Hmmm. I semi-agree with the above, but I think that one of the strengths of Linux *is* the powerful CLI and reduced desktop functionality.
When the Windows GUI fails to start, there's often little that can be done from the command line to help, mainly because the bastardised CP/M-clone that is DOS has been further stripped of any useful features it may have once accidentally had. Linux, OTOH, takes the "power to screw up your machine" out of the hands of the average user and puts it back in the hands of the administrator.
The only thing I wish for is a faster version of OpenOffice....
I cannot see a single real scenario where this truly makes a problem for anyone.
Well... during the Euro changeover we were contracted to make screen savers and desktop wallpaper of the new coins and banknotes for several large corporations, so that the employees would be familiar with the new currency. According to Adobe this is "illegal".
The main issue I have is the automatic assumption that I must be doing something illegal to open pictures of currency. Whatever happened to "innocent until proven guilty"?
Agreed, I think the other worry is that the IDSA didn't indicate in the letter that they *could* be wrong.
There was no "if this letter was received in error" or "if we've fscked up, then sorry" - just a threat to take down the unverified "offending" material immediately.
I don't think they realise the damage this does to their reputation and, conversely, the power that a positive and insightful IP enforcement body could have.
But I think the point is, that no-one is expecting them to release their copyright, allow reverse engineering or unauthorised clones.
We're just talking about distributing games for a platform that's been end-of-life for many years. There's no financial loss involved and, due to the interest of the retro-gaming community, it could work out to the publishers' financial benefit.
ummm.. I think the WoS FAQ indicates that every effort is being made to establish the status of each software publisher. You can't say fairer than that, really. Where the publisher denies distribution, then the images (since the ZX Spectrum never really had ROMs) are removed post haste. Reputable Spectrum archives do not host any Ultimate Play The Game titles for download, since distribution of them is specifically denied by Rare, the current owners of Ultimate.
There's been an interesting thread on this subject on comp.sys.sinclair (css) recently. One of the points raised was that there never was a licensed Frogger conversion for the Spectrum, so whose approval should WoS be seeking?
Speaking as an Irishman, Guinness is among my favourite beers.
However whenever I go to England I bring back crateloads of Theakstons Old Peculier, a traditional dark ale with an amazing heritage.
Tanglefoot (not by Theakstons), Waggledance (a beer made with honey) and, as mentioned elsewhere, Old Speckled Hen are also great.
Lager? Take it or leave it (but I mostly leave it).
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Hmmm. I semi-agree with the above, but I think that one of the strengths of Linux *is* the powerful CLI and reduced desktop functionality.
When the Windows GUI fails to start, there's often little that can be done from the command line to help, mainly because the bastardised CP/M-clone that is DOS has been further stripped of any useful features it may have once accidentally had. Linux, OTOH, takes the "power to screw up your machine" out of the hands of the average user and puts it back in the hands of the administrator.
The only thing I wish for is a faster version of OpenOffice....
I cannot see a single real scenario where this truly makes a problem for anyone.
Well... during the Euro changeover we were contracted to make screen savers and desktop wallpaper of the new coins and banknotes for several large corporations, so that the employees would be familiar with the new currency. According to Adobe this is "illegal".
The main issue I have is the automatic assumption that I must be doing something illegal to open pictures of currency. Whatever happened to "innocent until proven guilty"?
Of the two Mario games listed on WoS, one is the licensed Ocean conversion of the original coin-op, and got a dismal 45% rating in Crash.
The other is a demo which, IANAL, but surely should be freely distributable?
If anyone could get the new SOF into a 48K download, I'd be well impressed :)
Agreed, I think the other worry is that the IDSA didn't indicate in the letter that they *could* be wrong.
There was no "if this letter was received in error" or "if we've fscked up, then sorry" - just a threat to take down the unverified "offending" material immediately.
I don't think they realise the damage this does to their reputation and, conversely, the power that a positive and insightful IP enforcement body could have.
But I think the point is, that no-one is expecting them to release their copyright, allow reverse engineering or unauthorised clones.
We're just talking about distributing games for a platform that's been end-of-life for many years. There's no financial loss involved and, due to the interest of the retro-gaming community, it could work out to the publishers' financial benefit.
ummm.. I think the WoS FAQ indicates that every effort is being made to establish the status of each software publisher. You can't say fairer than that, really. Where the publisher denies distribution, then the images (since the ZX Spectrum never really had ROMs) are removed post haste. Reputable Spectrum archives do not host any Ultimate Play The Game titles for download, since distribution of them is specifically denied by Rare, the current owners of Ultimate. There's been an interesting thread on this subject on comp.sys.sinclair (css) recently. One of the points raised was that there never was a licensed Frogger conversion for the Spectrum, so whose approval should WoS be seeking?
Speaking as an Irishman, Guinness is among my favourite beers. However whenever I go to England I bring back crateloads of Theakstons Old Peculier, a traditional dark ale with an amazing heritage. Tanglefoot (not by Theakstons), Waggledance (a beer made with honey) and, as mentioned elsewhere, Old Speckled Hen are also great. Lager? Take it or leave it (but I mostly leave it).
And to be extremely pedantic... Éire, when spelt as "Eire" without the accent mark (síneadh fada) means "burden".