From a business culture perspective, I believe the software just has to work. My experience is limited to specialized industries like health care and residential construction software. In both industries, tech savy end users are in the minority. Even so, those tech savy users still want software that is easy to use...intuitive, if you will. Working with computer aided estimating and project management software, a lot of our end users want to be able to perform very complex tasks with very little effort. Once I get too technical for a customer (no matter how tech savy), the majority lose interest very quickly. Their specialty is construction...or health care, not information systems or the inner complexities of ECM philosophies. In the end, they just want it to work but that doesn't mean they don't want complex capabilities.
In some cases, customers don't know what they want. However, these are usually cases that demand some kind of massive change in business processes. An unwillingness to change business processes has to be the most difficult thing I've ever encountered in end users. And if the users are willing, that doesn't mean the protocols or standards that they have to follow will be any more co-operative. Until users and protocols are more flexible and adaptive to change then the demand for software that 'just works' won't diminish.
The Internet is one of the primary reasons to own a computer for many users today. My career is in information technology and most of the time I'm only using my home system for Internet functions. The question about why you would need Microsoft when you have a broadband connection is interesting but, as has been mentioned, leaves out the crucial aspect of the operating system. People are too comfortable with Windows. Dell likes Windows, Gateway likes Windows...everybody distributes Windows...except Wal-Mart...occassionally. Firefox is great, Gmail is really great, but they all have to run on an OS and that OS has to be and I emphasize this...'user friendly'. Some can pick up a OSS operating system and just start using it but definitely not the majority of the market share that has made Windows such a dominant force. Jobs told Gates that Apple was better than Microsoft and Gates told him to some effect "That doesn't matter." (Or something like that) He's right. If you want to crush Microsoft go for it, but good luck. The only reason the Xbox has survived is because they can afford to take hits in major areas and just keep pumping the money into the projects. Heck, the superstar of the Xbox (Halo) was orginially Apple's. Until user-awareness reaches a point where mulitple operating system's have a fighting chance on the user-friendliness ground, Microsoft will continue rolling.
22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church- 30for we are members of his body. 31"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." 32This is a profound mystery-but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
That is what the Bible teaches and if both women and men followed those principles then the household would be a better place. The responsibility does not depend completely on women to be submissive but for men to give themselves up for their wives as well. Being submissive doesn't mean weak or unequal. Its about a wife respecting the role given to a man by God. Not because a woman is incapable of performing the same duties as a man but because that is the role God gave him. Man has that role not based on his own worthiness of it but because God has given them that great responsibility. Every man should look on that responsibility with great fear and trembling.
And don't think this is some horrible concept to women. There are thousands of women out there today who are looking for men who get this.
All have sinned, all need forgiveness, Jesus is the only way, call on Him and be saved.
This seems to me to be a bit off-topic but eh oh well.
see it as a neccessary precursor to the rapture
That wouldn't be the only reason. Biblical teachings illustrate how Israel is still God's chosen country because of the promises he made to Abraham. An illustration that exemplifies how Christians long for Israel to be treated can be seen in the Old Testament when David (annointed king-to-be) was being hunted down by Saul (king at the moment). Even though David had several opportunites to harm Saul, he did not raise his hand against Saul because Saul was still God's annointed. Basically its out of respect for God's annointing of the country that Chrisitians desire to minister to it and support it.
That doesn't mean we don't care about the misgivings within Israel and that we don't try to remind them of the truths in Scripture, but we do not want to see our country raise its proverbial arm against God's annointed.
1 Samuel 24:6
He said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD's anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD."
The MPAA and other instiutions campaigning for the downfall of some BitTorrent sites could only gain strength from sites such as those shown in the article today. To have BitTorrent sites out there showing that the moderators can...and do...actively control the type of content that is distributed on their TorrentSites only strengthens arguments against illegal Torrent sites. While those sites may claim they are not the root of the problem that they are only a passive medium through which questionable (read...illegal) content may (read...most often the case) be distributed. Now the music and movie businesses of the world can go to Torrentacracy and say,"See, if they can do it right, why can't you?"
Why? Simply because they don't have to. I know that four hundred people have already paid for the game at the local EB. They did this despite the constant delayed release dates (granted those were by retailers and not Bungie, but a lot of people don't pay attention to that fact), and they'll do it despite a French pirated version on BitTorrent, which is likely to come with a nice IE plugin worm, or some other nice goodies attached. NO worries folks, I'm confident there won't be a change, and there doesn't need to be. If you want to enjoy Halo 2 in an honest and complete fashion, just buy the game. It'll definitely be worth it.
...the executives have made some very careless mistakes. Personally, I'm a big fan of google search and google apps. However, if I were investing, I would have a lot of difficulty getting over the significant blunders made my google's executives in regards to this IPO. A couple weeks ago they mistakenly sold too much stock and had to buy it back. Now, they may garner the attention of the SEC for this interview that apparently couldn't wait one more day.
Granted there are a lot of unknowns in this matter, but I'd be on my guard if I were an investor right now. Google isn't the first company with a lot of promise, and it won't be the last.
The two latest GTA games have been filled with racial stereotypes. Japanese Yakuza, Chinese Triads, Columbian Drug Dealers. The game has been thriving on racial stereotypes since it hit the PS2, and Xbox. Doesn't matter if the lead character is black, white, chinese, or whatever. GTA3's character was technically Italian...not white. Another stereotype with the Italian Mafia. Granted, I don't know how often you're going to find multi-ethnical organized crime establishments. At least its not saying, all 'insert race here' are violent and prone to rebellion. Its more saying all Yakuza, Triad, and Columbian Drug Cartels are prone to violence and rebellion. Lets face it, organized crime exists to committ crime. Long story short, there's nothing new here.
Is switching to a supposedly better product really the best idea for this sort of situation? I mean, I'm no expert in this kind of study, but it appears to me that whatever is most popular falls victim to the most attacks. While there are flaws in Windows, security problems exist anywhere there are enough people looking for them. I often here reports of vulnerabilities in programs like SendMail (or at least I used to), and a great novel was written about a non-Windows based securtiy error. (The Cuckoo's Egg or something like that).
Is it reasonable to assume that if Gaim, Yahoo Messenger, or any other instant messenger became the most popular (measuring popularity in usage) then wouldn't it risk the same scrutiny that befalls AIM?
This question doesn't come from biased motivations either. I'm wondering if there has been a study how much scrutiny is placed on a software product in relation to its popularity in usage.
Perhaps this would call for moderation in all things software? Diversification of your software portfolio? Crazy stuff.
...about white or mallacious worms is that vast numbers of users will never be aware they have either working in the background. I do freelance system maintenance in homes around the city here and most users just don't know. They don't know the difference between a worm or virus, they don't know what spyware is, they don't know what its doing, nor where to go to fix it. These 'white worms' or whatever come with well intentions but some who build harmful worms want you to believe the same thing. IMHO user awareness must be pushed up. I've given my clients steps to perform every two to four weeks to keep their computer clean. Most of them don't quite understand what they're doing, but they're systems have been worm, virus, and spyware free. Microsoft has tried stepping up awareness on their update site, but this hasn't been enough because users don't run updates. How can we step up awareness other than the current method employeed by those who write harmful code?
Ummm, anyone else bothered by the fact that there is a joke about shooting our President in this thread. Political issues aside the man is still the President and jokes or comments about shooting him are not funny.
...have had the biggest impact on me moving to an Xbox over the PS2. The PS2 came without a hard drive or ethernet connection built in. The Xbox doesn't have that handicap. No shame towards Sony there except that it took them far too long to market a network adapter...and then finally a hard drive (which, BTW, you can't get without buying Final Fantasy XI). The most frustrating aspect of the PS2 has been Sony's...suprisingly...their slow movement. A lot of my friends love playing multiplayer/LAN party style games. The king of that particular genre for us right now is Halo. Nothing on the PS2 compares...and you don't have to buy ethernet adapters (or multitaps for that matter) along with an Xbox. The PS2 still rules the RPG market...though KOTOR took a bite out of that... but I like actually seeing people every once in a while so the Xbox has definitely taken priority because of a more multiplayer friendly system. Sony keeps dragging their feet in innovation to the existing PS2. Sure, they were faster than anyone else getting it out there, but after that they took their time with everything else.
I find this quote the most intriguing of what is said. How violence in video games and in any other media "must be assessed in context or not at all." Saying that the violence portrayed in The Passion of the Christ is the same as some of the violence in games spoken against recently like GTA, is definitely taking things out of context. Sure there is violence in both media...but how is it being portrayed. Who is performing the violence? Why is it happening? How is it looked upon?
Violence in Christianity is frowned upon by Jesus himself. When Peter rose to his defense and cut the ear off of the soldier...it was Jesus who calmed Peter...Jesus who put the ear back on. As far as historical events "in the name of religion"...just because they were done in the name of Christ doesn't mean those who committed the acts were right, or acting justly. Just look at Scripture and you will find no justification for the Crusades...Jesus said to love your enemies, not exact violent punishments upon them in His name.
Which brings me back to my point, the context in which the violent acts were being performed in The Passion of the Christ were performed by the antagonists of the film. The 'bad guys' per say. The sheer delight the soldiers took in punishing Jesus was wrong and portrayed as such.
The problem with some violent video games is how the violence is portrayed. I've heard people quote that they enjoy playing games like GTA so they can committ crimes and not be punished for it. Some people find pleasure in pretending to committ violent acts. The violence is glorified...a selling point if you will. People didn't go to The Passion of the Christ to see violence, they went to see the story of Christ and His suffering for our sin. Some play these games for the violence and the violence in context is detestable. Some violent games I don't have a problem with...wars happen, sometimes you have to fight and kill in defense of a nation, or a world. In those respects the violence is inescapable. But when the violence is glorified...pursued...that's when I have issues with the violence in the respective video games that contain it.
It's all to be taken within context. Just like Scripture. If you want to know why one verse says what it says, you must compare it to the verses around it, as well as the grammatical techniques being used. I would encourage people to stop using old hat attempted justifications of violent games by speaking of the Crusades and other such events. A relationship with Christ and understanding of His word is all anyone needs to know that those were not Biblical acts. The Bible teaches of false prophets...those who will do things in disobedience to God in His name. Do not be surprised and do not believe for one instance that they have Christ's approval. Another thing that isn't funny is these jokes about video games in which Jesus comes back with things like shotguns and swords exacting violent punishment. This portrays Jesus to be like those who have taken His name in vain and mocks everything He lives for. Jesus meant for us to have life and have it more abundantly. He came to seek and save the lost. He died for our sins. He intercedes on our behalf to God. He lives for us. Please do not mock Him for a punch line.
They're probably full most of the time. The beta is one of the top five results at google when you search for catan. Though I imagine they're getting a little more attention than usual now.:)
Good points all around, and they all go to support the final point. A lot more changes would have to be made to the game to match the expectations of those of us who wish video game developers wouldn't cross certain lines in game making. Basically to summarize, the game doesn't really punish you for doing anything illegal. The game's theme is centered around illegal activity. The example Lieberman used was just example he used to outline the overall problem he has with the game. I personally found the game an excellent piece of video game design but crossed too many lines for me to really enjoy. The idea of free exploration, completing missions when and in what order I want, and the incredibly fun driving physics. Now if a game like that could be designed like that, that didn't center itself around violent and illegal behavior...that would be a game I could completely enjoy.
Tal
Yes the cops will come after you, but evading them is quite simple. Also seeing as how evading the police is also an aspect of the game many enjoy, that's another promotion of something which is 'realistically' dangerous and illegal as being fun. Yes there is some minor punishment for killing a woman on the streets. However, it is still quite minor and if the person is playing the game to avoid police and break the law anyway then it just plays right into the part of the game they enjoy. Better punishment would be immediate placement of the character in prison or making them restart altogether. That would be ideal but considering the entire atmosphere of GTA that wouldn't be the only thing that needed to be tweaked.
I can see that this individual has certainly dealt with some frustrating experiences with sniping opponents. I will have to disagree with sniper rifles being the "bane" of first person shooting though. It seems to me like I've read more about cheating being the bane of online FPS games more so than sniper rifles. Also, just because I would contend against this writer's arguments doesn't mean that I can't use any other weapons. Truth be told, in a FPS I am actually lousy with a sniper rifle and prefer to use other weapons. I have always been a fan of the sniper rifle though and certainly feel that it should be included in first person shooters.
Secondly if his argument were an "indisputable fact" then there wouldn't be much discussion going on here now would it. It's kind of risky to try and turn one's opinion, or even a summation of multiple opinions into an indisputable fact.
Arguing against the sniper rifle's lack of realism in FPS is kind of a moot point. I mean most weapons in FPS aren't realistic, unless of course the game is trying to be true to life. In that case I'd say he had a point, but only in the case of FPS that are supposed to reflect realistic weaponry. Games like Halo, Quake, and Unreal Tournament however would fail the realism test when it comes to most every weapon involved.
All in all I'd say this article was an enjoyable rant which obviously reflects a gamers' frustration which they are entitled to have. I can't agree with it being an indisputable argument however and nor can I side with their opinions. Oh well, five years from now (preferrably much sooner than that) it won't matter anyway.
I find it down right hilarious that the only reason executives could come up with for the poor sales is the influence of the newest video game's sales. What kind of stellar research group did they have working on that one?
I like that idea and I wonder what technology is being developed to cater to such a need. A friend of mine did his graduate project on a programming structure called symantics (spelling?) which seemed to follow suit with this type of thinking. The programming code used an idea similar to xml in which custom tags were created for a television (for example) and then different methods could be performed within each tag based on the object they were a member of. It was pretty interesting but as you can tell from my description (which does not do his project a bit of justice) that I know very little about it.
As far as assigning IP addresses to appliances and other household electronics, wouldn't it be better to require some type of routing/dhcp system. What I mean by this is at my house we have one public IP address, but several computers that utilize that connection. We use a router which takes on the identity of that IP address and then it acts as a DHCP router giving private addresses to everything connected to it. Couldn't the same DHCP/Routing technology be used in order to reduce the excess number of public IP address would have if there were a seperate address for every appliance, computer, etc?
Although the recommendation is valid point. We all can't just go back and read more of this writer's articles just so we can find out if he is being sarcastic in this article or not. This has come up in other posts I have responded to before. How am I supposed to tell every time someone is being sarcastic? How am I supposed to tell every time someone one is joking? A disclaimer would be nice, though I don't think he should have to cater to those of us who are slow to read into the mannerisms and real attitudes behind an author's work. There is little written in this article to indicate sarcasm, to me. And I see much more to indicate that he is serious. I see an author with a highly biased opinion, if it is a work of sarcasm then my apologies. You could've fooled me.
Given their flaws, both Nintendo and Square have both given great contributions to video games. I mean, one could go on forever about the number of games Nintendo has developed (originally) that have gone on to become some of the most memorable games of our time. Just a couple months ago, IGN ranked Super Mario Brothers at the top of the 100 greatest games of all time. I won't even go into how many other Nintendo and *gasp* Square games are on that list. Even though there have been indications of the Gamecube performing poorly on a financial level, that certainly shouldn't be considered an embarassment. Nintendo continues to develop some of the best, most original games to date. One needs look no further than games like Metroid Prime, and Zelda: The Wind Waker. Not everyone likes these games but that doesn't mean that they aren't good, high-quality games.
Using the word "embarassing" to describe Nintendo or Square seems quite out of place, imho. One of the things that has kept me playing video games is the Final Fantasy series. The title, as the article's author points out, is interestingly confusing but, really, is that a valid complaint anymore? I mean does it really, really matter? I certainly didn't play Final Fantasy VII, and X all the way through thinking to myself "gee, these games would be great if they'd just fix the title." Also saying that Square focuses on video and presentation over gameplay should be proved wrong by what I consider to be a great battle engine in Final Fantasy X. They showed a great effort to make the menus easier to navigate, and the players easier to swap out during each battle.
I can't agree with the author's take on Kingdom Hearts either. I actually thought that game to be very original in its approach and was amazed at just the thought of mixing Disney characters with Final Fantasy characters. Not to mention the chance to see Sephiroth and Cloud in action again. And let's not forget about Parasite Eve, which is another Square game I highly enjoyed. I did have a problem with the Bouncer series and there are certainly games that both Nintendo and Square have released that could be considered embarassing. However, I don't think that makes the companies themselves an embarassment. This is true especially in comparison to everything else they have accomplished. Square released a full-fledged, widely circulated movie for crying out loud. Not saying it was great, or that it wasn't great, but that certainly is an accomplishment to take note of. And (based on my experience only) I think Square's FMVs are second only to Blizzard's in the Warcraft series.
The author also mentions that they have a problem with religious conotations in some of the Square video games. That, I think, is something that the video game creator has complete freedom to do. If I were to form a complaint about a game, simply because there were undertones in the plot that I didn't like, I would be branded an enemy of free speech and unconstitutional by some. I'm not going to cast the author of this article in either of those lights. I just do not see the religious conotations of a developer's game to be a valid point of argument.
I understand how the author obviously feels about both companies and do not wish to force him to see any particular point of view. I just felt I would indicate my feelings on the subject.
Slashdot Mirror
From a business culture perspective, I believe the software just has to work. My experience is limited to specialized industries like health care and residential construction software. In both industries, tech savy end users are in the minority. Even so, those tech savy users still want software that is easy to use...intuitive, if you will. Working with computer aided estimating and project management software, a lot of our end users want to be able to perform very complex tasks with very little effort. Once I get too technical for a customer (no matter how tech savy), the majority lose interest very quickly. Their specialty is construction...or health care, not information systems or the inner complexities of ECM philosophies. In the end, they just want it to work but that doesn't mean they don't want complex capabilities. In some cases, customers don't know what they want. However, these are usually cases that demand some kind of massive change in business processes. An unwillingness to change business processes has to be the most difficult thing I've ever encountered in end users. And if the users are willing, that doesn't mean the protocols or standards that they have to follow will be any more co-operative. Until users and protocols are more flexible and adaptive to change then the demand for software that 'just works' won't diminish.
The Internet is one of the primary reasons to own a computer for many users today. My career is in information technology and most of the time I'm only using my home system for Internet functions. The question about why you would need Microsoft when you have a broadband connection is interesting but, as has been mentioned, leaves out the crucial aspect of the operating system. People are too comfortable with Windows. Dell likes Windows, Gateway likes Windows...everybody distributes Windows...except Wal-Mart...occassionally. Firefox is great, Gmail is really great, but they all have to run on an OS and that OS has to be and I emphasize this...'user friendly'. Some can pick up a OSS operating system and just start using it but definitely not the majority of the market share that has made Windows such a dominant force. Jobs told Gates that Apple was better than Microsoft and Gates told him to some effect "That doesn't matter." (Or something like that) He's right. If you want to crush Microsoft go for it, but good luck. The only reason the Xbox has survived is because they can afford to take hits in major areas and just keep pumping the money into the projects. Heck, the superstar of the Xbox (Halo) was orginially Apple's. Until user-awareness reaches a point where mulitple operating system's have a fighting chance on the user-friendliness ground, Microsoft will continue rolling.
Ephesains 5:22-33
22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church- 30for we are members of his body. 31"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." 32This is a profound mystery-but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
That is what the Bible teaches and if both women and men followed those principles then the household would be a better place. The responsibility does not depend completely on women to be submissive but for men to give themselves up for their wives as well. Being submissive doesn't mean weak or unequal. Its about a wife respecting the role given to a man by God. Not because a woman is incapable of performing the same duties as a man but because that is the role God gave him. Man has that role not based on his own worthiness of it but because God has given them that great responsibility. Every man should look on that responsibility with great fear and trembling.
And don't think this is some horrible concept to women. There are thousands of women out there today who are looking for men who get this.
All have sinned, all need forgiveness, Jesus is the only way, call on Him and be saved.
This seems to me to be a bit off-topic but eh oh well.
."
see it as a neccessary precursor to the rapture
That wouldn't be the only reason. Biblical teachings illustrate how Israel is still God's chosen country because of the promises he made to Abraham. An illustration that exemplifies how Christians long for Israel to be treated can be seen in the Old Testament when David (annointed king-to-be) was being hunted down by Saul (king at the moment). Even though David had several opportunites to harm Saul, he did not raise his hand against Saul because Saul was still God's annointed. Basically its out of respect for God's annointing of the country that Chrisitians desire to minister to it and support it.
That doesn't mean we don't care about the misgivings within Israel and that we don't try to remind them of the truths in Scripture, but we do not want to see our country raise its proverbial arm against God's annointed.
1 Samuel 24:6
He said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD's anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD
The MPAA and other instiutions campaigning for the downfall of some BitTorrent sites could only gain strength from sites such as those shown in the article today. To have BitTorrent sites out there showing that the moderators can...and do...actively control the type of content that is distributed on their TorrentSites only strengthens arguments against illegal Torrent sites. While those sites may claim they are not the root of the problem that they are only a passive medium through which questionable (read...illegal) content may (read...most often the case) be distributed. Now the music and movie businesses of the world can go to Torrentacracy and say,"See, if they can do it right, why can't you?"
...a great opportunity for a web poll. It could go something like this:
Do you use the Internet?
- yes
- no
Why? Simply because they don't have to. I know that four hundred people have already paid for the game at the local EB. They did this despite the constant delayed release dates (granted those were by retailers and not Bungie, but a lot of people don't pay attention to that fact), and they'll do it despite a French pirated version on BitTorrent, which is likely to come with a nice IE plugin worm, or some other nice goodies attached. NO worries folks, I'm confident there won't be a change, and there doesn't need to be. If you want to enjoy Halo 2 in an honest and complete fashion, just buy the game. It'll definitely be worth it.
...the executives have made some very careless mistakes. Personally, I'm a big fan of google search and google apps. However, if I were investing, I would have a lot of difficulty getting over the significant blunders made my google's executives in regards to this IPO. A couple weeks ago they mistakenly sold too much stock and had to buy it back. Now, they may garner the attention of the SEC for this interview that apparently couldn't wait one more day.
Granted there are a lot of unknowns in this matter, but I'd be on my guard if I were an investor right now. Google isn't the first company with a lot of promise, and it won't be the last.
One more thing...GTA3 also had a white organized crime unit composed of violent rednecks.
The two latest GTA games have been filled with racial stereotypes. Japanese Yakuza, Chinese Triads, Columbian Drug Dealers. The game has been thriving on racial stereotypes since it hit the PS2, and Xbox. Doesn't matter if the lead character is black, white, chinese, or whatever. GTA3's character was technically Italian...not white. Another stereotype with the Italian Mafia. Granted, I don't know how often you're going to find multi-ethnical organized crime establishments. At least its not saying, all 'insert race here' are violent and prone to rebellion. Its more saying all Yakuza, Triad, and Columbian Drug Cartels are prone to violence and rebellion. Lets face it, organized crime exists to committ crime. Long story short, there's nothing new here.
Why did this get modded up to a 5, Insightful? No offense against the writer but come on. This is definitely not relevant.
Is switching to a supposedly better product really the best idea for this sort of situation? I mean, I'm no expert in this kind of study, but it appears to me that whatever is most popular falls victim to the most attacks. While there are flaws in Windows, security problems exist anywhere there are enough people looking for them. I often here reports of vulnerabilities in programs like SendMail (or at least I used to), and a great novel was written about a non-Windows based securtiy error. (The Cuckoo's Egg or something like that).
Is it reasonable to assume that if Gaim, Yahoo Messenger, or any other instant messenger became the most popular (measuring popularity in usage) then wouldn't it risk the same scrutiny that befalls AIM?
This question doesn't come from biased motivations either. I'm wondering if there has been a study how much scrutiny is placed on a software product in relation to its popularity in usage.
Perhaps this would call for moderation in all things software? Diversification of your software portfolio? Crazy stuff.
...about white or mallacious worms is that vast numbers of users will never be aware they have either working in the background. I do freelance system maintenance in homes around the city here and most users just don't know. They don't know the difference between a worm or virus, they don't know what spyware is, they don't know what its doing, nor where to go to fix it. These 'white worms' or whatever come with well intentions but some who build harmful worms want you to believe the same thing. IMHO user awareness must be pushed up. I've given my clients steps to perform every two to four weeks to keep their computer clean. Most of them don't quite understand what they're doing, but they're systems have been worm, virus, and spyware free. Microsoft has tried stepping up awareness on their update site, but this hasn't been enough because users don't run updates. How can we step up awareness other than the current method employeed by those who write harmful code?
Ummm, anyone else bothered by the fact that there is a joke about shooting our President in this thread. Political issues aside the man is still the President and jokes or comments about shooting him are not funny.
...have had the biggest impact on me moving to an Xbox over the PS2. The PS2 came without a hard drive or ethernet connection built in. The Xbox doesn't have that handicap. No shame towards Sony there except that it took them far too long to market a network adapter...and then finally a hard drive (which, BTW, you can't get without buying Final Fantasy XI). The most frustrating aspect of the PS2 has been Sony's...suprisingly...their slow movement. A lot of my friends love playing multiplayer/LAN party style games. The king of that particular genre for us right now is Halo. Nothing on the PS2 compares...and you don't have to buy ethernet adapters (or multitaps for that matter) along with an Xbox. The PS2 still rules the RPG market...though KOTOR took a bite out of that... but I like actually seeing people every once in a while so the Xbox has definitely taken priority because of a more multiplayer friendly system. Sony keeps dragging their feet in innovation to the existing PS2. Sure, they were faster than anyone else getting it out there, but after that they took their time with everything else.
I find this quote the most intriguing of what is said. How violence in video games and in any other media "must be assessed in context or not at all." Saying that the violence portrayed in The Passion of the Christ is the same as some of the violence in games spoken against recently like GTA, is definitely taking things out of context. Sure there is violence in both media...but how is it being portrayed. Who is performing the violence? Why is it happening? How is it looked upon?
Violence in Christianity is frowned upon by Jesus himself. When Peter rose to his defense and cut the ear off of the soldier...it was Jesus who calmed Peter...Jesus who put the ear back on. As far as historical events "in the name of religion"...just because they were done in the name of Christ doesn't mean those who committed the acts were right, or acting justly. Just look at Scripture and you will find no justification for the Crusades...Jesus said to love your enemies, not exact violent punishments upon them in His name.
Which brings me back to my point, the context in which the violent acts were being performed in The Passion of the Christ were performed by the antagonists of the film. The 'bad guys' per say. The sheer delight the soldiers took in punishing Jesus was wrong and portrayed as such.
The problem with some violent video games is how the violence is portrayed. I've heard people quote that they enjoy playing games like GTA so they can committ crimes and not be punished for it. Some people find pleasure in pretending to committ violent acts. The violence is glorified...a selling point if you will. People didn't go to The Passion of the Christ to see violence, they went to see the story of Christ and His suffering for our sin. Some play these games for the violence and the violence in context is detestable. Some violent games I don't have a problem with...wars happen, sometimes you have to fight and kill in defense of a nation, or a world. In those respects the violence is inescapable. But when the violence is glorified...pursued...that's when I have issues with the violence in the respective video games that contain it.
It's all to be taken within context. Just like Scripture. If you want to know why one verse says what it says, you must compare it to the verses around it, as well as the grammatical techniques being used. I would encourage people to stop using old hat attempted justifications of violent games by speaking of the Crusades and other such events. A relationship with Christ and understanding of His word is all anyone needs to know that those were not Biblical acts. The Bible teaches of false prophets...those who will do things in disobedience to God in His name. Do not be surprised and do not believe for one instance that they have Christ's approval. Another thing that isn't funny is these jokes about video games in which Jesus comes back with things like shotguns and swords exacting violent punishment. This portrays Jesus to be like those who have taken His name in vain and mocks everything He lives for. Jesus meant for us to have life and have it more abundantly. He came to seek and save the lost. He died for our sins. He intercedes on our behalf to God. He lives for us. Please do not mock Him for a punch line.
Joshua
They're probably full most of the time. The beta is one of the top five results at google when you search for catan. Though I imagine they're getting a little more attention than usual now. :)
Good points all around, and they all go to support the final point. A lot more changes would have to be made to the game to match the expectations of those of us who wish video game developers wouldn't cross certain lines in game making. Basically to summarize, the game doesn't really punish you for doing anything illegal. The game's theme is centered around illegal activity. The example Lieberman used was just example he used to outline the overall problem he has with the game. I personally found the game an excellent piece of video game design but crossed too many lines for me to really enjoy. The idea of free exploration, completing missions when and in what order I want, and the incredibly fun driving physics. Now if a game like that could be designed like that, that didn't center itself around violent and illegal behavior...that would be a game I could completely enjoy. Tal
Yes the cops will come after you, but evading them is quite simple. Also seeing as how evading the police is also an aspect of the game many enjoy, that's another promotion of something which is 'realistically' dangerous and illegal as being fun. Yes there is some minor punishment for killing a woman on the streets. However, it is still quite minor and if the person is playing the game to avoid police and break the law anyway then it just plays right into the part of the game they enjoy. Better punishment would be immediate placement of the character in prison or making them restart altogether. That would be ideal but considering the entire atmosphere of GTA that wouldn't be the only thing that needed to be tweaked.
I can see that this individual has certainly dealt with some frustrating experiences with sniping opponents. I will have to disagree with sniper rifles being the "bane" of first person shooting though. It seems to me like I've read more about cheating being the bane of online FPS games more so than sniper rifles. Also, just because I would contend against this writer's arguments doesn't mean that I can't use any other weapons. Truth be told, in a FPS I am actually lousy with a sniper rifle and prefer to use other weapons. I have always been a fan of the sniper rifle though and certainly feel that it should be included in first person shooters.
Secondly if his argument were an "indisputable fact" then there wouldn't be much discussion going on here now would it. It's kind of risky to try and turn one's opinion, or even a summation of multiple opinions into an indisputable fact.
Arguing against the sniper rifle's lack of realism in FPS is kind of a moot point. I mean most weapons in FPS aren't realistic, unless of course the game is trying to be true to life. In that case I'd say he had a point, but only in the case of FPS that are supposed to reflect realistic weaponry. Games like Halo, Quake, and Unreal Tournament however would fail the realism test when it comes to most every weapon involved.
All in all I'd say this article was an enjoyable rant which obviously reflects a gamers' frustration which they are entitled to have. I can't agree with it being an indisputable argument however and nor can I side with their opinions. Oh well, five years from now (preferrably much sooner than that) it won't matter anyway.
I find it down right hilarious that the only reason executives could come up with for the poor sales is the influence of the newest video game's sales. What kind of stellar research group did they have working on that one?
I like that idea and I wonder what technology is being developed to cater to such a need. A friend of mine did his graduate project on a programming structure called symantics (spelling?) which seemed to follow suit with this type of thinking. The programming code used an idea similar to xml in which custom tags were created for a television (for example) and then different methods could be performed within each tag based on the object they were a member of. It was pretty interesting but as you can tell from my description (which does not do his project a bit of justice) that I know very little about it.
As far as assigning IP addresses to appliances and other household electronics, wouldn't it be better to require some type of routing/dhcp system. What I mean by this is at my house we have one public IP address, but several computers that utilize that connection. We use a router which takes on the identity of that IP address and then it acts as a DHCP router giving private addresses to everything connected to it. Couldn't the same DHCP/Routing technology be used in order to reduce the excess number of public IP address would have if there were a seperate address for every appliance, computer, etc?
Although the recommendation is valid point. We all can't just go back and read more of this writer's articles just so we can find out if he is being sarcastic in this article or not. This has come up in other posts I have responded to before. How am I supposed to tell every time someone is being sarcastic? How am I supposed to tell every time someone one is joking? A disclaimer would be nice, though I don't think he should have to cater to those of us who are slow to read into the mannerisms and real attitudes behind an author's work. There is little written in this article to indicate sarcasm, to me. And I see much more to indicate that he is serious. I see an author with a highly biased opinion, if it is a work of sarcasm then my apologies. You could've fooled me.
Given their flaws, both Nintendo and Square have both given great contributions to video games. I mean, one could go on forever about the number of games Nintendo has developed (originally) that have gone on to become some of the most memorable games of our time. Just a couple months ago, IGN ranked Super Mario Brothers at the top of the 100 greatest games of all time. I won't even go into how many other Nintendo and *gasp* Square games are on that list. Even though there have been indications of the Gamecube performing poorly on a financial level, that certainly shouldn't be considered an embarassment. Nintendo continues to develop some of the best, most original games to date. One needs look no further than games like Metroid Prime, and Zelda: The Wind Waker. Not everyone likes these games but that doesn't mean that they aren't good, high-quality games.
Using the word "embarassing" to describe Nintendo or Square seems quite out of place, imho. One of the things that has kept me playing video games is the Final Fantasy series. The title, as the article's author points out, is interestingly confusing but, really, is that a valid complaint anymore? I mean does it really, really matter? I certainly didn't play Final Fantasy VII, and X all the way through thinking to myself "gee, these games would be great if they'd just fix the title." Also saying that Square focuses on video and presentation over gameplay should be proved wrong by what I consider to be a great battle engine in Final Fantasy X. They showed a great effort to make the menus easier to navigate, and the players easier to swap out during each battle.
I can't agree with the author's take on Kingdom Hearts either. I actually thought that game to be very original in its approach and was amazed at just the thought of mixing Disney characters with Final Fantasy characters. Not to mention the chance to see Sephiroth and Cloud in action again. And let's not forget about Parasite Eve, which is another Square game I highly enjoyed. I did have a problem with the Bouncer series and there are certainly games that both Nintendo and Square have released that could be considered embarassing. However, I don't think that makes the companies themselves an embarassment. This is true especially in comparison to everything else they have accomplished. Square released a full-fledged, widely circulated movie for crying out loud. Not saying it was great, or that it wasn't great, but that certainly is an accomplishment to take note of. And (based on my experience only) I think Square's FMVs are second only to Blizzard's in the Warcraft series.
The author also mentions that they have a problem with religious conotations in some of the Square video games. That, I think, is something that the video game creator has complete freedom to do. If I were to form a complaint about a game, simply because there were undertones in the plot that I didn't like, I would be branded an enemy of free speech and unconstitutional by some. I'm not going to cast the author of this article in either of those lights. I just do not see the religious conotations of a developer's game to be a valid point of argument.
I understand how the author obviously feels about both companies and do not wish to force him to see any particular point of view. I just felt I would indicate my feelings on the subject.