My computer has come up with a clever means of implementing basic intelligens in patent office officials. As there doesn't seem to be any prior art, I beleive I shouldn't have any problems applying for a patent on behalf of my computer.
Oh, wait a minute, I have to apply at the patent office, don't I? Hmm, could be a problem...
Yes, I should have made that distinction, I was thinking it. And you're right, most of the value in q3 is the engine, rather than the art. Not so much for the engine itself, but rather it's extensibility and the network code. I would say that in many cases, people with by q3, throw out the pre-packaged artwork and create their own (all those add-ons:).
You mis-understood me (because I didn't make it clear): I was only pointing out the thinking, not saying it was the right thing to do, so I didn't miss the point at all. It was not a double standard, I would like to see games ported to the other platforms to. My wife would like an iMac (for it's looks, she's happy with Linux:), though we can't afford it ATM, and if we ever got one, I'ld like to be able to do all the things I currently do on my x86 boxen. It's actually this lack of inter-platform support that prevented me from seriously considering an alternative platform when I got my new computer. If it wasn't for the strangle-hold Intel has on the industry, it wouldn't have been an issue. Okay, that may seem to be a double standard to you except for this: Microsoft has nothing to offer me, especially with game developers looking at Linux, but, right now, Intel does. I'ld love to play with the StrongARM (even though Intel makes them now) or a ppc, but I can't justify the additional cost as it would have to be an additional machine rather than a replacement for what I did get.
I agree totally with your comment on portable code. I used to feel the other way, but that was back in the days of learning to program (in the first place) in dos, which is a very bad influence; I have since seen the light, and now, whereever possible, my code is portable.
Where does that quip about Scottish come into it? My grandfather was Scottish (dead, RHS), so it's got me rather curious.
because it's their code, not somebody elses. UT can licences the code out to the general public under the GPL and still distribute the same code in binary for only in their game. Now, when external developers start contributing code is where things get sticky; the (legal) solution to this is what the FSF does with gnu code: to require copyright assignment to UT for any code that is to go into the actual game. That said, I'm not sure how I would feel about such a situation, but GPLing the Linux UT code would actually benefit them: they get improvements, but other game companies cannot legally use the code without making arrangements with the UT poeple.
Yes, Linux is more than Intel, especially code wise, but it's Linux/non-intel vs Linux/Intel is very much like Linux vs Windows: dwarfed by comparison. I have one sparc box running Linux and four x86 boxen with Linux. Most people only have x86 boxen (heck, the only reason I have Linux running on a sparc is my work (sysadmin), and I got my wrist tapped for that (slapped is too harsh for the reaction)).
Also, AIUI, 3d hardware support seams to be better on x86 ATM, though I seem to remember mention (on the glx mailing list) of glx working on alpha (pci) and ppc.
Actually, what I found interesting in that line was the `mkdir'. I'm pretty certain that most dos users used `md' instead of `mkdir' (infact, it was a long time before I knew about `mkdir'), and while MS supports both `md' and `mkdir', unix (ignoring aliases' only has `mkdir', I was suprised to see John use `mkdir'. I guess he was either being clear (`mkdir' is easier to guess the meaning of than `md') or he is in the habit of using mkdir from his unix experience (and I don't mean just his recent Linux use (glx)).
I don't flame MS as a user environment: it's actually not too bad when it's not crashing; but as an admin environment, it sucks (95 and NT4 that is, 3.x wasn't too bad). For a couple of years I actually liked using Windows because it gave me a (pre-emptive) multitasking environment for my dos development. Yes, those dos boxes in windows 3.x were actually preemptivly task switched. The real windows OS was a 32 bit preemptive multitasking `os' (as such) with the windows everyone knew and loved running in one virtual machine (as a DPMI client) and each dos box in its own vm. This actually worked quit well so long as the dos programs were well behaved: security was almost non-existant.
Windoes is ok, I guess, but it doesn't meet my needs (and I don't like it), so I will never willingly go back to it. The only time I ever use it now is to fill out my timesheet, and that's on someone elses computer:).
Actually, 14% isn't that small: that's 1 in 7. However, you're right that 14% isn't that big, either.
I'm not flaming you, I just wanted to point out that raw percentages are rather mis-leading: even 1% isn't really terribly small. Percentages are just not a good means for convaying magnitues.
This has little (if anything) to do with SMP. This is clustering (as in Beowulf). Much easier/cheaper to implement than SMP. Yes, it's hyp, but it's not just hype.
Actually, though the comment doesn't add much, it's actually highly relelvant. However, what the heck would you call a cluster of these things as they're already Beowulfs? Megawulf?:)
The way I see it is that wether the server is virtual or not is irellevant to number validity. If the customer of the virtual server is unhappy with the server, they eem>do have the option of going elsewhere. Heck, Netcraft is actually providing information that can be used by potential customers to aid their selection of a virtual host provider. Also, large numbers of virtual hosts for a particular server actually provide some indication of how good it is at virtual hosting (though probably not accurate).
Hmm, as it's `Deety' being fragged, I beleive that should be Gay Deceiver rather than Deety as it was GD being told three times. But then again, it was usually Deety being heard three times and Deety is easier to type than Gay Deceiver:).
The Number of the Beast is one of my favourite Heinlein books, and Gay Deceiver one of my favourite characters, with Minerva (pre-flesh) and Dora either tieing or coming a close second.
True, but you can tell your friends you're on the moon and they might beleive you:)
Seriously, 500ms (250ms for each modem) base latency probably isn't too bad and people should be able to adjust to this. It can't be any worse than making an international call through satellite bounce (I've done it a couple of times, pretty cool IMHO, but then I;m wierd:).
My initial thoughts on reading this was: maybe the IETF should have created a standard, then at least we would know what we were up against. However, immediately after this, I realized that having a wiretapping standard wouldn't really make any difference, other than giving us a false sense of security: ok, so everybody implements this wiretapping standard, but is there an `undocumented' standard that we don't know about? Just because there's a standard for tapping the internet, doesn't mean it's the only standard. I think the IETF made the right decision. ie they aren't giving us a false sense of security by giving us a standard that we may be able to circumvent (but the spooks might have something else up their sleaves we don't know about), but rather saying:
Spooks, you're on your own, and people, though
we didn't create a tapping standard, someone else will implement something, and you won't know about it, you're on your own as well.
Basicly, as per always, our protection is in our own hands. Time to whip out that gpg.
I thought the speed of sound in water was higher than in air, rather than lower. However, you and I might be talking about two different things as aquatic surface waves do travel much slower than sound in air. This makes me wander what speed air waves travel at the interface between air and vacuum (though I know there is no real interface as such, too much of a gradient)
There's actually room in most MBRs for 16 partitions (possibly more, I can't remember), but thats starting to cramp the code space a little. and then all the partition tools would have to be updated (do you beleive MS would update fdisk and dos to support 16 partitions?). Hmm, autodetecting a 16 partition MBR wouldn't be to hard: grovel around in the code section looking for where it loades the register (cx IIRC) with the number of partitions to scan and you're off. Hmm MBR signature checking, yummy (not).
There's a GNU Pascal project that's based on GCC (and, last I heard, work is being done to merge it with egcs/gcc). It has supports most, if not all, of the Borland language extensions and I think there was support for the graphics library at the API level (NOTE, it's been two years since I've been involved, I just grabed the URL, not read the page).
I don't think so. From memory, a 386 chip is smaller than a 486 chip by a pin ring or two. Hmm, I'm not ever sure if the two chips have the same spect ratio.
As to 486 boards, I have one with 2 or 3 ISA slots, a VLB slot and 3 pci slots (Asus, I think; I got it second hand). Veddy cool (allowed me to get a more modern sound card before I got my new machine).
Thanks for that, it's nice to know that IRQ sharing is possible on ISA (and that it probably wasn't my code's fault:). Hmm pretty easy to implenet a tri-state output IRQ: use a tri-state buffer with it's input tied to the IRQ level needed and have the board's local IRQ line drive the output enable of the buffer. That should do the job very nicely while allowing the IRQ level to be programmable (the buffer input can be tied to a register output rather than Vcc and Gnd or Vdd or Vss (did I get those right? it's been a while since I did any electronics, especially CMOS)).
It's a knife in Wolfenstein, fist and chainsaw in Doom, axe in Quake I, don't know in Quake II (never played it) and some sort of wierd gauntlet thing in q3. Hmm, Heretic used a staff plus those guantlets of necromancy (cool sound:), and Duke3d used his boot, but I don't know about the others.
Actually, the Apple ][ speaker was slightly more complicated than that: reading the port made it click once (ie its driver toggled from 0 to 1 or 1 to 0), but writing the port made the speaker click twice (ie a brief pulse from 0 to 1 back to 0 or 1 to 0 back to 1, depending on it's initial value). This allowed for a sligh ammount of volume control which obviously worked well enough for games such as Wolfenstein and Sea Dragon.
You can get it here here. Watch out, it's a geocities page (I have Java and Javascript turned of, so I don't get hassled). He hasn't released the source yet, but appearently he intends to once he's cleaned it up a little, though I think he should just release it as is and get others to help.
Slashdot Mirror
Oh, wait a minute, I have to apply at the patent office, don't I? Hmm, could be a problem...
Yes, I should have made that distinction, I was thinking it. And you're right, most of the value in q3 is the engine, rather than the art. Not so much for the engine itself, but rather it's extensibility and the network code. I would say that in many cases, people with by q3, throw out the pre-packaged artwork and create their own (all those add-ons:).
I agree totally with your comment on portable code. I used to feel the other way, but that was back in the days of learning to program (in the first place) in dos, which is a very bad influence; I have since seen the light, and now, whereever possible, my code is portable.
Where does that quip about Scottish come into it? My grandfather was Scottish (dead, RHS), so it's got me rather curious.
Sorry I got you steamed, it was not my intention.
because it's their code, not somebody elses. UT can licences the code out to the general public under the GPL and still distribute the same code in binary for only in their game. Now, when external developers start contributing code is where things get sticky; the (legal) solution to this is what the FSF does with gnu code: to require copyright assignment to UT for any code that is to go into the actual game. That said, I'm not sure how I would feel about such a situation, but GPLing the Linux UT code would actually benefit them: they get improvements, but other game companies cannot legally use the code without making arrangements with the UT poeple.
Also, AIUI, 3d hardware support seams to be better on x86 ATM, though I seem to remember mention (on the glx mailing list) of glx working on alpha (pci) and ppc.
I don't flame MS as a user environment: it's actually not too bad when it's not crashing; but as an admin environment, it sucks (95 and NT4 that is, 3.x wasn't too bad). For a couple of years I actually liked using Windows because it gave me a (pre-emptive) multitasking environment for my dos development. Yes, those dos boxes in windows 3.x were actually preemptivly task switched. The real windows OS was a 32 bit preemptive multitasking `os' (as such) with the windows everyone knew and loved running in one virtual machine (as a DPMI client) and each dos box in its own vm. This actually worked quit well so long as the dos programs were well behaved: security was almost non-existant.
Windoes is ok, I guess, but it doesn't meet my needs (and I don't like it), so I will never willingly go back to it. The only time I ever use it now is to fill out my timesheet, and that's on someone elses computer:).
I beleive that's a server message (ie sent from the server).
I'm not flaming you, I just wanted to point out that raw percentages are rather mis-leading: even 1% isn't really terribly small. Percentages are just not a good means for convaying magnitues.
prpbably get marked down, but tough:)
This has little (if anything) to do with SMP. This is clustering (as in Beowulf). Much easier/cheaper to implement than SMP. Yes, it's hyp, but it's not just hype.
Actually, though the comment doesn't add much, it's actually highly relelvant. However, what the heck would you call a cluster of these things as they're already Beowulfs? Megawulf?:)
The way I see it is that wether the server is virtual or not is irellevant to number validity. If the customer of the virtual server is unhappy with the server, they eem>do have the option of going elsewhere. Heck, Netcraft is actually providing information that can be used by potential customers to aid their selection of a virtual host provider. Also, large numbers of virtual hosts for a particular server actually provide some indication of how good it is at virtual hosting (though probably not accurate).
The Number of the Beast is one of my favourite Heinlein books, and Gay Deceiver one of my favourite characters, with Minerva (pre-flesh) and Dora either tieing or coming a close second.
Seriously, 500ms (250ms for each modem) base latency probably isn't too bad and people should be able to adjust to this. It can't be any worse than making an international call through satellite bounce (I've done it a couple of times, pretty cool IMHO, but then I;m wierd:).
I thought the speed of sound in water was higher than in air, rather than lower. However, you and I might be talking about two different things as aquatic surface waves do travel much slower than sound in air. This makes me wander what speed air waves travel at the interface between air and vacuum (though I know there is no real interface as such, too much of a gradient)
There's actually room in most MBRs for 16 partitions (possibly more, I can't remember), but thats starting to cramp the code space a little. and then all the partition tools would have to be updated (do you beleive MS would update fdisk and dos to support 16 partitions?). Hmm, autodetecting a 16 partition MBR wouldn't be to hard: grovel around in the code section looking for where it loades the register (cx IIRC) with the number of partitions to scan and you're off. Hmm MBR signature checking, yummy (not).
There's a GNU Pascal project that's based on GCC (and, last I heard, work is being done to merge it with egcs/gcc). It has supports most, if not all, of the Borland language extensions and I think there was support for the graphics library at the API level (NOTE, it's been two years since I've been involved, I just grabed the URL, not read the page).
As to 486 boards, I have one with 2 or 3 ISA slots, a VLB slot and 3 pci slots (Asus, I think; I got it second hand). Veddy cool (allowed me to get a more modern sound card before I got my new machine).
Thanks for that, it's nice to know that IRQ sharing is possible on ISA (and that it probably wasn't my code's fault:). Hmm pretty easy to implenet a tri-state output IRQ: use a tri-state buffer with it's input tied to the IRQ level needed and have the board's local IRQ line drive the output enable of the buffer. That should do the job very nicely while allowing the IRQ level to be programmable (the buffer input can be tied to a register output rather than Vcc and Gnd or Vdd or Vss (did I get those right? it's been a while since I did any electronics, especially CMOS)).
yeah, the axe with quad damage will kibble a zombie.
It's a knife in Wolfenstein, fist and chainsaw in Doom, axe in Quake I, don't know in Quake II (never played it) and some sort of wierd gauntlet thing in q3. Hmm, Heretic used a staff plus those guantlets of necromancy (cool sound:), and Duke3d used his boot, but I don't know about the others.
Actually, the Apple ][ speaker was slightly more complicated than that: reading the port made it click once (ie its driver toggled from 0 to 1 or 1 to 0), but writing the port made the speaker click twice (ie a brief pulse from 0 to 1 back to 0 or 1 to 0 back to 1, depending on it's initial value). This allowed for a sligh ammount of volume control which obviously worked well enough for games such as Wolfenstein and Sea Dragon.
You can get it here here. Watch out, it's a geocities page (I have Java and Javascript turned of, so I don't get hassled). He hasn't released the source yet, but appearently he intends to once he's cleaned it up a little, though I think he should just release it as is and get others to help.