With all these morons trampling over individual rights nowadays, it's nice to see that these people occasionally put their foot down in a bed of burning coals.
And while I hate the "litigate everything" approach, it's times like this where I see why it becomes necessary.
Now pardon me if I'm somewhat blase' on this. But it's a refrigerated CPU. Anybody with the cash could have done this well before now. So I don't see what the big deal is.
Is it entertaining? Sure.
But is it as entertaining or informative as if someone had introduced one that was simply water-cooled? Or better yet, air-cooled? HECK NO.
There's absoloutely NO skill involved in buying a Kryotech or Vapochill and dropping it in your system. It's not an interesting system. It's just "another Kryotech/Vapochill system".
Heck, I'd have been more interested if someone had hand-built the refrigeration system. I look in on these things to see cool hardware hacks. Not expensive, store-bought bells and whistles.
I'm very sorry if this sounds elitist. But I really don't find commercial soloutions like this all that entertaining. I like a person's system to have more "character".
Say FTP tried enforcing their trademark. Would wu-ftp, CuteFTP, and all the other *FTP products out there have to change their names? Especially since their name is also relevant to the protocol name?
Yes, it'd be nice if they changed and were still just as successful. But why should they have to accept such an onus? Simply because Tatu & Company feel like it?
Also, why just stop at dictation of naming conventions? Every time someone just rolls over and plays nice with these greedy (expletive deleted), it merely gives them incentive to push for more.
Give them an inch and they don't take a mile. They don't even take a league. They take an AU.
The reason there's a market for Windows information is because there's a paucity of truly well organized data on their products. Anyone who's seriously looked into their helpfile documentation can tell you there's tons of data there. Just that most of it is so buried behind hyperlinks and obscure references that FINDING it is a full-time job.
Hence, well organized, and expository Windows publications sell like hotcakes.
In the Linux world, there's a massive amount of data online. Everything from the man files on your computer, to websites, to IRC, to Usenet.
Much of the data in these Linux books can be gleaned simply by RTFM (ESPECIALLY if that's a SuSE Manual, quite literally a ream of pages). Because of this, the demand for Linux-related 3rd party documentation is considerably lower than that of your average Windows user base.
Imagine Media has partnered with Prospero Technologies to bring you enhanced message boards.
By entering this forum, you automatically register with Imagine Media. Your personal information is protected by the Imagine Media Privacy Policy, and the Prospero Technologies Privacy Policy.
I can deal with Prospero fairly easily. Their privacy policy is fairly inoffensive. Especially since I don't HAVE to register to simply read the forums (only to post).
Uhm. No.
Yes. SSH corp did NOT enforce their trademark. In fact, they're still not enforcing it with other projects "infringing" on the SSH trademark. Unlike patents, trademarks are an all or nothing thing.
But you neglect the following.
Tatu SPECIFICALLY released SSH under a license that allowed use of the SSH name well before the trademark was EVER applied for.
All the protocol documentation for SecShell terms secshell as "SSH protocol".
SSH corp is a failing business. More than likely, they'd use the confusion of renaming OpenSSH to usurp the market share that the OSS project has achieved. Which would simply support their faulty business model a short while longer.
SGI did NOT already give away the right to use "GL" freely.
Tatu didn't trademark "ssh" initially.
Tatu released a version under a license that allowed for use (unrestricted use no less) of the "ssh" mark, so long as it conformed to the SSH standard.
The standards, penned by Tatu himself, use the term "ssh" for the protocol.
This is nothing more than a company trying to rescind the actions of it's founder to protect a failing business strategy.
Why? Because people are being drawn to the open-source implementation rather than paying out good money for something they can get for free.
Tatu's also probably peeved that OpenSSH will receive wider distribution (through Linux, BSD, and possibly OS-X sales/downloads) than his company's probably capable of. And thus will be more likely to achieve ubiquity than his proprietary, commercial products.
Sorry, but it doesn't work that way Tatu. You can't fish something out there until it hits name-recognition status, then make them change their name so you can supplant them. The community is NOT your advertising tool.
Seriously. ZDNet is little more than an rubber stamp on MS products and practices. They portray everything in such a sunny, and cheerful light. All the while forgetting to mention that their largest revenue stream comes from...TADA! Microsoft Corp.
Even before I moved into using Linux full-time, I avoided ZDNet like the plague. FUD. Uselessly shallow reviews. FUD. Fluffy articles. FUD. Idiotic commentaries. Oh yes. And did I mention the FUD?
I support artists by buying CD's. Quite literally NONE of the music in my collection's come from any source OTHER than my own private CD collection or tape collection (in cases where no CD-version's available).
I want to be able to move the music that I paid for wherever I want. If that means off my desktop system to a laptop, so be it. If that means off to a CD/DVD for a "compilation album", I have that right.
Or am I supposed to pay the artist for each and every instance in where I listen to their music?
Nobody gives a flying fsck about them limiting piracy. But their methods also take away rights given to us to utilize this media for personal use in any way we see fit. They're treating the symptoms, and not the problem.
Excuse me. But isn't that the POINT of *nix operating systems? To give you as much control as possible over the application you're using?
I fail to see how adding layer after idiot layer of abstraction brings a user "closer to his app".
Then again. Maybe I'm the idiot.
Chas - The one, the only. THANK GOD!!!
Re:Please don't speak for all of us.
on
FASA Dies
·
· Score: 2
One, the game and plot-line have always revolved around each other.
Two, nobody said anyone HAD to use anything more than the basic Level1 materials (the stuff in the boxed set) when playing a game. It's always been up to the GM to determine the complexity and allowed rules in the game.
Also, the "good guy - bad guy" dichotomy was merely a plot device (since it's hard to have a good protagonist/antagonist story without the antagonist). As to a set house being the universal badguy, those who actually read the entire series of books saw how this was definitely NOT true.
BattleTech is NOT reality. It never has been. If you're looking for reality, you need to look someplace OTHER than the mecha game genre. As to the star-empire based on a monarchy system, while it's fairly ludicrous, at least SOME effort was taken to explain HOW it came about. And if you can get your hands on the House Source Books (quite out of print, head over to Gamer's Union and look if you're interested.
I think this could have been avoided with people not playing by FASA's "rules".
If you spend a day RPG'ing, and have fun. The time is NOT "wasted".
Chas - The one, the only. THANK GOD!!!
Please don't speak for all of us.
on
FASA Dies
·
· Score: 1
As background info for the rest of you. There's a small, somewhat vocal group out there that basically whines and cries about every decision that FASA's made in regards to the BattleTech universe.
People like them are the reason the last head-developer left (he got sick of putting up with childish whining after one of these crude individuals accosted him at a convention).
Basically, ignore anyone who starts talking about "true battletech fans".
Oh. I understand the "busy busy busy" argument. I just don't agree with it.
There's still a hardcore RPG and tabletop gaming community out there. Just head to GenCon and find out how big it really is. Most of them look at CCG's like Magic as crack. Yeah it's a quick hit. But it wears off. It's not memorable.
Look to RPG's and you'll find people who have fond memories of adventures played LONG before CCG's were even a concept.
It's not really the game system that holds people. It's the storylines involved in them that keep people coming back for more. Not the need for another "hit".
Chas - The one, the only. THANK GOD!!!
Re:What about Shadowrun?
on
FASA Dies
·
· Score: 1
SR has been FASA's breadwinner for years.
As for BTech, is was never really intended to be some horrendously intricate mecha combat system. It was intended as a quick pickup, beer and pretzels game.
Chas - The one, the only. THANK GOD!!!
Alas poor FASA. I knew them Horatio!
on
FASA Dies
·
· Score: 5
While it sucks that an old friend like FASA is going the way of the dodo, it's actually a Good Thing [TM] for the BattleTech and Shadowrun product lines. Additionally, it's a good thing for Ral Partha. As WK is FAR better funded than FASA "EVER" was.
FASA is going to settle out all their debts, finish up and publish their last project or two (including the much awaited Periphery Field Manual), and that's it. The novel contracts will stay with ROC until the end of the current BTech story arc. After which time, WK will probably begin shopping the line around to other publishing houses. Especially since ROC didn't exactly treat FASA very well.
Unofficially (so far), Mike Stackpole is being brought back into the fold here. So fans of his BattleTech series of books may see him actually finish out his post Clan Invasion story arc.
As to what form BattleTech and SR might take when they re-emerge under the WK imprimature, we don't have any clue right now. From a hardcore gamefan's POV, the best thing they could do is not really change the game, and simply make the supplements for the game better.
From a businessman's POV, BT's fanbase has been gradually shrinking over the last several years (though those who remain are usually VERY hardcore). This presents a barrier of sorts to the entry of new players. WK may (or may not) convert portions (or all) of BattleTech/SR over to a MageKnight format of game play. Which would probably simplify an already simple game.
As for FASA's MechForce fanclub and their Games Workshop-esque Marauder program (sanctioned event hosting). Both programs are probably going to be allowed to quietly die away (some disgruntled members of both organizations would say they already have). Later on, something like MechForce could be resurrected by WK or by someone willing to buy a license to run MechForce in North America.
As to FASA's licenses for VOR, Crucible, and Crimson Skies projects. Crimson Skies reverts to Microsoft. VOR and Crucible revert to their own holders. They may shop the properties around, or simply re-license them to WK under similar terms.
About the only REALLY messed up thing was that most of the EMPLOYEES weren't told till right before the announcement hit the net. And some of their freelancers actually found out about it before being alerted by FASA.
So it's not technically a bankruptcy. Basically, a major, important part of the FASA corporation is being melded into the WK corporation.
Additionally, for those hoping for the Unseen (the mechs that caused the lawsuit with Harmony Gold) to return. Don't bet on it. It'll probably be WK stance that licensing the images from Harmony Gold would simply be money ill-spent.
In short, this is a black cloud with a lot of silver in the lining.
Yet more technical writers and developers who, and I quote, DO NOT GET IT.
If Linux isn't growing in the directions they like, they're PERFECTLY free to fork the code base. Just don't expect that everything they write will trickle back to the main branch.
But that's not enough for these people apparently. Or so they say. They'd rather APPROPRIATE (a nicer word than STEAL control of the code base from Linus. IOW, at some point, they'd have enough control that they'd be able to tell Linus to take a hike, stop his fork, change the licensing, etc.
Now pardon my highly technical jargon here. But SCREW THAT.
If they're having trouble making a buck, they need to rethink their business model and business plan. Not hijack Linux and turn it towards only the ends that suit them.
Linus said it himself. He's not the sole wellspring of creativity for the Linux kernel. There's literally dozens (maybe even hundreds) of people who have made EXTREMELY important contributions.
What's more, Alan Cox (who's basically being paid to manage the Linux kernel) acts as a filter between the thousands of dumb ideas and Linus.
Again. The problem is with these companies who hunger to be the next Microsoft. Not Linus. Not Linux's development pace.
These guys need to get out of their Chicken Little costumes already. Halloween is SO over.
I've been hosting a web community for the past 4 years. I learned that the best way to be successful is to go with what interests you.
EvilNET has been a refuge dozens of small gaming, anime, and computing-related sites. The primary thrust of of the community is board and computer gaming.
Any idiot can do it. It takes an idiot with a vision to make it last though.
Slashdot Mirror
With all these morons trampling over individual rights nowadays, it's nice to see that these people occasionally put their foot down in a bed of burning coals.
And while I hate the "litigate everything" approach, it's times like this where I see why it becomes necessary.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
At even a tenth of the userbase.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
Now pardon me if I'm somewhat blase' on this. But it's a refrigerated CPU. Anybody with the cash could have done this well before now. So I don't see what the big deal is.
Is it entertaining? Sure.
But is it as entertaining or informative as if someone had introduced one that was simply water-cooled? Or better yet, air-cooled? HECK NO.
There's absoloutely NO skill involved in buying a Kryotech or Vapochill and dropping it in your system. It's not an interesting system. It's just "another Kryotech/Vapochill system".
Heck, I'd have been more interested if someone had hand-built the refrigeration system. I look in on these things to see cool hardware hacks. Not expensive, store-bought bells and whistles.
I'm very sorry if this sounds elitist. But I really don't find commercial soloutions like this all that entertaining. I like a person's system to have more "character".
But that's just me, the hardware freak.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
18.2GB Fibre Channel: $95
http://www.pricewatch.com/1/26/2129-1.htm
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
Question, why should they change their name?
Say FTP tried enforcing their trademark. Would wu-ftp, CuteFTP, and all the other *FTP products out there have to change their names? Especially since their name is also relevant to the protocol name?
Yes, it'd be nice if they changed and were still just as successful. But why should they have to accept such an onus? Simply because Tatu & Company feel like it?
Also, why just stop at dictation of naming conventions? Every time someone just rolls over and plays nice with these greedy (expletive deleted), it merely gives them incentive to push for more.
Give them an inch and they don't take a mile. They don't even take a league. They take an AU.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
The reason there's a market for Windows information is because there's a paucity of truly well organized data on their products. Anyone who's seriously looked into their helpfile documentation can tell you there's tons of data there. Just that most of it is so buried behind hyperlinks and obscure references that FINDING it is a full-time job.
Hence, well organized, and expository Windows publications sell like hotcakes.
In the Linux world, there's a massive amount of data online. Everything from the man files on your computer, to websites, to IRC, to Usenet.
Much of the data in these Linux books can be gleaned simply by RTFM (ESPECIALLY if that's a SuSE Manual, quite literally a ream of pages). Because of this, the demand for Linux-related 3rd party documentation is considerably lower than that of your average Windows user base.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
Imagine Media has partnered with Prospero Technologies to bring you enhanced message boards.
By entering this forum, you automatically register with Imagine Media. Your personal information is protected by the Imagine Media Privacy Policy, and the Prospero Technologies Privacy Policy.
I can deal with Prospero fairly easily. Their privacy policy is fairly inoffensive. Especially since I don't HAVE to register to simply read the forums (only to post).
The same isn't to be said for the MaxLinux forum.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
Actually it will. Since naming rights are specifically addressed within the license.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
Uhm. No. Yes. SSH corp did NOT enforce their trademark. In fact, they're still not enforcing it with other projects "infringing" on the SSH trademark. Unlike patents, trademarks are an all or nothing thing. But you neglect the following. Tatu SPECIFICALLY released SSH under a license that allowed use of the SSH name well before the trademark was EVER applied for. All the protocol documentation for SecShell terms secshell as "SSH protocol". SSH corp is a failing business. More than likely, they'd use the confusion of renaming OpenSSH to usurp the market share that the OSS project has achieved. Which would simply support their faulty business model a short while longer.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
This is nothing more than a company trying to rescind the actions of it's founder to protect a failing business strategy.
Why? Because people are being drawn to the open-source implementation rather than paying out good money for something they can get for free.
Tatu's also probably peeved that OpenSSH will receive wider distribution (through Linux, BSD, and possibly OS-X sales/downloads) than his company's probably capable of. And thus will be more likely to achieve ubiquity than his proprietary, commercial products.
Sorry, but it doesn't work that way Tatu. You can't fish something out there until it hits name-recognition status, then make them change their name so you can supplant them. The community is NOT your advertising tool.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
Time to start downloading before Mozilla.org drowns under a Slashdotting.
Seriously, if this fixes some of the bugs I've noted in earlier versions (and if Java'll install right, right off the bat, I'll be more than happy).
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
Okay. They need to work on getting the size down so I can carry it around campus for Quake simulations.
On a more semi-serious note, does it come as no real surprise that this bad-boy was built in Texas?
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
Seriously. ZDNet is little more than an rubber stamp on MS products and practices. They portray everything in such a sunny, and cheerful light. All the while forgetting to mention that their largest revenue stream comes from...TADA! Microsoft Corp.
Even before I moved into using Linux full-time, I avoided ZDNet like the plague. FUD. Uselessly shallow reviews. FUD. Fluffy articles. FUD. Idiotic commentaries. Oh yes. And did I mention the FUD?
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
I support artists by buying CD's. Quite literally NONE of the music in my collection's come from any source OTHER than my own private CD collection or tape collection (in cases where no CD-version's available).
I want to be able to move the music that I paid for wherever I want. If that means off my desktop system to a laptop, so be it. If that means off to a CD/DVD for a "compilation album", I have that right.
Or am I supposed to pay the artist for each and every instance in where I listen to their music?
Nobody gives a flying fsck about them limiting piracy. But their methods also take away rights given to us to utilize this media for personal use in any way we see fit. They're treating the symptoms, and not the problem.
THAT is what we're griping about.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
Excuse me. But isn't that the POINT of *nix operating systems? To give you as much control as possible over the application you're using?
I fail to see how adding layer after idiot layer of abstraction brings a user "closer to his app".
Then again. Maybe I'm the idiot.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
One, the game and plot-line have always revolved around each other.
Two, nobody said anyone HAD to use anything more than the basic Level1 materials (the stuff in the boxed set) when playing a game. It's always been up to the GM to determine the complexity and allowed rules in the game.
Also, the "good guy - bad guy" dichotomy was merely a plot device (since it's hard to have a good protagonist/antagonist story without the antagonist). As to a set house being the universal badguy, those who actually read the entire series of books saw how this was definitely NOT true.
BattleTech is NOT reality. It never has been. If you're looking for reality, you need to look someplace OTHER than the mecha game genre. As to the star-empire based on a monarchy system, while it's fairly ludicrous, at least SOME effort was taken to explain HOW it came about. And if you can get your hands on the House Source Books (quite out of print, head over to Gamer's Union and look if you're interested.
See the first couple sentences of my post.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
If you spend a day RPG'ing, and have fun. The time is NOT "wasted".
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
As background info for the rest of you. There's a small, somewhat vocal group out there that basically whines and cries about every decision that FASA's made in regards to the BattleTech universe.
People like them are the reason the last head-developer left (he got sick of putting up with childish whining after one of these crude individuals accosted him at a convention).
Basically, ignore anyone who starts talking about "true battletech fans".
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
Okay. Whiz Kids is run by Jordan Weisman (a founder of the FASA corporation and co-creator of the BattleTech game).
I'd say their policy would be something similar to FASA's.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
It's views like this I hate.
Oh. I understand the "busy busy busy" argument. I just don't agree with it.
There's still a hardcore RPG and tabletop gaming community out there. Just head to GenCon and find out how big it really is. Most of them look at CCG's like Magic as crack. Yeah it's a quick hit. But it wears off. It's not memorable.
Look to RPG's and you'll find people who have fond memories of adventures played LONG before CCG's were even a concept.
It's not really the game system that holds people. It's the storylines involved in them that keep people coming back for more. Not the need for another "hit".
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
SR has been FASA's breadwinner for years.
As for BTech, is was never really intended to be some horrendously intricate mecha combat system. It was intended as a quick pickup, beer and pretzels game.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
For those looking for Whiz Kids, you can find them at http://www.mageknight.com.
The WK press release can be found at: http://www.mageknight.com/company_landing.htm?sid= 89&cid=4501
While it sucks that an old friend like FASA is going the way of the dodo, it's actually a Good Thing [TM] for the BattleTech and Shadowrun product lines. Additionally, it's a good thing for Ral Partha. As WK is FAR better funded than FASA "EVER" was.
FASA is going to settle out all their debts, finish up and publish their last project or two (including the much awaited Periphery Field Manual), and that's it. The novel contracts will stay with ROC until the end of the current BTech story arc. After which time, WK will probably begin shopping the line around to other publishing houses. Especially since ROC didn't exactly treat FASA very well.
Unofficially (so far), Mike Stackpole is being brought back into the fold here. So fans of his BattleTech series of books may see him actually finish out his post Clan Invasion story arc.
As to what form BattleTech and SR might take when they re-emerge under the WK imprimature, we don't have any clue right now. From a hardcore gamefan's POV, the best thing they could do is not really change the game, and simply make the supplements for the game better.
From a businessman's POV, BT's fanbase has been gradually shrinking over the last several years (though those who remain are usually VERY hardcore). This presents a barrier of sorts to the entry of new players. WK may (or may not) convert portions (or all) of BattleTech/SR over to a MageKnight format of game play. Which would probably simplify an already simple game.
As for FASA's MechForce fanclub and their Games Workshop-esque Marauder program (sanctioned event hosting). Both programs are probably going to be allowed to quietly die away (some disgruntled members of both organizations would say they already have). Later on, something like MechForce could be resurrected by WK or by someone willing to buy a license to run MechForce in North America.
As to FASA's licenses for VOR, Crucible, and Crimson Skies projects. Crimson Skies reverts to Microsoft. VOR and Crucible revert to their own holders. They may shop the properties around, or simply re-license them to WK under similar terms.
About the only REALLY messed up thing was that most of the EMPLOYEES weren't told till right before the announcement hit the net. And some of their freelancers actually found out about it before being alerted by FASA.
So it's not technically a bankruptcy. Basically, a major, important part of the FASA corporation is being melded into the WK corporation.
Additionally, for those hoping for the Unseen (the mechs that caused the lawsuit with Harmony Gold) to return. Don't bet on it. It'll probably be WK stance that licensing the images from Harmony Gold would simply be money ill-spent.
In short, this is a black cloud with a lot of silver in the lining.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
The Freedonian Air & Space Administration
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
Yet more technical writers and developers who, and I quote, DO NOT GET IT.
If Linux isn't growing in the directions they like, they're PERFECTLY free to fork the code base. Just don't expect that everything they write will trickle back to the main branch.
But that's not enough for these people apparently. Or so they say. They'd rather APPROPRIATE (a nicer word than STEAL control of the code base from Linus. IOW, at some point, they'd have enough control that they'd be able to tell Linus to take a hike, stop his fork, change the licensing, etc.
Now pardon my highly technical jargon here. But SCREW THAT.
If they're having trouble making a buck, they need to rethink their business model and business plan. Not hijack Linux and turn it towards only the ends that suit them.
Linus said it himself. He's not the sole wellspring of creativity for the Linux kernel. There's literally dozens (maybe even hundreds) of people who have made EXTREMELY important contributions.
What's more, Alan Cox (who's basically being paid to manage the Linux kernel) acts as a filter between the thousands of dumb ideas and Linus.
Again. The problem is with these companies who hunger to be the next Microsoft. Not Linus. Not Linux's development pace.
These guys need to get out of their Chicken Little costumes already. Halloween is SO over.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
I've been hosting a web community for the past 4 years. I learned that the best way to be successful is to go with what interests you.
EvilNET has been a refuge dozens of small gaming, anime, and computing-related sites. The primary thrust of of the community is board and computer gaming.
Any idiot can do it. It takes an idiot with a vision to make it last though.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!