Until this week I didn't have any consoles from the last generation (I'm Wii360 this generation). On Tuesday I got a PS2. I had been debating getting one - I really didn't want to give Sony any money but the system is cheap and there's a large library of games for it I've never played (and most of them are cheap now too). Wanting to play the games finally won out.
I think Information Week is the worst magazine ever published. I used to get it sent to me at work but thankfully they stopped sending it so I don't have to spend 5 seconds every week throwing it in the trash.
Where I work, those "IT Professionals" are in upper management. They don't know the tech, buy whatever some sales guy can get them to agree to, and insist on worthless support contracts that are never used for everything. Meanwhile, the real IT people are hindered in being able to do their jobs by all of the cluelessness at the top.
I really, really hope that these guys are in the minority. I think that the reason they're in this article is that they are Information Week's target audience - the IT guys who have no idea how anything actually works but like all of their shiny toys.
the Xbox 360 has been out a year and still no Halo 3. The graphics are great, but there are no compelling games
You have some valid points but Gears of War is definitely in the category of compelling games. Personally I would put Oblivion in that category as well but there are people who prefer to play it on PC because of all of the community-added content available.
I don't like Sony either, but I think their system will be moderately successful after a few years. The current shortages and reported difficulties of developing for the system will hurt them in the short term. After there's more of an install base and developers start taking full advantage of the hardware the PS3's outlook will improve.
I still see Nintendo as the winner of this generation. I don't know how many hours I spent playing Oblivion on the 360 but I haven't touched it since I got Zelda. The new controllers for the Wii make it incredibly fun to play. If they continue to release good games at a lower price point I think it will be very difficult for both Sony and Microsoft to compete.
You touched on a good point actually. What about the developers? One of the things that SCO didn't realize when they began is that their actions would piss off the entire community and no one would want to develop for their platform. Is Microsoft at all concerned about doing the same thing, or do they think that their developers will stick with them no matter what they do?
The reason companies buy support from Red Hat is because it is cheaper and more reliable than doing it in-house.
I wish that were true. My experience has been that our in-house support is much better than what we get from Red Hat. We wanted a box to house our source code repository and run Apache and Linux box made more sense. However, our parent company will not allow any software in-house that doesn't come with a support contract, so we had to go with Red Hat. The majority of the issues we've had with the box have been broken packages and bad disks from Red Hat. For more serious issues their tech support has been fairly useless.
For me it was the sense of accomplishing a goal. I like things to be in order and it's very satisfying to log on, decide I'll spend the evening grinding for something to get a quest turnin, and finish the thing up before I log off. Goals are so straightforward and linear in WoW, not at all like real life. If I wanted to be an actual master blacksmith it would take years of training and apprenticeship, not just gathering a few virtual materials and going through an animation sequence.
I've been playing WoW for about a year, and am trying to quit for the second time. It's a lot easier this time around than it was the first time. The only thing I find I miss is the feeling of setting a goal and accomplishing it in a neat way. Everything else is just the habit of coming home and firing it up. I must say I've been enjoying all the things that happen in real life that I was missing though. Having a happy spouse is a good thing.
That's been my experience too. When I started playing WoW last year I stopped buying other games because I didn't have the time and I was really enjoying playing WoW with my friends. When I needed a break from WoW I went to the game store to buy some new games. There was almost nothing there I wanted and I ended up with a couple bargain basement titles. The first one was okay but installed Starforce, which I couldn't get rid of. After having to reformat my machine to get rid of the copy protection I installed WoW on my Mac, Linux on my former gaming machine, and bought a console. A few console titles are coming out that look interesting, but nothing for PC that makes me regret my decision.
I'd need some more evidence than an unsupported post on/. that MySQL is giving any aid or comfort to the enemy before I started modifying my opinion of the company or their software.
When I could no longer get updates for my legitimately purchased OEM copy of Windows 2000 without installing Windows Genuine Advantage I stopped using Windows. I have Gentoo on my desktop and OS X on my Powerbook and a console for games. I will never purchase another Windows license in any form.
This was actually the last straw that got me to completely stop using Windows at home. I had just finished reformatting to remove some malware that had been installed by a game I had purchased from a retail store. I went to Windows to download security updates and their updater required me to install 3 new programs, one of which was the Geniune Advantage check. The page said that all 3 programs could be uninstalled using Add/Remove programs. I downloaded the programs, installed them, rebooted, and went into Add/Remove programs to uninstall the Geniune Advantage check. It was not listed as a program that could be uninstalled.
My copy of Windows 2000 was an OEM version that I bought when building my computer several years ago. To the best of my knowledge I had purchased it legitimately and I did not want the Genuine Advantage check. After being unable to remove it I reformatted the machine again and put Gentoo on it. The only reason I had the Windows box was for games and if those were going to install malware to make sure I wasn't pirating after buying the damned thing in a store then I have no reason for Windows.
Oh, and the reason I had 2k instead of XP? Product activation. If Microsoft is going to deliberatly make things difficult for paying customers they are going to find they have fewer of them.
Piracy came first, of course. I have some older games that don't have any copy protection at all. It's wonderful. I can make backups and install them on any machine without worrying that it will overwrite my CD-ROM drivers and eventually destabilize my entire system.
This is partially why I don't believe there is any real Microsoft-SCO conspiracy.. because the last thing Microsoft really wants is a clearly defined court case that resolves the IP issues involved with Linux.
I agree with you overall, but I do take issue with this point. In the beginning it wasn't certain that there would be a clearly defined court case. Most Linux supporters felt that since development was done in the open it would be difficult if not impossible to get improper code accepted into the Linux kernel. However, there were those who felt that since there wasn't a central authority vetting the code it would be easy for someone to misappropriate code and have it accepted.
Do you remember Ken Brown of AdTI? He was planning to publish a book about how Linus plagarized Minix to write Linux. Unfortunately, some facts got in his way. A researcher Brown hired to run code comparisons between an early Linux kernel and Minix found no substantial similarities. Most interesting, when the researcher told Brown of his findings Brown argued with him that he was wrong, presumably expecting to find "gobs of copied source code".
Another interesting connection is that intellectual property issues are frequently presented as a reason to go with Windows on Microsoft's Get the Facts website. For example, Radio Shack's case study mentions reducing "exposure to the risk of intellectual property infringement claims" as a reason to go with Windows over Linux. Before SCO starting suing their customers for using Linux, who was worried about a lawsuit over their choice of operating system?
I think Microsoft is responsible to some degree for SCO's suit. I think someone didn't fully understand the way Linux development happens and badly miscalculated the effect of the lawsuit on IBM. If IBM had quickly settled then there would be plenty of room for "no smoke without fire" FUD about the risk of improper code in Linux. Because the suit has gone on for so long and there have been so many people with enough stake in vindicating Linux there have been multiple opportunities for demonstrating that there is no infringing code.
This was probably the biggest disappointment for me about WoW. I love traditional RPGs. I started WoW as a paladin. I prefer to play a character that's bound to do the right thing, and even more so if the right thing is valued higher than the lawful thing (something like Hero's Quest as opposed to NWN where they're the same). When I started doing quests as a paladin I quickly realized that there was only one way to finish the quest. There was no right way, or evil way, or clever way, or any other way. Just get the thing and bring it back, or some variation thereof, over and over and over again.
There are plenty of things to like about WoW but roleplaying isn't one of them.
No kidding. I went to see Star Wars Episode III in the theater, the first movie I'd been to since about 3 years prior. I had to sit through a full half hour of commercials and trailers before they even started the f*cking movie. The theater was packed, there were kids running up and down the aisles, people on cell phones, and others who just wouldn't shut up. If that's a typical "theater experience" I'll wait for the damned thing to come out on DVD, thank you very much.
Komodo is a cross-platform IDE that handles scripting languages nicely. Komodo 3.5 has support for Ruby and Rails. Not free as in beer but cheap for personal use.
They're doing a pretty good job of interfering with fair use now. Part of the reason that I buy stuff on DVDs is that I want to watch the content and not all the crap surrounding the content (commercials, previews, etc). I've gotten DVDs with introductions or previews that can't be skipped and even one movie that disables fast forward. WTF is that about? Why don't I get to decide which parts of the disc I want to see and which I don't? I bought the thing after all.
Agreed. I hadn't been to the movies in years until I went to see Star Wars Episode III. Between the commercials and previews it was a half hour before the movie started. I came really, really close to walking out.
Recently we've been buying TV shows on DVD and watching those. No commercials, previews, or kids running up and down the aisles. It's a much better way to go.
Slashdot Mirror
No kidding - I installed NoScript the day that our security guy figured out a way to build a port scanner entirely in JavaScript.
I actually found that alchemy in Oblivion was more immersive than WoW. Every time I go by a patch of water I want to check for nirnroot.
Until this week I didn't have any consoles from the last generation (I'm Wii360 this generation). On Tuesday I got a PS2. I had been debating getting one - I really didn't want to give Sony any money but the system is cheap and there's a large library of games for it I've never played (and most of them are cheap now too). Wanting to play the games finally won out.
:)
Oh, and God of War completely kicks ass.
I think Information Week is the worst magazine ever published. I used to get it sent to me at work but thankfully they stopped sending it so I don't have to spend 5 seconds every week throwing it in the trash.
Where I work, those "IT Professionals" are in upper management. They don't know the tech, buy whatever some sales guy can get them to agree to, and insist on worthless support contracts that are never used for everything. Meanwhile, the real IT people are hindered in being able to do their jobs by all of the cluelessness at the top.
I really, really hope that these guys are in the minority. I think that the reason they're in this article is that they are Information Week's target audience - the IT guys who have no idea how anything actually works but like all of their shiny toys.
You have some valid points but Gears of War is definitely in the category of compelling games. Personally I would put Oblivion in that category as well but there are people who prefer to play it on PC because of all of the community-added content available.
I don't like Sony either, but I think their system will be moderately successful after a few years. The current shortages and reported difficulties of developing for the system will hurt them in the short term. After there's more of an install base and developers start taking full advantage of the hardware the PS3's outlook will improve.
I still see Nintendo as the winner of this generation. I don't know how many hours I spent playing Oblivion on the 360 but I haven't touched it since I got Zelda. The new controllers for the Wii make it incredibly fun to play. If they continue to release good games at a lower price point I think it will be very difficult for both Sony and Microsoft to compete.
You must be doing something wrong then, because our jar has nothing but dust and cobwebs.
You touched on a good point actually. What about the developers? One of the things that SCO didn't realize when they began is that their actions would piss off the entire community and no one would want to develop for their platform. Is Microsoft at all concerned about doing the same thing, or do they think that their developers will stick with them no matter what they do?
I wish that were true. My experience has been that our in-house support is much better than what we get from Red Hat. We wanted a box to house our source code repository and run Apache and Linux box made more sense. However, our parent company will not allow any software in-house that doesn't come with a support contract, so we had to go with Red Hat. The majority of the issues we've had with the box have been broken packages and bad disks from Red Hat. For more serious issues their tech support has been fairly useless.
I've been playing WoW for about a year, and am trying to quit for the second time. It's a lot easier this time around than it was the first time. The only thing I find I miss is the feeling of setting a goal and accomplishing it in a neat way. Everything else is just the habit of coming home and firing it up. I must say I've been enjoying all the things that happen in real life that I was missing though. Having a happy spouse is a good thing.
Do you know anything about Restless Legs Syndrome? I didn't, until I started taking a medication that has that side effect. It's miserable.
That's been my experience too. When I started playing WoW last year I stopped buying other games because I didn't have the time and I was really enjoying playing WoW with my friends. When I needed a break from WoW I went to the game store to buy some new games. There was almost nothing there I wanted and I ended up with a couple bargain basement titles. The first one was okay but installed Starforce, which I couldn't get rid of. After having to reformat my machine to get rid of the copy protection I installed WoW on my Mac, Linux on my former gaming machine, and bought a console. A few console titles are coming out that look interesting, but nothing for PC that makes me regret my decision.
We had a corporate version of Windows get flagged as being pirated by WGA even though it was a legitimate copy.
I'd need some more evidence than an unsupported post on /. that MySQL is giving any aid or comfort to the enemy before I started modifying my opinion of the company or their software.
_ 948.html
Here you go:
http://www.mysql.com/news-and-events/news/article
When I could no longer get updates for my legitimately purchased OEM copy of Windows 2000 without installing Windows Genuine Advantage I stopped using Windows. I have Gentoo on my desktop and OS X on my Powerbook and a console for games. I will never purchase another Windows license in any form.
My copy of Windows 2000 was an OEM version that I bought when building my computer several years ago. To the best of my knowledge I had purchased it legitimately and I did not want the Genuine Advantage check. After being unable to remove it I reformatted the machine again and put Gentoo on it. The only reason I had the Windows box was for games and if those were going to install malware to make sure I wasn't pirating after buying the damned thing in a store then I have no reason for Windows.
Oh, and the reason I had 2k instead of XP? Product activation. If Microsoft is going to deliberatly make things difficult for paying customers they are going to find they have fewer of them.
Piracy came first, of course. I have some older games that don't have any copy protection at all. It's wonderful. I can make backups and install them on any machine without worrying that it will overwrite my CD-ROM drivers and eventually destabilize my entire system.
I agree with you overall, but I do take issue with this point. In the beginning it wasn't certain that there would be a clearly defined court case. Most Linux supporters felt that since development was done in the open it would be difficult if not impossible to get improper code accepted into the Linux kernel. However, there were those who felt that since there wasn't a central authority vetting the code it would be easy for someone to misappropriate code and have it accepted.
Do you remember Ken Brown of AdTI? He was planning to publish a book about how Linus plagarized Minix to write Linux. Unfortunately, some facts got in his way. A researcher Brown hired to run code comparisons between an early Linux kernel and Minix found no substantial similarities. Most interesting, when the researcher told Brown of his findings Brown argued with him that he was wrong, presumably expecting to find "gobs of copied source code".Another interesting connection is that intellectual property issues are frequently presented as a reason to go with Windows on Microsoft's Get the Facts website. For example, Radio Shack's case study mentions reducing "exposure to the risk of intellectual property infringement claims" as a reason to go with Windows over Linux. Before SCO starting suing their customers for using Linux, who was worried about a lawsuit over their choice of operating system?
I think Microsoft is responsible to some degree for SCO's suit. I think someone didn't fully understand the way Linux development happens and badly miscalculated the effect of the lawsuit on IBM. If IBM had quickly settled then there would be plenty of room for "no smoke without fire" FUD about the risk of improper code in Linux. Because the suit has gone on for so long and there have been so many people with enough stake in vindicating Linux there have been multiple opportunities for demonstrating that there is no infringing code.
This was probably the biggest disappointment for me about WoW. I love traditional RPGs. I started WoW as a paladin. I prefer to play a character that's bound to do the right thing, and even more so if the right thing is valued higher than the lawful thing (something like Hero's Quest as opposed to NWN where they're the same). When I started doing quests as a paladin I quickly realized that there was only one way to finish the quest. There was no right way, or evil way, or clever way, or any other way. Just get the thing and bring it back, or some variation thereof, over and over and over again.
There are plenty of things to like about WoW but roleplaying isn't one of them.
No kidding. I went to see Star Wars Episode III in the theater, the first movie I'd been to since about 3 years prior. I had to sit through a full half hour of commercials and trailers before they even started the f*cking movie. The theater was packed, there were kids running up and down the aisles, people on cell phones, and others who just wouldn't shut up. If that's a typical "theater experience" I'll wait for the damned thing to come out on DVD, thank you very much.
Komodo is a cross-platform IDE that handles scripting languages nicely. Komodo 3.5 has support for Ruby and Rails. Not free as in beer but cheap for personal use.
How exactly is this a bad thing?
They're doing a pretty good job of interfering with fair use now. Part of the reason that I buy stuff on DVDs is that I want to watch the content and not all the crap surrounding the content (commercials, previews, etc). I've gotten DVDs with introductions or previews that can't be skipped and even one movie that disables fast forward. WTF is that about? Why don't I get to decide which parts of the disc I want to see and which I don't? I bought the thing after all.
Agreed. I hadn't been to the movies in years until I went to see Star Wars Episode III. Between the commercials and previews it was a half hour before the movie started. I came really, really close to walking out.
Recently we've been buying TV shows on DVD and watching those. No commercials, previews, or kids running up and down the aisles. It's a much better way to go.
That's what I do, and I am a wife. ;)
And I believe VS.net has a licensing clause that says you can't use it to develop a word processor, a spreadsheet application, or a Front Page clone.