I understand your point, but the truth is that marketing and image are important. People _will_ judge by name alone, and while it's certainly not the right way to judge it (as you have pointed out), that's what will happen.
It also happens that this last week has been 'It's cool to make fun of Wii' so everyone is inundating us with reviews of the name.
What does hating the XBox have to do with loving the PlayStation? Last go around I had an XBox and a GameCube (loyalty to Zelda there), and realized too late that the GC seemed to be much more for the kids.
This time I have a 360 (my old XBox broke), and I'm planning on a PS3. I don't see a need to limit myself just because of who or what it is. I want something to have for relaxing with. The same way I don't rant against PCs just because I have a console.
I can understand that people don't want to have their resources used up by the OS just to look pretty, but that's missing the point here. People _DO_ want to have the shiny-shiny turned on. They are upgrading because they want to see the fancy new things that Microsoft is marketing at them (See, we look just like Apple! Look at the shiny Windows OS... ooooooooh).
So like they say, the casual pirates are going to have to either buy a real version, or way until the real pirates find a way to defeat the checks. I expect that will happen no matter what, but most home users aren't going to be satisfied unless they can look as omfg pew! pew! pew!!!1!1 as they can. And that means that maybe some of them will actually buy what MS is dangling for them.
I'd like to know exactly what was asked and the options given. I grew up with gaming and still play them enthusiasticly. Do I play less? Yes, that whole wife/family/job thing sort of takes up some time after all.
Does that mean I don't want to play more? No, it just means I can't. As phrased, we don't know if these are kids planning on going to college, getting f/t jobs, married, etc. What conditions are they citing for not playing more?
Or is it apathy towards gaming, which is what they seem to be implying without citing any reasons.
For Firefox, it looks like it _is_ finding the text, but the window isn't navigating to it.
If you type something in (or hit Ctrl-G first, then type) and click on Highlight All, you can then scroll down (manually) and find that it's finding and highlighting your text, but because they're controlling the scrolling it won't jump to your found entries.
On a related note, if you just type text in it defaults to putting it into the search field, which prevents you from auto-text searching on the page.
I agree. It drives me nuts when people use the car analogy for a 'good interface' and a keyboard as a bad one. I clearly remember learning to drive and thinking 'there's way too much to focus on, I'll never be able to do this for fun' and yet, after practice, studying, and more practice I learned how to do it and enjoy it.
No one is able to just sit down in a car and drive down the turnpike, you need to spend some time upfront with it. People need to realize that with computers as well.
So I appreciate the additional car references you make.
Someone already mentioned that perhaps they'd release the backend to the public, and while I didn't play AC2, I'd love to see this with some of the MMORPGs I've played.
Not for any benevolent purpose mind you, like setting up a server for people to use for free, but so I could stride like a GOD across those zones I kept getting slaughtered in. Damn you Kithicor! Damn you!! My revenge is at hand!
So will we reach a point when games will be able to interconnect with each other? Sort of Trans-Atlantic cabling built right into the game, possibly even allowing some type of interworld commerce?
Having been an EverCrack addict, I can attest to the staying power these games and environments have. With in-game advertising becoming a more popular option, will this genre become the new WWW, so to speak? It would be interesting to see.
I think the real issue here is the ability of taking something and building on it. What if someone had patented the First-Person Shooter concept? If we're lucky they put out something like Doom, if not, we get Smurf-Hunting or some such, and now we may be locked out of a idea that has a lot more to give.
I agree with what you both have said. It seems to me that the already was the "Browser War I", and Netscape lost. But rather than take their collective might and put it behind someone that could actually win the next 'war', they're splitting off in a sort of 'No, look, we're still here!!' kind of way. It's not as if this is a product they're trying to sell; they're giving it away, so why not become a major, respected contributor to Firefox.
Instead of spending all this time on re-making their own browser based off of the excellent Firefox browser, why not spend that time building extensions that add in these features?
How much time was spent duplicating efforts just so they could call it 'Netscape' instead of using that time to improve Firefox by putting out some great extensions?
Why? Because I'm tired of nursing my current X-Box to play games. I'm tired of hacking the mail order DVD drive to work correctly in the old box. And most of all, I don't want to spend $150 on a new XBox. Backwards compatability just made me a whole lot happier.
And it's more about obsolescence. I can stick my old console in the trash, but get more use out of the games without having to spend money to get a updated version of the same game. Sure some games have little or no replay value, but there are still others that are worth keeping around.
If they're saying that the majority of users are the technophiles and the usual geeks who lead the pack, then how can security be the cause of the problem? These same people should be aware of all the problems of IE, and the oft lack of patches or information regarding the exploits from Microsoft.
On the other hand, Mozilla has fixed patches quickly and hasn't tried to suppress the information. Why would the group that's most likely to be the most well informed about this subject, not be informed about the same flaws in the competing browser?
Bad marketing, overpriced hardware, and not enough of a push of real development for the products. I know that the VB was supposed to have a devoted (?) following but beyond toying with it at a display in Wal-Mart, I never had any urge to own one or play with it again.
It's quite possible that something like the powerglove could bring us to a new level of UI, but you need some amazing game to help bring it mainstream. You need a Halo or a Myst or something along those lines. A game that makes the new hardware seem like a necessity, not a hardware requirement to play or a marketing ploy.
And before any MS/Halo bashing begins, I only mentioned it because I know people who bought their XBox solely because Halo was part of the XBox push in the beginning. People saw buying the hardware as means to playing the game, not a financial burden.
My wife and I were able to experience this first hand. It's quite amazing to stand in the courtyard in front of the pyramid and do it yourself, although it's more interesting if you believe they did it on purpose. =)
Our tour guide pointed out another similar effect involving The Temple of the Warriors (I believe that was the one) while standing in the same spot. When facing it you can generate the sound of a rattlesnake (open to interpretation of course) which is to praise their sepent god.
The guide also said that priests standing in the temple atop the pyramid would only be able to be heard by someone standing in the correct spot in the courtyard. We didn't get to test that ourselves, but is something I had wanted to find out more about.
My friend's old complex had a similar problem. Living right next to the office and the model, he noticed one day that they had installed a wireless router, but had absolutely no security for their network. All their busines information to any who wandered by.
How do you address problems where the technology is getting easier to use, but where the users aren't spending the time to really learn the technology? I don't want to have to learn how to repair my car just to drive it, so can I expect much more from users who don't understand networking and security?
It really comes down to how much time I have to play the game. I love EQ and can't wait for EQ2 to come out. For $13 or $15, I'll pay that every month np.
The real issue is when I have busy periods (that pesky 'work' thing) or times when I just need a break from the game. I took a few months off (from the game) when I played EQ, and for $10 a month I don't feel too bad about wasting that to hold my account. But if I'm playing $15 or $20 a month, I'll seriously reconsider taking a break vs quitting altogether.
My favorite feature is being able to type text directly on the webpage and having it search within the webpage for matching text. By default it only searches links, but you can change that by going into Tools -> Options -> Advanced and making sure that Find As You Type is set to not 'search links only'.
Not using a search engine, I know, but it drives my nuts that when I'm forced to use IE I have to use the CTRL-F Find window.
It all depends how much competition the government will allow amongst broadband providers. Not so much DSL and Cable which already are competetors, but allowing or requiring cable to allow other companies in.
Plus you have other technologies trying to become involved such as broadband over electric lines. Anything that may actually drive consumers to another company will drive prices more competitively, otherwise we're looking at high prices for a while.
Well sure, if I want a standard FPS experience then all I want to do is run around and shoot people. But when I get onto a MMORPG I want to play the game, not have to worry about some 13 yo jack-off that likes to run around newbie zones and PK.
And just because _you_ don't like to craft doesn't mean that the hundreds (thousands?) of people that do enjoy it are paying any less to play the game. People want variety in their gameplay. They want to have options and depth. Otherwise they'll play UT2004 all night.
I had a EQ subscription for years, and when EQ2 comes out I know I'll be right back into it. How many thousands of people are doing the exact same thing? How can you possibly think that they don't make gobs of money?
I find that most of the old games fall into one of two categories: games that we sit back and say 'remember blah blah blah' or games that I still play (Gameboy Advanced, MAME, emulator on my laptop, etc).
Most of those old games are fun for about 5 minutes; long enough to realize that it was better to have just left well enough alone and enjoyed the memories. Otherwise, games like Zelda et al. I currently have in some form or fashion so that I can play them when I want to.
Slashdot Mirror
I understand your point, but the truth is that marketing and image are important. People _will_ judge by name alone, and while it's certainly not the right way to judge it (as you have pointed out), that's what will happen.
It also happens that this last week has been 'It's cool to make fun of Wii' so everyone is inundating us with reviews of the name.
What does hating the XBox have to do with loving the PlayStation? Last go around I had an XBox and a GameCube (loyalty to Zelda there), and realized too late that the GC seemed to be much more for the kids.
This time I have a 360 (my old XBox broke), and I'm planning on a PS3. I don't see a need to limit myself just because of who or what it is. I want something to have for relaxing with. The same way I don't rant against PCs just because I have a console.
I can understand that people don't want to have their resources used up by the OS just to look pretty, but that's missing the point here. People _DO_ want to have the shiny-shiny turned on. They are upgrading because they want to see the fancy new things that Microsoft is marketing at them (See, we look just like Apple! Look at the shiny Windows OS... ooooooooh).
So like they say, the casual pirates are going to have to either buy a real version, or way until the real pirates find a way to defeat the checks. I expect that will happen no matter what, but most home users aren't going to be satisfied unless they can look as omfg pew! pew! pew!!!1!1 as they can. And that means that maybe some of them will actually buy what MS is dangling for them.
I'd like to know exactly what was asked and the options given. I grew up with gaming and still play them enthusiasticly. Do I play less? Yes, that whole wife/family/job thing sort of takes up some time after all. Does that mean I don't want to play more? No, it just means I can't. As phrased, we don't know if these are kids planning on going to college, getting f/t jobs, married, etc. What conditions are they citing for not playing more? Or is it apathy towards gaming, which is what they seem to be implying without citing any reasons.
For Firefox, it looks like it _is_ finding the text, but the window isn't navigating to it.
If you type something in (or hit Ctrl-G first, then type) and click on Highlight All, you can then scroll down (manually) and find that it's finding and highlighting your text, but because they're controlling the scrolling it won't jump to your found entries.
On a related note, if you just type text in it defaults to putting it into the search field, which prevents you from auto-text searching on the page.
I agree. It drives me nuts when people use the car analogy for a 'good interface' and a keyboard as a bad one. I clearly remember learning to drive and thinking 'there's way too much to focus on, I'll never be able to do this for fun' and yet, after practice, studying, and more practice I learned how to do it and enjoy it.
No one is able to just sit down in a car and drive down the turnpike, you need to spend some time upfront with it. People need to realize that with computers as well.
So I appreciate the additional car references you make.
Someone already mentioned that perhaps they'd release the backend to the public, and while I didn't play AC2, I'd love to see this with some of the MMORPGs I've played.
Not for any benevolent purpose mind you, like setting up a server for people to use for free, but so I could stride like a GOD across those zones I kept getting slaughtered in. Damn you Kithicor! Damn you!! My revenge is at hand!
So will we reach a point when games will be able to interconnect with each other? Sort of Trans-Atlantic cabling built right into the game, possibly even allowing some type of interworld commerce?
Having been an EverCrack addict, I can attest to the staying power these games and environments have. With in-game advertising becoming a more popular option, will this genre become the new WWW, so to speak? It would be interesting to see.
I think the real issue here is the ability of taking something and building on it. What if someone had patented the First-Person Shooter concept? If we're lucky they put out something like Doom, if not, we get Smurf-Hunting or some such, and now we may be locked out of a idea that has a lot more to give.
I agree with what you both have said. It seems to me that the already was the "Browser War I", and Netscape lost. But rather than take their collective might and put it behind someone that could actually win the next 'war', they're splitting off in a sort of 'No, look, we're still here!!' kind of way. It's not as if this is a product they're trying to sell; they're giving it away, so why not become a major, respected contributor to Firefox.
Instead of spending all this time on re-making their own browser based off of the excellent Firefox browser, why not spend that time building extensions that add in these features?
How much time was spent duplicating efforts just so they could call it 'Netscape' instead of using that time to improve Firefox by putting out some great extensions?
Hey, if I had to eat a salad first, before I could start drinking, I'd probably drink a lot less too.
"Mmmm... please pass more viney leafy things."
Why? Because I'm tired of nursing my current X-Box to play games. I'm tired of hacking the mail order DVD drive to work correctly in the old box. And most of all, I don't want to spend $150 on a new XBox. Backwards compatability just made me a whole lot happier.
And it's more about obsolescence. I can stick my old console in the trash, but get more use out of the games without having to spend money to get a updated version of the same game. Sure some games have little or no replay value, but there are still others that are worth keeping around.
So the two are mutually exclusive? We can only have software that is perfectly written or software that addresses the needs of the users?
Can't we figure out what the users need, and then deliver excellently written software to do that?
If they're saying that the majority of users are the technophiles and the usual geeks who lead the pack, then how can security be the cause of the problem? These same people should be aware of all the problems of IE, and the oft lack of patches or information regarding the exploits from Microsoft.
On the other hand, Mozilla has fixed patches quickly and hasn't tried to suppress the information. Why would the group that's most likely to be the most well informed about this subject, not be informed about the same flaws in the competing browser?
Bad marketing, overpriced hardware, and not enough of a push of real development for the products. I know that the VB was supposed to have a devoted (?) following but beyond toying with it at a display in Wal-Mart, I never had any urge to own one or play with it again.
It's quite possible that something like the powerglove could bring us to a new level of UI, but you need some amazing game to help bring it mainstream. You need a Halo or a Myst or something along those lines. A game that makes the new hardware seem like a necessity, not a hardware requirement to play or a marketing ploy.
And before any MS/Halo bashing begins, I only mentioned it because I know people who bought their XBox solely because Halo was part of the XBox push in the beginning. People saw buying the hardware as means to playing the game, not a financial burden.
MS announced today their plans to patent the string object, the ampersand, coffee, comfy chairs, and the letter 'T'.
My wife and I were able to experience this first hand. It's quite amazing to stand in the courtyard in front of the pyramid and do it yourself, although it's more interesting if you believe they did it on purpose. =)
Our tour guide pointed out another similar effect involving The Temple of the Warriors (I believe that was the one) while standing in the same spot. When facing it you can generate the sound of a rattlesnake (open to interpretation of course) which is to praise their sepent god.
The guide also said that priests standing in the temple atop the pyramid would only be able to be heard by someone standing in the correct spot in the courtyard. We didn't get to test that ourselves, but is something I had wanted to find out more about.
My friend's old complex had a similar problem. Living right next to the office and the model, he noticed one day that they had installed a wireless router, but had absolutely no security for their network. All their busines information to any who wandered by.
How do you address problems where the technology is getting easier to use, but where the users aren't spending the time to really learn the technology? I don't want to have to learn how to repair my car just to drive it, so can I expect much more from users who don't understand networking and security?
It really comes down to how much time I have to play the game. I love EQ and can't wait for EQ2 to come out. For $13 or $15, I'll pay that every month np.
The real issue is when I have busy periods (that pesky 'work' thing) or times when I just need a break from the game. I took a few months off (from the game) when I played EQ, and for $10 a month I don't feel too bad about wasting that to hold my account. But if I'm playing $15 or $20 a month, I'll seriously reconsider taking a break vs quitting altogether.
My favorite feature is being able to type text directly on the webpage and having it search within the webpage for matching text. By default it only searches links, but you can change that by going into Tools -> Options -> Advanced and making sure that Find As You Type is set to not 'search links only'.
Not using a search engine, I know, but it drives my nuts that when I'm forced to use IE I have to use the CTRL-F Find window.
It all depends how much competition the government will allow amongst broadband providers. Not so much DSL and Cable which already are competetors, but allowing or requiring cable to allow other companies in.
Plus you have other technologies trying to become involved such as broadband over electric lines. Anything that may actually drive consumers to another company will drive prices more competitively, otherwise we're looking at high prices for a while.
Well sure, if I want a standard FPS experience then all I want to do is run around and shoot people. But when I get onto a MMORPG I want to play the game, not have to worry about some 13 yo jack-off that likes to run around newbie zones and PK.
And just because _you_ don't like to craft doesn't mean that the hundreds (thousands?) of people that do enjoy it are paying any less to play the game. People want variety in their gameplay. They want to have options and depth. Otherwise they'll play UT2004 all night.
I had a EQ subscription for years, and when EQ2 comes out I know I'll be right back into it. How many thousands of people are doing the exact same thing? How can you possibly think that they don't make gobs of money?
I find that most of the old games fall into one of two categories: games that we sit back and say 'remember blah blah blah' or games that I still play (Gameboy Advanced, MAME, emulator on my laptop, etc).
Most of those old games are fun for about 5 minutes; long enough to realize that it was better to have just left well enough alone and enjoyed the memories. Otherwise, games like Zelda et al. I currently have in some form or fashion so that I can play them when I want to.
This isn't your wife you're talking to. We're all geeks here and we know that 3/4 of that stuff you're keeping 'just in case'.
;-)
The first step is admitting you have a problem.