I think the fact that the page is called propaganda.html (http://members.truepath.com/objective/propaganda. html) gives away the fact that it is propaganda even more than the use of the word 'Clearly' does.
In any case, I'd say this page is pretty obviously satire.
These writers don't suck; in fact they have worked on their professional writing to the point that the creative juices are a smaller part of the process.
They don't suck but their writing is far from inspired genius. IMO when writing either prose or code, there IS such a thing as 'writers block' but in either case you can trudge through it and produce pretty decent results -- not your best results, and they come far slower than on good days, but good workmanlike results.
Time and time again these fantastic new sound/graphics/whatever cards are released, and almost always targetted towards gamers. Is it just me? Am I the only one happy with the quality I get out of my current card and the games available for it?
Well, there's no reason to get a GeForce 4 now unless you're a software developer or really need those extra 5 FPS in Quake3 (305 FPS instead of 300 FPS)... GF4 (and GF3) do offer significant advantages over older cards, but since the development cycle for high-quality games is about 3-4 years, compared to the development cycle of new graphics cards (6 months - 1 year), the game engines are always lagging behind. Nothing out yet even really takes advantage of what the GeForce 3 has to offer -- until Doom3 is released, anyway.
The best thing to do is just ignore these new card releases, and let other fools buy them just to be 'l33t'. In a year or more when you can actually buy games that will use GF4 features, the cards will be much cheaper than they are now...
People have been complaining about this because they are idiots. Dungeon Siege runs about 20-30 FPS on high end systems but it also runs about 20-30 FPS on lower end systems because it scales to the system's specs... It just doesn't look as nice on the lower end systems because it cuts out some special effects and other features.
20-30 FPS is more than enough for a game like Dungeon Siege where little to no fast-action decision making or aiming is going on...Unfortunately these whiners are the same sort of FPS-(frames per second)whores that think you need 300 FPS in Quake (do their monitors refresh 300 times per second? Don't think so...yes I realize you want a high peak FPS so the low-end FPS is still pretty high, but even given that 250+ average FPS is just overkill for any game).
Instead of the "oops" couldn't you just fix the problem and take this link off the main page for people it wasn't spoiled for yet but might be, then put it back in a few hours? Or can't you do that with wonderful Perl based Open Source software like Slashdot?
Maintaining XP is much much worse... especially its OEM stripped mode when you have only one big C drive and a backup CD that allow you to only recreate that big C drive...
People want one big C drive...
Believe me.
Personally my C drive isn't all that big, but I never got any complaints.
Anyways, many of the people who work on open source software seem like the people who CAN'T STAND USERS. And by users, I mean the stupid, stupid people who might use their software. It seems pretty weird, but it's true... Maybe a little less antipathy for the newbies would go a long way to helping OSS GUI design.
This is completely true, and I wish it had been highlighted more in the article! I believe Havoc's points were all pretty valid but he glosses over the generally snobby 'RTFM, dumbass' attitude that is ingrained in many OSS programmers.
Nice to see someone of Havoc's 'cred' in the OSS movement knocking on the ridiculousness of most graphical OSS project's preferences.
Though geeks like to tinker, there's something to be said about every application being consistent and keeping preferences, as much as possible, to a minimum and also to put them at the system level so they can easily be changed in a way that will modify all applications.
Its nice to be able to sit down to a Windows or MacOS system and be able to start working right away, not worrying what crazy menu is bound to your middle mouse button in application XYZ vs application ABC or where the person who configured this PC hid some other menu you need just because the preference system allows him/her to move it whereever.
I realize one size doesn't fit all and that geeks will always want to tinker, but I think if anyone is to take Linux/UNIX seriously on the desktop, there needs to be one clear Linux UI standard that is followed, and the rest must be relegated to 'alternatives'. This is similar to how Windows has its UI, but you can (if you really want) go swap it out with litestep or windowblinds or whatever.. The option is there, if you really really want it, but there's also a clear default UI system that companies and groups can standarize on.
Are the people who started this company so deluded that they think this will work, or are they just bilking investors of money? They haven't heard of DIVX (not the stupidly named codec..)? No one is going to adopt this bullshit.
The mass market audio standard for at least the next 20 years has been decided. Even a company as huge as Sony couldn't push a format that had real benefits (MiniDisc) into this sector.. What makes these buttmonkeys think their broken format will do any better with consumers?
Shouldnt research paid for by the goverment fall into the public trust / public domain and be subject to GPL?
The GPL and public domain are incompatible. Public domain gives you the freedom to take the code and do whatever you want with it, including using it in commercial applications using whatever license you choose. GPL restricts your freedom (as a developer) by forcing you to use the GPL if you use the code.
Your usage of "your" is incorrect. The correct usage would be "you're", the contraction form of YOU ARE. I suggest you buy a copy of Microsoft Word, it has a nice spelling & grammar checker built in.
BTW RMS has said things to me in person that are way wierder than anything in the article, anything Gates has said to me personaly and for that matter stupider than anything said or attributed to Dan Quayle or GWB. Like the time he suggested building particle accelerators in space because there is lots of free vacum there...
I once read a quote by Stallman (in an article about him winning the MacArthur grant way back) where he proposed they build quicksand pits in urban areas to be used to swallow drug dealers.
More big companies should have an approch like Sun's.
Why? In cases such as this, the "public outrage" is generally like 20 guys who crapflood flames to popular online sites like Slashdot. Sun would be much better off sticking by its guns than looking like an indecisive weenie company.
Nazi Germany was essentially a capitalistic dictatorship -- yet more proof that its the Dictatorship part that is the evil. And I agree, there's nothing wrong with Communism in theory and in fact, I'm sure most of the world will be Communist (assuming we haven't destroyed it) within the next couple hundred years...It sure won't be capitalist, because the supply/demand/scarcity stuff just isn't going to work...Except maybe for clean air and water(?).
Slashdot Mirror
Maybe if one of us gets shot in the head at close range we'll aquire the political clout to get the DMCA repealed.. Any volunteers? Katz?
In any case, I'd say this page is pretty obviously satire.
They don't suck but their writing is far from inspired genius. IMO when writing either prose or code, there IS such a thing as 'writers block' but in either case you can trudge through it and produce pretty decent results -- not your best results, and they come far slower than on good days, but good workmanlike results.
If you think it does, you're delusional.
Well, there's no reason to get a GeForce 4 now unless you're a software developer or really need those extra 5 FPS in Quake3 (305 FPS instead of 300 FPS)... GF4 (and GF3) do offer significant advantages over older cards, but since the development cycle for high-quality games is about 3-4 years, compared to the development cycle of new graphics cards (6 months - 1 year), the game engines are always lagging behind. Nothing out yet even really takes advantage of what the GeForce 3 has to offer -- until Doom3 is released, anyway.
The best thing to do is just ignore these new card releases, and let other fools buy them just to be 'l33t'. In a year or more when you can actually buy games that will use GF4 features, the cards will be much cheaper than they are now...
20-30 FPS is more than enough for a game like Dungeon Siege where little to no fast-action decision making or aiming is going on...Unfortunately these whiners are the same sort of FPS-(frames per second)whores that think you need 300 FPS in Quake (do their monitors refresh 300 times per second? Don't think so...yes I realize you want a high peak FPS so the low-end FPS is still pretty high, but even given that 250+ average FPS is just overkill for any game).
Of course he's an idiot, how else do you think he passed the Slashdot editor test?
Instead of the "oops" couldn't you just fix the problem and take this link off the main page for people it wasn't spoiled for yet but might be, then put it back in a few hours? Or can't you do that with wonderful Perl based Open Source software like Slashdot?
People want one big C drive...
Believe me.
Personally my C drive isn't all that big, but I never got any complaints.
I'm boycotting your reply to my message.
I'm boycotting Slashdot right now.
Without the Internet, I wouldn't know of, nor hate, some guy named Jon "Globalization" Katz.
Click here for the full article text, no need for registration.
This is completely true, and I wish it had been highlighted more in the article! I believe Havoc's points were all pretty valid but he glosses over the generally snobby 'RTFM, dumbass' attitude that is ingrained in many OSS programmers.
Though geeks like to tinker, there's something to be said about every application being consistent and keeping preferences, as much as possible, to a minimum and also to put them at the system level so they can easily be changed in a way that will modify all applications.
Its nice to be able to sit down to a Windows or MacOS system and be able to start working right away, not worrying what crazy menu is bound to your middle mouse button in application XYZ vs application ABC or where the person who configured this PC hid some other menu you need just because the preference system allows him/her to move it whereever.
I realize one size doesn't fit all and that geeks will always want to tinker, but I think if anyone is to take Linux/UNIX seriously on the desktop, there needs to be one clear Linux UI standard that is followed, and the rest must be relegated to 'alternatives'. This is similar to how Windows has its UI, but you can (if you really want) go swap it out with litestep or windowblinds or whatever.. The option is there, if you really really want it, but there's also a clear default UI system that companies and groups can standarize on.
The mass market audio standard for at least the next 20 years has been decided. Even a company as huge as Sony couldn't push a format that had real benefits (MiniDisc) into this sector.. What makes these buttmonkeys think their broken format will do any better with consumers?
I like Pokemon.
The GPL and public domain are incompatible. Public domain gives you the freedom to take the code and do whatever you want with it, including using it in commercial applications using whatever license you choose. GPL restricts your freedom (as a developer) by forcing you to use the GPL if you use the code.
Your usage of "your" is incorrect. The correct usage would be "you're", the contraction form of YOU ARE. I suggest you buy a copy of Microsoft Word, it has a nice spelling & grammar checker built in.
I once read a quote by Stallman (in an article about him winning the MacArthur grant way back) where he proposed they build quicksand pits in urban areas to be used to swallow drug dealers.
I agree with Mr. Gates.
I don't like the UK. They have bad teeth there. And also bad TV shows.
Why? In cases such as this, the "public outrage" is generally like 20 guys who crapflood flames to popular online sites like Slashdot. Sun would be much better off sticking by its guns than looking like an indecisive weenie company.
The number is higher, so it will be better.
Nazi Germany was essentially a capitalistic dictatorship -- yet more proof that its the Dictatorship part that is the evil. And I agree, there's nothing wrong with Communism in theory and in fact, I'm sure most of the world will be Communist (assuming we haven't destroyed it) within the next couple hundred years...It sure won't be capitalist, because the supply/demand/scarcity stuff just isn't going to work...Except maybe for clean air and water(?).