Cygnus, well, I've only heard of one proprietary Cygnus product... from a company they acquired (though they were hardly apologetic about it). Still, your point is well-taken -- Red Hat is hardly a model of ideological purity.
But taking on Loki's business would really be crossing the line. It's one thing for Red Hat to include no-source programs in their distribution, or to keep something like the Hell's Kitchen credit-card system proprietary. It's another thing completely to sell proprietary-to-the-hilt software at retail locations, especially with their logo on the box. It would raise a lot of questions, to say the least.
At this point, a commitment to free software on Red Hat's behalf is not a matter of altruism or public relations. They have to constantly maintain their commitment to Linux and the OSS community in order to show that their market is strong and their business model works.
Booyaka has a registration-only message board for discussing VMU development. I hate having to register to read message boards, but it's worth it in this case.
Does this buisness philosophy as you understand it mean they shouldn't package Brun, Applix, MetroX, Motif etc... with their distribution?...(they do.)
Apart from the demos Red Hat distributes on the 3rd party software ad^H^HCD included in some distributions, I don't believe this is correct. As far as I've seen, they've dropped Applixware (for StarOffice), Motif, MetroX, even BRU. Check out the earlier article the previous poster was referring to.
Yeah, to be candid, I'm not wild about Interplay myself. They've published some good games, owing no thanks to their own development efforts. You could say the success that they have had has been in spite of themselves. So, yeah, Interplay's a mess, but then again if they had gotten it together some time ago they would've been huge by now.
Well, since Red Hat refused to distribute Quake II a while ago because they don't want to do closed source stuff, I seriously doubt that is likely.
Ooh, good point. Since Loki is all about O.P.P. (other people's programs), they've had to bend over backwards to show that they do support free software. But given their current business, no amount of bending would be enough to fit in with Red Hat's stated business philosophy.
Hadn't even thought of that. I take back my statement that a Red Hat merger looks like Loki's most likely course of expansion. Once again, good point!
We're not just talking about some PR guy here...
on
Live or Memorex?
·
· Score: 2
The "evilness" of a media tactic such as L-VIS is a function of (a) the extent to which a media tool claims to be factual, and (b) the extent to which the tactic alters fact.
No, that would be the "deceptiveness" of a media tactic. Its evilness depends on the purpose or message inherent in that deception. It's not a comparison of deception: Goebbels used other, more subtle ways to promulgate evil and destructive propaganda besides outright deception. Furthermore, Goebbels is not just some PR person: again, comparing someone in the media with Goebbels is perhaps the ultimate insult, so I'm curious what brought this on in the article heading.
Sure, this is a brilliant tool for propaganda. Yes, Goebbels would have loved to have technology that can manipulate live broadcasts. If the article said that, I agree it would have been an appropriate cautionary note.
But saying "Goebbels would be proud" goes beyond that. It implies a similarity of motive in the development or use of this technology. I don't see why Goebbels would be proud of inserting ads into a TV broadcast, unless, for example, they were conveying vile propaganda.
SDL is great. It's a nice API, it's complete enough for serious stuff, it's usable right now, and it isn't overly ambitious. I've been pretty happy using SDL, and it has the best feature set and compatibility I've found. Check it out!
I think it's possible Loki could have a go at a public offering. I was pessimistic about this the last time I thought about it, but Loki is far enough outside of the spectrum of normal game companies for it to work, and they do dominate their (currently small) market.
But I'm still hesitant about that idea, because what they really need to do is secure their place in the market somehow. At some point, when Linux gaming is hot enough, Linux versions of games will ship under the same publishing deal as the Windows version. At that point, Loki has problems. That's what I'm worried about -- they have no ownership of their content, and not enough control over distribution. They need to fix one of those problems somehow.
So what about a buyout? A buyout by a large publisher would completely mess up Loki's current business plan. Then there's a host of non-game companies to pick from. Red Hat seems like a good choice, because they have that synergy thing and a great distribution channel to offer. Although it wouldn't achieve the speculative valuation of an IPO, it would be an excellent growth strategy for Loki.
However, consider this outlandish suggestion. Interplay is already publicly traded (IPLY), and is a mid-size publisher (an endangered breed). If they mated, I believe Loki would be able to enhance their position in the market, be able to take on a few original games, and get pretty good distribution and promotion. You've got a public company, you've got a pretty good distribution setup, you've got Shiny, Interplay's in Irvine, hey, even the name sounds hip. Not too shabby.
However, I gotta go for the Red Hat buyout as the most likely scenario.
From the goebbels-would-be-proud dept.? Huh?
on
Live or Memorex?
·
· Score: 4
Uhh, michael, you may have gone a little far with that department listing. Drawing a connection from anyone involved in the media to the Nazi propaganda minister is, to me, the height of condemnation. It implies the most evil intent possible, and I don't see any explanation why -- was that just the first thing that came to mind or what?
So hosting a website is now the only legitimate use for a domain? I (obviously) happen to think there's nothing wrong with using a domain just for good old email.
The.org and.net thing bothers me too, but since we're posting on slashdot.org, an andover.net company, it might be best to concede... sigh.
NSI's ugly sales pitch for.net and.org domains is just another example of why.shop,.biz,.firm (why not.inc?),.nom (.nom? what was wrong with.name?),.arts, and the rest are only a solution to ICANN's need for more money.
There's a press release on the Microsoft site now. It's also a publicity loss for them -- those who took advantage of the deal mostly loathed Microsoft to begin with, and I'm already seeing the resentment from those who missed out.
Realtime shrinking and growing and dimming/translucent-izing of windows and icons is something which could use a lot of CPU overhead - something which is totally unacceptable in an operating system.
Totally acceptable in a modern user interface, though. I think that user interfaces have plenty of slack in terms of using the CPU power I have at my disposal to improve my computing experience. I can understand if you're hooked on the blazing UI performance you get from the classic MacOS, but I'm ready for the next wave.
They would have no basis to place a negative entry in your credit report, since you have done nothing contrary to the agreement. I mean, they still might, but it would be baseless.
They're simply giving you the credit in return for signing up with them. The agreement contains nothing that prohibits you from canceling your account, and in fact it explicitly says you are under no obligation to continue as a member once you sign up. It just says that if you cancel before the specified term, you must repay the credit amount (unless you live in CA and OR). It appears to be essentially a loan with no repayment required... in fact, a loan with no repayment mechanism specified at all.
Sure, DVD's acceptance isn't overwhelming right now, but it's really very good. In fact, DVD player acceptance (ignoring computers) is far enough ahead on the curve that PlayStation2 won't have much of a market as a DVD player replacement.
Let me illustrate. This Christmas, the early adopters and technophiles who drop the cash for a PlayStation2 will probably already own a DVD player. Very probably, in fact. Meanwhile, DVD players will be $150-$175 ($99 for a budget model). And by the time the PlayStation2 makes it to the wider market (say 6 months to a year), fairly good DVD players will be about the price of a VCR. At that point, PlayStation2's DVD movie playing facilites will be an "oh yeah, that too" feature.
Is a few more "close" calls before humanity gets cracking on something like this. But imagine the possibilities if astronomers get something like SETI@Home going to process the results of such a survey. Hmm... discover humanity-extinguishing asteroid... establish contact with extraterrestrials... can't... decide...!! Suddenly, cracking cryptographic keys looks kind of insignificant. =^)
The Yahoo! Finance message boards are a good start (just search for LINX or LinuxOne to see where people are talking about it). An even better place is the message boards at E*TRADE or your stockbroker of choice. Stock investors are by nature a chatty bunch, and if they get tipped off in the right places, the information will soon make the word on the Street.
Good point. I'm still puzzled that the PS2 won't support 4 players without buying a multitap (and people just don't ever seem to do that). Come on, Sony, please?
Likewise, yeah, you can buy an external USB modem for the PS2. But it's an add-on, which means Sony will have to really lean on third parties to get it supported. It's much harder for developers to ignore Dreamcast's out-of-the-box network support.
Now, I don't think that network console gaming is going to be huge. However, I bet that when Dreamcast's online gaming goes live (fall?), there will be a healthy market for online card and board games like Spades or Scrabble (and for DC keyboards to chat with).
Keep 'em coming! I mean, sorry if you work at a place that's needlessly preoccupied with your browsing habits, of course. I just wanted to say thanks for sharing that big brother message, it's a classic!
Let's look at the long term view here. I'm going to rate, purely subjectively and mostly guessing, where I believe the Dreamcast and PS2 are going to be at for Christmas 2000 (based on what we know so far).
Let's say, strategy-game style, that there are four resources you want a game system to have:
Base: Established base of consumers, retailers and games
Tech: Best display of technology
Value: Best value
Games: Most desirable games
Dreamcast
Base: 70%, very good for a new machine.
Tech: 75%, still nice, but the PS2 rocks it.
Value: 85%, internet gaming at a $150 price point.
Games: 75%, many games, some gems, but still not enough depth.
PlayStation2
Base: 65%, available everywhere but still mostly for early adopters.
Tech: 95%, an amazing machine (amazingness varies from game to game).
Value: 60%, did it really need 1394 and USB ports?
Games: 75%, several very hot games plus the vaguely exciting prospect of visually enhanced original PS games.
Result: Good start for Sony. Dreamcast holds firm.
Now let's skip forward a year to Christmas 2001 and include Nintendo's next system (ignoring any Microsoft entry):
Dreamcast
Base: 80%, widespread but not ubiquitous.
Tech: 65%, hard-working but humbled.
Value: 90%, not the coolest system, but hey, it's less than $100!
Games: 65%, loads of cult favorites but also lots of lackluster PC and PS2 ports.
PlayStation2
Base: 75%, quickly catching up with the Dreamcast.
Tech: 90%, great second generation.
Value: 70%, good value for what you get.
Games: 85%, Sony knows how to come through with the goods.
Dolphin
Base: 60%, another skimpy launch but consumers won't care much.
Tech: 90%, has more straightaway power but the PS2 does better in the curves.
Value: 75%, the big N knows how to deliver on cost.
Games: 75%, not many but Nintendo's own entries are amazing.
Result: Wild-and-crazy three-way brawl. The Dolphin has a debut that takes the luster off of the PS2. The PS2 establishes itself. Dreamcast could end up either on top or on the bottom based on how well Sega puts together its software portfolio in this time.
Anyone else out there want to venture their guess?
A friend of mine who's a moderator suggested that Slash temporarily override the preferences of anyone with moderator points so they browse at -1.
The idea is, if those with mod points want to view an article at 0 or higher, they would have to change it manually. This would assist moderators who browse at higher levels and would probably help balance out positive moderation somewhat. Since you mention it in your moderator guidelines, I figure it would be appropriate to put it in the code. How about it?
Slashdot Mirror
But taking on Loki's business would really be crossing the line. It's one thing for Red Hat to include no-source programs in their distribution, or to keep something like the Hell's Kitchen credit-card system proprietary. It's another thing completely to sell proprietary-to-the-hilt software at retail locations, especially with their logo on the box. It would raise a lot of questions, to say the least.
At this point, a commitment to free software on Red Hat's behalf is not a matter of altruism or public relations. They have to constantly maintain their commitment to Linux and the OSS community in order to show that their market is strong and their business model works.
Booyaka has a registration-only message board for discussing VMU development. I hate having to register to read message boards, but it's worth it in this case.
Apart from the demos Red Hat distributes on the 3rd party software ad^H^HCD included in some distributions, I don't believe this is correct. As far as I've seen, they've dropped Applixware (for StarOffice), Motif, MetroX, even BRU. Check out the earlier article the previous poster was referring to.
Yeah, to be candid, I'm not wild about Interplay myself. They've published some good games, owing no thanks to their own development efforts. You could say the success that they have had has been in spite of themselves. So, yeah, Interplay's a mess, but then again if they had gotten it together some time ago they would've been huge by now.
Ooh, good point. Since Loki is all about O.P.P. (other people's programs), they've had to bend over backwards to show that they do support free software. But given their current business, no amount of bending would be enough to fit in with Red Hat's stated business philosophy.
Hadn't even thought of that. I take back my statement that a Red Hat merger looks like Loki's most likely course of expansion. Once again, good point!
No, that would be the "deceptiveness" of a media tactic. Its evilness depends on the purpose or message inherent in that deception. It's not a comparison of deception: Goebbels used other, more subtle ways to promulgate evil and destructive propaganda besides outright deception. Furthermore, Goebbels is not just some PR person: again, comparing someone in the media with Goebbels is perhaps the ultimate insult, so I'm curious what brought this on in the article heading.
But saying "Goebbels would be proud" goes beyond that. It implies a similarity of motive in the development or use of this technology. I don't see why Goebbels would be proud of inserting ads into a TV broadcast, unless, for example, they were conveying vile propaganda.
SDL is great. It's a nice API, it's complete enough for serious stuff, it's usable right now, and it isn't overly ambitious. I've been pretty happy using SDL, and it has the best feature set and compatibility I've found. Check it out!
I think it's possible Loki could have a go at a public offering. I was pessimistic about this the last time I thought about it, but Loki is far enough outside of the spectrum of normal game companies for it to work, and they do dominate their (currently small) market.
But I'm still hesitant about that idea, because what they really need to do is secure their place in the market somehow. At some point, when Linux gaming is hot enough, Linux versions of games will ship under the same publishing deal as the Windows version. At that point, Loki has problems. That's what I'm worried about -- they have no ownership of their content, and not enough control over distribution. They need to fix one of those problems somehow.
So what about a buyout? A buyout by a large publisher would completely mess up Loki's current business plan. Then there's a host of non-game companies to pick from. Red Hat seems like a good choice, because they have that synergy thing and a great distribution channel to offer. Although it wouldn't achieve the speculative valuation of an IPO, it would be an excellent growth strategy for Loki.
However, consider this outlandish suggestion. Interplay is already publicly traded (IPLY), and is a mid-size publisher (an endangered breed). If they mated, I believe Loki would be able to enhance their position in the market, be able to take on a few original games, and get pretty good distribution and promotion. You've got a public company, you've got a pretty good distribution setup, you've got Shiny, Interplay's in Irvine, hey, even the name sounds hip. Not too shabby.
However, I gotta go for the Red Hat buyout as the most likely scenario.
Uhh, michael, you may have gone a little far with that department listing. Drawing a connection from anyone involved in the media to the Nazi propaganda minister is, to me, the height of condemnation. It implies the most evil intent possible, and I don't see any explanation why -- was that just the first thing that came to mind or what?
In the interest of accuracy, you'll actually be forced to buy a new tuner to watch broadcast TV.
And this simple search (programmer zach) produces my last programming credit!
Google rocks!
So hosting a website is now the only legitimate use for a domain? I (obviously) happen to think there's nothing wrong with using a domain just for good old email.
NSI's ugly sales pitch for .net and .org domains is just another example of why .shop, .biz, .firm (why not .inc?), .nom (.nom? what was wrong with .name?), .arts, and the rest are only a solution to ICANN's need for more money.
There's a press release on the Microsoft site now. It's also a publicity loss for them -- those who took advantage of the deal mostly loathed Microsoft to begin with, and I'm already seeing the resentment from those who missed out.
Totally acceptable in a modern user interface, though. I think that user interfaces have plenty of slack in terms of using the CPU power I have at my disposal to improve my computing experience. I can understand if you're hooked on the blazing UI performance you get from the classic MacOS, but I'm ready for the next wave.
They're simply giving you the credit in return for signing up with them. The agreement contains nothing that prohibits you from canceling your account, and in fact it explicitly says you are under no obligation to continue as a member once you sign up. It just says that if you cancel before the specified term, you must repay the credit amount (unless you live in CA and OR). It appears to be essentially a loan with no repayment required... in fact, a loan with no repayment mechanism specified at all.
Let me illustrate. This Christmas, the early adopters and technophiles who drop the cash for a PlayStation2 will probably already own a DVD player. Very probably, in fact. Meanwhile, DVD players will be $150-$175 ($99 for a budget model). And by the time the PlayStation2 makes it to the wider market (say 6 months to a year), fairly good DVD players will be about the price of a VCR. At that point, PlayStation2's DVD movie playing facilites will be an "oh yeah, that too" feature.
Is a few more "close" calls before humanity gets cracking on something like this. But imagine the possibilities if astronomers get something like SETI@Home going to process the results of such a survey. Hmm... discover humanity-extinguishing asteroid... establish contact with extraterrestrials... can't... decide...!! Suddenly, cracking cryptographic keys looks kind of insignificant. =^)
The Yahoo! Finance message boards are a good start (just search for LINX or LinuxOne to see where people are talking about it). An even better place is the message boards at E*TRADE or your stockbroker of choice. Stock investors are by nature a chatty bunch, and if they get tipped off in the right places, the information will soon make the word on the Street.
You can use a PlayStation as a CD player.
You can use a Dreamcast as a web browser.
You can use a PlayStation2 as a DVD player.
But it's not much of a substitute for the right equipment. It's a bonus, it's handy for some people, but it's still a game machine first and last.
Likewise, yeah, you can buy an external USB modem for the PS2. But it's an add-on, which means Sony will have to really lean on third parties to get it supported. It's much harder for developers to ignore Dreamcast's out-of-the-box network support.
Now, I don't think that network console gaming is going to be huge. However, I bet that when Dreamcast's online gaming goes live (fall?), there will be a healthy market for online card and board games like Spades or Scrabble (and for DC keyboards to chat with).
Keep 'em coming! I mean, sorry if you work at a place that's needlessly preoccupied with your browsing habits, of course. I just wanted to say thanks for sharing that big brother message, it's a classic!
Let's say, strategy-game style, that there are four resources you want a game system to have:
Dreamcast
PlayStation2
Result: Good start for Sony. Dreamcast holds firm.
Now let's skip forward a year to Christmas 2001 and include Nintendo's next system (ignoring any Microsoft entry):
Dreamcast
PlayStation2
Dolphin
Result: Wild-and-crazy three-way brawl. The Dolphin has a debut that takes the luster off of the PS2. The PS2 establishes itself. Dreamcast could end up either on top or on the bottom based on how well Sega puts together its software portfolio in this time.
Anyone else out there want to venture their guess?
The idea is, if those with mod points want to view an article at 0 or higher, they would have to change it manually. This would assist moderators who browse at higher levels and would probably help balance out positive moderation somewhat. Since you mention it in your moderator guidelines, I figure it would be appropriate to put it in the code. How about it?