Media Player being a prime example of third-rate MS software that for no good reason has become a major force in the marketplace.
I'm probably gonna get ripped for this one, but I like WMP-XP. Yeah, you gotta fix it in gpedit to lock the classic skin and kill the anchor, but once you do that, its great. I hate WMP 9, but the one with XP is really nice as a basic player. It doesn't have a stupid task tray icon, it doesn't boot up with my computer, it doesn't hog my resources, it doesn't try and open everything under the sun even when I tell it not too (quicktime *shudders*).
The fact about Microsoft is this: they didn't obtain their almost monopoly the honest way. Gates did lie, cheat, steal, and all that other good stuff, but the fact is he is winning. It seems to me that 15 years later, everyone is kicking themselves in the ass for turning the other cheek when they were offered bribes and again, all the other good stuff that comes with it. A monster was created, and now they can't clean up their own mess, so they make these bullshit laws so they don't have to clean up their own mess, just work around it. They made their beds, now sleep in them.
You are, however, making the choice to buy Honda. It wouldn't even occur to 95% of people to choose anything other than a Windows PC such is their effective and pervasive monopoly on consumer computing.
Would you really say that 95% of people have never heard of Mac? Lets be honest, in the 80's in every elementary school I went to (about 4 - 5) all had Apple II E's all over the place. Computer labs filled with them, and at least 1 in every classroom (sometimes 5 depending on the teachers use of them in the classroom). It honestly wasn't until Windows 95 and middle school that I ever touched a Windows based machine. I don't know how it is in Europe, but if MS pulled the plug, most of my generation would think Mac also, and they would think it over Linux because it was our intro to computers.
Well, they wouldn't go for Linux, they would go for Apple instead because Apple have the muscle to market themselves as a Windows alternative in such a situation, the Linux distros do not. This has obvious consequences for major US tech companies such as Dell and Intel who would see a market of 400 million people disappear over the course of a year.
Would they really? I think most people would be forced to Linux. Not everyone can afford $1500+ for a completely new machine when for free they can get Red Hat or Mandrake. The fact is, people wouldn't want to abbandon their current hardware because their governments didn't agree with the way MS does business, and they would want an alternative so they could keep their existing hardware. The truth is, Linux enthusiasts would be thrilled because a lot of games would have to be made for Linux also to keep up with the Market. It would really even out the market, assuming the people would stand for switching, but the truth is most people won't switch they won't know how. On top of that, the amount of money and business that would be lost from business that would now be forced to switch. They would not be happy with their governments forcing a migration to a new platform. On the upside though, the IT industry would BOOM there, and I'm sure people from America would be moving to Euro to find high paying jobs with the amount of demand a move like that would generate.
If I went and murdered some poor sap in Wisconsin, could I claim that the US courts didn't have authority because I'm a European based human?
Point taken, but you are in American soil commiting a crime in America, you will be charged just as I will in Europe. What I'm saying though is that couldn't MS just tell the European government that this is their product, and if they don't want to use it as is, they can go to hell. At that point the government can either stick their tail back between their legs (like our government does) and shut up, because they probably run a lot of MS software.
Personally, I think MS would be smart if they would allow the option to install Windows with or without certain things, rather then just disabling them, much like a Linux distro does. I don't even think you have the option of disabling them now with the XP install.
OK, my uderstanding of this whole thing is that the European market is forcing Microsoft to include other players other then their own in their OS (along with other possiblilities such as opening the source) because the average end user doesn't know how/where to find them. Here's what I don't get. Why do they have to put other software in? I mean, if I go out to a Honda dealership, while I'm looking at an Accord, they don't tell me the specs of a Camry. They sell me a Honda product with Honda accessories. They don't give me the option for a Sony MP3/Ogg/CD player, or a JVC CD player, but they will sell me a CD player that says Honda on it (despite the fact its made by some other company).
On that note, if Real Media wants their software included with the OS so badly, go and make your own OS, or don't develop for Windows. Make only Mac and Linux clients but not Windows. It's not Micrsoft's job or duty to provide you with the other guys software.
What I think the REAL problem is (no pun intended) is that Real Media and Apple both make a shitty player loaded with spyware. Both of them are a bitch to shut off, they even boot up if you tell them not to in msconfig. Until MPC came out with mov and ram codecs for its player, I refused to watch anything in Real Media or Quicktime. It's not Micrsoft's fault they can't make a reliable player that won't crash or take over your computer like they both try to do.
Now as for opening the source, isn't that their desicion? I mean, they own the source code, who is anyone to tell them they HAVE to open it. Just because Windows is the most popular OS doesn't mean that it has to be open. Why should they if they don't want to? IMHO, if Microsoft is forced to open their source to the European market, they should just pull the plug. Don't sell it anymore, revoke all European lisences, and tell them to install Linux. You know for a fact that the general populus would flip. Most of them would flip at the idea. They can barely use Windows let alone learn how to use (hell, even choose a distro) a completely new and different OS. Like it or not, MS has the world by the balls, maybe they need to give them a tug and let them know they can fuck everyone over at the blink of an eye.
OK, last thing. I also don't understand what jurisdiction the European market has over MS. If they are an American based company, how can they order MS to open their source and include other versions of Web Browsers and Media Players.
So, maybe I'm missing a few things, if someone can explain what I'm missing, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.
Actually, I disagree, there are plenty of times when I as a PC user have to put up with anyone who has a Mac bragging about how great for graphics they are, and design and such. It almost sounds like a broken record sometimes. So then when the person who wont shut up about how great his system is for photoshop, and how much faster it is then mine turns to me and says something like "Wow, ET looks really nice, where can I get a copy?" Its extremely hard not to turn around and say "On a Windows or Linux box, why don't you go render something in Final Cut Pro or Photoshop and let me play some video games?"
Now I'll admit I've been on the "Shut up and get a PC" side of things, but I do believe Macs serve their purpose. I just think that some people don't realize that Macs are for design, Windows and/or Linux machines for office and, well, everything else. Lets be honest, Macs can do the things that a Windows box can do, but not as good as a Windows box can, and a Windows box can do what Macs can do, just not as good. If we stop bickering about which is better, and realize that they are different and both serve their purposes, then it will save me a headache...so shut up;-).
On to the question...
Honestly, you're going to have to pay for expesive software if you want to do the things your talking about. You really do get what you pay for. If you really don't want to pay, I'm sure you can get a copy with a key on Usenet or IRC. That IMHO is not the best way to go, but, it IS free and you will get awesome software. Personally, I'm fine with any DVD I make looking like it came from a pr0n studio, but thats just me:-D.
When I used to work for Tech Support for BellSouth FastAccess DSL, we would get calls of people loosing sync. After further investigation, it turns out BellSouth suspected them of spamming via email and they would cancel people's accounts if they thought they were spamming. The only way to get your connection back would be to speak with a rep in the abuse dept. It happended to a friend of mine when a glitch in a Beta version of trillian hit the BellSouth mail servers 1,000,000 times in an hour to check his mail. They still practice this to my knowledge. It's been going on with them for 3 years I think.
Calling us idiots for not using nVidia is pretty lame. The game was made for nVidia as I stated, unless you didn't read that. It says it in the readme, and there is a nVidia plug in the beginning of the game. Also, when the original came out, the ATI's were garbage, so of course it would run better on the currect nVidia's, but now the ATIs are better, but this game was completely optimized for the GeForce. Thats why the GeForce's run it so much better.
Exactly, I just find it amusing when Doom 3 was announced to be optimized on the GeForce 3, and how there is no way it would be able to be done on that hardware...
Right now, the XT is the ultimate card, while the performacne difference is minimal to the 9800 256 MB, the reason I purchased it was for longevity. Games will at some point use 256 MB of VRAM, and I wont need to worry.
Maybe you missed the point I was trying to make. A friend of mine with an nVidia can run the card much better then I can, because the game is optimized for nVidia cards. If the logo at the beginning of the game didn't give it away, maybe you should try reading the ReadMe, which talks about problems with ATI cards. I really didn't need to tell you that, since you think you seem to think you know everything...
Remember when it wa said that Doom 3 would be optimized for the GeForce 3? If I stuck my old GeForce 3 in my computer when Doom 3 comes out, I think my computer would laugh at me, then my video card would jump out, go to the bathroom, and take a shit. There is no way a GeForce 3 will be able to run that with all the pretties.
When a developer says that a game will be optimized for a specific card, they're usually serious. I purchased Deus Ex 2 when i got my nifty Radeon 9800 XT (upgrade from a GeForce 3 Ti 200) and every game that I had before runs amazingly well, but Deus Ex 2 runs horrible. No Anti Aliasing (or Multisampling as they call it), no bloom effect, and at best 1024x768 res. I'm attributing the slowdown to my computer (Athalon XP 1800+, 512 MB PC2100 RAM), but my friend who has a system close to mine and a GeForce 4 Ti 4200 overclocked, runs it much better then me. That was a major kick in the ass from Edios and Ion Storm.
I smell a troll coming for this one, but I really hope you're joking considering you got a "Score 3, Funny"
As a Christian I have to wonder what this is doing to the children who end up playing these games behind their parents' backs (for example at a friend's house who has liberal parents...
As a parent, its your job to monitor what your kids do and see. If they go to a friends house and play Doom 3, or watch Dead Alive then you need to have a talk with the parents about what you feel is appropriate for your childeren. The computer or TV is not a babysitter.
Why can't they make a good quality game about American soldiers hunting down evil terrorists?
I think you mean,
Why can't they make a good quality game about American soldiers invading a country and killing innocent people to find weapons of mass destruction that aren't there?
Non-sarcastically, they did make Return to Castle Wolfenstein where you play as an American soldier in WW2 trying to hunt down Nazi's performing satanic experiments. That should be Christian enough for you.
I've been doing it for 2 years now. They have no way of stopping me. It's my wireless network, how can they stop me? Send an auditor? The people I sell it to will say I give it to them for free.
What I've done is set up a Wireless AP and I sell by DSL connection to my neighbors. I am their tech support, and their ISP. They completely understand that sometimes, the DSL will go down, and it's not my fault, and I offer a full refund for the month. I give them DSL speed (1.2 Mbps) at $30 a month, as opposed to going to an ISP that will charge $50 a month (just dropped to $40 actually). I'm flexable on payments also, as to when they're due, as long as I get it sometime within the month.
The best part is that all they do is sign on AIM, check their e-mail, and surf the web (I ask before I sell, don't want to interrupt my usenet downloads). So as I see it, I'm getting free DSL, along with a small profit on the side, which pays for a night out drinking or something with my friends. It's a sweet deal.
My ISP (ADSL) advertises 1.5 Mbps down over 256 Kbps up. I also work for my ISP and I can tell you that it's impossible to get 1.5 Mbps. The best you can possibly get is 1.2 Mbps. The way they explain this is that what they mean by 1.5 is the sync rate 1472, which is still not 1.5, but its close enough for them. They say the reason you get 1.2 is due to TCP/IP overhead, yet I can get a perfect 256 Kbps upload, with a sync rate of 256 up.
They also refuse to do anything about it because they claim its a best effort service, and they find 700 Kbps down the lowest acceptable speed. So in their eyes, at 1.2, I'm flying.
I work as a contractror for BellSouth repairing and installing DSL. Most of the businesses I go to that run the NT flavor of Windows contract their "IT guy," while companies running the DOS flavor of Windows have a dedicated IT person they hire and pay on a salary.
Maybe its safe to say that Windows 98 is keeping some people with a job because the boss doesn't know any better and will continue to pay an IT guy to troubleshoot what should be dead issues.
I've noticed both Yahoo and MapQuest to have just as many faults. I work as a contractor, and I sometimes see addresses that I have no clue where to find, especially in a place called Hialeah, FL. MapQuest has put me in the wrong zip code, and one time even directed me to the wrong county, while Yahoo manages to usually put me in the right spot, even if it does miss a turn or two occasionally. From the comments, I'm noticing it really depends on where you are. Yahoo seems to be the best for the Miami-Dade and Broward areas of FL, but I can't speak for anywhere else.
Now what would REALLY be nice is if they would ask what time of day you are traveling. There is no way in hell anyone would take a highway down here at 8AM unless they want to be late. If you have an idea of the area, just map the location out, and use known roads to find your way around. That seems to work the best for me...
I kept the tracks because I find it obsurd for me to pay 12 bucks for 1 song, especially the live ones from bands such as Metallica who ALLOW and ENCOURAGE people to come to their shows with tape recorders to listen for their tracks.
I agree with what you say that the RIAA is the group of criminals. In fact, they're stealing from the bands. A band only gets pennies from each album sale, so yes, THEY are the criminals. Unfortunately, thats not how the law sees it, and we all have to abide by the law to garuntee our rights and saftey from the huge congolmerates who control our rights.
The biggest irony is when a local radio station downloaded (yes, they confessed to this on the air) an unmastered version of Metallica's Saint Anger and played it on the air, they were not sued, nor were they sued when the did the same to Limp Bizkit's new song (whatever the hell its called). Again, I stand by my opinion, morally, it's wrong, legally, its right. If you don't like the laws, make a change, write you're senators, write editorials for your local newspaper that try to inform the people, or even go as far as running for a government office. The only other alternative is to leave and go to another country, but that's the quitter's way out, which I refuse to go. Either way, you know my two cents, no use in bitching anymore.
This may be a little redundant, but it is the law. The article said the girl is an honor student, she should of read the EULA which informs her she is purchasing the rights to use KaZaA, not download the music or whatever else she looks for, it is there in black and white. The RIAA's lawsuits aren't anything new and have been going on for a while now, I'm sure her or her parents have heard something about the lawsuites, so it's thier own ignorance that caused this.
I've gotten a few hard to find tracks here and there from KaZaA, but the minute I heard of the lawsuites, I got rid of KaZaA. I don't agree with the RIAA, but I can't criticize them for taking the legal action that they have the right to take. If you had a business, and you felt someone was stealing from you, wouldn't you take legal action? It is unfortunate that it has come to suing a 12 year old girl from the projects who can afford a 30 dollar fee for the service, but I can't side with someone because they got in trouble for thier own ignorance. The RIAA is trying to make an example. They've tried suing old men, and hundreds of other people, maybe people will wake up and realize what they're doing isn't legal, even if it takes a 12 year old girl to prove it
Last time I checked, Pioneer, one of the companies backing -R/RW, started adding support for DVD +R/RW on their recorders. Also, -R/RW seems to be the cheaper media wherever I check. Sadly to say, but it seems the -R/RW may be on its way out the door.
This may seem redundant, and it may seem a bit trollish, but seeing it from the TSR (Technical Support Representative) perspective, we really don't care. I mean, think of it like this, you do have a point, and whats happening should be taken care of, but the guy who answers the phone, is going to think you're just paranoid. If he talks to a supervisor, the supervisor is going to tell you that we are currently fine, and there are no hacks going on, unless of course we have been notified, in which case, we say something like, "Sorry for the inconvience, blah blah blah. We are working with our NOC to resolve the isssue, blah blah blah." As sorry as I am to say it, it's not worth it to use to care. We don't get paid enough, and as employees, we are just treated like garbage, at least at the place I work. Basically, the only thing you can do is send an email to Abuse, or just sit and wait, realizing that there isn't anything we can do. Tech support is really just for the end user that doesn't know any better. Anyone that knows anything is going to have a much harder time with support. Sorry.
Hope you didn't give them you're/. user id and pass.
From the article: For a total rebuild, you make sure again you're fully backed up and know the tech-support numbers and Internet dial-up numbers you might need in a worst-case incident. Then you turn your computer off, put the operating system CD into the drive and turn the computer back on. Following the on-screen instructions, you wipe the hard drive clean and let the operating system reinstall itself from scratch. Choose not to automatically install all the "applications" software if you are given a choice, because you don't want extra programs that you won't ever use. Be picky.
Having worked for Gateway tech support in the past, if someone called telling us that they cant find their Norton, or don't know how to reinstall Word after formatting the drive because they read somewhere that it's a good idea, we were always supposed to tell them to reinstall and automatically install all the applications (why is that in quotes in the article?). Most people who do that and have trouble afterwards are just going to be reformatted anyway if calling tech support.
The idea sounds good. Reminds me of the hotmail system that fowards everything on a safe list to the inbox and everything else to the junk mail folder. The user is then able to allow or deny future mails from that sender. Hopefully more providers will follow in the same direction.
Amazing what teenagers that just got home from school will do for the first/. post. Hey kids, stop spamming slashdot. Maybe you kids should look into getting a girlfriend and let the people who have something intelligent to say post something with meaning...
I ran a couple of tests with LH on my system (Athalon XP 1800, 512 PC2100 DDR, GeForce 3 Ti200). I actually noticed in certain areas speed was better. I upgraded the drivers for all my devices on my XP install and on my LH install. In UT, I managed 60 FPS on LH and 50 FPS on XP. I didn't have time for anymore gaming benchmarks, but I found that interesting.
In terms of glitches, here's what I've seen. 1) In the task manager, it doesn't always show you who is running the application running (IE user, system). 2) When making changes to the desktop, the icons usually disappear, but right clicking and hitting refresh fixes that. 3) When changing the start menu to classic, there is a shortcut for "Activate Longhorn" but it directs you to the wrong path (c:\windows\system32\%USERNAME%\system32\oobe\msoo be.exe).
Thats all that comes to mind for now. I'll see if any other games have the same result. I noticed when booting up, it gets to the GUI quickly enough, but it take a while for all the programs to come up, even with the computer in a selective startup. Also, there seems to be problems isntalling devices, even with MS native drivers.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm probably gonna get ripped for this one, but I like WMP-XP. Yeah, you gotta fix it in gpedit to lock the classic skin and kill the anchor, but once you do that, its great. I hate WMP 9, but the one with XP is really nice as a basic player. It doesn't have a stupid task tray icon, it doesn't boot up with my computer, it doesn't hog my resources, it doesn't try and open everything under the sun even when I tell it not too (quicktime *shudders*).
The fact about Microsoft is this: they didn't obtain their almost monopoly the honest way. Gates did lie, cheat, steal, and all that other good stuff, but the fact is he is winning. It seems to me that 15 years later, everyone is kicking themselves in the ass for turning the other cheek when they were offered bribes and again, all the other good stuff that comes with it. A monster was created, and now they can't clean up their own mess, so they make these bullshit laws so they don't have to clean up their own mess, just work around it. They made their beds, now sleep in them.
Would you really say that 95% of people have never heard of Mac? Lets be honest, in the 80's in every elementary school I went to (about 4 - 5) all had Apple II E's all over the place. Computer labs filled with them, and at least 1 in every classroom (sometimes 5 depending on the teachers use of them in the classroom). It honestly wasn't until Windows 95 and middle school that I ever touched a Windows based machine. I don't know how it is in Europe, but if MS pulled the plug, most of my generation would think Mac also, and they would think it over Linux because it was our intro to computers.
Well, they wouldn't go for Linux, they would go for Apple instead because Apple have the muscle to market themselves as a Windows alternative in such a situation, the Linux distros do not. This has obvious consequences for major US tech companies such as Dell and Intel who would see a market of 400 million people disappear over the course of a year.
Would they really? I think most people would be forced to Linux. Not everyone can afford $1500+ for a completely new machine when for free they can get Red Hat or Mandrake. The fact is, people wouldn't want to abbandon their current hardware because their governments didn't agree with the way MS does business, and they would want an alternative so they could keep their existing hardware. The truth is, Linux enthusiasts would be thrilled because a lot of games would have to be made for Linux also to keep up with the Market. It would really even out the market, assuming the people would stand for switching, but the truth is most people won't switch they won't know how. On top of that, the amount of money and business that would be lost from business that would now be forced to switch. They would not be happy with their governments forcing a migration to a new platform. On the upside though, the IT industry would BOOM there, and I'm sure people from America would be moving to Euro to find high paying jobs with the amount of demand a move like that would generate.
If I went and murdered some poor sap in Wisconsin, could I claim that the US courts didn't have authority because I'm a European based human?
Point taken, but you are in American soil commiting a crime in America, you will be charged just as I will in Europe. What I'm saying though is that couldn't MS just tell the European government that this is their product, and if they don't want to use it as is, they can go to hell. At that point the government can either stick their tail back between their legs (like our government does) and shut up, because they probably run a lot of MS software.
Personally, I think MS would be smart if they would allow the option to install Windows with or without certain things, rather then just disabling them, much like a Linux distro does. I don't even think you have the option of disabling them now with the XP install.
On that note, if Real Media wants their software included with the OS so badly, go and make your own OS, or don't develop for Windows. Make only Mac and Linux clients but not Windows. It's not Micrsoft's job or duty to provide you with the other guys software.
What I think the REAL problem is (no pun intended) is that Real Media and Apple both make a shitty player loaded with spyware. Both of them are a bitch to shut off, they even boot up if you tell them not to in msconfig. Until MPC came out with mov and ram codecs for its player, I refused to watch anything in Real Media or Quicktime. It's not Micrsoft's fault they can't make a reliable player that won't crash or take over your computer like they both try to do.
Now as for opening the source, isn't that their desicion? I mean, they own the source code, who is anyone to tell them they HAVE to open it. Just because Windows is the most popular OS doesn't mean that it has to be open. Why should they if they don't want to? IMHO, if Microsoft is forced to open their source to the European market, they should just pull the plug. Don't sell it anymore, revoke all European lisences, and tell them to install Linux. You know for a fact that the general populus would flip. Most of them would flip at the idea. They can barely use Windows let alone learn how to use (hell, even choose a distro) a completely new and different OS. Like it or not, MS has the world by the balls, maybe they need to give them a tug and let them know they can fuck everyone over at the blink of an eye.
OK, last thing. I also don't understand what jurisdiction the European market has over MS. If they are an American based company, how can they order MS to open their source and include other versions of Web Browsers and Media Players.
So, maybe I'm missing a few things, if someone can explain what I'm missing, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.
Thank you, I appreciate the compliment, but this story is old news, so it probably won't get modded up anytime soon.
Now I'll admit I've been on the "Shut up and get a PC" side of things, but I do believe Macs serve their purpose. I just think that some people don't realize that Macs are for design, Windows and/or Linux machines for office and, well, everything else. Lets be honest, Macs can do the things that a Windows box can do, but not as good as a Windows box can, and a Windows box can do what Macs can do, just not as good. If we stop bickering about which is better, and realize that they are different and both serve their purposes, then it will save me a headache...so shut up ;-).
On to the question... :-D.
Honestly, you're going to have to pay for expesive software if you want to do the things your talking about. You really do get what you pay for. If you really don't want to pay, I'm sure you can get a copy with a key on Usenet or IRC. That IMHO is not the best way to go, but, it IS free and you will get awesome software. Personally, I'm fine with any DVD I make looking like it came from a pr0n studio, but thats just me
When I used to work for Tech Support for BellSouth FastAccess DSL, we would get calls of people loosing sync. After further investigation, it turns out BellSouth suspected them of spamming via email and they would cancel people's accounts if they thought they were spamming. The only way to get your connection back would be to speak with a rep in the abuse dept. It happended to a friend of mine when a glitch in a Beta version of trillian hit the BellSouth mail servers 1,000,000 times in an hour to check his mail. They still practice this to my knowledge. It's been going on with them for 3 years I think.
Calling us idiots for not using nVidia is pretty lame. The game was made for nVidia as I stated, unless you didn't read that. It says it in the readme, and there is a nVidia plug in the beginning of the game. Also, when the original came out, the ATI's were garbage, so of course it would run better on the currect nVidia's, but now the ATIs are better, but this game was completely optimized for the GeForce. Thats why the GeForce's run it so much better.
Exactly, I just find it amusing when Doom 3 was announced to be optimized on the GeForce 3, and how there is no way it would be able to be done on that hardware...
Right now, the XT is the ultimate card, while the performacne difference is minimal to the 9800 256 MB, the reason I purchased it was for longevity. Games will at some point use 256 MB of VRAM, and I wont need to worry.
Maybe you missed the point I was trying to make. A friend of mine with an nVidia can run the card much better then I can, because the game is optimized for nVidia cards. If the logo at the beginning of the game didn't give it away, maybe you should try reading the ReadMe, which talks about problems with ATI cards. I really didn't need to tell you that, since you think you seem to think you know everything...
Remember when it wa said that Doom 3 would be optimized for the GeForce 3? If I stuck my old GeForce 3 in my computer when Doom 3 comes out, I think my computer would laugh at me, then my video card would jump out, go to the bathroom, and take a shit. There is no way a GeForce 3 will be able to run that with all the pretties.
When a developer says that a game will be optimized for a specific card, they're usually serious. I purchased Deus Ex 2 when i got my nifty Radeon 9800 XT (upgrade from a GeForce 3 Ti 200) and every game that I had before runs amazingly well, but Deus Ex 2 runs horrible. No Anti Aliasing (or Multisampling as they call it), no bloom effect, and at best 1024x768 res. I'm attributing the slowdown to my computer (Athalon XP 1800+, 512 MB PC2100 RAM), but my friend who has a system close to mine and a GeForce 4 Ti 4200 overclocked, runs it much better then me. That was a major kick in the ass from Edios and Ion Storm.
As a Christian I have to wonder what this is doing to the children who end up playing these games behind their parents' backs (for example at a friend's house who has liberal parents...
As a parent, its your job to monitor what your kids do and see. If they go to a friends house and play Doom 3, or watch Dead Alive then you need to have a talk with the parents about what you feel is appropriate for your childeren. The computer or TV is not a babysitter.
Why can't they make a good quality game about American soldiers hunting down evil terrorists?
I think you mean,
Non-sarcastically, they did make Return to Castle Wolfenstein where you play as an American soldier in WW2 trying to hunt down Nazi's performing satanic experiments. That should be Christian enough for you.
I've been doing it for 2 years now. They have no way of stopping me. It's my wireless network, how can they stop me? Send an auditor? The people I sell it to will say I give it to them for free.
The best part is that all they do is sign on AIM, check their e-mail, and surf the web (I ask before I sell, don't want to interrupt my usenet downloads). So as I see it, I'm getting free DSL, along with a small profit on the side, which pays for a night out drinking or something with my friends. It's a sweet deal.
They also refuse to do anything about it because they claim its a best effort service, and they find 700 Kbps down the lowest acceptable speed. So in their eyes, at 1.2, I'm flying.
Lying Bastards
I work as a contractror for BellSouth repairing and installing DSL. Most of the businesses I go to that run the NT flavor of Windows contract their "IT guy," while companies running the DOS flavor of Windows have a dedicated IT person they hire and pay on a salary.
Maybe its safe to say that Windows 98 is keeping some people with a job because the boss doesn't know any better and will continue to pay an IT guy to troubleshoot what should be dead issues.
Now what would REALLY be nice is if they would ask what time of day you are traveling. There is no way in hell anyone would take a highway down here at 8AM unless they want to be late. If you have an idea of the area, just map the location out, and use known roads to find your way around. That seems to work the best for me...
I agree with what you say that the RIAA is the group of criminals. In fact, they're stealing from the bands. A band only gets pennies from each album sale, so yes, THEY are the criminals. Unfortunately, thats not how the law sees it, and we all have to abide by the law to garuntee our rights and saftey from the huge congolmerates who control our rights.
The biggest irony is when a local radio station downloaded (yes, they confessed to this on the air) an unmastered version of Metallica's Saint Anger and played it on the air, they were not sued, nor were they sued when the did the same to Limp Bizkit's new song (whatever the hell its called). Again, I stand by my opinion, morally, it's wrong, legally, its right. If you don't like the laws, make a change, write you're senators, write editorials for your local newspaper that try to inform the people, or even go as far as running for a government office. The only other alternative is to leave and go to another country, but that's the quitter's way out, which I refuse to go. Either way, you know my two cents, no use in bitching anymore.
Again, troll me if you must...
I've gotten a few hard to find tracks here and there from KaZaA, but the minute I heard of the lawsuites, I got rid of KaZaA. I don't agree with the RIAA, but I can't criticize them for taking the legal action that they have the right to take. If you had a business, and you felt someone was stealing from you, wouldn't you take legal action? It is unfortunate that it has come to suing a 12 year old girl from the projects who can afford a 30 dollar fee for the service, but I can't side with someone because they got in trouble for thier own ignorance. The RIAA is trying to make an example. They've tried suing old men, and hundreds of other people, maybe people will wake up and realize what they're doing isn't legal, even if it takes a 12 year old girl to prove it
Thats all, troll me if you must.
Last time I checked, Pioneer, one of the companies backing -R/RW, started adding support for DVD +R/RW on their recorders. Also, -R/RW seems to be the cheaper media wherever I check. Sadly to say, but it seems the -R/RW may be on its way out the door.
Hope you didn't give them you're /. user id and pass.
For a total rebuild, you make sure again you're fully backed up and know the tech-support numbers and Internet dial-up numbers you might need in a worst-case incident. Then you turn your computer off, put the operating system CD into the drive and turn the computer back on. Following the on-screen instructions, you wipe the hard drive clean and let the operating system reinstall itself from scratch. Choose not to automatically install all the "applications" software if you are given a choice, because you don't want extra programs that you won't ever use. Be picky.
Having worked for Gateway tech support in the past, if someone called telling us that they cant find their Norton, or don't know how to reinstall Word after formatting the drive because they read somewhere that it's a good idea, we were always supposed to tell them to reinstall and automatically install all the applications (why is that in quotes in the article?). Most people who do that and have trouble afterwards are just going to be reformatted anyway if calling tech support.
The idea sounds good. Reminds me of the hotmail system that fowards everything on a safe list to the inbox and everything else to the junk mail folder. The user is then able to allow or deny future mails from that sender. Hopefully more providers will follow in the same direction.
Amazing what teenagers that just got home from school will do for the first /. post. Hey kids, stop spamming slashdot. Maybe you kids should look into getting a girlfriend and let the people who have something intelligent to say post something with meaning...
I ran a couple of tests with LH on my system (Athalon XP 1800, 512 PC2100 DDR, GeForce 3 Ti200). I actually noticed in certain areas speed was better. I upgraded the drivers for all my devices on my XP install and on my LH install. In UT, I managed 60 FPS on LH and 50 FPS on XP. I didn't have time for anymore gaming benchmarks, but I found that interesting. In terms of glitches, here's what I've seen. 1) In the task manager, it doesn't always show you who is running the application running (IE user, system). 2) When making changes to the desktop, the icons usually disappear, but right clicking and hitting refresh fixes that. 3) When changing the start menu to classic, there is a shortcut for "Activate Longhorn" but it directs you to the wrong path (c:\windows\system32\%USERNAME%\system32\oobe\msoo be.exe).
Thats all that comes to mind for now. I'll see if any other games have the same result. I noticed when booting up, it gets to the GUI quickly enough, but it take a while for all the programs to come up, even with the computer in a selective startup. Also, there seems to be problems isntalling devices, even with MS native drivers.