But do you think it's going to result in a *produced* sale?
Say I'm a hip, young, 20-something marketing guy working in the entertainment industry. I tell my boss "Hey, Serenity didn't sell that great, but look at all the downloads! Clearly people want a sequel."
Now, this is me as the 60-year old gruff old guy: "You mean we're producing and marketing stuff to people who don't want to pay for things? That's wasted money. We're never doing a sequel of this! Let's work on that next Britney Spears album!"
Stuff like through ripped HD-DVDs on Bittorrent ALWAYS backfires. People on Slashdot try to twist it every which way to make it sound like pirating is a positive thing.
These marketing guys, for all their venom, aren't idiots. Notice when Family Guy was brought back to life, it was DVD *SALES* that did the job -- not merely interest. Movies being downloaded off the net for free is simply interest.
"Apple switched because IBM was not able to deliver a PowerPC laptop chip that met modern performance targets (yes, we all know the G5 was fast, but it also sucked down power and spewed out heat)."
You buy that? You must've been a good boy then and drunk down ALL the Kool-Aid.
The real reason why they went Intel? Better deal. Cheaper processors. Going to one company to produce one type of processor that (even with all the Xbox 360s/PS3s/Wiis in the world) is still vastly outproduced in mass quantities by good old x86 would be stupid.
So, Apple did what any company would do: keep 2 versions of OS X on the boiler. When IBM started charging more for the chips (right around the first new console launch, by the way) they could turn around and say "Guess what, we don't need you." My gut is that IBM called their bluff (their stock was going up with all these new contracts involving PowerPC-esque tech) and Apple was forced to ship with Intel.
Not that it's necessarily a bad decision. Intel chips are very fast and they are certainly cheap. But that price per watt garbage? Please...
We're not talking about crappy programs here. We're talking about apps that dig themselves deep into the code and replace (or worse) try to work alongside Vista code. I don't care what anyone say -- MS can't be responsible if a crappy OEM (*cough* Dell *cough*) installs the newest version of Symantec that digs itself into the kernel. Think if a computer manufacturer shipped a Linux box and swapped the kernel out without their own version (chock full of crap). Windows (or any other OS) can't dodge that bullet.
In a lot of cases, these are no longer Windows boxes. Their "Windows + Cruft" boxes. And you can bet if OS X/Linux/FreeBSD really REALLY takes off as a desktop OS, and OEMs start selling boxes en masse, they'll be itching to install crap deep into the system for a signed check.
I'm not really an Apple geek but that's some really insane hardware for the form factor. The price is hefty, but I'm impressed they packed in what they could to something that slim. It's going to be a hacker's wet dream.
A few small thoughts:
1.) No 3G. Wi-fi, Bluetooth, etc. are nice though. 2.) They push it as an internet device, with messaging/email/etc. but lack of a physical keyboard? I don't know. I mean, I know and you know we'll love it regardless, but will this really sway the Blackberry junkies? 3.) What is this thing really running? "OS X"? FreeBSD -- they mean that? I'd be curious also what the chips are (no way in hell is PortalPlayer powering graphics like this).
Very cool device. Should be impossible to find, but I'll get one anyway.:)
Wherein we find the real reason why he's contacting Microsoft: they have money. More specifically, they're trying to mass market a device (Xbox 360) and Jack Thompson plans to link said device to various kinds of debauchery. In the process, he hopes to get a nice fat sum of money out of MS just to shut up.
Except, the plan won't work. Marketers, for all their faults, are savvy. Jack Thompson railing on your game/console pretty much guarantees sales now. Look at Bully. Decent game, certainly not on the level of GTA 3 -- sold very well. I'm sure MS is sitting back right now and saying "Bring it, Mr. Thompson."
It's not on par with anything remotely professional, but the "VB.NET" feel makes programming complex operations pretty easy. The simulation program is also pretty good (could use a graphic facelift, however).
All in all, it's sort of like their XNA initiative on Xbox 360 and their Studio Express line. Get it cheap, out there, and get people interested in programming.
I remember when I was growing up learning Logo and BASIC was a requirement in our public schools. Now the best most teenagers learn is how to post garbage on MySpace. Any push to get more programming tools in the hands of students (FOSS or otherwise) is a good thing, IMO).
Well, actually, it's not like that either. It's more like a group of people carefully and surreptitiously prodding at a bank vault door every night for months. Then, one day, they open the door to the fullest while the light is out and shout your phrase. Most consumers wouldn't be amused. Most would wonder why this group was working under secrecy, rather than the openness they claim to support. Most would wonder why they're shouting (they were silent for months). Welcome to the paradox of information awareness in the 21st century.
All 3 systems are trying to find their niche right now. They're all marketing their strengths.
Wii: Innovative controller. Xbox 360: Strongest online. Strongest library (at the moment). PS3: Raw power.
For many, the Xbox 360 is a selling point. If you're not interested in online gaming (quite frankly, I feel as if most games are half-baked if they don't include some kind of online element nowadays), then you don't need an Xbox 360.
"Well those headlines, of course, were used to wrap a lot of fish in a lot of people's houses, as the expression goes." I'm sorry. I'm not at ALL familiar with that expression. Maybe that's why they didn't do so well (they were too worried about fish in people's houses)?
"If the videos are in Linux friendly and non-DRM'd-to-hell format I will be a customer."
Then I guess you won't be a customer, then.;)
The entertainment studios have already laid down the rules. "We're cool with this as long as the consumer is limited as possible". On the Xbox 360, you can buy TV shows -- for only that Xbox. You can rent HD movies -- for only a couple of days. Even the iTunes store is getting slowly backed into a wall (the restrictions on movies and television shows are a lot more onerous than music). The only thing that Bittorrent changes is the distribution method.
Personally, I don't really care if the files are DRM'd or not. What I listen to on my iPod is different than what I watch on my television versus what I watch on my computer. I bought a copy of The Incredibles on iTunes because I only plan to watch it on my laptop. I bought an episode of Venture Bros for the Xbox 360 the other day, even though it's offered on the iTunes store. People seem to think we're going to buy multiple copies of the same show -- not on my watch.
And I mean, hell, it's $2 for a TV show. I spend more on that for my morning coffee. As long as it stays advertisement-free (entertainment industry, you listening?) I have no problem plopping down a few bucks. Other people will fight to download it off Pirate Bay I supposed (personally, it's always taken far less time for me to download from one of these services than Pirate Bay; my time is worth more than $2).
Outside this, a good number of people have had issues. What they're probably doing is taking those systems, wiping them and sending them back out. There are definitely refurbished machines out there.
Nintendo sent out some systems that were previously PR/demonstration units (Google). You can tell those systems from others because the box talked about a startup disc (http://forums.nintendo.com/nintendo/board/message ?board.id=wii_tech&message.id=213).
Regardless, why does it matter? Read my other response. The Wii I received had scratches and was already registered to someone in Washington, DC. My guess is that that person had similar problems to me, sent it back to Nintendo, they wiped the firmware and sent it to me.
How can it 'look' refurbished when it's been out less than two weeks?
The system had small scratches and the serial number was already registered.
Also, Nintendo apparently sold some machines that were previously preview/PR machines (Google it). Many of those boxes talked about requiring a startup disc (http://forums.nintendo.com/nintendo/board/message ?board.id=wii_tech&message.id=213). So those machines were months old -- not two weeks old.
Given that they opened the box up to do the firmware update before they sent it to you, there are very few pieces of evidence that could identify a refurbished system vs a new one that was plugged in once to install an update.
You mean outside the serial number being registered to someone in Washington, DC?
Also, why did they need to open the box up at all? They weren't required to pre-update the firmware on the replacement system -- just send me the replacement. What I should of received was a new system without the firmware update. No scratches, not preregistered.
By the way "pieces of evidence"? It's a console, not a crime scene. No need to get all defensive. So Nintendo made some bum machines -- these things happen.
I always have to question whether or not those numbers can be trusted.
I bought my Wii and received it early last week. Plug it in, have it find my WPA-encrypted wireless network and proceed with my first system update. You need the firmware update to do anything online. Bong -- 110213 error (Google it -- a good number of people got it). Afterwards the system refused to go online (no virtual console goodness, no more firmware updates, etc). The predominant opinion is that the Wii doesn't CRC the firmware before installing it, resulting in semi-bricked consoles.
Called up Nintendo and, after 30 minutes on hold, I got someone. To their credit, they immediately sent another console out (received it yesterday). It was already updated to the latest firmware. Looks refurbished, but I guess I don't have a choice.
I'm personally very interested in what percentage of those numbers are "usable" systems. 95%? 99%? Even if only 1% are busted, that's still a considerable number of machines.
How on earth is anything on Horde easy? Have you seen the top raiding guilds? 9 out of 10 are Alliance. 2 words: aggro management. 3 more words: easier to level. Hopefully the Paladin lorelol swap will fix this mess.
"Every Time You Vote Against Net Neutrality, Your ISP Kills a Night Elf". That's fine. I play Tauren. You seen one Legolllas, you've seen them all. (By the way, did every person who came to Wow with no sense of fantasy make themselves a night elf? What was the draw to that stupid race for most people, anyway?)
Wow originally had a Linux client. It was dumped during beta. They still run the servers on Linux, however (http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=206732& cid=16855900).
It was said from the getgo (by me and many other people) that Blizzard would retract the bans. Many negative things can be said about Blizzard: they take forever to make changes, most of their games are evolutionary not revolutionary (although they're fun and have a lot of polish). The one thing that no one questions: Blizzard takes the relationship with their fans very seriously.
It was pretty much a few people overreacting. As also has been said, Blizzard uses Linux to run World of Warcraft (http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=206732& cid=16855900). So saying this was a targeted affront against Linux users (instead of a targeted affront against cheaters) was misguided.
No offense dude, but static tabs running across the top of the screen (which is essentially what Quanta+ uses) is nothing like the ribbon in the new Office.
The new Office UI dynamically changes based on what you're doing. The ribbon starts with some common (and buried) features for the task you're working on (like changing a font). As you use it, the ribbon drops what you use infrequently and presents new choices. This is nothing like Quanta, and it's clear you haven't used Office's new UI at all.
That's not to say it's a *good* UI. I personally have had a rough time getting used to it. But comparing it to stuff like Quanta makes no sense whatsoever.
Slashdot Mirror
But do you think it's going to result in a *produced* sale?
Say I'm a hip, young, 20-something marketing guy working in the entertainment industry. I tell my boss "Hey, Serenity didn't sell that great, but look at all the downloads! Clearly people want a sequel."
Now, this is me as the 60-year old gruff old guy: "You mean we're producing and marketing stuff to people who don't want to pay for things? That's wasted money. We're never doing a sequel of this! Let's work on that next Britney Spears album!"
Stuff like through ripped HD-DVDs on Bittorrent ALWAYS backfires. People on Slashdot try to twist it every which way to make it sound like pirating is a positive thing.
These marketing guys, for all their venom, aren't idiots. Notice when Family Guy was brought back to life, it was DVD *SALES* that did the job -- not merely interest. Movies being downloaded off the net for free is simply interest.
"Apple switched because IBM was not able to deliver a PowerPC laptop chip that met modern performance targets (yes, we all know the G5 was fast, but it also sucked down power and spewed out heat)."
You buy that? You must've been a good boy then and drunk down ALL the Kool-Aid.
The real reason why they went Intel? Better deal. Cheaper processors. Going to one company to produce one type of processor that (even with all the Xbox 360s/PS3s/Wiis in the world) is still vastly outproduced in mass quantities by good old x86 would be stupid.
So, Apple did what any company would do: keep 2 versions of OS X on the boiler. When IBM started charging more for the chips (right around the first new console launch, by the way) they could turn around and say "Guess what, we don't need you." My gut is that IBM called their bluff (their stock was going up with all these new contracts involving PowerPC-esque tech) and Apple was forced to ship with Intel.
Not that it's necessarily a bad decision. Intel chips are very fast and they are certainly cheap. But that price per watt garbage? Please...
We're not talking about crappy programs here. We're talking about apps that dig themselves deep into the code and replace (or worse) try to work alongside Vista code. I don't care what anyone say -- MS can't be responsible if a crappy OEM (*cough* Dell *cough*) installs the newest version of Symantec that digs itself into the kernel. Think if a computer manufacturer shipped a Linux box and swapped the kernel out without their own version (chock full of crap). Windows (or any other OS) can't dodge that bullet.
In a lot of cases, these are no longer Windows boxes. Their "Windows + Cruft" boxes. And you can bet if OS X/Linux/FreeBSD really REALLY takes off as a desktop OS, and OEMs start selling boxes en masse, they'll be itching to install crap deep into the system for a signed check.
It also has only 100 Base T. Why they couldn't fit gigabit in an almost $200 device is beyond me. Pass.
I'm not really an Apple geek but that's some really insane hardware for the form factor. The price is hefty, but I'm impressed they packed in what they could to something that slim. It's going to be a hacker's wet dream.
:)
A few small thoughts:
1.) No 3G. Wi-fi, Bluetooth, etc. are nice though.
2.) They push it as an internet device, with messaging/email/etc. but lack of a physical keyboard? I don't know. I mean, I know and you know we'll love it regardless, but will this really sway the Blackberry junkies?
3.) What is this thing really running? "OS X"? FreeBSD -- they mean that? I'd be curious also what the chips are (no way in hell is PortalPlayer powering graphics like this).
Very cool device. Should be impossible to find, but I'll get one anyway.
Wherein we find the real reason why he's contacting Microsoft: they have money. More specifically, they're trying to mass market a device (Xbox 360) and Jack Thompson plans to link said device to various kinds of debauchery. In the process, he hopes to get a nice fat sum of money out of MS just to shut up.
Except, the plan won't work. Marketers, for all their faults, are savvy. Jack Thompson railing on your game/console pretty much guarantees sales now. Look at Bully. Decent game, certainly not on the level of GTA 3 -- sold very well. I'm sure MS is sitting back right now and saying "Bring it, Mr. Thompson."
It's not on par with anything remotely professional, but the "VB.NET" feel makes programming complex operations pretty easy. The simulation program is also pretty good (could use a graphic facelift, however).
All in all, it's sort of like their XNA initiative on Xbox 360 and their Studio Express line. Get it cheap, out there, and get people interested in programming.
I remember when I was growing up learning Logo and BASIC was a requirement in our public schools. Now the best most teenagers learn is how to post garbage on MySpace. Any push to get more programming tools in the hands of students (FOSS or otherwise) is a good thing, IMO).
Well, actually, it's not like that either. It's more like a group of people carefully and surreptitiously prodding at a bank vault door every night for months. Then, one day, they open the door to the fullest while the light is out and shout your phrase. Most consumers wouldn't be amused. Most would wonder why this group was working under secrecy, rather than the openness they claim to support. Most would wonder why they're shouting (they were silent for months). Welcome to the paradox of information awareness in the 21st century.
FYI.. World of Warcraft runs in a Window. I think it's single-handedly contributed most to goofing off at work. :)
IE doesn't use WGA. It's free. Why would they put WGA on software that's free?
WGA's role in life is pretty much to protect MS's bread and butter (Windows and Office). That's it.
The third one.
All 3 systems are trying to find their niche right now. They're all marketing their strengths.
Wii: Innovative controller.
Xbox 360: Strongest online. Strongest library (at the moment).
PS3: Raw power.
For many, the Xbox 360 is a selling point. If you're not interested in online gaming (quite frankly, I feel as if most games are half-baked if they don't include some kind of online element nowadays), then you don't need an Xbox 360.
"Well those headlines, of course, were used to wrap a lot of fish in a lot of people's houses, as the expression goes." I'm sorry. I'm not at ALL familiar with that expression. Maybe that's why they didn't do so well (they were too worried about fish in people's houses)?
"$2 is exactly $2 more than I spend on my morning coffee."
Free coffee rarely tastes any good. Especially if the company provides it.
"If the videos are in Linux friendly and non-DRM'd-to-hell format I will be a customer."
;)
Then I guess you won't be a customer, then.
The entertainment studios have already laid down the rules. "We're cool with this as long as the consumer is limited as possible". On the Xbox 360, you can buy TV shows -- for only that Xbox. You can rent HD movies -- for only a couple of days. Even the iTunes store is getting slowly backed into a wall (the restrictions on movies and television shows are a lot more onerous than music). The only thing that Bittorrent changes is the distribution method.
Personally, I don't really care if the files are DRM'd or not. What I listen to on my iPod is different than what I watch on my television versus what I watch on my computer. I bought a copy of The Incredibles on iTunes because I only plan to watch it on my laptop. I bought an episode of Venture Bros for the Xbox 360 the other day, even though it's offered on the iTunes store. People seem to think we're going to buy multiple copies of the same show -- not on my watch.
And I mean, hell, it's $2 for a TV show. I spend more on that for my morning coffee. As long as it stays advertisement-free (entertainment industry, you listening?) I have no problem plopping down a few bucks. Other people will fight to download it off Pirate Bay I supposed (personally, it's always taken far less time for me to download from one of these services than Pirate Bay; my time is worth more than $2).
The machines have been manufactured for months. Some people actually bought demonstration/PR units that Nintendo repackaged (you can tell by the box talking about a startup disc: http://forums.nintendo.com/nintendo/board/message
Outside this, a good number of people have had issues. What they're probably doing is taking those systems, wiping them and sending them back out. There are definitely refurbished machines out there.
Nintendo sent out some systems that were previously PR/demonstration units (Google). You can tell those systems from others because the box talked about a startup disc (http://forums.nintendo.com/nintendo/board/message ?board.id=wii_tech&message.id=213).
Regardless, why does it matter? Read my other response. The Wii I received had scratches and was already registered to someone in Washington, DC. My guess is that that person had similar problems to me, sent it back to Nintendo, they wiped the firmware and sent it to me.
The system had small scratches and the serial number was already registered.
Also, Nintendo apparently sold some machines that were previously preview/PR machines (Google it). Many of those boxes talked about requiring a startup disc (http://forums.nintendo.com/nintendo/board/messag
You mean outside the serial number being registered to someone in Washington, DC?
Also, why did they need to open the box up at all? They weren't required to pre-update the firmware on the replacement system -- just send me the replacement. What I should of received was a new system without the firmware update. No scratches, not preregistered.
By the way "pieces of evidence"? It's a console, not a crime scene. No need to get all defensive. So Nintendo made some bum machines -- these things happen.
I always have to question whether or not those numbers can be trusted.
I bought my Wii and received it early last week. Plug it in, have it find my WPA-encrypted wireless network and proceed with my first system update. You need the firmware update to do anything online. Bong -- 110213 error (Google it -- a good number of people got it). Afterwards the system refused to go online (no virtual console goodness, no more firmware updates, etc). The predominant opinion is that the Wii doesn't CRC the firmware before installing it, resulting in semi-bricked consoles.
Called up Nintendo and, after 30 minutes on hold, I got someone. To their credit, they immediately sent another console out (received it yesterday). It was already updated to the latest firmware. Looks refurbished, but I guess I don't have a choice.
I'm personally very interested in what percentage of those numbers are "usable" systems. 95%? 99%? Even if only 1% are busted, that's still a considerable number of machines.
How on earth is anything on Horde easy? Have you seen the top raiding guilds? 9 out of 10 are Alliance. 2 words: aggro management. 3 more words: easier to level. Hopefully the Paladin lorelol swap will fix this mess.
"Every Time You Vote Against Net Neutrality, Your ISP Kills a Night Elf". That's fine. I play Tauren. You seen one Legolllas, you've seen them all. (By the way, did every person who came to Wow with no sense of fantasy make themselves a night elf? What was the draw to that stupid race for most people, anyway?)
Wow originally had a Linux client. It was dumped during beta. They still run the servers on Linux, however (http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=206732& cid=16855900).
It was said from the getgo (by me and many other people) that Blizzard would retract the bans. Many negative things can be said about Blizzard: they take forever to make changes, most of their games are evolutionary not revolutionary (although they're fun and have a lot of polish). The one thing that no one questions: Blizzard takes the relationship with their fans very seriously.
& cid=16855900). So saying this was a targeted affront against Linux users (instead of a targeted affront against cheaters) was misguided.
It was pretty much a few people overreacting. As also has been said, Blizzard uses Linux to run World of Warcraft (http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=206732
Did I say it was good? No. I said it was different. Two separate things.
No offense dude, but static tabs running across the top of the screen (which is essentially what Quanta+ uses) is nothing like the ribbon in the new Office.
The new Office UI dynamically changes based on what you're doing. The ribbon starts with some common (and buried) features for the task you're working on (like changing a font). As you use it, the ribbon drops what you use infrequently and presents new choices. This is nothing like Quanta, and it's clear you haven't used Office's new UI at all.
That's not to say it's a *good* UI. I personally have had a rough time getting used to it. But comparing it to stuff like Quanta makes no sense whatsoever.
Unfortunately, even then you will still end up with unpopped kernels.