I was thinking about re-subscribing to check it out, then stumbled accross this poll. For some reason, 3/4ths (at this time) of the people responding have negative feelings about the update. That's not a very good sign.
Framerate differences will vary greatly from game to game. For instance, EverQuest actually ran faster in Cedega than under Windows 98 for me. Now, the negative side is that the patcher runs *incredibly* slow. What takes 45 seconds in Windows takes about 5 minutes to patch under Cedega. Also, when the last two expansions came out and people started complaining of fubar'd textures in the new zones (so bad that you couldn't see), Transgaming did nothing to address the issues.
Counter-Strike: Source ran at about 24fps under Cedega for me, as opposed to 44fps in Windows - and Windows looked much nicer, with the reflective water and other visual effects that had to be disabled in Cedega. I get about 14fps using the current WINE CVS, but they haven't really started their optimizations yet.
24fps is just bad enough to give every newbie a leg up on you, so I never play it under Cedega. It would run faster for sure, if I had the cash to blow on newer hardware.
Cedega can be a nice solution if they already (actively) support the game(s) you want to play. Don't hold your breath for the ones that aren't supported though: The Sims 2 and plenty of other hugely popular games got crushed by negative votes month after month due to the FPS/MMORPG-centric subscriber base. Transgaming's programming efforts seem to be centered around keeping Steam working and adding a new and "hot" game each month. When I was a subscriber, I was left a bit disappointed that they did not concentrate more on baseline compatibility rather than adding hacks specific to each game they're trying to support.
After being a subscriber for about 8 months, I decided to give up on them ever supporting some of the games I already owned and cancelled my subscription. I'll wait until they can run in WINE, which has been making leaps and bounds of progress in the last year.
One thing to note is that their support for ATI cards is abysmal. The same card that gives me great framerates in the Linux versions of America's Army or Enemy Territory performs abysmally under Cedega. My nVidia card, on a system that's pretty much the same runs much better. Sure, ATI's Linux drivers are not as good as nVidia's yet, but they're clearly not the only problem here when native Linux OpenGL apps perform so well.
In EverQuest, CS:S, and other programs I had to play around with disabling pixel shaders, and other things to get the games working; many ATI users couldn't get some of them working at all. Troubleshooting these problems in their forums many times consists of people telling you "ATI's crap, go buy nVidia". Oddly, there's no disclaimer on their subscription page that says something along the lines of "WARNING: May run like a wounded tortoise when used with ATI hardware".
I upgraded the motherboard in my WinXP machine and was greeted with a blue-screen at reboot. I had Knoppix, so I used it to access Microsoft's knowledgebase while troubleshooting the issue (it worked flawlessly with the new hardware). Microsoft's definitive answer for my particular problem was "Re-install the OS".
XP came with my original system, but I couldn't use the re-image CDs to recover it. And, I didn't want to put a pirated version on for fear that later on it might lock me out of the security updates that are oh-so-important when running Windows. In the meantime, I starting realizing... nearly everything I use my machine for could be done with Knoppix... and I could probably do even more with another Linux distro.
Soon I noticed that the quality and quanity of free software on Linux is much higher than that on Windows. It's something I never noticed until I took the plunge.
So, I ended up installing Mandrake (now Mandriva) Linux. I also installed my old Win98 CD in a dual boot configuration. 98 was a safety buffer for gaming - for those instances when I couldn't get games to work via Cedega or WINE.
Eventually, I removed the 98 partition. Games are still a weak-point in Linux, but WINE improves every day. There are also some very good native Linux games.
I've tried other distros, but I liked Mandriva so much that I'm a paying club membership now. They treat customers right. Microsoft's activation process, and their agreement with OEM's to only provide re-image CDs is a practice that puts their convenience and profit above the users' basic needs.
This is the first time I'd actually like to see an article duped.
I'm glad this was posted now, because it gives us time to discuss this and compose a rational argument. But, since the site isn't taking comments until Nov 2nd, a lot of people will forget.
Bookmark it and put it on your calendar now! Finally, a reason to use the KOrganizer alarm daemon!
Re:This suggests a great Linux-boosting strategy
on
Quake 4 Linux
·
· Score: 1
How is this a great Linux boosting strategy? It's a great strategy to make less money... but not as good a strategy as releasing the Linux version first (but still charging for it).
If the Linux version were free and legal. People would boot a Linux live CD when they wanted to play that one game: making you no money on the game and gaining no Linux converts.
I'd love to see some answers to this question that work with Linux: My old Visioneer OneTouch 8700USB is the *ONLY* piece of hardware I was never able to get working when I converted from Windows to Linux.
Anyone know if there is an open source driver project for these things anywhere? It seems like Linux is really lacking in supported scanners, compared to other devices.
...ALL innovations in controllers have been due in large part to Nintendo. Analoge controls, shoulder buttons, the freakin' directional pad, rumble, and so on
Being really really old and cranky, I can't let this go by as +5 informative.
The first analog console controller I saw was the one Atari made for the 5200 in 1982. Nintendo was not the first to push analog controls.
D-pad? Take an Intellivision controller (circa 1980) and turn it sideways. Instant innovation! Another acceptible answer would have been "cut the stick off of a 1982 Vectrex controller".
Nintendo's made some decent controllers, but they've never been radically new compared to their competition or forefathers. Nintendo's also designed some fugly controllers for people with three arms. So, I see no reason to believe Nintendo hype when they say they've got this fantastic new invention.
I hope I'm wrong. I collect video game systems and will most likely buy the Revolution whether it 's great or not. I don't want another Virtual Boy.
Microsoft charged you the $30 when you paid $200 for their OS. And, when they release Vista, you'll pay for it again. Exactly the same as Apple.
Wait, no... even worse than Apple, because you're still paying for Media Player, even if you use Quicktime. Unless you bought one of the new limited media version that I've never seen for sale anywhere.
Instead of slowly switching to Debian, why not try version 10, or 10.1, or 2005LE? You're about four versions back now, and it sounds like you probably corrupted some path variables.
I've been using it since version 10 (now running the 2005LE club version, w/KDE 3.4) and am very happy with it.
The locks on my front door *are* most certainly there to keep determined criminals out, in addition to my home security system.
Just because they can't accomplish the task in whole by themselves does not mean they do not serve in that capacity.
The difference between door locks and DRM is that while a burglar is busting my windows out to get around the door, he's either setting off alarms that will alert the authorities (when I'm not there), or given me notice to grab my gun.
DRM can be cracked at your leisure off the network and there's nothing further the content owner can do about it. Then, the crack can be put on a server in China and made accessible to even the biggest neophyte. That is, no one else even needs to learn any lockpicking skills to get around it.
Don't worry, after Microsoft uses it's marketing muscle to position itself as the premier OS provider for mobile phones, there will be a base set of API's hackers can write for / exploit.
This technology will allow strict parents, who know they can't control their kids through normal means, to easily enforce rules
As long as their kid is a computer illiterate, and so socially inept as to not have any smarter friends.
How hard is it to hit enter a few times in the NT Offline Registry Editor and reset the Admin password?
Or, maybe make a copy of Bloody_Game.exe as Reader_Rabbit.exe (or notepad.exe, so it doesn't count as 'game time'), and execute that?
Or, try renaming the WallFly directory and reboot so that it can't be found and autostart?
When I was a teen, I was disassembling C=64 warez to see how the copy protection worked. Kids today aren't any stupider and won't even have it that hard! They'll simply do a Google search and find a dozen workable ways around it.
The time installing/updating the software would be better spent just unplugging the kids computer and moving it to a family area where you can watch what they're doing.
What Microsoft is talking about is having 'search' folders that display a set a documents based on criteria, like the search folders introduced in Office Outlook back in 2002. (Again a Microsoft innovation)
Innovation? Go back to the mid-90's and look at the Lotus Notes mail/database client. They call them 'views'.
BTW, I am very depressed that nothing as visually impressive as Time Traveler has been released in the last 10 years. The thing looked 3D from like 170 degrees. I actually had to stick my hand out to see if it would go through the holograms.
When I first saw this game, I thought that technology was taking a great leap and that the near future held great things... I can't believe that there hasn't been any mainstream use since then.:(
Hello, the Sega game I played in 1992 called and wants it's technology back.
Re:Old Floppy Disks
on
DVHS on a Budget
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
I remember that too, except the crapping out part. Out of well over 1000 that I double-notched, I think I only ran across maybe four that had any sort of problems (and I think all with problems were evident at the time of format). All these floppies were the absolute bottom-dollar ones, bought in bulk.
When the floppies were created, both sides went through the exact same manufacturing process. The only difference between the two sides is that the manufacturer tested one side successfully and never tried the other.
Double-notching wasn't foolish. Not double-notching and throwing away money was foolish. I often used the 'free' sides to backup other important floppies: That way, if you ever did get a dreaded bad track/sector (which happened as often on the good sides as the bad) or even lose a whole floppy, you had a backup at zero cost.
Slashdot Mirror
I was thinking about re-subscribing to check it out, then stumbled accross this poll. For some reason, 3/4ths (at this time) of the people responding have negative feelings about the update. That's not a very good sign.
Here's my experience:
Framerate differences will vary greatly from game to game. For instance, EverQuest actually ran faster in Cedega than under Windows 98 for me. Now, the negative side is that the patcher runs *incredibly* slow. What takes 45 seconds in Windows takes about 5 minutes to patch under Cedega. Also, when the last two expansions came out and people started complaining of fubar'd textures in the new zones (so bad that you couldn't see), Transgaming did nothing to address the issues.
Counter-Strike: Source ran at about 24fps under Cedega for me, as opposed to 44fps in Windows - and Windows looked much nicer, with the reflective water and other visual effects that had to be disabled in Cedega. I get about 14fps using the current WINE CVS, but they haven't really started their optimizations yet.
24fps is just bad enough to give every newbie a leg up on you, so I never play it under Cedega. It would run faster for sure, if I had the cash to blow on newer hardware.
Cedega can be a nice solution if they already (actively) support the game(s) you want to play. Don't hold your breath for the ones that aren't supported though: The Sims 2 and plenty of other hugely popular games got crushed by negative votes month after month due to the FPS/MMORPG-centric subscriber base. Transgaming's programming efforts seem to be centered around keeping Steam working and adding a new and "hot" game each month. When I was a subscriber, I was left a bit disappointed that they did not concentrate more on baseline compatibility rather than adding hacks specific to each game they're trying to support.
After being a subscriber for about 8 months, I decided to give up on them ever supporting some of the games I already owned and cancelled my subscription. I'll wait until they can run in WINE, which has been making leaps and bounds of progress in the last year.
One thing to note is that their support for ATI cards is abysmal. The same card that gives me great framerates in the Linux versions of America's Army or Enemy Territory performs abysmally under Cedega. My nVidia card, on a system that's pretty much the same runs much better. Sure, ATI's Linux drivers are not as good as nVidia's yet, but they're clearly not the only problem here when native Linux OpenGL apps perform so well.
In EverQuest, CS:S, and other programs I had to play around with disabling pixel shaders, and other things to get the games working; many ATI users couldn't get some of them working at all. Troubleshooting these problems in their forums many times consists of people telling you "ATI's crap, go buy nVidia". Oddly, there's no disclaimer on their subscription page that says something along the lines of "WARNING: May run like a wounded tortoise when used with ATI hardware".
Maybe he's referring to Nemesis.
I upgraded the motherboard in my WinXP machine and was greeted with a blue-screen at reboot. I had Knoppix, so I used it to access Microsoft's knowledgebase while troubleshooting the issue (it worked flawlessly with the new hardware). Microsoft's definitive answer for my particular problem was "Re-install the OS".
XP came with my original system, but I couldn't use the re-image CDs to recover it. And, I didn't want to put a pirated version on for fear that later on it might lock me out of the security updates that are oh-so-important when running Windows. In the meantime, I starting realizing... nearly everything I use my machine for could be done with Knoppix... and I could probably do even more with another Linux distro.
Soon I noticed that the quality and quanity of free software on Linux is much higher than that on Windows. It's something I never noticed until I took the plunge.
So, I ended up installing Mandrake (now Mandriva) Linux. I also installed my old Win98 CD in a dual boot configuration. 98 was a safety buffer for gaming - for those instances when I couldn't get games to work via Cedega or WINE.
Eventually, I removed the 98 partition. Games are still a weak-point in Linux, but WINE improves every day. There are also some very good native Linux games.
I've tried other distros, but I liked Mandriva so much that I'm a paying club membership now. They treat customers right. Microsoft's activation process, and their agreement with OEM's to only provide re-image CDs is a practice that puts their convenience and profit above the users' basic needs.
This is the first time I'd actually like to see an article duped.
I'm glad this was posted now, because it gives us time to discuss this and compose a rational argument. But, since the site isn't taking comments until Nov 2nd, a lot of people will forget.
Bookmark it and put it on your calendar now! Finally, a reason to use the KOrganizer alarm daemon!
How is this a great Linux boosting strategy? It's a great strategy to make less money... but not as good a strategy as releasing the Linux version first (but still charging for it).
If the Linux version were free and legal. People would boot a Linux live CD when they wanted to play that one game: making you no money on the game and gaining no Linux converts.
I'd love to see some answers to this question that work with Linux: My old Visioneer OneTouch 8700USB is the *ONLY* piece of hardware I was never able to get working when I converted from Windows to Linux.
Anyone know if there is an open source driver project for these things anywhere? It seems like Linux is really lacking in supported scanners, compared to other devices.
Being really really old and cranky, I can't let this go by as +5 informative.
The first analog console controller I saw was the one Atari made for the 5200 in 1982. Nintendo was not the first to push analog controls.
D-pad? Take an Intellivision controller (circa 1980) and turn it sideways. Instant innovation! Another acceptible answer would have been "cut the stick off of a 1982 Vectrex controller".
Nintendo's made some decent controllers, but they've never been radically new compared to their competition or forefathers. Nintendo's also designed some fugly controllers for people with three arms. So, I see no reason to believe Nintendo hype when they say they've got this fantastic new invention.
I hope I'm wrong. I collect video game systems and will most likely buy the Revolution whether it 's great or not. I don't want another Virtual Boy.
Microsoft charged you the $30 when you paid $200 for their OS. And, when they release Vista, you'll pay for it again. Exactly the same as Apple.
Wait, no... even worse than Apple, because you're still paying for Media Player, even if you use Quicktime. Unless you bought one of the new limited media version that I've never seen for sale anywhere.
Play it in VLC, fullscreen.
Large Version Here
In related news: IE reaches 75 million security patches.
Instead of slowly switching to Debian, why not try version 10, or 10.1, or 2005LE? You're about four versions back now, and it sounds like you probably corrupted some path variables.
I've been using it since version 10 (now running the 2005LE club version, w/KDE 3.4) and am very happy with it.
Not true. My alarm system also has motion sensors.
The locks on my front door *are* most certainly there to keep determined criminals out, in addition to my home security system.
Just because they can't accomplish the task in whole by themselves does not mean they do not serve in that capacity.
The difference between door locks and DRM is that while a burglar is busting my windows out to get around the door, he's either setting off alarms that will alert the authorities (when I'm not there), or given me notice to grab my gun.
DRM can be cracked at your leisure off the network and there's nothing further the content owner can do about it. Then, the crack can be put on a server in China and made accessible to even the biggest neophyte. That is, no one else even needs to learn any lockpicking skills to get around it.
It is futile.
"What should we name it?"
"Let's combine 'Microsoft' and 'Gonad'. It'll make Unix jealous."
I won't start getting worried until they can build *improved* versions of themselves.
Don't worry, after Microsoft uses it's marketing muscle to position itself as the premier OS provider for mobile phones, there will be a base set of API's hackers can write for / exploit.
Remind me to never piss you off.
Dammit... If I had any 'Funny' mod points, I would give them all to you.
As long as their kid is a computer illiterate, and so socially inept as to not have any smarter friends.
How hard is it to hit enter a few times in the NT Offline Registry Editor and reset the Admin password?
Or, maybe make a copy of Bloody_Game.exe as Reader_Rabbit.exe (or notepad.exe, so it doesn't count as 'game time'), and execute that?
Or, try renaming the WallFly directory and reboot so that it can't be found and autostart?
When I was a teen, I was disassembling C=64 warez to see how the copy protection worked. Kids today aren't any stupider and won't even have it that hard! They'll simply do a Google search and find a dozen workable ways around it.
The time installing/updating the software would be better spent just unplugging the kids computer and moving it to a family area where you can watch what they're doing.
Yes, it's "your BBC". We have "BBC America". Unfortunately, their programming consists of 23 different home-redecorating shows and Benny Hill reruns.
Innovation? Go back to the mid-90's and look at the Lotus Notes mail/database client. They call them 'views'.
BTW, I am very depressed that nothing as visually impressive as Time Traveler has been released in the last 10 years. The thing looked 3D from like 170 degrees. I actually had to stick my hand out to see if it would go through the holograms.
:(
When I first saw this game, I thought that technology was taking a great leap and that the near future held great things... I can't believe that there hasn't been any mainstream use since then.
Hello, the Sega game I played in 1992 called and wants it's technology back.
I remember that too, except the crapping out part. Out of well over 1000 that I double-notched, I think I only ran across maybe four that had any sort of problems (and I think all with problems were evident at the time of format). All these floppies were the absolute bottom-dollar ones, bought in bulk.
When the floppies were created, both sides went through the exact same manufacturing process. The only difference between the two sides is that the manufacturer tested one side successfully and never tried the other.
Double-notching wasn't foolish. Not double-notching and throwing away money was foolish. I often used the 'free' sides to backup other important floppies: That way, if you ever did get a dreaded bad track/sector (which happened as often on the good sides as the bad) or even lose a whole floppy, you had a backup at zero cost.