Call me picky but sometimes I play a game only to find out it is missing a feature that totally ruins the game for me.
For Example: Some gameboy pinball games do not save high scores. Since there isn't much to see in a pinball game I play entirely to beat my previous high scores and I love it. Not saving the high scores makes the game virtually worthless to me and therefore is a show-stopper for me.
Reviewers need to point out anything that they could imagine could be a show-stopper. Sometimes I read reviews just to find them.
Open source works (partially at least) because users want to scratch their itches.
If I'm playing a game that lends itself to being played over and over (bzflag) and I find a problem which shows up every time I play, then I'll be more inclined to fix it. Each time I play I will bump into the problem again and the annoyance will multiply and It will then seem worthwhile to me to fix the problem so I don't bump into it again.
OTOH If I'm playing a game that plays through only once then I'm likely to ignore the problem because the problem has only manifested itself once.
I have a Palm m100. My palm is a good device but it has a problem. If the batteries were to run out of my palm on a vacation I would be SOL because each time I change the batteries, all my data gets wiped out. I believe my palm to have a defective capacitor that (when functioning properly) should hold a charge long enough for me to remove the old batteries and put in the new ones, but since it doesn't I must:
backup the data on my computer
change the batteries
restore my palm from the backed up data.
This is obviously something you will not be able to deal with when you are away from computers. The capacitor problem is not uncommon.(You can get it fixed here by the way)
There are several ways for the devices you have been reading about here to store the documents you write. Some devices can maintain their data when they lose power, and some cannot. This is Non-Volatile vs Volatile storage.
Most modern PDAs (I would not consider my m100 modern) and many other devices operate with a built in rechargable battery (not AAAs or AAs). This is good and bad. Good because its virtually impossible to encounter the problem I have with changing the batteries, but bad because you have to bring a charger specific to that device with you and you have to make sure that it doesn't lose all its power or you may lose your documents.
Some devices (perhaps even some PDAs or some of the voice recorders) may operate with a core of non-volatile memory in which case if something did happen to the batteries ( if you dropped the pda and they fell out or it ran out of power before you could charge it up again) your data would remain intact.
Another option for avoiding this problem is to get a device with a memory card slot (compact flash, or memory stick) and copy the documents you write onto them periodically since memory cards are inherently non-volatile.
With all that in mind The Psion that is
mentioned in other comments seems to me to be the right device for you. It has a Compact Flash slot and a keyboard and can be had cheap. Yes I know...it took me a long time to get to the point but that is my recommendation.
For the record: Death Metal's rhythms are very complex and NOT mechanical or repetitive at all.
Just look at the wikipedia entries for two of the most important death metal bands: Morbid Angel or Cannibal Corpse. Both pages describe the music as "complex". If you listen to anything either of those bands has ever done you'll find the that rhythm and tempo have abrupt, and constant changes.
Even progressive rock(considered to be "complex and elaborate") never has the kind of dynamic rhythms that death metal does.
There are plenty of ways to poke fun at death metal, and there may be other forms of metal for which this description may apply but calling death metal repetitive or mechanical really doesn't make sense.
I have found it much more comfortable moving away from regular books. I open the file in OpenOffice.org, I sit on my couch or recliner in a comfortable position with my laptop on my coffee table. I can just use the scroll wheel on my wireless mouse. Its very relaxing.
I also find I read faster when I'm reading these etexts. I suppose its because I pay more attention and am not trying to get from page to page.
I've been thinking this for a month or so.
We do need to put open source software onto windows.
Windows users install software all the time.
They seem to love it. Next time they need to upgrade their Office suite they wouldn't think its crazy to install a free office suite. With installing software is familiar territory.
Replacing windows however would seem crazy to them though. There are so many unknowns.
The average joe will hear about open office and will eventually upgrade and will see the $many hundred dollar sticker price and choose OpenOffice.org.
Sooner or later we'll see people become comfortable with free software. People will be using many different open source programs for their daily work, and then it will be more trivial to move to linux.
They have some 'mega great award winning' sound cards like the acoustic edge. but they have NO current or intended linux support. Others have recieved replies from them on this matter, claiming that they dont intend to ever support linux. go with Creative instead.
What about 'use' for students
on
GPL's Strength
·
· Score: 1
Microsoft Office for students EULA states that the user can only use the product for educational purposes. Does MS really have the right to tell students what they can and can't use it for? Judging by this guy's definition of copyright I don't think MS has that right.
"The copyright holder is legally empowered to exclude all others from copying, distributing, and making derivative works."
The students aren't copying, distributing, or making derivative works, unless installing it on a pc is considering copying!?! I think MS is taking it too far.
Better yet we can create fake websites with lots of pirated software and other illegal things and submit those so they will go investigate and find nothing. Wastes their time even more.
Slashdot Mirror
Call me picky but sometimes I play a game only to find out it is missing a feature that totally ruins the game for me.
For Example: Some gameboy pinball games do not save high scores. Since there isn't much to see in a pinball game I play entirely to beat my previous high scores and I love it. Not saving the high scores makes the game virtually worthless to me and therefore is a show-stopper for me.
Reviewers need to point out anything that they could imagine could be a show-stopper. Sometimes I read reviews just to find them.
One way to check GNUStep out is by downloading and booting the GNUStep Live CD
Did no one think of this yet?
Open source works (partially at least) because users want to scratch their itches.
If I'm playing a game that lends itself to being played over and over (bzflag) and I find a problem which shows up every time I play, then I'll be more inclined to fix it. Each time I play I will bump into the problem again and the annoyance will multiply and It will then seem worthwhile to me to fix the problem so I don't bump into it again.
OTOH If I'm playing a game that plays through only once then I'm likely to ignore the problem because the problem has only manifested itself once.
- backup the data on my computer
- change the batteries
- restore my palm from the backed up data.
This is obviously something you will not be able to deal with when you are away from computers. The capacitor problem is not uncommon.(You can get it fixed here by the way)There are several ways for the devices you have been reading about here to store the documents you write. Some devices can maintain their data when they lose power, and some cannot. This is Non-Volatile vs Volatile storage.
Most modern PDAs (I would not consider my m100 modern) and many other devices operate with a built in rechargable battery (not AAAs or AAs). This is good and bad. Good because its virtually impossible to encounter the problem I have with changing the batteries, but bad because you have to bring a charger specific to that device with you and you have to make sure that it doesn't lose all its power or you may lose your documents.
Some devices (perhaps even some PDAs or some of the voice recorders) may operate with a core of non-volatile memory in which case if something did happen to the batteries ( if you dropped the pda and they fell out or it ran out of power before you could charge it up again) your data would remain intact.
Another option for avoiding this problem is to get a device with a memory card slot (compact flash, or memory stick) and copy the documents you write onto them periodically since memory cards are inherently non-volatile.
With all that in mind The Psion that is mentioned in other comments seems to me to be the right device for you. It has a Compact Flash slot and a keyboard and can be had cheap.
Yes I know
For the record:
Death Metal's rhythms are very complex and NOT mechanical or repetitive at all.
Just look at the wikipedia entries for two of the most important death metal bands:
Morbid Angel
or
Cannibal Corpse. Both pages describe the music as "complex". If you listen to anything either of those bands has ever done you'll find the that rhythm and tempo have abrupt, and constant changes.
Even progressive rock(considered to be "complex and elaborate") never has the kind of dynamic rhythms that death metal does.
There are plenty of ways to poke fun at death metal, and there may be other forms of metal for which this description may apply but calling death metal repetitive or mechanical really doesn't make sense.
Speaking of Omega, this is a totally updated version of the programmable tank concept that looks very in depth.
I have found it much more comfortable moving away from regular books. I open the file in OpenOffice.org, I sit on my couch or recliner in a comfortable position with my laptop on my coffee table. I can just use the scroll wheel on my wireless mouse. Its very relaxing. I also find I read faster when I'm reading these etexts. I suppose its because I pay more attention and am not trying to get from page to page.
I've been thinking this for a month or so. We do need to put open source software onto windows.
Windows users install software all the time. They seem to love it. Next time they need to upgrade their Office suite they wouldn't think its crazy to install a free office suite. With installing software is familiar territory. Replacing windows however would seem crazy to them though. There are so many unknowns.
The average joe will hear about open office and will eventually upgrade and will see the $many hundred dollar sticker price and choose OpenOffice.org.
Sooner or later we'll see people become comfortable with free software. People will be using many different open source programs for their daily work, and then it will be more trivial to move to linux.
They have some 'mega great award winning' sound cards
like the acoustic edge.
but they have NO current or intended linux support. Others have recieved replies from them on this matter, claiming that they dont intend to ever support linux. go with Creative instead.
"The copyright holder is legally empowered to exclude all others from copying, distributing, and making derivative works."
The students aren't copying, distributing, or making derivative works, unless installing it on a pc is considering copying!?! I think MS is taking it too far.
Copper, Blitter, Agnus, Denise, Paula, Alice, Lisa, Gary, Gayle, Ramsey, CIA, Amber, Akiko(Descriptions found here).
That plus what you mentioned before, thats Amiga Multiprocessing :-)
Better yet we can create fake websites with lots of pirated software and other illegal things and submit those so they will go investigate and find nothing. Wastes their time even more.