It's funny you bring up those few apps that are 'unique' in the way that they deviate from the Apple norm. They have a brushed metal appearence.
The core guidelines were formed at a time when the Desktop model was all-important, and each window contained a document.
Now, the brushed metal apps were originally designed to be used in contexts that have "real-world examples". This was mainly in the form of a VCR or Radio for QuickTime and iTunes, respectively.
However, with some additions such as Safari and the Address Book, Apple is (perhaps unintentially) creating a new paradigm, the 'Application'.
Unlike the traditional 'document' windows, these windows do not consist of a single edited file, but instead provide an interface to interact with some sort of dynamic system (such as a music library, the www, or Saved Addresses). These windows are entirely different from documents, and are more often than not used for read-only access to these collections of files.
In fact, I believe that some distinct difference between these 'applications' and 'documents' should be a requirement for any GUI. You do not interact with these different models in the same way, so they should be distinguishable by the user.
One (unofficial) listing is at http://www.planetnintendo.com/nindb/dev.shtml. They are a little out-of-date (they still have Rare listed), but they have nice history's to give you a sense of each team's style.
An interesting thing about console dev houses is that in the 80s, they were not referred to outside of the company (i.e. it was internal only). However, ever since the last generation started up each team wanted its own little signature on their work. Many of Nintendo's and Sega's older teams have recently made up names for themselves (Intelligent Systems, Amusement Design, respectively) to give the group a style, more like 3rd party developpers. New teams are getting names instead of numbers as well.
Oh, and Miyamoto did signifigantly work on Metroid Prime, for the first time in the series.
The problem is because of all the technical skills needed to makes games these days. For example, programmers working on the PS2 need a good working knowledge of assembly to pull off some of the more advanced tricks and features of other consoles.
Maybe one day proper toolkits will be made and sold for cheap to developers to create fun games, while they purchase virtual actors to place in their game without the need to create models and animate that for all the actions. That way designers can focus on the content, simmilar to the independant scenes in audio and video now.
But now, when systems are so complex and gamers crave innovation every game needs its own engine, something that requires months of work, games do indeed need to make a profit to work. It has been recently emphasised by execs that the games industry is becoming a 'hit' industry, where 5% of the games account for 95% of the profits.
Of course, you can avert this kind of problem from happening. Buy games that were made by small teams, or didn't need as large as a budget, or aren't doing so well. Let the companies know that you appreciate their efforts. Help spread the hype away from the Metroid Primes and the Halos and the GTAs.
This kind of thinking is already beginning. Recently, Cel-shading has become popular, feature in Jet Set Radio Future, and the upcoming Zelda: The Wind Waker. It really takes the focus off numbers of polygons and places it on pure style.
Miyamoto did guide Metroid Prime quite a bit. He was the one who came up with the idea of the 'visor effects' that make the game so immersive, and some other influences on gameplay.
I do not personally feel this way, I was actually paraphrasing Blackley:
There isn't anyone on the planet better at lasering into the lizard brain, that eye-attached-to-your-hand-attached-to-your-brain thing that makes it impossible to stop playing. GTA3 is good, but it's not revolutionary. What Miyamoto could bring to a game like that would be incredible.
I 'copied' the quote from memory, and misleadingly put quote marks around it.
I actually fully support Miyamoto and Nintendo, as I believe they are one of the few companies in the industry innovating anymore. I have recently purchased and been playing Animal Crossing and Metroid Prime. Very neat games.
The book I mentioned does discuss this issue, and while I have nothing to use to prove its validity, the author gives the feeling that's it's much more complicated than just 'how much'.
Mileva was involved at varying degrees throughout their realationship. She was at times (especially early on) heavily involved in development, doing calculations for Einstein and serving as a person to bounce ideas off of. However, both in the early stages of the idea forming in his head, and later on, Mileva was not involved at all. But she was definitely not just a muse.
She also was hardly ignored because of her gender or race among her peers. Remember, this was during the time of Marie Curie and Serbia had a wealth of scholars.
It seems as if she was forced to distance herself afterwards by the pressure from her family and her children, and the moving around with her husband (who was trying to make enough money to get by while the theory was being worked on).
Well, I've rambled myself out. You may wish to read the book for a more detailed version of this.;-)
One good biography I read on Einstein was Einstein in Love. It doesn't get to heavy into scientific details, but instead is full of rich descriptions of all the people and relationships in Einstein's troubled younger years, and the time leading up to his theories. A very entertaining and interesting read. It also touches on other famous Scientists of the day.
The service you are referring to is called "OnStar", and while heavily advertised on Cadillacs, is available on a variety of brands.
But I think the meaning of the original quote is that the brand of a "Mac" in the broadest sense is an experience, everything from the way the computer works, to the customer service, designs, and innovations in products. However, only Apple makes "Macs" in the same style, with a monopoly on this market. There are companies that try to get the same style, or same ease of use, but they all use Windows, which was complicated and counter-intuitive in those days.
Well, you can rest easy, because Nintendo has been complimenting their franchises with plenty of innovative games as well. Games such as Pikmin, Animal Crossing and Cubivore are completetly unlike any games that are currently out there, and Miyamoto says that 2003 will be the year Nintendo focuses on new franchises!
However, the real difference with the Gamecube is in the 3rd/2nd party support. Unlike the N64, which barely had any support outside of Nitendo (mainly Rare), the Gamecube is getting original games from Capcom (P.N.03, Dead Phoenix, Killer7), Sega (Super Monkey Ball, PSO) and others (Eternal Darkness, Ikaruga). And none of these are even RPGs.
Truth be told, your statements counter each other. You talk about Nintendo breaking free, but you suggest they do it by making a game in a static genre, much like may other games. If anything, Nintendo may be innovating too much, as none of these highly original works made so far have taken off dramatically.
Metroid Fusion for GBA borrows it's gameplay heavily from Super Metroid, while Metroid Prime incorporates a lot of original powers from the orginal games.
Oh, and if you get them both connected via that link-thingy, you can even play the original Metroid
Start quote: --- 11 J. "Microsoft Middleware" means software code that 1. Microsoft distributes separately from a Windows Operating System Product to update that Windows Operating System Product; 2. is Trademarked or is marketed by Microsoft as a major version of any Microsoft Middleware Product defined in section VI.K.1; and 3. provides the same or substantially similar functionality as a Microsoft Middleware Product. Microsoft Middleware shall include at least the software code that controls most or all of the user interface elements of that Microsoft Middleware. Software code described as part of, and distributed separately to update, a Microsoft Middleware Product shall not be deemed Microsoft Middleware unless identified as a new major version of that Microsoft Middleware Product. A major version shall be identified by a whole number or by a number with just a single digit to the right of the decimal point. K. "Microsoft Middleware Product" means 1. the functionality provided by Internet Explorer, Microsoft's Java Virtual Machine, Windows Media Player, Windows Messenger, Outlook Express and their successors in a Windows Operating System Product, and 2. for any functionality that is first licensed, distributed or sold by Microsoft after the entry of this Final Judgment and that is part of any Windows Operating System Product a. Internet browsers, email client software, networked audio/video client software, instant messaging software or b. functionality provided by Microsoft software that -- i. is, or in the year preceding the commercial release of any new Windows Operating System Product was, distributed separately by Microsoft (or by an entity acquired by Microsoft) from a Windows Operating System Product; ii. is similar to the functionality provided by a Non-Microsoft Middleware Product; and iii. is Trademarked. Functionality that Microsoft describes or markets as being part of a Microsoft Middleware Product (such as a service pack, upgrade, or bug fix for Internet Explorer), or that is a version of a Microsoft Middleware Product (such as Internet Explorer 5.5), shall be considered to be part of that Microsoft Middleware Product. --- End of Quote
So it covers most of the stuff Microsoft is currently trying to pass off as Integral to the system, and they're at least trying to make an effort to indentifying future middleware. It depends on how vigiliant the Committee is going to be...
"There may still be plenty of disagreements as to what the Founders meant, but they can generally be resolved."
Can they? Isn't that generalizing just a tad bit? I'd argue that these disagreements are causing the fundamental arguments in the first place, and that the bulk of this case (and, more generally, most copyright law) is trying to figure out what they meant. Words can be construed to lots of different meanings. Just look at the bible.
It's like saying, "There are problems with Deuterioum Fusion, but it's just a few details that could be figured out."
I've have heard from lots of people (and myself!) from all over South-Western Ontario having difficulties reaching most websites (mostly in the US). It seems to be off and on, right now, though.
In the "mainstream" markets, the main Cable Internet Provider, Rogers competes directly with Bell, the DSL provider. Additionally, DSL lines are leased out to some other companies to create some form of competition.
Now, this is only the case in the more heavily populated areas in Canada. As you get further out, first DSL disappears, then Cable. This is due to the fact that DSL is apparently difficult to send over long distances.
However, where it really gets interesting, is when you hear about how Bell used to be the telephone monopoly in Canada, and Rogers used to be the (Cable) Television monopoly. Now, Bell sells Satellite Television, and there have been rumors about Rogers selling Telephone service in the future!
When I see ads like this one, it reminds me of the PlayStation 2's current ad campaign in North America. (The Reason #XX to buy one campaign, for those who know what I'm talking about)
This comment is just pure speculation. There will never be a requirement that "All PCs equipped with Windows must prefixed with Win-". That would not only be stupid on the part of Microsoft, it would be stupid for anyone to go along with that. It's in all likelyhood closer to what adamjaskie described.
The way I see it, this message could (and probably will below) be read two different ways:
Either Microsoft is acting all monopolisitc again, requiring all these fancy regulations, and just being plain evil, or,
Microsoft is just not comfortable with no OS installed, which means that the user will have to 'find' an OS, that might just be Windows. Although they seem to be very vague, it's not like they're saying you can't get the OS you want.
To add my own personal view, if it weren't for the "because of Microsoft Licensing" bit, it would seem to be a reasonable and sensible strategy. These 'Alternative OS' systems might be customized to used parts that have better driver support, etc.
While you make a valid point, there are good reasons for using tactile feedback.
While Aural communication is high-bandwidth, it is also much more complex. Especially in terms of speech, a complex set of instructions can be difficult to follow.
On the other hand, tactile feedback is one of the most intuitive and simple mechanisms for feedback. If you feel resistence if you try to move in one direction, you immediately stop, and think twice before continuing. (Am I going to break something? Or more generally, it is an effective replacement for "Are you sure?"). This can be a great improvement to usability with only a marginal increase in requirements, because of the low bandwidth. (A lot easier then voice-recognition!) And with the combination of this with other feedback, the possibilites are multiplied.
I agree with your closing point though. The trick isn't to use all the tricks we can, but to find some sort of balance that 'feels' right.
There is a test that is commonly brought up in business/marketing courses to convey the importance of branding, and the ignorance of the consumer.
The full test goes like this:
People are asked at a bar if they prefer Ale or Beer. They are then given unmarked samples of each, and asked to determine which they like best. 75% of the people fail to identify their preferred drink.
The remaining 25% are then asked to name their favourite brand. They are then given a sample of all the brands. Of these people, 75% fail to identify their brand correctly.
It is for this reason that beer makers worldwide have found that consumers buy their beer based on image, not taste (since most of them can't tell the difference anyways).
While it is true that popular, common-denominator beers may be the exact same product, do not take it to heart, for you probably wouldn't know the difference anyways.
I have already started something that you have spoken of on my website. It has been a very interesting experiment so far...
Some things I've noticed are that creative bits of writing occur in bursts. That is, when one (usually new) person comes along and writes a whole bunch, everyone else builds on it and a good couple of pages are generated instantly.
This leads to lots of deadspace, though, but maybe I just haven't gotten creative people.
Slashdot Mirror
It's funny you bring up those few apps that are 'unique' in the way that they deviate from the Apple norm. They have a brushed metal appearence.
The core guidelines were formed at a time when the Desktop model was all-important, and each window contained a document.
Now, the brushed metal apps were originally designed to be used in contexts that have "real-world examples". This was mainly in the form of a VCR or Radio for QuickTime and iTunes, respectively.
However, with some additions such as Safari and the Address Book, Apple is (perhaps unintentially) creating a new paradigm, the 'Application'.
Unlike the traditional 'document' windows, these windows do not consist of a single edited file, but instead provide an interface to interact with some sort of dynamic system (such as a music library, the www, or Saved Addresses). These windows are entirely different from documents, and are more often than not used for read-only access to these collections of files.
In fact, I believe that some distinct difference between these 'applications' and 'documents' should be a requirement for any GUI. You do not interact with these different models in the same way, so they should be distinguishable by the user.
One (unofficial) listing is at http://www.planetnintendo.com/nindb/dev.shtml. They are a little out-of-date (they still have Rare listed), but they have nice history's to give you a sense of each team's style.
An interesting thing about console dev houses is that in the 80s, they were not referred to outside of the company (i.e. it was internal only). However, ever since the last generation started up each team wanted its own little signature on their work. Many of Nintendo's and Sega's older teams have recently made up names for themselves (Intelligent Systems, Amusement Design, respectively) to give the group a style, more like 3rd party developpers. New teams are getting names instead of numbers as well.
Oh, and Miyamoto did signifigantly work on Metroid Prime, for the first time in the series.
I totally agree with you.
The problem is because of all the technical skills needed to makes games these days. For example, programmers working on the PS2 need a good working knowledge of assembly to pull off some of the more advanced tricks and features of other consoles.
Maybe one day proper toolkits will be made and sold for cheap to developers to create fun games, while they purchase virtual actors to place in their game without the need to create models and animate that for all the actions. That way designers can focus on the content, simmilar to the independant scenes in audio and video now.
But now, when systems are so complex and gamers crave innovation every game needs its own engine, something that requires months of work, games do indeed need to make a profit to work. It has been recently emphasised by execs that the games industry is becoming a 'hit' industry, where 5% of the games account for 95% of the profits.
Of course, you can avert this kind of problem from happening. Buy games that were made by small teams, or didn't need as large as a budget, or aren't doing so well. Let the companies know that you appreciate their efforts. Help spread the hype away from the Metroid Primes and the Halos and the GTAs.
This kind of thinking is already beginning. Recently, Cel-shading has become popular, feature in Jet Set Radio Future, and the upcoming Zelda: The Wind Waker. It really takes the focus off numbers of polygons and places it on pure style.
Eternal Darkness was no sleeper hit. It actually performed very poorly, barely selling 100,000 in North America (from rough estimates).
*shrugs*
Well, I'm buying it this winter, maybe sales will pick up for Christmas...
Miyamoto did guide Metroid Prime quite a bit. He was the one who came up with the idea of the 'visor effects' that make the game so immersive, and some other influences on gameplay.
I do not personally feel this way, I was actually paraphrasing Blackley:
There isn't anyone on the planet better at lasering into the lizard brain, that eye-attached-to-your-hand-attached-to-your-brain thing that makes it impossible to stop playing. GTA3 is good, but it's not revolutionary. What Miyamoto could bring to a game like that would be incredible.
I 'copied' the quote from memory, and misleadingly put quote marks around it.
I actually fully support Miyamoto and Nintendo, as I believe they are one of the few companies in the industry innovating anymore. I have recently purchased and been playing Animal Crossing and Metroid Prime. Very neat games.
The book I mentioned does discuss this issue, and while I have nothing to use to prove its validity, the author gives the feeling that's it's much more complicated than just 'how much'.
Mileva was involved at varying degrees throughout their realationship. She was at times (especially early on) heavily involved in development, doing calculations for Einstein and serving as a person to bounce ideas off of. However, both in the early stages of the idea forming in his head, and later on, Mileva was not involved at all. But she was definitely not just a muse.
She also was hardly ignored because of her gender or race among her peers. Remember, this was during the time of Marie Curie and Serbia had a wealth of scholars.
It seems as if she was forced to distance herself afterwards by the pressure from her family and her children, and the moving around with her husband (who was trying to make enough money to get by while the theory was being worked on).
Well, I've rambled myself out. You may wish to read the book for a more detailed version of this. ;-)
One good biography I read on Einstein was Einstein in Love. It doesn't get to heavy into scientific details, but instead is full of rich descriptions of all the people and relationships in Einstein's troubled younger years, and the time leading up to his theories. A very entertaining and interesting read. It also touches on other famous Scientists of the day.
The service you are referring to is called "OnStar", and while heavily advertised on Cadillacs, is available on a variety of brands.
But I think the meaning of the original quote is that the brand of a "Mac" in the broadest sense is an experience, everything from the way the computer works, to the customer service, designs, and innovations in products. However, only Apple makes "Macs" in the same style, with a monopoly on this market. There are companies that try to get the same style, or same ease of use, but they all use Windows, which was complicated and counter-intuitive in those days.
Well, you can rest easy, because Nintendo has been complimenting their franchises with plenty of innovative games as well. Games such as Pikmin, Animal Crossing and Cubivore are completetly unlike any games that are currently out there, and Miyamoto says that 2003 will be the year Nintendo focuses on new franchises!
However, the real difference with the Gamecube is in the 3rd/2nd party support. Unlike the N64, which barely had any support outside of Nitendo (mainly Rare), the Gamecube is getting original games from Capcom (P.N.03, Dead Phoenix, Killer7), Sega (Super Monkey Ball, PSO) and others (Eternal Darkness, Ikaruga). And none of these are even RPGs.
Truth be told, your statements counter each other. You talk about Nintendo breaking free, but you suggest they do it by making a game in a static genre, much like may other games. If anything, Nintendo may be innovating too much, as none of these highly original works made so far have taken off dramatically.
You mean Save Game?
Metroid Fusion for GBA borrows it's gameplay heavily from Super Metroid, while Metroid Prime incorporates a lot of original powers from the orginal games.
Oh, and if you get them both connected via that link-thingy, you can even play the original Metroid
Start quote:
---
11
J. "Microsoft Middleware" means software code that
1. Microsoft distributes separately from a Windows Operating System Product to
update that Windows Operating System Product;
2. is Trademarked or is marketed by Microsoft as a major version of any Microsoft
Middleware Product defined in section VI.K.1; and
3. provides the same or substantially similar functionality as a Microsoft
Middleware Product.
Microsoft Middleware shall include at least the software code that controls most or all
of the user interface elements of that Microsoft Middleware. Software code described as part of,
and distributed separately to update, a Microsoft Middleware Product shall not be deemed
Microsoft Middleware unless identified as a new major version of that Microsoft Middleware
Product. A major version shall be identified by a whole number or by a number with just a single
digit to the right of the decimal point.
K. "Microsoft Middleware Product" means
1. the functionality provided by Internet Explorer, Microsoft's Java Virtual
Machine, Windows Media Player, Windows Messenger, Outlook Express and
their successors in a Windows Operating System Product, and
2. for any functionality that is first licensed, distributed or sold by Microsoft after
the entry of this Final Judgment and that is part of any Windows Operating
System Product
a. Internet browsers, email client software, networked audio/video client
software, instant messaging software or
b. functionality provided by Microsoft software that --
i. is, or in the year preceding the commercial release of any new
Windows Operating System Product was, distributed separately by
Microsoft (or by an entity acquired by Microsoft) from a Windows
Operating System Product;
ii. is similar to the functionality provided by a Non-Microsoft
Middleware Product; and
iii. is Trademarked.
Functionality that Microsoft describes or markets as being part of a Microsoft Middleware
Product (such as a service pack, upgrade, or bug fix for Internet Explorer), or that is a version of
a Microsoft Middleware Product (such as Internet Explorer 5.5), shall be considered to be part of
that Microsoft Middleware Product.
---
End of Quote
So it covers most of the stuff Microsoft is currently trying to pass off as Integral to the system, and they're at least trying to make an effort to indentifying future middleware. It depends on how vigiliant the Committee is going to be...
Heck, some even go through extra effort (Flash, fancy images) to make it more difficult to share the information!
Can they? Isn't that generalizing just a tad bit? I'd argue that these disagreements are causing the fundamental arguments in the first place, and that the bulk of this case (and, more generally, most copyright law) is trying to figure out what they meant. Words can be construed to lots of different meanings. Just look at the bible.
It's like saying, "There are problems with Deuterioum Fusion, but it's just a few details that could be figured out."
I have been using Phoenix 0.1 (will update later today), and I have been using it since it was released.
It has all the features I want, is fully standards compliant, and runs faster than Internet Explorer on my machine at work.
If the fine people behind this project can give me more features without slowing down the browser, I'll be even happier with my choice.
If you ask me, the project won't fail, because it has already succeeded
I've have heard from lots of people (and myself!) from all over South-Western Ontario having difficulties reaching most websites (mostly in the US). It seems to be off and on, right now, though.
Now, this is only the case in the more heavily populated areas in Canada. As you get further out, first DSL disappears, then Cable. This is due to the fact that DSL is apparently difficult to send over long distances.
However, where it really gets interesting, is when you hear about how Bell used to be the telephone monopoly in Canada, and Rogers used to be the (Cable) Television monopoly. Now, Bell sells Satellite Television, and there have been rumors about Rogers selling Telephone service in the future!
All the rules have changed!
So, does history repeat?
This comment is just pure speculation. There will never be a requirement that "All PCs equipped with Windows must prefixed with Win-". That would not only be stupid on the part of Microsoft, it would be stupid for anyone to go along with that. It's in all likelyhood closer to what adamjaskie described.
Either Microsoft is acting all monopolisitc again, requiring all these fancy regulations, and just being plain evil, or,
Microsoft is just not comfortable with no OS installed, which means that the user will have to 'find' an OS, that might just be Windows. Although they seem to be very vague, it's not like they're saying you can't get the OS you want.
To add my own personal view, if it weren't for the "because of Microsoft Licensing" bit, it would seem to be a reasonable and sensible strategy. These 'Alternative OS' systems might be customized to used parts that have better driver support, etc.
Anyways, let's watch the flame war begin....
While Aural communication is high-bandwidth, it is also much more complex. Especially in terms of speech, a complex set of instructions can be difficult to follow.
On the other hand, tactile feedback is one of the most intuitive and simple mechanisms for feedback. If you feel resistence if you try to move in one direction, you immediately stop, and think twice before continuing. (Am I going to break something? Or more generally, it is an effective replacement for "Are you sure?"). This can be a great improvement to usability with only a marginal increase in requirements, because of the low bandwidth. (A lot easier then voice-recognition!) And with the combination of this with other feedback, the possibilites are multiplied.
I agree with your closing point though. The trick isn't to use all the tricks we can, but to find some sort of balance that 'feels' right.
The full test goes like this:
People are asked at a bar if they prefer Ale or Beer. They are then given unmarked samples of each, and asked to determine which they like best. 75% of the people fail to identify their preferred drink.
The remaining 25% are then asked to name their favourite brand. They are then given a sample of all the brands. Of these people, 75% fail to identify their brand correctly.
It is for this reason that beer makers worldwide have found that consumers buy their beer based on image, not taste (since most of them can't tell the difference anyways).
While it is true that popular, common-denominator beers may be the exact same product, do not take it to heart, for you probably wouldn't know the difference anyways.
I have already started something that you have spoken of on my website. It has been a very interesting experiment so far...
Some things I've noticed are that creative bits of writing occur in bursts. That is, when one (usually new) person comes along and writes a whole bunch, everyone else builds on it and a good couple of pages are generated instantly.
This leads to lots of deadspace, though, but maybe I just haven't gotten creative people.