Furthermore, responding to what you meant, there are significant numbers of legal marriages where the husband has two to four wives simultaneously, in dozens of countries around the world.
Geez, and my girlfriend won't even let me sleep with other people...
How about if I go to the Hyundai dealership, and they have this nice little car that has a 300hp V6! So I buy it, only to find that the engine inside is a dinky little 100hp. I complain, and get the answer, "well the 300hp doesn't fit in there".
Just because the Centrino doesn't support the extra feature (AGP8x, which is not just some random arbitrary feature), doesn't mean you can try and advertise having it! And using the 9200 name is doing exactly that.
(Forgive any flaws in my car analogy - I'm not really a car guy, and I'm sure it shows).
>> It's not always corporate greed, there can be a reason.
It's not even "corporate greed".
The consumer gets a card with a higher-quality product than advertised. Give me an "underclocked" card rather than one pushing its performance envelope as far as it can go, at the same price, anyday.
Because it costs less than developing two separate pieces of hardware, and they don't really care if the geek fringe overclocks - they'll do it anyway.
What's next after SA? Well, obviously, they come up with new places. That's kinda what they had to do originally.:)
Hopefully, the game gets more of a makeover in the gameplay department. Vice City wasn't much different, but Vice City wasn't a sequel either. VC and SA are just "side-sequels" to GTA3. Glorified expansion packs. This is especially obvious given that the game after SA will be called Grand Theft Auto 4 (according to Rockstar themselves).
So, you know, we'll see. Even just continuing to make such a game more and more open-ended will invariably add a lot to the gameplay, and render all older versions crippled by comparison.
>> I really don't understand most Slashdot readers. In every news about KDE or Gnome people start fighting on what is better, Qt or Gtk, C or C++, Gnome or KDE, with theory on how SuSE buyout will end KDE, why Qt isn't free, that Linus uses KDE, Trolltech is owned by SCO...
... Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British politician sex!
JFK! Blown away! What else do I have to say?
AppleWorks is quite simply the worst office software suite that I have used in the past few years. I don't want to say it "sucks", because it could be far worse. But compared to KOffice or OpenOffice, it just isn't good enough (for me).
I'm using the less-than-fast Mac/X11 OpenOffice instead. Not a peach either (a native port would be a different story). I am dying to give KOffice a shot on my PowerBook.
>> I often wonder why they even bother. Makes them look less monopolistic?
Because Microsoft is a software company. They are not Intel, nor AMD. They have no reason not to sell their software on all platforms they can. The PC platform is open, so they can release their OS for it. Apple's platform isn't, but they can release software for it, and they do.
Microsoft is not stupid. People are so fast to equate "PC" with "Microsoft", but that can change very fast. Microsoft is smart enough not to paint themselves into a corner. You might think this silly, given how huge MS is, but they know how fast success can come crashing down, and you can bet they've got business plans for such contingencies.
Even if the graphics were sharp, the plain fact is that it's hard to really "see" the 3D depth in such a tiny screen.
You're just given such a small viewport that you can't pick out things in the scene that you could on a much larger screen.
I think the idea of 3D gaming on a 2-4" screen should really be abandoned. 2D gaming, however, thrives there. Who wants to play a rough approximation of 3D gaming instead of a great 2D game? More visual complexity requires better viewing, and 3D is visual complexity that just exceeds what is reasonable to display on a small screen.
I hope to see 2D gaming continue to stay strong on portable platforms for many years to come. I think 2D's general simplicity in play also bodes well for portable devices, where you want to be able to pick something up for a 15 minute wait in line.
The consumer electronics industry has pushed "convergence" for a long time, and the market has continued to support the modularity of separate devices over all-in-one machines.
Of course, that doesn't mean that some multifunctionality isn't desired. Personally, I love the fact that my game consoles (minus the Cube) play DVD movies. That sort of convergence wasn't forced, but was just a natural choice, given the fact that Sony and Microsoft opted to use the DVD format for their game discs. Now, adding DVD to a console that doesn't use DVD for the game functionality would be a different story.
At this point, though, I don't see shoving TiVO-like capabilities into game machines. In the future, when the standard hard drives are much larger, maybe it will be just a natural feature to add in. But I think it is ill-advised to add features that require equipment above and beyond what you're using for the device's primary functionality.
Why use the Xbox?
1. It's ready out-of-the-box, easily acquired anywhere. Not so with Shuttle cased PCs.
2. You drop the software in the drive, turn it on, and it starts. Not so with Shuttle cased PCs, without some tinkering.
3. It's more powerful than the other consoles. Not necessarily more powerful than the PC, but it's a hell of a lot simpler logistically.
4. It's easily developed for. It uses DirectX just like any Windows-based PC.
While you can say that Angband primarily subsumes Moria, saying that Nethack is better can't really be done. They're both excellent & fill the same niche, but saying one is better is really more of vi/emacs thing...
>> yeah, the classic Lucas Arts "cartoon" games come to mind, Day of the Tentacle, Sam and Max, Full Throttle... those were all wonderful games, and not suited to 3D at all.
Yeah, Grim Fandango sucked.... OH WAIT...
Not only is this style of game fine for 3D, but back then they painstakingly tried to emulate 3D in a 2D world. Notice how you can walk more than just left-to-right? Yeah, you can move around "in" the depth of the scene.
Consider Escape From Monkey Island. It played just like the earlier Monkey Island games. The writing wasn't quite so sharp the 4th time around, but that's not the graphics' fault. The only visual flaw with Escape was that it couldn't quite replicate the visual look of the originals. This is only a problem because longtime fans have certain expectations of a look that's hard to pull off in 3D.
But gameplay-wise, it was no different than the "old" games. And when you don't have the expectations of a 2D-based visual look, the games can look stunning (ex: Grim Fandango)
You're not far from the mark. What we're seeing is video gaming getting so large that it can sustain different market players serving different niches.
Although I think Nintendo's trademark stubborness has led to a number of missed opportunities (failing to take would-be blockbusters like Mario Kart online are among the most recent examples), I think their willingness to serve a certain market will help establish the rules of the industry for years to come.
No longer does a console have to be everything to everyone to survive. Targeting certain types of gameplay offerings brings certain markets with it - (I don't want to fall into the "Nintendo targets the kids" stereotype, but rather say that the "Nintendo" style of gameplay brings in certain markets, of which kids are a part of).
That said, there will still be bustling for market position among the competitors. And as every game-playing consumer knows, having watched this console generation's price wars, that kind of capitalistic competition is great for the consumer.
Slashdot Mirror
Geez, and my girlfriend won't even let me sleep with other people...
How about if I go to the Hyundai dealership, and they have this nice little car that has a 300hp V6! So I buy it, only to find that the engine inside is a dinky little 100hp. I complain, and get the answer, "well the 300hp doesn't fit in there".
Just because the Centrino doesn't support the extra feature (AGP8x, which is not just some random arbitrary feature), doesn't mean you can try and advertise having it! And using the 9200 name is doing exactly that.
(Forgive any flaws in my car analogy - I'm not really a car guy, and I'm sure it shows).
When the market of over a billion pirates my software instead of buying it, I go for the six million that might actually pay.
The manufacturer comes out on top, after all is said and done. Which is why they do it.
It's not even "corporate greed".
The consumer gets a card with a higher-quality product than advertised. Give me an "underclocked" card rather than one pushing its performance envelope as far as it can go, at the same price, anyday.
The manufacturer gets to keep costs down.
WHO LOSES? Nobody.
Some people will complain about anything. :)
Hopefully, the game gets more of a makeover in the gameplay department. Vice City wasn't much different, but Vice City wasn't a sequel either. VC and SA are just "side-sequels" to GTA3. Glorified expansion packs. This is especially obvious given that the game after SA will be called Grand Theft Auto 4 (according to Rockstar themselves).
So, you know, we'll see. Even just continuing to make such a game more and more open-ended will invariably add a lot to the gameplay, and render all older versions crippled by comparison.
Liberty City
Vice City
San Andreas
Well gee, if GTA3 was Liberty City, and GTA:VC was Vice City, I wonder what comes next.... hmmmmm..... such a difficult pattern to crack...
JFK! Blown away! What else do I have to say?
I'm using the less-than-fast Mac/X11 OpenOffice instead. Not a peach either (a native port would be a different story). I am dying to give KOffice a shot on my PowerBook.
Because Microsoft is a software company. They are not Intel, nor AMD. They have no reason not to sell their software on all platforms they can. The PC platform is open, so they can release their OS for it. Apple's platform isn't, but they can release software for it, and they do.
Microsoft is not stupid. People are so fast to equate "PC" with "Microsoft", but that can change very fast. Microsoft is smart enough not to paint themselves into a corner. You might think this silly, given how huge MS is, but they know how fast success can come crashing down, and you can bet they've got business plans for such contingencies.
You're just given such a small viewport that you can't pick out things in the scene that you could on a much larger screen.
I think the idea of 3D gaming on a 2-4" screen should really be abandoned. 2D gaming, however, thrives there. Who wants to play a rough approximation of 3D gaming instead of a great 2D game? More visual complexity requires better viewing, and 3D is visual complexity that just exceeds what is reasonable to display on a small screen.
I hope to see 2D gaming continue to stay strong on portable platforms for many years to come. I think 2D's general simplicity in play also bodes well for portable devices, where you want to be able to pick something up for a 15 minute wait in line.
Gee, thanks AC. Give the ban squad some MORE overreaction ideas!
Of course, that doesn't mean that some multifunctionality isn't desired. Personally, I love the fact that my game consoles (minus the Cube) play DVD movies. That sort of convergence wasn't forced, but was just a natural choice, given the fact that Sony and Microsoft opted to use the DVD format for their game discs. Now, adding DVD to a console that doesn't use DVD for the game functionality would be a different story.
At this point, though, I don't see shoving TiVO-like capabilities into game machines. In the future, when the standard hard drives are much larger, maybe it will be just a natural feature to add in. But I think it is ill-advised to add features that require equipment above and beyond what you're using for the device's primary functionality.
A native port of KOffice would be VERY well received.
Why use the Xbox? 1. It's ready out-of-the-box, easily acquired anywhere. Not so with Shuttle cased PCs. 2. You drop the software in the drive, turn it on, and it starts. Not so with Shuttle cased PCs, without some tinkering. 3. It's more powerful than the other consoles. Not necessarily more powerful than the PC, but it's a hell of a lot simpler logistically. 4. It's easily developed for. It uses DirectX just like any Windows-based PC.
Huh? That makes no sense. Emacs is way superior.
Yeah, Grim Fandango sucked.... OH WAIT...
Not only is this style of game fine for 3D, but back then they painstakingly tried to emulate 3D in a 2D world. Notice how you can walk more than just left-to-right? Yeah, you can move around "in" the depth of the scene.
Consider Escape From Monkey Island. It played just like the earlier Monkey Island games. The writing wasn't quite so sharp the 4th time around, but that's not the graphics' fault. The only visual flaw with Escape was that it couldn't quite replicate the visual look of the originals. This is only a problem because longtime fans have certain expectations of a look that's hard to pull off in 3D.
But gameplay-wise, it was no different than the "old" games. And when you don't have the expectations of a 2D-based visual look, the games can look stunning (ex: Grim Fandango)
Although I think Nintendo's trademark stubborness has led to a number of missed opportunities (failing to take would-be blockbusters like Mario Kart online are among the most recent examples), I think their willingness to serve a certain market will help establish the rules of the industry for years to come.
No longer does a console have to be everything to everyone to survive. Targeting certain types of gameplay offerings brings certain markets with it - (I don't want to fall into the "Nintendo targets the kids" stereotype, but rather say that the "Nintendo" style of gameplay brings in certain markets, of which kids are a part of).
That said, there will still be bustling for market position among the competitors. And as every game-playing consumer knows, having watched this console generation's price wars, that kind of capitalistic competition is great for the consumer.
Only two? What a cheapskate.
Dude, you are not a stupid bitch, so quit talkin' about yourself like that.
Yes. You see, the idea is to make switching give them something to gain, not just maintain the same old hinderance.