can't get a program other than Microsoft Word for Windows to actually read most of the
"Hmmm... FINK, which allows me to run all kinds of Linux software on my Mac, blows your argument completely out of the water."
I run Fink too. Great program... for UNIX people. I mention Fink to "regular" Mac users and they shrug their shoulders. Running LaTex, to them, is not a driving point for the platform.
Company X's computer comes with Windows. X computers always come with Windows. You hate Windows. Why on earth would you buy computers from company X then?
Gates makes the point, which is correct, that UNIX is losing marketshare, not Windows. If anything, scientists/network admins are moving to a combination of Linux and Mac just because UNIX-creators (*cough* Sun *cough*) haven't innovated in years.
The battle for desktop supremacy, however, is already won. I like the fact that I can run UNIX apps on my iBook, but I just built a tower for Windows. There's just too much breadth of software to shift away from the platform. MS has also come up with some good stuff recently (.NET, which in some cases is what Java should've been) that cement their hold.
Also, one would think UNIX refugees coming to Mac would boost the platform on the desktop. Not happening. I think people are finally settling on the fact that UNIX is a rock-solid server, but that doesn't necessarily make it a great desktop. Whether it's Windows or some other windowing system that wins the crown, I'm not sure, but classic UNIX is pretty much finished.