"The Swiftech MCX462+T at 3dGameMan, a very solid and beautiful Antec case over here, Coffee and maybe even some ram at OverclockerCafe, the Logitech Cordless Optical MX700 over here, the DFI AD77 Infinity KT400 mobo over at PC stats, Coolermaster ramsinks at Mikhailtech, the Canon S230 here, another case review, the Tyan Tachyon 9700 Pro, 19" ViewSonic monitor, Vantec's Nexus NXP-101 A True Review, Freecom FX-1 USB-2 CD-RW at Blagged-HW, the Nexland Wireless ISB Router at LanAddict and to end the Icemat."
Does anyone else think this blurb looks like the decription of one of the prop computers in the Sims?
'Zwoop Macrotic 1349/k GigaProcessor at 14.2 Ketaflops with Super HypWire MonstraDrive, Insana3 Radio-centric Flux Tachyon Coprocessor, Renticular magneto-sensing thermoptic camoflage, and 128X ZCDVD-RW.'
Go check out Acquisition. It's a Gnutella client that uses the LimeWire P2P core with a Cocoa front-end. The latest beta release is looking very impressive, and it uses Drawers in the most fantastic way. There are screenshots on the site.
Essentially all your search query strings become an item in the drawer on the side (whichever you like; Cocoa drawers are ambidextrous. Try collapsing the drawer in mail, and then drag a message to the right, and then to the left... you'll see what I mean.) This approach is comparable to Tabs in functionality, but appearance-wise takes advantage of the fact that tabs work better vertically for most situations, displaying additional information about the query, and offering controls over that query.
A drawer approach in a browser would offer some interesting advantages over the tabs; one could arrange ad-hoc or dynamic collections within one such drawer entry, much in the way iTunes Smart Bookmarks work. For example a 'News' item, 'Blogs' item, etc.
Similar functionality exists using the folder structures in the Safari Bookmark Bar, but the horizontal arrangement does sacrifice some real estate in the UI, as you want as much vertical room as you can get for your browser window, generally speaking. I wouldn't be surprised to see Apple implement a whole history in a drawer though, complete with scaling thumbnails of the pages themselves. (mostly cosmetic, and useless, that last bit - but it'll look damn cool).
... and the whole Music CD-R vs Data CD-R thing is new to me. Like, in the last 2 weeks I found out that CD-Rs in the US are actually sold this way, and it was shocking to me.
We didn't have 'data' tapes for my C64 dataset, dammit.
Why is everyone so obsessed with adding wireless capabilities to the iPod? Not a flame, really, I'm just trying to understand, what am I missing...
I want my MP3s on my stereo - i walk downstairs with the very small, very light iPod and plug it in. If I had a car, I'd get one of those iTrip things. Wireless just seems wasted when you can just walk anywhere with it, you know?
... and one that has been on my mind lately. [here we go, OT, but I gotta ask...]
Does anyone out there actually run a RAID array as their main drive? I've only recently become aware of the software RAID capabilities in OS X, and wondered what kind of a speed boost you could get by simply buying 2-3 cheap (price-wise) drives and striping them. Or is this path fraught with peril?
Last time I striped anything RAID was back in 97, with big-assed AVID setups.
This is ever-so-slightly OT, but... this is why I come to Slashdot. To see what the smart mfer's think of some new thing.
Considering the fact that these topics pretty much die off when they near the end of the page, it would be cool to have a zeitgeist/summery of the geek collective in situations like this.
To wit:
Microsoft SPOT watch:Lame design. Very limited utility. Possible mind-control plot. Stick with your already-fancy mobile phone.
See? That way, I could just nod sagely and move on to the next topic....
Sorry, didn't mean to sound pissed. I agree, and it is a clever ploy.
Your thought:
Remember when you had to ruminate on a thought, and it grew and expanded in your head? And then finally, like relieving yourself after a long holding, it flowed so nice and freely?
... is a very interesting point. One the one hand, I could easily see how this might 'stunt' and idea, because there is a sort of cathartic release when you transmute your thoughts into a written medium. On the other hand, I've often been inspired by long-lost thoughts I had while keeping a journal ?thoughts that would have vanished otherwise.
Of course, cell phone companies could give a damn, you're right about that. Cheers.
The name of the author escapes me at the moment, but I remember a good quote: "Most of us are born with at least one novel in us. Most of us, fortunately, are also kind enough to keep it locked up under skull arrest."
Yeah, some blogs are tiresome, but I will defend to the death the right for blogs to exist. We need these things, man. Its part of that whole Internet thing. Just because you're tired of the word 'blog', or have read the wrong blogs, doesn't mean the entire concept is without merit. Besides, look where you are.
I've seen numerous instances of blogs from war-torn countries providing the only legitimate news to relatives and friends living far away.
- get a Bluetooth phone
- get a Bluetooth-capable computer or adapter
- write blog on computer
- take pictures with fancy, real digital camera
- upload
- uh, profit?
I totally agree. I don't think we'll see a real 3D environment get adopted until we overcome mouse-and-keyboard input.
Thank you. I was beginning to think I was alone on this.
For those who clamour for a 'new and improved' interface - I like to call it the Raskin Effect - seem to forget that the radically new point-and-click interface in 1984 (mainstream) came with a radically new pointing device, the mouse. The mouse is 2D, as you said. There's no real utility for a 3D interface until we have 3D screens and input devices.
Of course, I've been waiting for my gloves and goggles for awhile now. Hrmph.
Call them lusers if you want, but if you're still laughing at AOL I think the joke's on you.
I am laughing at AOL, because their user base is eroding faster than Lake Erie's north shore, and they have all but lost relevance these days.
AOL got popular because they had (past tense) good marketing, and because they carpet-bombed North America with CDs. People had heard about this 'online' thing in 97 and wanted to try it, but with a nice pair of TCP/IP training wheels.
Everyone looses the training wheels when they learn ho to ride. Hell, some move up to 18-speed recumbant bikes. AOL was smart - they basically rooked Time Warner for imaginary money.
So, no. They had all but taken over the world, but now they are on their way to something else...if they're smart.
I don't really see the compelling reason to go There.
It's been tried so many times before, and has never been met with more than a cursory glance from the public at large. These companies need to realize that you need something compelling in your virtual world; furthermore, it needs to be compelling enough to get around the 3D nature of the place.
Anyone remember the Magic Desk system for early handhelds? It was organized like a room in a house. You walked out the door, went to the library to get a book, etc. It sucked because you had to virtually 'walk' to each location, which was totally unnecessary. How about those 3D window managers? Giant pain in the ass, total form without function (and this from a Mac geek).
3D is great for spatial orientation and tasty graphics, but as we all know here it actually hinders you as an interface (compared to our perfectly-suited 2D metaphor for our 2D screens and input devices).
The Sims Online offers a fairly rich 2.5D world that gives you a reason to go - it's a game, and you can chat, wander around, shop, etc. Add the customization bit and it's the only real Metaverse going, IMHO.
Since I haven't seen it mentioned, and all the obvious SteveNote bits will soon be pounded into oblivion...
I think the Safari name is very clever, considering the fact that 'to browse' originally is a term applied to animals foraging for sustenance. Safari indeed.
I've seen the Xbox Live! service, and it's not bad. (The games are not to my liking, by and large, but enough of my friends dig Mech Assault, so whatever.)
Sony is launching an integrated service next year to compete with Xbox Live!'s approach (buggered if I can find the link, sorry). It supposedly will allow for disparate games to connect players to each other. Sony has obviously just watched Xbox Live! and are now copying them in some respects.
(Incidentally - someone tell me why the Xbox's built-in Ethernet is such a big 'advantage'. I don't get that. You have to buy the Live Kit to use it anyways, right? Why couldn't they have put the adapter with that and saved some buyers - or themselves - a few dollars?)
Anyways - I like Sony's decentralized approach better than Microsoft's Way, even putting aside the fact that it is MS for a second.
The Internet doesn't 'help me' find other players either, I can do that fine by myself, as usually the game has a browser of sorts built-in. This will become a bigger bone of contention with the likes of EA, who spend a ton of money maintaining their own server farms.
Really, there are two kinds of online game that are evolving on both the console and the computer, and I see Sony's approach as better for both:
1. Regular Multiplayer Games. Sometimes you can play multiplayer on one site/system (console), otherwise it's just the usual find-a-room-and-start-shooting exercise. These games are not developing as a monthly pay service; the multiplayer online aspect is just another feature of the game. They are sold as traditional games, one-time fee. You won't get charged for using these, much like you're not charged for Quake or Warcraft. For these games, Sony's approach is more advantageous, as it truly can remain 'free'.
2. Massively Multiplayer Games, which are a different animal altogether. Users of these games do tend to exclude other games in favour of whatever their fix is. These games will get away with monthly charging as the entirety of the game exists only in an online form (The Sims, and lets not forget Sony has bagged Everquest as well).
So Xbox Live is better for the kinds of games (#1) that people don't want to pay a monthly fee for, and yet that's what they are doing. In the case of MMORPGs, users are likely spending almost all their time with that, and don't need a lot of cross-game referencing.
Now, with Sony's Live! clone, I bet they toss in a bunch of trojan services to keep you hooked. Any bets on downloadable movies/music? The PS2 is exactly the kind of 'computer' you want for real DRM...
Besides the fact that 51 MB is one Bulging Assload of Patch.
- Canadian English Dictionary, about fekkin' time.
- my G4's FireWire Port, which had a tiff with my iBook about 6 months ago (via Target disk mode) and weren't speaking, have reconciled and are now working things through
- there's strange flattened aqua widgets in metal-skinned cocoa apps.. minor tweak
- G4's insomnia was cured (and identified - File Sharing. Always the File Sharing.)
- OpenGL 1.4 Noticeable difference in speed. This applies to QuartzExtreme as well.. I'd say a good 15-25%
- basic FTP support in the Finder works well now
- fixed the stupid Keychain bug
I'm shocked at the hubris towards EA's games in these posts. Not that I think they are a bastion of unassailable quality or anything; it's just that, off the top of my head, I can think of some great EA games:
- SSX
- LOTR: The Two Towers (fantastic, if you haven't tried it. One of the VERY few movie-game successes IMHO)
- The Sims (say what you will... chix dig it)
- Ultima Online (no credit for first really successful MMORPG? Come on...)
- Battlefield 1942
- Medal of Honor (I think...)
They've certainly doled out their share of crap, but they are hardly 100% drek. Some of it is only published, not developed, by EA, but we are comparing to Disney, right?
I also have a warm fuzzy for their old school stuff on the C64... California Games (or was that EPIX?), Skate or Die, Archon, Project Firestart, Budokan....
And I thought I was a game snob.
BTW, those 'meathead' games for the sports franchises are generally considered the best available. I don't like 'em either, but I respect the meatheads' opinion in this matter.
Fundamentally, it's about a man (George Clooney) mourning about his suicide wife (Natascha McElhone, best known from the incomparably better Ronin).
You know that feeling you get, when you start to read a review of something, and then you encounter a statement that is so nonsensical that you read it 3 times, looking for the irony/joke/sarcasm? And it isn't there?
Yeah. Ronin. Oooookay. Move along kids, nothing to see here.
This is totally crazy. As usual, MS is running amok, mostly - seemingly - because many of their top executives have nothing better to do than fuck with other people's lives.
Okay, that was a bit troll-ish, but really... Windows? It's a very common word, Microsoft. I remember when WIndows first appeared and I saw the name/logo. I thought, Yeah, that's about right. Such glaring uncreativity from the business app company. Windows. Uh huh.
Then it got scarier. Word. Office. Money. Microsoft's penchance for naming software after everyday items seems to have the subtext of usurping those items. Who hasn't had this conversation in a modern workplace?
"My office is really messed up, I've got to fix it."
"Your Office or office?"
"Huh?"
"MS Office or your real office?"
Totally asinine.
Did anything ever happen with the Lindows challenge to this practice?
"Uh... an article was posted, then the exact same article was posted again."
"Are you sure it was the same article?"
"Pretty sure, yeah. What's wrong?"
"A deja vu is a glitch in Slashdot. It happens when they change something..."
Which mythological creatures are left
on
Phoenix To Change Name
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
Minotaur
Leprechaun
Kirin
Unicorn
Gelatinous Cube
Rust Monster
Jabberwocky
C'thulu (doesn't count but who wouldn't love a browser named C'thulu?)
Type IV Demon
Slashdot Mirror
Does anyone else think this blurb looks like the decription of one of the prop computers in the Sims?
'Zwoop Macrotic 1349/k GigaProcessor at 14.2 Ketaflops with Super HypWire MonstraDrive, Insana3 Radio-centric Flux Tachyon Coprocessor, Renticular magneto-sensing thermoptic camoflage, and 128X ZCDVD-RW.'
Right. Mine's grape.
Essentially all your search query strings become an item in the drawer on the side (whichever you like; Cocoa drawers are ambidextrous. Try collapsing the drawer in mail, and then drag a message to the right, and then to the left... you'll see what I mean.) This approach is comparable to Tabs in functionality, but appearance-wise takes advantage of the fact that tabs work better vertically for most situations, displaying additional information about the query, and offering controls over that query.
A drawer approach in a browser would offer some interesting advantages over the tabs; one could arrange ad-hoc or dynamic collections within one such drawer entry, much in the way iTunes Smart Bookmarks work. For example a 'News' item, 'Blogs' item, etc.
Similar functionality exists using the folder structures in the Safari Bookmark Bar, but the horizontal arrangement does sacrifice some real estate in the UI, as you want as much vertical room as you can get for your browser window, generally speaking. I wouldn't be surprised to see Apple implement a whole history in a drawer though, complete with scaling thumbnails of the pages themselves. (mostly cosmetic, and useless, that last bit - but it'll look damn cool).
We didn't have 'data' tapes for my C64 dataset, dammit.
Why is everyone so obsessed with adding wireless capabilities to the iPod? Not a flame, really, I'm just trying to understand, what am I missing...
I want my MP3s on my stereo - i walk downstairs with the very small, very light iPod and plug it in. If I had a car, I'd get one of those iTrip things. Wireless just seems wasted when you can just walk anywhere with it, you know?
Again, unless I'm missing something...?
Does anyone out there actually run a RAID array as their main drive? I've only recently become aware of the software RAID capabilities in OS X, and wondered what kind of a speed boost you could get by simply buying 2-3 cheap (price-wise) drives and striping them. Or is this path fraught with peril?
Last time I striped anything RAID was back in 97, with big-assed AVID setups.
Considering the fact that these topics pretty much die off when they near the end of the page, it would be cool to have a zeitgeist/summery of the geek collective in situations like this.
To wit:
Microsoft SPOT watch: Lame design. Very limited utility. Possible mind-control plot. Stick with your already-fancy mobile phone.
See? That way, I could just nod sagely and move on to the next topic....
Your thought:
Remember when you had to ruminate on a thought, and it grew and expanded in your head? And then finally, like relieving yourself after a long holding, it flowed so nice and freely?
Of course, cell phone companies could give a damn, you're right about that. Cheers.
Yeah, some blogs are tiresome, but I will defend to the death the right for blogs to exist. We need these things, man. Its part of that whole Internet thing. Just because you're tired of the word 'blog', or have read the wrong blogs, doesn't mean the entire concept is without merit. Besides, look where you are.
I've seen numerous instances of blogs from war-torn countries providing the only legitimate news to relatives and friends living far away.
Here's what you do:
- get a Bluetooth phone
- get a Bluetooth-capable computer or adapter
- write blog on computer
- take pictures with fancy, real digital camera
- upload
- uh, profit?
Thank you. I was beginning to think I was alone on this.
For those who clamour for a 'new and improved' interface - I like to call it the Raskin Effect - seem to forget that the radically new point-and-click interface in 1984 (mainstream) came with a radically new pointing device, the mouse. The mouse is 2D, as you said. There's no real utility for a 3D interface until we have 3D screens and input devices.
Of course, I've been waiting for my gloves and goggles for awhile now. Hrmph.
Oh, wait. That joke is so 2002.
I am laughing at AOL, because their user base is eroding faster than Lake Erie's north shore, and they have all but lost relevance these days.
AOL got popular because they had (past tense) good marketing, and because they carpet-bombed North America with CDs. People had heard about this 'online' thing in 97 and wanted to try it, but with a nice pair of TCP/IP training wheels.
Everyone looses the training wheels when they learn ho to ride. Hell, some move up to 18-speed recumbant bikes. AOL was smart - they basically rooked Time Warner for imaginary money.
So, no. They had all but taken over the world, but now they are on their way to something else.. .if they're smart.
It's been tried so many times before, and has never been met with more than a cursory glance from the public at large. These companies need to realize that you need something compelling in your virtual world; furthermore, it needs to be compelling enough to get around the 3D nature of the place.
Anyone remember the Magic Desk system for early handhelds? It was organized like a room in a house. You walked out the door, went to the library to get a book, etc. It sucked because you had to virtually 'walk' to each location, which was totally unnecessary. How about those 3D window managers? Giant pain in the ass, total form without function (and this from a Mac geek).
3D is great for spatial orientation and tasty graphics, but as we all know here it actually hinders you as an interface (compared to our perfectly-suited 2D metaphor for our 2D screens and input devices).
The Sims Online offers a fairly rich 2.5D world that gives you a reason to go - it's a game, and you can chat, wander around, shop, etc. Add the customization bit and it's the only real Metaverse going, IMHO.
I think the Safari name is very clever, considering the fact that 'to browse' originally is a term applied to animals foraging for sustenance. Safari indeed.
Still, it's got OGG, so good on ya.
So? So what?
How about we go take a look at, oh, I don't know... cars? Electronics? There's new models every year, people love it. What's your point?
Sony is launching an integrated service next year to compete with Xbox Live!'s approach (buggered if I can find the link, sorry). It supposedly will allow for disparate games to connect players to each other. Sony has obviously just watched Xbox Live! and are now copying them in some respects.
(Incidentally - someone tell me why the Xbox's built-in Ethernet is such a big 'advantage'. I don't get that. You have to buy the Live Kit to use it anyways, right? Why couldn't they have put the adapter with that and saved some buyers - or themselves - a few dollars?)
Anyways - I like Sony's decentralized approach better than Microsoft's Way, even putting aside the fact that it is MS for a second.
The Internet doesn't 'help me' find other players either, I can do that fine by myself, as usually the game has a browser of sorts built-in. This will become a bigger bone of contention with the likes of EA, who spend a ton of money maintaining their own server farms.
Really, there are two kinds of online game that are evolving on both the console and the computer, and I see Sony's approach as better for both:
1. Regular Multiplayer Games. Sometimes you can play multiplayer on one site/system (console), otherwise it's just the usual find-a-room-and-start-shooting exercise. These games are not developing as a monthly pay service; the multiplayer online aspect is just another feature of the game. They are sold as traditional games, one-time fee. You won't get charged for using these, much like you're not charged for Quake or Warcraft. For these games, Sony's approach is more advantageous, as it truly can remain 'free'.
2. Massively Multiplayer Games, which are a different animal altogether. Users of these games do tend to exclude other games in favour of whatever their fix is. These games will get away with monthly charging as the entirety of the game exists only in an online form (The Sims, and lets not forget Sony has bagged Everquest as well).
So Xbox Live is better for the kinds of games (#1) that people don't want to pay a monthly fee for, and yet that's what they are doing. In the case of MMORPGs, users are likely spending almost all their time with that, and don't need a lot of cross-game referencing.
Now, with Sony's Live! clone, I bet they toss in a bunch of trojan services to keep you hooked. Any bets on downloadable movies/music? The PS2 is exactly the kind of 'computer' you want for real DRM...
- Canadian English Dictionary, about fekkin' time.
- my G4's FireWire Port, which had a tiff with my iBook about 6 months ago (via Target disk mode) and weren't speaking, have reconciled and are now working things through
- there's strange flattened aqua widgets in metal-skinned cocoa apps.. minor tweak
- G4's insomnia was cured (and identified - File Sharing. Always the File Sharing.)
- OpenGL 1.4 Noticeable difference in speed. This applies to QuartzExtreme as well.. I'd say a good 15-25%
- basic FTP support in the Finder works well now
- fixed the stupid Keychain bug
- SSX
- LOTR: The Two Towers (fantastic, if you haven't tried it. One of the VERY few movie-game successes IMHO)
- The Sims (say what you will... chix dig it)
- Ultima Online (no credit for first really successful MMORPG? Come on...)
- Battlefield 1942
- Medal of Honor (I think...)
They've certainly doled out their share of crap, but they are hardly 100% drek. Some of it is only published, not developed, by EA, but we are comparing to Disney, right?
I also have a warm fuzzy for their old school stuff on the C64... California Games (or was that EPIX?), Skate or Die, Archon, Project Firestart, Budokan....
And I thought I was a game snob.
BTW, those 'meathead' games for the sports franchises are generally considered the best available. I don't like 'em either, but I respect the meatheads' opinion in this matter.
Okay, I've heard some weird things about Australians, but I had no idea they had dicks shaped like triangles, squares and Xs.
You know that feeling you get, when you start to read a review of something, and then you encounter a statement that is so nonsensical that you read it 3 times, looking for the irony/joke/sarcasm? And it isn't there?
Yeah. Ronin. Oooookay. Move along kids, nothing to see here.
A co-worker just walked past my desk right after reading your comment, and asked what i was doing... i couldn't resist saying,
'Trying to keep my poop inside me.'
Yeah, she never liked me anyways.
Okay, that was a bit troll-ish, but really... Windows? It's a very common word, Microsoft. I remember when WIndows first appeared and I saw the name/logo. I thought, Yeah, that's about right. Such glaring uncreativity from the business app company. Windows. Uh huh.
Then it got scarier. Word. Office. Money. Microsoft's penchance for naming software after everyday items seems to have the subtext of usurping those items. Who hasn't had this conversation in a modern workplace?
"My office is really messed up, I've got to fix it."
"Your Office or office?"
"Huh?"
"MS Office or your real office?"
Totally asinine.
Did anything ever happen with the Lindows challenge to this practice?
"What?"
"Nothing... just a deja vu."
"What exactly did you see?"
"Uh... an article was posted, then the exact same article was posted again."
"Are you sure it was the same article?"
"Pretty sure, yeah. What's wrong?"
"A deja vu is a glitch in Slashdot. It happens when they change something..."
Minotaur
Leprechaun
Kirin
Unicorn
Gelatinous Cube
Rust Monster
Jabberwocky
C'thulu (doesn't count but who wouldn't love a browser named C'thulu?)
Type IV Demon