A 10 year old kid could buy an M rated game if he wanted to without any problem.
Not true. There are quite a few major outlets that enforce these ratings just like with movies. My 15-year-old cousin has had many problems buying M rated games. The largest problem has been getting his mom to care enough to come to the section of the store to buy the game for him.
The only people who are worried about ESRB ratings are minors whom are afraid that their parents won't buy them the latest game because its rated M.
/start offtopic/ at some point in this country (Slashdot is American-centric) it became okay to utilize censorship when dealing with children. Firstly, censorship should horrify most people anyway. Secondly, it is the job of the parents to decide things like this at any level. It's stupid to think that parents and retailers should have complete control over what a child is exposed to. This has never been the case and shouldn't be./end offtopic/
This is a bad sign. If they are happy with what's going on, it's going to be horrible for the freedom of gamers everywhere. Nothing the ESRB does is beneficial for people that wish to think for themselves.
At what point is it stealing though? Her novels are about as derivative of the world of fantasy writing as some of the ripoffs are. She didn't come up with the idea of magic, or a magical mystery tale, or a small boy with a cosmically significant future. We've even seen the bumbling magician in popular film: Fantasia, the Mickey magician.
It has to be said: if McDonald's had patented, trademarked or copyrighted the 'plastic burger joint', they'd be suing Burger King and Wendy's, and never mind the competitive market...
That is very true, but that is also part of her point. If McDonalds sued Burger King today, would it seem reasonable? Is it reasonable that McDonalds should control the 'plastic burger joint' idea for its ends and only its ends? McDonalds claiming to own bad fast food is about as unreasonable as Rowling claiming that intertextual inspiration isn't allowed when dealing with his works.
You missed the point entirely. The author wasn't trying to appeal to anybody by stating that the original was "superior." As is expressed later in the article, international rip-offs only come about after the original has reached a certain level of success and popularity. The rip-offs are written to capitalize on this success. It's an admission of the original's superiority, otherwise Rowling would be ripping of Grotter.
This actually touches on a point which I've often thought about but doesn't seem to have been presented anywhere:
Why can't we have Phoenix simply ship with lots of popular extensions? It would seem like a good solution to both of our arguments. If it's something that seems to the developers like it should be optional, but many users scream about not having it, then the extension could just be shipped. Those advanced users (like myself) would probably catch the change on the release page and just add it to our list of things to remove after installing a new build.
You're looking at it backwards. Nothing was removed from Mozilla Firebird. It was written from the ground up with an extensions framework so that the developers didn't have to guess what "people" use every day. The idea itself isn't a mess just because you think that the most popular extension is poorly written. Where exactly is the line between "bloated crap" and "useful" features? With extensions, the Mozilla developers don't have to guess that anymore. People who want the TBE can install it. If they then find it bloated and horrible, they can uninstall it and still have a working browser! No harm, no foul, lots of choice.
What would they change it to? The user already has the option of informing Mozilla Firebird of what she wants to do by typing either "goto" or "google" before the search term. Those two options seem more useful than IE's lack of keywords to use and the fact that it dumps you to a search page (which you can't change) rather than just searching automatically.
AND YES I AM WORKED UP ABOUT THIS. Try posting something about a bug here on/. . They are trying to help you, but if a bug exists "uninstall first" this is what they will always reply, even if the problem the reporter is heaving has nothing to do with XDOM dllÂs
Maintainers at the Mozilla Project don't have all of the time in the world to help you out with your bug. If it sounds like something they've heard with a simple uninstall/reinstall fix, then they'll tell you that first. They want to solve your problem with as quickly as possible, and generic solutions sometimes "just work."
Re:why i won't switch to lightweight firebird
on
Mozilla 1.4 RC3 Is Out
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
Mozilla Firebird is designed around the idea that choice is a good thing. That's why it's lightweight with a powerful customization and extensions system. These GUI features that are relatively small but (apparently) important could be implemented as extensions.
Those 'handful of "elite" developers' are the ones coding the project. As in any open-source project, if you don't have code to contribute, your opinion is only important if the people that DO CONTRIBUTE code think it is. If those "elite" people won't accept the code you write, turn it into an extension and keep the xpi floating around your desktop to install when the new version comes out. If you don't like having to update the xpi's format whenever Mozilla Firebird's API changes, then you know why the developers don't want to code features they won't use.
As reported on www.mozillazine.org last week, there were several important bugs that needed to be taken care of. Another release candidate was essential to make sure nothing else popped up in their fixes.
From that page, you should note that bug 209354 was opened during the release candidate testing phase and marked as critical. This might not have come to light without these candidates!
I don't know if these work on 7.x, but here are some gtk2.x RPMS that have worked on 9.x: http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla/nightly/experim ental/gtk2/1.4rc1/
The RCs and Nightlies are for testing purposes only! I know it may be annoying that some Mozilla person has to say that to every post like this, but you still aren't understanding it. Upgrade bugs between testing/alpha/release candidates aren't worth dealing with when one should be uninstalling old versions anyway to test the effects of the new profiles.
Re:Mozilla -- Who compiles every release?
on
Mozilla 1.4 RC3 Is Out
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
I don't compile every release, but I do download them all. It's nice to see how much closer to a release the project is.
The RCs are also good for those of us that would like to use nightlies but are worried about stability. They are close to bleeding-edge without a lot of the risks.
Re:If you can't beat 'em, buy 'em.
on
Microsoft Buys Rare
·
· Score: 1, Flamebait
Nintendo's GameCube is superior to the Xbox for many reasons.
Why the xbox fails:
1) Bad controllers RUIN a system
The xbox controller was designed for someone with a hand 2x that of a normal human by someone who feels that a logo should be 30% of the front. The lack of ergonomic design actually makes the beast hurt when I try and play with it. The buttons are very small and hard to reach. Other designs were out there and well tested, there was no need for such a horrid distinction.
2) A lack of games == failed system
The xbox shipped at a loss hoping to recoup the expenses in the number of titles. Without these titles, they can't recoup those expenses.
3) People don't want to pay for functionality already on the box
The xbox ships completely capable of playing dvds, but can't because another piece is required. You have to buy a remote to activate something the hardware can already do, because Microsoft wanted a little extra revenue source.
Why the GameCube doesn't fail: 1) Nintendo is established
We've all played Nintendo systems before. They've been around forever. We know the characters. Mario, Samus Aran, Star Fox: these are all popular names. You can buy a GameCube knowing you will see these titles and continue to enjoy them.
2) A lovely controller
The GameCube controller is a beautiful enhancment on a design that's been working for quite some time. It's small enough for children to hold, but versatile enough for anyone to use. The buttons are well-placed and large.
3) Good gameplay > great graphics
There are many graphics hardware stats placing the xbox above the GameCube, but that doesn't mean much. 3dMark is beautiful, but less fun than Duck Hunt. Gameplay is a hard thing to describe, but it is influenced by everything from controller to game design. Sonic Adventure 2 is just more fun to play than Halo on xbox. You don't spend your time configuring your controller and stretching your hand to move forward. You don't play the entire game the exact same way with only periodic cinematics to break the monotony.
4) Variety of games
The GameCube has many titles for both children and adults. They effectively cater to many gaming genres. Xbox cuts most kids out of the market from hardware design up.
Overall, the GameCube is a much more fun platform. There is variety. The graphics quality is superb, even if it doesn't beat the xbox in a technical sense. Before the xbox I didn't think it was true, but a bad controller can ruin a console.
Slashdot Mirror
Not true. There are quite a few major outlets that enforce these ratings just like with movies. My 15-year-old cousin has had many problems buying M rated games. The largest problem has been getting his mom to care enough to come to the section of the store to buy the game for him.
This is a bad sign. If they are happy with what's going on, it's going to be horrible for the freedom of gamers everywhere. Nothing the ESRB does is beneficial for people that wish to think for themselves.
At what point is it stealing though? Her novels are about as derivative of the world of fantasy writing as some of the ripoffs are. She didn't come up with the idea of magic, or a magical mystery tale, or a small boy with a cosmically significant future. We've even seen the bumbling magician in popular film: Fantasia, the Mickey magician.
That is very true, but that is also part of her point. If McDonalds sued Burger King today, would it seem reasonable? Is it reasonable that McDonalds should control the 'plastic burger joint' idea for its ends and only its ends? McDonalds claiming to own bad fast food is about as unreasonable as Rowling claiming that intertextual inspiration isn't allowed when dealing with his works.
You missed the point entirely. The author wasn't trying to appeal to anybody by stating that the original was "superior." As is expressed later in the article, international rip-offs only come about after the original has reached a certain level of success and popularity. The rip-offs are written to capitalize on this success. It's an admission of the original's superiority, otherwise Rowling would be ripping of Grotter.
I didn't know that liking a good plugin architecture that made components lightweight made me a fanboy. I guess I'm a KDE (KParts) fanboy too.
This actually touches on a point which I've often thought about but doesn't seem to have been presented anywhere:
Why can't we have Phoenix simply ship with lots of popular extensions? It would seem like a good solution to both of our arguments. If it's something that seems to the developers like it should be optional, but many users scream about not having it, then the extension could just be shipped. Those advanced users (like myself) would probably catch the change on the release page and just add it to our list of things to remove after installing a new build.
You're looking at it backwards. Nothing was removed from Mozilla Firebird. It was written from the ground up with an extensions framework so that the developers didn't have to guess what "people" use every day. The idea itself isn't a mess just because you think that the most popular extension is poorly written. Where exactly is the line between "bloated crap" and "useful" features? With extensions, the Mozilla developers don't have to guess that anymore. People who want the TBE can install it. If they then find it bloated and horrible, they can uninstall it and still have a working browser! No harm, no foul, lots of choice.
What would they change it to? The user already has the option of informing Mozilla Firebird of what she wants to do by typing either "goto" or "google" before the search term. Those two options seem more useful than IE's lack of keywords to use and the fact that it dumps you to a search page (which you can't change) rather than just searching automatically.
Maintainers at the Mozilla Project don't have all of the time in the world to help you out with your bug. If it sounds like something they've heard with a simple uninstall/reinstall fix, then they'll tell you that first. They want to solve your problem with as quickly as possible, and generic solutions sometimes "just work."
Mozilla Firebird is designed around the idea that choice is a good thing. That's why it's lightweight with a powerful customization and extensions system. These GUI features that are relatively small but (apparently) important could be implemented as extensions.
Those 'handful of "elite" developers' are the ones coding the project. As in any open-source project, if you don't have code to contribute, your opinion is only important if the people that DO CONTRIBUTE code think it is. If those "elite" people won't accept the code you write, turn it into an extension and keep the xpi floating around your desktop to install when the new version comes out. If you don't like having to update the xpi's format whenever Mozilla Firebird's API changes, then you know why the developers don't want to code features they won't use.
As reported on www.mozillazine.org last week, there were several important bugs that needed to be taken care of. Another release candidate was essential to make sure nothing else popped up in their fixes.
From that page, you should note that bug 209354 was opened during the release candidate testing phase and marked as critical. This might not have come to light without these candidates!
The last release candidate article was actually from the "freshmeat dept"
I don't know if these work on 7.x, but here are some gtk2.x RPMS that have worked on 9.x: http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla/nightly/experim ental/gtk2/1.4rc1/
The RCs and Nightlies are for testing purposes only! I know it may be annoying that some Mozilla person has to say that to every post like this, but you still aren't understanding it. Upgrade bugs between testing/alpha/release candidates aren't worth dealing with when one should be uninstalling old versions anyway to test the effects of the new profiles.
I don't compile every release, but I do download them all. It's nice to see how much closer to a release the project is.
The RCs are also good for those of us that would like to use nightlies but are worried about stability. They are close to bleeding-edge without a lot of the risks.
Nintendo's GameCube is superior to the Xbox for many reasons.
Why the xbox fails:
1) Bad controllers RUIN a system
The xbox controller was designed for someone with a hand 2x that of a normal human by someone who feels that a logo should be 30% of the front. The lack of ergonomic design actually makes the beast hurt when I try and play with it. The buttons are very small and hard to reach. Other designs were out there and well tested, there was no need for such a horrid distinction.
2) A lack of games == failed system
The xbox shipped at a loss hoping to recoup the expenses in the number of titles. Without these titles, they can't recoup those expenses.
3) People don't want to pay for functionality already on the box
The xbox ships completely capable of playing dvds, but can't because another piece is required. You have to buy a remote to activate something the hardware can already do, because Microsoft wanted a little extra revenue source.
Why the GameCube doesn't fail:
1) Nintendo is established
We've all played Nintendo systems before. They've been around forever. We know the characters. Mario, Samus Aran, Star Fox: these are all popular names. You can buy a GameCube knowing you will see these titles and continue to enjoy them.
2) A lovely controller
The GameCube controller is a beautiful enhancment on a design that's been working for quite some time. It's small enough for children to hold, but versatile enough for anyone to use. The buttons are well-placed and large.
3) Good gameplay > great graphics
There are many graphics hardware stats placing the xbox above the GameCube, but that doesn't mean much. 3dMark is beautiful, but less fun than Duck Hunt. Gameplay is a hard thing to describe, but it is influenced by everything from controller to game design. Sonic Adventure 2 is just more fun to play than Halo on xbox. You don't spend your time configuring your controller and stretching your hand to move forward. You don't play the entire game the exact same way with only periodic cinematics to break the monotony.
4) Variety of games
The GameCube has many titles for both children and adults. They effectively cater to many gaming genres. Xbox cuts most kids out of the market from hardware design up.
Overall, the GameCube is a much more fun platform. There is variety. The graphics quality is superb, even if it doesn't beat the xbox in a technical sense. Before the xbox I didn't think it was true, but a bad controller can ruin a console.