One of those makes me hyper beyond belief.. I can't imagine the amount of caffeine withdrawal this guy must have gone through to put this article together.
Well, defining the term 'filth' when it comes to media players is pretty ridiculous.
You've already got Windows Media bundled with most versions of Windows... it's not Real's fault Microsoft can't make their APIs for Windows smoother to develop for.
That's all well and good, but at least Dell offers warranties on their systems.
I build my own systems, but I recommend Dell systems for people who don't have the need or technical knowhow to build their own.
I personally don't see a problem with Dell's policy on this... I think it's their right to avoid potential conflicts from software that did not come preinstalled on the user's system, and they're not obligated to offer support for that.
Simple answer? Because not everyone has the technical knowledge to do that.
Some people want to just plug it in and have it work without all that sort of fuss. There's a market for everything.
Actually, the PS2 can play DVDs out of the box, while the XBox requires an addon for DVD playback.
I don't know if that's changed in later revisions of the XBox, but I highly doubt it since the DVD kits are still being offered for sale.
The thing about why Nintendo never included DVD playback was because of one thing - they do games, and they do them well. They know games better than they do DVD support or anything like that, whereas Sony and Microsoft have experience in those arenas, so their systems are able to offer that kind of feature to people who buy them.
Personally, I wouldn't want a Nintendo branded DVD playback device, because I know that's not what they do best.
Thank you.
I'm glad someone else agrees with my view on this... a game console should concentrate on good games, not a whole bunch of features that detract from gaming performance in the long run.
I agree... every DRM scheme I've seen for protecting CDs has been implemented poorly (Look at SunnComm's DRM scheme for example).
Apple went the right route with using AAC, because the DRM is encoded into the file... most software players (like WINAMP) have AAC support now, and I'm sure we'll see it supported in newer portable players as well.
Standard copyright laws are useless in an age that's dependent on digital technology for much of what we do... but digital copyright laws need to be clear, not overreaching like the DMCA... there has to be a solid definition of what constitutes fair use, and it shouldn't violate existing copyright laws or supercede them. Digital copyrights and standard copyrights should co-exist, not clash.
Real is not the only one who does it though... a lot of programs ask you to register file extensions when you install the program.
This one is a case of Apple using proprietary extensions to overwrite MusicMatch's dlls.. there's an IPodHelper and a couple of other DLLs that iTunes uses that help it communicate with the iPod.
Besides, why would anyone want to use a non-Apple music software with an iPod? They know how to address their own products better than anyone.
I really do like this software over any other windows application I've used for ripping CDs... it's got an intuitive interface and really does offer features that you normally only find in products like MusicMatch.
Add to the fact that Apple is giving it to us FOR FREE and you've got something that definitely blows away anything currently available. I've managed to rip most of my CDs (including some heavily scratched ones) with NO hassle whatsoever, and that what's making this a must-have application for me.
Nvidia's been releasing the NV30 cards (Geforce Ti4200 and MX series) as AGP8x modules.
The problem is that the bandwidth that is offered by the AGP bus tends to be a PCI-AGP bridge, rather than a true AGP graphics card, so what you essentially have is a PCI card running at a slightly faster dedicated bus speed.
If PCI Express can truly deliver, I'll be impressed... but Intel's known for making decisions that are not necessarily widely implemented in the long run (remember Rambus?). I'm taking a wait and see approach with this one.
There's no reason to bundle DVD playback with a GAME SYSTEM.
It's designed to play games, nothing more. If you want DVD playback, buy a DVD player. When you bundle all those technologies together, you sacrifice gameplay value for extra features.
Slashdot Mirror
I am, because I don't read anything below that. Most comments below that are inane crap not worth paying attention to.
What the hell does Linus Torvalds have to do with my response?
Geez. Not every post on Slashdot has to be about Linux.
IF you want to hear these guys (Leo, Patrick, Kevin Rose), then check out http://www.thisweekintech.com/
One of those makes me hyper beyond belief.. I can't imagine the amount of caffeine withdrawal this guy must have gone through to put this article together.
Entire season means exhibition, regular season, all-star and playoffs/World Series.
That's how I got my exposure to computing for the first time - playing with Atari BASIC on the old Atari 800.
Well, defining the term 'filth' when it comes to media players is pretty ridiculous. You've already got Windows Media bundled with most versions of Windows... it's not Real's fault Microsoft can't make their APIs for Windows smoother to develop for.
You clicked the wrong button. Try looking in the upper righthand corner and clicking on Free Realplayer
The player itself is open source, but since the codecs are intellectual property, they're provided only as binaries.
That's because MS only licenses the OS to companies like Dell.. they're the ones who decide to bundle software with their machines, not Microsoft.
That's all well and good, but at least Dell offers warranties on their systems. I build my own systems, but I recommend Dell systems for people who don't have the need or technical knowhow to build their own. I personally don't see a problem with Dell's policy on this... I think it's their right to avoid potential conflicts from software that did not come preinstalled on the user's system, and they're not obligated to offer support for that.
Simple answer? Because not everyone has the technical knowledge to do that. Some people want to just plug it in and have it work without all that sort of fuss. There's a market for everything.
Actually, the PS2 can play DVDs out of the box, while the XBox requires an addon for DVD playback. I don't know if that's changed in later revisions of the XBox, but I highly doubt it since the DVD kits are still being offered for sale.
The thing about why Nintendo never included DVD playback was because of one thing - they do games, and they do them well. They know games better than they do DVD support or anything like that, whereas Sony and Microsoft have experience in those arenas, so their systems are able to offer that kind of feature to people who buy them. Personally, I wouldn't want a Nintendo branded DVD playback device, because I know that's not what they do best.
Thank you. I'm glad someone else agrees with my view on this... a game console should concentrate on good games, not a whole bunch of features that detract from gaming performance in the long run.
And it's Peter Jackson's film, not yours.
He has every right to edit the film as he sees fit. He didn't think the sequences worked in the context of ROTK, so he cut them.
They'll wind up on the extended DVD. BTW, everyone seems to ignore the fact that Brad Dourif's scenes as Wormtongue were also cut.
I agree... every DRM scheme I've seen for protecting CDs has been implemented poorly (Look at SunnComm's DRM scheme for example). Apple went the right route with using AAC, because the DRM is encoded into the file... most software players (like WINAMP) have AAC support now, and I'm sure we'll see it supported in newer portable players as well. Standard copyright laws are useless in an age that's dependent on digital technology for much of what we do... but digital copyright laws need to be clear, not overreaching like the DMCA... there has to be a solid definition of what constitutes fair use, and it shouldn't violate existing copyright laws or supercede them. Digital copyrights and standard copyrights should co-exist, not clash.
Real is not the only one who does it though... a lot of programs ask you to register file extensions when you install the program. This one is a case of Apple using proprietary extensions to overwrite MusicMatch's dlls.. there's an IPodHelper and a couple of other DLLs that iTunes uses that help it communicate with the iPod. Besides, why would anyone want to use a non-Apple music software with an iPod? They know how to address their own products better than anyone.
I really do like this software over any other windows application I've used for ripping CDs... it's got an intuitive interface and really does offer features that you normally only find in products like MusicMatch.
Add to the fact that Apple is giving it to us FOR FREE and you've got something that definitely blows away anything currently available. I've managed to rip most of my CDs (including some heavily scratched ones) with NO hassle whatsoever, and that what's making this a must-have application for me.
... this is exactly the reason why I would NEVER purchase an XBox.
I had a hard time putting this one down... there's such great characterization.
Hopefully he'll revisit this setting in a future novel. He'd be doing readers of his work a disservice if he didn't.
OK, my mistake, I stand corrected on that.
I think most manufacturers will stick with the AGP bus until PCI Express becomes a proven viable alternative.
Either that, or find a way to significantly increase the bandwidth of the AGP bus.
Nvidia's been releasing the NV30 cards (Geforce Ti4200 and MX series) as AGP8x modules.
The problem is that the bandwidth that is offered by the AGP bus tends to be a PCI-AGP bridge, rather than a true AGP graphics card, so what you essentially have is a PCI card running at a slightly faster dedicated bus speed.
If PCI Express can truly deliver, I'll be impressed... but Intel's known for making decisions that are not necessarily widely implemented in the long run (remember Rambus?). I'm taking a wait and see approach with this one.
There's no reason to bundle DVD playback with a GAME SYSTEM. It's designed to play games, nothing more. If you want DVD playback, buy a DVD player. When you bundle all those technologies together, you sacrifice gameplay value for extra features.