Yes, I know that Stallman is not 'the face of Linux'. But he is a very public figure that will NOT appeal to most businesses/governments. (Which he is undoubtably happy about.) But he does given the Open Source movement a lot of its 'hippy freaks' reputation.
Secondly, getting people involved in decisions is important. Hell, where I work they can't even move the water cooler without causing some sort of big uproar...and with good reason, because when they tried it, the new location didn't work for a couple of reasons that nobody anticipated.
While server software seems like something that only the IT group needs to worry about, businesses/governments are just used to getting a larger concensus for every decision. They have learned this through time as being an effective method of operation. It may not be as efficient, but it is far less risky.
If you want to really make inroads, you need to know how to play the game.
Did your acquaintence actually expect that a government agency would accept the solution that he 'quietly installed'?
Large organizations, and especially governments, do not work that way.
You need to work WITH the organization. Yes, that means meetings. Yes, that means you have to convince people who may not really know much about what you are doing. That means that you may need to convince the manager of a completely un-releated department who you don't think should be involved at all.
That is how decisions are made in big organizations. Microsoft understands that- and they are willing to make the effort. They know they need to be up-front and willing to meet with, explain to, and evangelize with anybody who holds decision making power.
To make inroads at a lot of these big organizations, Linux needs a public face that the organizations can relate to.
Many independent sources tell us that experiencing current high-def games on a regular TV makes it near impossible to see everything clearly. That means the majority of homes are experiencing something lesser than what they bargained for.
Do these independent (crack addict) sources not understand that you CAN switch your resolution to 480i with the current consoles that support HD?
On the 360 the games look fine...good...even 'great' (excluding King Kong).
Having the option of going HD doesn't mean that 480i gets worse.
I've gone through a lot of headphones- including Koss, and I don't think that anything will last 'for life.'
My problem is always the same, the stupid black foam starts to break down...then I'm stuck with black foam crap on my ears.
My last set of Koss were the faux leather ones...so first the outside part had to breakdown, then the foam on the inside. Took about 2 years.
Every Sony product I used has broken down earlier. Right now I am working on Sennheisens (sp) hopefully they work out a little better.
But one other big factor for me- is always the length of the cord. I want something in the 9+ foot range, because I hate to be too closely tethered to my desk. These new headphones are great in that aspect too.
A lot of people find the keyboard and mouse combo to be so good...because that is what they are used to. How much time did they spend with a mouse before playing their first game? Lots of practice is what makes it so good.
Play with a controller for a while, get the practice in...and the control is just as good.
when I started on my Xbox 4 years ago, I thought the controller was an abomination for a first person shooter. Now, when I go back to my PC, I can't stand it- I'd rather play with the controller.
5 of them were from Xbox Live Arcade. In fact, Mutant Storm is one of the best games I have played for a long, long time.
Still looking for someone to go multiplayer with though...my daughter can only play for about 3 minutes before she tells me I am wasting time with brainless activity, and she won't be a part of it.
Damn kids- always trying to do something productive with their lives.
HA! This is so true...and when it happens, it makes me sick.
I work at a large university. My start in IT began in a non-IT department, and I had to work with the IT people all the time. To them it was a game to try to stop any progress I wanted to make.
They would make me wait months just to add a column to a table in a database that only I used.
They took 2 years to 'investigate' moving from a flat table database (FoxPro) to a relational database (Visual FoxPro) but never migrated anything on the production server, because they were worried about incompatibilities. (FoxPro/Visual FoxPro were the only options they gave me)
I could list dozens of things- but their prevailing attitude was that I was an outsider, and only the IT group should be doing any IT work. I wouldn't have even started doing the work if they had been effective.
Well, now I've moved up, and I head a different programming department. The lessons I learned at my previous position have been serving me well. A little too well in fact- other people who have to deal that those other IT people are coming to me just to get a little server space...even from the other department.
I don't know, but I see IT (especially at a University) as a group that should facilitate others in doing their work- not hinder them.
Okay, so I'm bitching, but this stuff happens. And the sys admins get away with it because their boss doesn't understand what the job entails.
Now, if we were at war with some country that had lots of large military targets (preferably full of explosive material) it would be an awesome war.
There just isn't much glory in rounding up old men and trying to figure out which one of them is actually the bad guy. War isn't the problem, Iraq is the problem. And Afganistan...and every other place we fight. Every evil despot out there (except for Saddam) is smart enough not to line up tanks and fight with us toe to toe. They can do more damage with a camera, a website, and a few well-chosen civilian targets (ours or theirs) hostage journalists or crazy suicide bombers than they could with the world's arsenal of aging Soviet tools of conventional war.
And if we ever do get into another war with a real military power, we will be so fucked ('we' meaning the entire world) that even that kind of war would suck ass.
War used to be cool...it just isn't any more. That's why I play Call of Duty 2...now that was a man's war (with nice French countrysides thrown in just for looks.)
But, sucking off the public's tit at a defense contractor isn't such a bad thing.
Playing first person shooters (Perfect Dark Zero, No One Lives Forever, Psi-Ops) I always like it when the main character is a woman.
That way on the cut scenes I get to 'check out a hot chick.'
I have no sense of the idea that I am actually this person while playing...it is just that I would rather watch a woman, than a man.
(No, I am not trying to hide some sort of latent homosexuality by making this post...I really do like to watch women...but there is nothing sweeter than caressing a man's hairy ass-cheeks...now THAT my friends is HOT)
Really- I am....but, I was wondering if you wanted to say that they were firing blanks...or if you wanted to say
-They can't get it up -Premature ejaculation
Or something like that. Hey, firing blanks sometimes just happens- it doesn't mean that the guy has a bad sex life or anything, just that there is a problem with the plumbing.
That's the first part of your post that caught my eye...
Then I noticed that you are basically saying that the only sex you should brag about is the sex that successfully makes children.
Well, maybe you are into a form or religion that preaches this, but I think that most guys would argue with you. The best sex is the fun stuff, the saturday afternoon 'lets just lay around the house and screw' sex.
When women WANT to get pregnant, sex turns into something totally different (admit it guys...at this point it just isn't fun). They'll say when and how, and how often they want it. And you better be ready, or they'll be pissed. I wasn't always shooting blanks...I remember these days.
Yes, the better sex is the 'no purpose except that it feels good' kind.
Actually, the fact that I need to post the information here (that Xbox Live does not require credit cards) just means that there are a lot of chuckleheads on Slashdot who like to spout mis-information.
Okay, a few responses- which of course are just my opinion:
Call of Duty 2 - Great game. Plays fine on controller for people used to the controller. I prefer it over a keyboard and mouse personally. PLUS it has 4 person split-screen play, which is a lot of fun when you have people over. (Although it does NOT have split-screen system link play, which is totally retarded)
PGR3 - Great game. Not just for sim fans- but not pure arcade racing either. I enjoyed it, it was a really good game. Playing on-line is a pain because everyone seems to think they are some sort of racing pro. This is the only game where I have ever 'earned' negative feedback...because I am not very good, and I crashed into other people.
Kameo - Hated it. I need to sell this lemon before the price drops too low.
Geometry Wars - great game. For every jerkoff who says 'games used to be about gameplay' this one is for you. (Those same tools would also be served well by other Live Arcade games) The game is great, but I would prefer something deeper, richer, and 3d. But for a $5 2d shoot-em-up, this is a damn good one.
PDZ - It's okay. Nothing special. The two Rare games on the 360 were both money wasted in my opinion. (My $100, and Microsoft's $500,000,000)
But overall, I really like the 360. Call of Duty 2, and PGR are great. PDZ and Geometry Wars are good fillers to keep me from thinking that there are only 2 decent games. I am looking forward to more games in the future, but DOA 4 just isn't my style of game.
I'm looking for Links (hopefully) Top Spin, maybe a Crimson Skies, Halo 3 of course, and others. I am also looking forward to either Full Auto, or Burnout...whichever one hits first probably.
1 good game a month would be enough for me. I think they started with 2 great games, and two others that are okay, none of the others were anywhere on my radar.
I'm actually mildly intrigued by Elder Scrolls: Oblivion...even though my opinion is that Diablo II is about as much RPG as I need. I might try that out.
For this to be a valid idea, they would have to change things around a little bit. Maybe start selling Xbox 360s sometime in early October- but only release a few of them. Get the public's appetite up.
Keep up the shortage through Thanksgiving weekend, and into early December.
Then, in mid-December, once everyone knows this is the 'hard to get, must-have Xmas item' release a ton of them, allowing everyone to buy one- thinking they are getting something special.
Now that would have possibly worked.
But, a fake shortage all the way through the Christmas season, on into January, would just be stupid. 360's would have flown off the shelves in December for Xmas gifts. The demand would be much lower now.
Do you think they are waiting for the big February rush?
Or, does Microsoft figure that selling fewer consoles, but making it a cachet item, would be better for their bottom line?
Microsoft is a business, and there is no business reason to withhold your product from the marketplace during the biggest season.
When I go to the arcade, I like that game where you shoot japanese gangsters, then you duck behind cars, tables, etc. etc.
I even like to play DDR at home.
But my lazy ass would rather sit in a chair, and move my thumbs, than jump around my living room kicking the crap about of some girl with big tits. Whoops...this is Nintendo, I mean Princess Peach.
The idea is cool, but it does not appeal to me as anything more than a novelty.
I'm currently playing through Perfect Dark Zero. I think the cutscenes are pretty good, and it looks almost exactly like the game engine used while playing. (It might be the same engine, but the camera angles are different)
They actually did something pretty cool when the camera zooms into the back of Joanna's head, and takes you into the first person mode.
And- you can skip the scenes the second time- but not the first. But they are generally pretty short.
Slashdot Mirror
Whoops, I need to add a little bit...
Yes, I know that Stallman is not 'the face of Linux'. But he is a very public figure that will NOT appeal to most businesses/governments. (Which he is undoubtably happy about.) But he does given the Open Source movement a lot of its 'hippy freaks' reputation.
Secondly, getting people involved in decisions is important. Hell, where I work they can't even move the water cooler without causing some sort of big uproar...and with good reason, because when they tried it, the new location didn't work for a couple of reasons that nobody anticipated.
While server software seems like something that only the IT group needs to worry about, businesses/governments are just used to getting a larger concensus for every decision. They have learned this through time as being an effective method of operation. It may not be as efficient, but it is far less risky.
If you want to really make inroads, you need to know how to play the game.
Did your acquaintence actually expect that a government agency would accept the solution that he 'quietly installed'?
Large organizations, and especially governments, do not work that way.
You need to work WITH the organization. Yes, that means meetings. Yes, that means you have to convince people who may not really know much about what you are doing. That means that you may need to convince the manager of a completely un-releated department who you don't think should be involved at all.
That is how decisions are made in big organizations. Microsoft understands that- and they are willing to make the effort. They know they need to be up-front and willing to meet with, explain to, and evangelize with anybody who holds decision making power.
To make inroads at a lot of these big organizations, Linux needs a public face that the organizations can relate to.
And no, Richard Stallman just won't cut it....
Actually it takes about 15 seconds to 'disable all that crap' (okay, 15 seconds and a re-start)
Start->Run 'msconfig'
Go to 'Services' tab
Un-check 'themes'
Save it and choose whether or not to re-start.
Blue stuff will be gone.
Many independent sources tell us that experiencing current high-def games on a regular TV makes it near impossible to see everything clearly. That means the majority of homes are experiencing something lesser than what they bargained for.
Do these independent (crack addict) sources not understand that you CAN switch your resolution to 480i with the current consoles that support HD?
On the 360 the games look fine...good...even 'great' (excluding King Kong).
Having the option of going HD doesn't mean that 480i gets worse.
Unless you work in Nintendo marketing of course.
I've gone through a lot of headphones- including Koss, and I don't think that anything will last 'for life.'
My problem is always the same, the stupid black foam starts to break down...then I'm stuck with black foam crap on my ears.
My last set of Koss were the faux leather ones...so first the outside part had to breakdown, then the foam on the inside. Took about 2 years.
Every Sony product I used has broken down earlier. Right now I am working on Sennheisens (sp) hopefully they work out a little better.
But one other big factor for me- is always the length of the cord. I want something in the 9+ foot range, because I hate to be too closely tethered to my desk. These new headphones are great in that aspect too.
After playing hundreds of PGR3 games online, I have yet to see the game (not the cars, the game) crash.
Where are you getting this info?
I agree 100%.
A lot of people find the keyboard and mouse combo to be so good...because that is what they are used to. How much time did they spend with a mouse before playing their first game? Lots of practice is what makes it so good.
Play with a controller for a while, get the practice in...and the control is just as good.
when I started on my Xbox 4 years ago, I thought the controller was an abomination for a first person shooter. Now, when I go back to my PC, I can't stand it- I'd rather play with the controller.
Whoops...forgot to mention, most of these games are FUN.
Except Bejeweled...I don't know what I was thinking on that one....
I've bought 9 games so far on my Xbox.
5 of them were from Xbox Live Arcade. In fact, Mutant Storm is one of the best games I have played for a long, long time.
Still looking for someone to go multiplayer with though...my daughter can only play for about 3 minutes before she tells me I am wasting time with brainless activity, and she won't be a part of it.
Damn kids- always trying to do something productive with their lives.
In the past few years, I have only knowingly run 1 piece of Sony software.
It was the music manager for my NetMD mini-disc.
It sucked such big hairy balls, that I would never touch Sony software again.
They took great hardware (the mini disc) and ruined it beyond any possibility of use by having such crap software.
that's all...just a complaint
HA! This is so true...and when it happens, it makes me sick.
I work at a large university. My start in IT began in a non-IT department, and I had to work with the IT people all the time. To them it was a game to try to stop any progress I wanted to make.
They would make me wait months just to add a column to a table in a database that only I used.
They took 2 years to 'investigate' moving from a flat table database (FoxPro) to a relational database (Visual FoxPro) but never migrated anything on the production server, because they were worried about incompatibilities. (FoxPro/Visual FoxPro were the only options they gave me)
I could list dozens of things- but their prevailing attitude was that I was an outsider, and only the IT group should be doing any IT work. I wouldn't have even started doing the work if they had been effective.
Well, now I've moved up, and I head a different programming department. The lessons I learned at my previous position have been serving me well. A little too well in fact- other people who have to deal that those other IT people are coming to me just to get a little server space...even from the other department.
I don't know, but I see IT (especially at a University) as a group that should facilitate others in doing their work- not hinder them.
Okay, so I'm bitching, but this stuff happens. And the sys admins get away with it because their boss doesn't understand what the job entails.
That's because our current war is idiotic.
Now, if we were at war with some country that had lots of large military targets (preferably full of explosive material) it would be an awesome war.
There just isn't much glory in rounding up old men and trying to figure out which one of them is actually the bad guy. War isn't the problem, Iraq is the problem. And Afganistan...and every other place we fight. Every evil despot out there (except for Saddam) is smart enough not to line up tanks and fight with us toe to toe. They can do more damage with a camera, a website, and a few well-chosen civilian targets (ours or theirs) hostage journalists or crazy suicide bombers than they could with the world's arsenal of aging Soviet tools of conventional war.
And if we ever do get into another war with a real military power, we will be so fucked ('we' meaning the entire world) that even that kind of war would suck ass.
War used to be cool...it just isn't any more. That's why I play Call of Duty 2...now that was a man's war (with nice French countrysides thrown in just for looks.)
But, sucking off the public's tit at a defense contractor isn't such a bad thing.
Ummm...I guess you don't keep up on tech news much.
IBM no longer produces the Thinkpad, Lenovo does.
Whoops...
For those who actually played Psi-Ops, you know that the main character was a guy.
But after you finish the game, you have the option to play as the woman...which I did...
Playing first person shooters (Perfect Dark Zero, No One Lives Forever, Psi-Ops) I always like it when the main character is a woman.
That way on the cut scenes I get to 'check out a hot chick.'
I have no sense of the idea that I am actually this person while playing...it is just that I would rather watch a woman, than a man.
(No, I am not trying to hide some sort of latent homosexuality by making this post...I really do like to watch women...but there is nothing sweeter than caressing a man's hairy ass-cheeks...now THAT my friends is HOT)
I'm firing blanks you insensitive clod!
Really- I am....but, I was wondering if you wanted to say that they were firing blanks...or if you wanted to say
-They can't get it up
-Premature ejaculation
Or something like that. Hey, firing blanks sometimes just happens- it doesn't mean that the guy has a bad sex life or anything, just that there is a problem with the plumbing.
That's the first part of your post that caught my eye...
Then I noticed that you are basically saying that the only sex you should brag about is the sex that successfully makes children.
Well, maybe you are into a form or religion that preaches this, but I think that most guys would argue with you. The best sex is the fun stuff, the saturday afternoon 'lets just lay around the house and screw' sex.
When women WANT to get pregnant, sex turns into something totally different (admit it guys...at this point it just isn't fun). They'll say when and how, and how often they want it. And you better be ready, or they'll be pissed. I wasn't always shooting blanks...I remember these days.
Yes, the better sex is the 'no purpose except that it feels good' kind.
Actually, the fact that I need to post the information here (that Xbox Live does not require credit cards) just means that there are a lot of chuckleheads on Slashdot who like to spout mis-information.
I wanted to correct one of them.
You are incorrect regarding getting on Xbox Live.
Go to a major electronics retailer, and you can buy access to Xbox Live with cash, or even a check!
You can buy your yearly update, or even load your account with more credits this way.
You do NOT need a credit card to use Live.
Okay, a few responses- which of course are just my opinion:
Call of Duty 2 - Great game. Plays fine on controller for people used to the controller. I prefer it over a keyboard and mouse personally. PLUS it has 4 person split-screen play, which is a lot of fun when you have people over. (Although it does NOT have split-screen system link play, which is totally retarded)
PGR3 - Great game. Not just for sim fans- but not pure arcade racing either. I enjoyed it, it was a really good game. Playing on-line is a pain because everyone seems to think they are some sort of racing pro. This is the only game where I have ever 'earned' negative feedback...because I am not very good, and I crashed into other people.
Kameo - Hated it. I need to sell this lemon before the price drops too low.
Geometry Wars - great game. For every jerkoff who says 'games used to be about gameplay' this one is for you. (Those same tools would also be served well by other Live Arcade games) The game is great, but I would prefer something deeper, richer, and 3d. But for a $5 2d shoot-em-up, this is a damn good one.
PDZ - It's okay. Nothing special. The two Rare games on the 360 were both money wasted in my opinion. (My $100, and Microsoft's $500,000,000)
But overall, I really like the 360. Call of Duty 2, and PGR are great. PDZ and Geometry Wars are good fillers to keep me from thinking that there are only 2 decent games. I am looking forward to more games in the future, but DOA 4 just isn't my style of game.
I'm looking for Links (hopefully) Top Spin, maybe a Crimson Skies, Halo 3 of course, and others. I am also looking forward to either Full Auto, or Burnout...whichever one hits first probably.
1 good game a month would be enough for me. I think they started with 2 great games, and two others that are okay, none of the others were anywhere on my radar.
I'm actually mildly intrigued by Elder Scrolls: Oblivion...even though my opinion is that Diablo II is about as much RPG as I need. I might try that out.
Your plan might work, but the timing was off.
For this to be a valid idea, they would have to change things around a little bit. Maybe start selling Xbox 360s sometime in early October- but only release a few of them. Get the public's appetite up.
Keep up the shortage through Thanksgiving weekend, and into early December.
Then, in mid-December, once everyone knows this is the 'hard to get, must-have Xmas item' release a ton of them, allowing everyone to buy one- thinking they are getting something special.
Now that would have possibly worked.
But, a fake shortage all the way through the Christmas season, on into January, would just be stupid. 360's would have flown off the shelves in December for Xmas gifts. The demand would be much lower now.
Do you think they are waiting for the big February rush?
Or, does Microsoft figure that selling fewer consoles, but making it a cachet item, would be better for their bottom line?
Microsoft is a business, and there is no business reason to withhold your product from the marketplace during the biggest season.
When I go to the arcade, I like that game where you shoot japanese gangsters, then you duck behind cars, tables, etc. etc.
I even like to play DDR at home.
But my lazy ass would rather sit in a chair, and move my thumbs, than jump around my living room kicking the crap about of some girl with big tits. Whoops...this is Nintendo, I mean Princess Peach.
The idea is cool, but it does not appeal to me as anything more than a novelty.
Southeastern New Mexico?
Just by geography, it is clear that YOU are not representative of the average American.
I'm currently playing through Perfect Dark Zero. I think the cutscenes are pretty good, and it looks almost exactly like the game engine used while playing. (It might be the same engine, but the camera angles are different)
They actually did something pretty cool when the camera zooms into the back of Joanna's head, and takes you into the first person mode.
And- you can skip the scenes the second time- but not the first. But they are generally pretty short.
Well, I am not a genius enough guy to do it myself...
But what about comparing Project Gotham 2, to Project Gotham 3?
Since PGR 3 is considered to be one of the better looking Xbox 360 titles, it might make a good comparison.
Or, Call of Duty vs. Call of Duty 2.
Or the converse of that, is that you are poor.
$400 is almost your rent?
Where do you live, Alabama?