A really douchy, I mean helpful, move by Bell would be to have every conceivable service running on the machine these DNS queries are redirected to, that would be configured to somehow convey the fact that the queried server doesn't exist, and possibly to display some ads. Like if a person tries to check for their email from IMAP the server would blindly accept any login credentials and return a mailbox with one mail with the subject "Invalid domain" and some adverts as contents. An SMB share would have folders named "Invalid" and "Domain". The possibilities are endless. Think of how convenient and helpful this would be.
If we start to make rules for the many based on the actions of a select few, we're destined for failure.
The fact that a couple of disturbed and mentally unhealthy kids got their adrenaline running by psyching themself with violent video games doesn't mean we should ban these games from all kids. Just like if I use a baseball bat to beat someone to death we shouldn't shut down every single litte-league in the country to stop the children from doing the same.
I think that some age control with games is good. In Finland we use PEGI age recommendations, and some games are also reviewed by the Board of Film Classification. The important classifications are 16+ and 18+. A retailer can refuse to sell a 16+ game to a person younger than 16 without a parents consent. 18+ games are prohibited by law to be sold to minors. If parents choose to buy a game and give it to their child, it's their choice, but a retailer, with no way of knowing the personality or mental maturity of a child, will not be permitted to sell an 18+ game to the child.
This system is by no means perfect, but it stops little impressionable kids from getting their hands on adults-only games, but permits parents to expose their children to such material, if they feel they're mature enough to handle it.
> The contract really means nothing the US Exactly. Unfortunately the terms for getting an iPhone are essentially the same everywhere, except countries like Italy and the Neatherlands. Here in Finland I opted to buy an HTC Touch HD for 690 euros and keep my original contract instead of paying 190e for the iPhone upfront, and continuing to pay 32 euros every month for two years to what I hold to be the worst cellphone operator in Finland. I'd have to have 11 euro phonebills for two years to get the same total price, but I don't mind spending an extra 250 euros during the course of 24 months for the freedom to change my contract whenever I please.
Plays easy, doesn't require flash or other plugins, and everything actually is sort of "Zorky".
Most browser-based games have perks for paying players, and being able to buy action points isn't really the worst I've seen. It doesn't overly imbalance the gameplay, at least in my opinion.
Only time will tell how this really fans out, but I'm in positive spirits. (Between this and Battlefield Heroes I'm going to be spending even more time at my browser in the future:D)
I might be in the minority here, but both Microsofts and Blizzards views on piracy and cheating have been very clear to me for quite some time, and haven't drastically change as of late.
Microsofts die-hard attitude towards modded 360s is actually quite understandable. If I'm not mistaken, 360 games aren't areacoded, and there's really no huge homebrew-scene for it, so the only thing modchips are good for are "backups", which - let's face it - are an excuse to run pirated games...
I would've guessed it'd be illegal to fire someone just because they suffered an injury at work.. I'd hope that America would have at least the same standard employee-protection laws as us Europeans.
but seriously, I actually do meet most of the criteria, but I don't think I'm an "addict".
This is simply because my supposed "addiction" causes no harm to me, or the people around me. I use the Internet, mostly just www, but other stuff too, for work, studying and social interaction with far-away relatives.
I do know people who just waste away their lives online, but even most of them still manage to do their work just fine, and lead rewarding social lives.
..but Toshiba often seems to launch new and previously unheard of things in their computers. Still they're not very popular (at least with anyone I know) when compared to the more "mundane" manufacturers.
At first the idea sounded idiotic, but I might actually replace my outdated desktop with something like this. I've now used laptop computers pretty much exclusively for about two years now. I do have two desktops at home, but I rarely use them, and they're more for quests who stay long enough to need a computer they can use.
I do everything on my laptop, and if I need more uumpf, I use VNC to connect to our bedroom-server-thing or use one of the desktops remotely. I notice that whenever I actually sit down on a desktop computer for more than a few minutes, at some point I feel the need to pick the thing up and move somewhere to do other things while continuing to work with the machine. While there have been more and more powerful laptops in recent years, I've still been waiting for a real powerhouse of a machine to actually toss out my old desktop instead of just replacing my latest laptop. Something like this might be it.
Not to nitpick, but I was pirating WAY before I had internet access (actually, more then than now). As to your question: C) No demo=no purchase.
I won't pay for something unless I know I want it. If I buy meat from a butcher and it's not good, I'll get my money back. That option is not available to me as a consumer with software, so I try before I buy.
It's a real low-blow to label pirated copies as stolen, and even indirectly imply that some pirated copies could be lost sales.
There's no-one out there who seriously considers whether to buy or pirate a game, and just decides to save a few bucks.
I buy games I actually play more than once or twice, just like I buy movies I actually like and want to have on my shelf. If I pirate a game, I'm either buying the game in a few days or deleting it.
I don't think my philosophy is more acceptable than pirating everything and anything, but I don't think either way the pirated copies are potential sales.
I'm way too tired to compose my opinions in any intelligent manner. tl;dr: piracy isn't lost sales, ever.
I don't get this Stephen Totilo guy. The whole "gamer-pride"-post is obviously a huge flamebait, but I can't help but wonder if he honestly feels that software piracy could be stopped if only we had more public service announcements like the "You wouldn't steal..."-ads in beginning of DVDs.
Most pirates think peer pressure is when the leechers outnumber the seeders on a torrent... Smokey the Bear going 'Only you can stop burning discs' won't do much good here. (It's Smokey, right? I'm not quite up to date on the latest crying indian-franchise)
In both of your examples, I see no reason for the whole computer infrastructure of the company to get the upgrade. Some testbed-machines should suffice just fine. It's like with web-development (that I'm much more familiar with), I have various different browsers installed on a handfull of machines, but I only use one browser to read slashdot, the others are there just for testing...
..or maybe even two, but I live in Finland, and can't afford the bus fare. If anyone would be willing to buy one, and ship it (provided the costs aren't humongous), I'd happily pay via paypal, and would cladly send something from Finland, in return.
If anyone's up to it, please drop me a line.
You of course mean 'IP Property intellectuals', obviously.
I love how they advertise theirselves as Internet Lawyers and Spam Attorneys, and also drop gems like "With our somewhat unique perspective, we are simply not comfortable exposing highly confidential and proprietary client information online." in their User Agreement. It's really a relief to know they're not comfortable exposing confidental information. That's my #1 professional lawyer pet peeve.
it certainly doesn't make these soldiers any less dead
I think it's more important to note, that it doesn't make them more dead, or kill additional soldiers, either. And really, thousands of far more tragic deaths happen each day. There are children being molested all over the world as I write this. Sorry if I don't lose myself over some minor military casualties while developing more efficent ways to kill people.
And like the Parent said, laughing does make the world a better place. When unfamiliar people find something commonly humorous, it really brings them together in a really strong way..
Yeah, I'm an idealist hippie, shoot me (whith a robotic cannon).
Slashdot Mirror
It's probably worth noting, XboxOne.com is way older than 2011, it's been around since the original xbox was released http://web.archive.org/web/20021115163519/http://www.xboxone.com/
A really douchy, I mean helpful, move by Bell would be to have every conceivable service running on the machine these DNS queries are redirected to, that would be configured to somehow convey the fact that the queried server doesn't exist, and possibly to display some ads. Like if a person tries to check for their email from IMAP the server would blindly accept any login credentials and return a mailbox with one mail with the subject "Invalid domain" and some adverts as contents. An SMB share would have folders named "Invalid" and "Domain". The possibilities are endless. Think of how convenient and helpful this would be.
If we start to make rules for the many based on the actions of a select few, we're destined for failure.
The fact that a couple of disturbed and mentally unhealthy kids got their adrenaline running by psyching themself with violent video games doesn't mean we should ban these games from all kids. Just like if I use a baseball bat to beat someone to death we shouldn't shut down every single litte-league in the country to stop the children from doing the same.
I think that some age control with games is good. In Finland we use PEGI age recommendations, and some games are also reviewed by the Board of Film Classification. The important classifications are 16+ and 18+. A retailer can refuse to sell a 16+ game to a person younger than 16 without a parents consent. 18+ games are prohibited by law to be sold to minors. If parents choose to buy a game and give it to their child, it's their choice, but a retailer, with no way of knowing the personality or mental maturity of a child, will not be permitted to sell an 18+ game to the child.
This system is by no means perfect, but it stops little impressionable kids from getting their hands on adults-only games, but permits parents to expose their children to such material, if they feel they're mature enough to handle it.
> The contract really means nothing the US
Exactly. Unfortunately the terms for getting an iPhone are essentially the same everywhere, except countries like Italy and the Neatherlands.
Here in Finland I opted to buy an HTC Touch HD for 690 euros and keep my original contract instead of paying 190e for the iPhone upfront, and continuing to pay 32 euros every month for two years to what I hold to be the worst cellphone operator in Finland. I'd have to have 11 euro phonebills for two years to get the same total price, but I don't mind spending an extra 250 euros during the course of 24 months for the freedom to change my contract whenever I please.
Plays easy, doesn't require flash or other plugins, and everything actually is sort of "Zorky".
Most browser-based games have perks for paying players, and being able to buy action points isn't really the worst I've seen. It doesn't overly imbalance the gameplay, at least in my opinion.
Only time will tell how this really fans out, but I'm in positive spirits. (Between this and Battlefield Heroes I'm going to be spending even more time at my browser in the future :D)
I actually preferred MOO2, liked MOO1 and never really got into MOO3. I'd love to see a MOO sequel with a modernized UI one of these days.
Anyone have any recommendations for MOO2-like games for modern systems?
I might be in the minority here, but both Microsofts and Blizzards views on piracy and cheating have been very clear to me for quite some time, and haven't drastically change as of late.
Microsofts die-hard attitude towards modded 360s is actually quite understandable. If I'm not mistaken, 360 games aren't areacoded, and there's really no huge homebrew-scene for it, so the only thing modchips are good for are "backups", which - let's face it - are an excuse to run pirated games...
I would've guessed it'd be illegal to fire someone just because they suffered an injury at work.. I'd hope that America would have at least the same standard employee-protection laws as us Europeans.
but seriously, I actually do meet most of the criteria, but I don't think I'm an "addict".
This is simply because my supposed "addiction" causes no harm to me, or the people around me. I use the Internet, mostly just www, but other stuff too, for work, studying and social interaction with far-away relatives.
I do know people who just waste away their lives online, but even most of them still manage to do their work just fine, and lead rewarding social lives.
My plan was to have one desktop-laptop, and a whole other more portable laptop for daily carrying-around and to be used in my actual lap.
..but Toshiba often seems to launch new and previously unheard of things in their computers. Still they're not very popular (at least with anyone I know) when compared to the more "mundane" manufacturers.
At first the idea sounded idiotic, but I might actually replace my outdated desktop with something like this. I've now used laptop computers pretty much exclusively for about two years now. I do have two desktops at home, but I rarely use them, and they're more for quests who stay long enough to need a computer they can use. I do everything on my laptop, and if I need more uumpf, I use VNC to connect to our bedroom-server-thing or use one of the desktops remotely. I notice that whenever I actually sit down on a desktop computer for more than a few minutes, at some point I feel the need to pick the thing up and move somewhere to do other things while continuing to work with the machine. While there have been more and more powerful laptops in recent years, I've still been waiting for a real powerhouse of a machine to actually toss out my old desktop instead of just replacing my latest laptop. Something like this might be it.
The only CORRECT way to operate ANY Apple product is with a crowbar.
Best comment in this whole story.
Not to nitpick, but I was pirating WAY before I had internet access (actually, more then than now). As to your question: C) No demo=no purchase.
I won't pay for something unless I know I want it. If I buy meat from a butcher and it's not good, I'll get my money back. That option is not available to me as a consumer with software, so I try before I buy.
It's a real low-blow to label pirated copies as stolen, and even indirectly imply that some pirated copies could be lost sales.
There's no-one out there who seriously considers whether to buy or pirate a game, and just decides to save a few bucks.
I buy games I actually play more than once or twice, just like I buy movies I actually like and want to have on my shelf. If I pirate a game, I'm either buying the game in a few days or deleting it.
I don't think my philosophy is more acceptable than pirating everything and anything, but I don't think either way the pirated copies are potential sales.
I'm way too tired to compose my opinions in any intelligent manner. tl;dr: piracy isn't lost sales, ever.
I'm the first to admit that I'm a huge hypocrite, but I won't pirate any games developed by people I know, or any games from local publishers.
What is it that bothers you about your roommates pirating? Does it only bother you if you've worked on it, or is the feeling just stronger then?
I don't get this Stephen Totilo guy. The whole "gamer-pride"-post is obviously a huge flamebait, but I can't help but wonder if he honestly feels that software piracy could be stopped if only we had more public service announcements like the "You wouldn't steal..."-ads in beginning of DVDs. Most pirates think peer pressure is when the leechers outnumber the seeders on a torrent... Smokey the Bear going 'Only you can stop burning discs' won't do much good here. (It's Smokey, right? I'm not quite up to date on the latest crying indian-franchise)
In both of your examples, I see no reason for the whole computer infrastructure of the company to get the upgrade. Some testbed-machines should suffice just fine. It's like with web-development (that I'm much more familiar with), I have various different browsers installed on a handfull of machines, but I only use one browser to read slashdot, the others are there just for testing...
Titanium Gray.
..or maybe even two, but I live in Finland, and can't afford the bus fare. If anyone would be willing to buy one, and ship it (provided the costs aren't humongous), I'd happily pay via paypal, and would cladly send something from Finland, in return. If anyone's up to it, please drop me a line.
You should've posted that as AC.
the tag is just like
You of course mean 'IP Property intellectuals', obviously. I love how they advertise theirselves as Internet Lawyers and Spam Attorneys, and also drop gems like "With our somewhat unique perspective, we are simply not comfortable exposing highly confidential and proprietary client information online." in their User Agreement. It's really a relief to know they're not comfortable exposing confidental information. That's my #1 professional lawyer pet peeve.
You should know that the last two sentences of your comment shall be featured on a t-shirt I plan on wearing in the very near future..
it certainly doesn't make these soldiers any less dead
I think it's more important to note, that it doesn't make them more dead, or kill additional soldiers, either. And really, thousands of far more tragic deaths happen each day. There are children being molested all over the world as I write this. Sorry if I don't lose myself over some minor military casualties while developing more efficent ways to kill people.
And like the Parent said, laughing does make the world a better place. When unfamiliar people find something commonly humorous, it really brings them together in a really strong way..
Yeah, I'm an idealist hippie, shoot me (whith a robotic cannon).