That would be "The Net". and yeah, it sucked as bas as the others, except that you got to see Sandra Bullock in a bikini sipping a martini. So it wasn't all bad.
It's an utterly indisputable fact that PCs are more susceptible to problems than consoles.
Software wise, If we are talking about a Windows PC, then yes. Mostly due to the fact that the users have more access to the operating system itself, and the system is used in a more diverse manner that can lend itself to failure. It would be impossible for PC's not to have less problems than consoles based on that fact alone.
Hardware wise, No. Modern consoles are made of the exact same components as modern PC's (they essentially ARE PC's, just very limited use ones. Hell, the 360 runs WINDOWS!) and are susceptible to any and all of the hardware failure issues that PC's are susceptible to.
Again, it comes down to a matter of taste. Do you want a gaming machine that will be essentially free of most software issues, is very simple to operate and costs less? Then get a console.
Do you want a gaming machine that will also allow you to check your e-mail, surf the web, download stuff from iTunes (or wherever), watch a Divx movie file, dual-boot Linux, do any and all of a million other things and be completely customizable and upgradeable? Then get a PC.
I personally choose the latter. Nothing against consoles, it's just not where I opt to spend my small amount of extra income. However, with the lower Wii price, and the family friendly aspect of it's titles, I might just choose to get a Wii too.
Funny, you sure sounded like a fanboy when you said this:
They offer games that are not available for the PC, as well as simple gaming that isn't affected by the endless hardware and software problems of the PC.
That is something a fanboy of consoles would say. A more balanced opinion would be that PC's and consoles both have their strengths and weaknesses, and much of the controversy amounts to a difference in taste between the camps. Your comment came off as trollish, fanboyish, and smacked of a lack of reading comprehension. That may not be how you intended it, but that's how it read.
Apparently I'm not the only one who though so: http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=234353&c id=19084219 so perhaps you might want to re-evaluate your writing and conversational style, or re-evaluate your opinions in this matter vis-a-vis PC vs console
Oh, wait, you're not talking about anything, you're just trolling.
Once again you fail for reading comprehension. See my statement here:
The OP's point was that the Wii offers something that neither the PC nor the 360/PS3 can offer. Unique play, and unusual and creative games that take advantage of it's unique controllers. Thusly for a dedicated PC user the Wii is a compelling argument for buying a console.
So I quite obviously had a point, and was able to substantively add to the conversation. This would be the exact OPPOSITE of a troll post. Care to try again?
"Contrary to popular fanboy legend, consoles are not magic devices that magically work exactly right unless the user is a fucking idiot. Maybe you'll figure that out once you have more experience with consoles."
Again, you can't play games for the PC that have not been released for it.
Nor can I play games on the console that have not been released for it. Big deal. It's an issue BOTH platforms have, therefore not useful in a contrast and comparison analysis.
The OP's point was that the Wii offers something that neither the PC nor the 360/PS3 can offer. Unique play, and unusual and creative games that take advantage of it's unique controllers. Thusly for a dedicated PC user the Wii is a compelling argument for buying a console.
It's too bad you missed that point and had to pull out the 360/PS3 fanboi arguments that are so easily dismissed by the links I provided. Now stop trolling and go play a game.
No, What's wrong with society is too many people copping out and only following the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law, and not enough personal responsibility. Rachel Hyman is walking the good walk by not only carding minors, but confiscating their fake ID's and publicly shaming them for trying to break the law. These kids WILL remember this experience, and it WILL make them think twice the next time they consider breaking the law.
Cable labs approved doesn't mean squat as long as cable companies are using a burned-in MAC to provision the cards.
It's the same thing with Cable modems. As long as they are Docsis compatible, the low-wage tech on the other end of the line has NO CLUE that your Motorola SB5102 that you are calling in to provision is actually from cablemodemhack.com and has the blackcat mod chip on it.
(not that I endorse uncapping your modem, or doing anything blatantly illegal, of course.)
No, the only reason they are being punished is because they broke the rules. The nature of the punishment is another discussion altogether, and not related to the fact that they broke the rules. The fact that you don't understand this points to your immaturity, and lack of critical thinking.
Wow. You think kids give a shit about Acceptable Use Policies?
And that is exactly the point here. They need to LEARN to give a shit about AUPs, because there WILL be AUPs out in the work force when they grow up. Those AUPs will be enforced MUCH more rigorously, and violating them can result in suspension, loss of employment, and lawsuits. Stuff that can REALLY hurt you and your financial future. Better for them to learn responsibility now, when the consequences are relatively minor, than later when other people (such as their spouses or children) can be hurt by their irresponsibility.
Just in case you STILL don't get it, let me use a real-life example to educate you;
Yesterday I had to go to the drive-up ATM to get some cash out. Ahead of me in line was a lady in a minivan. After she was done she pulled away and I pulled up. I looked out the car window at the ATM and saw that it was at the "Are you finished or do you want another transaction?" screen. Basically she hadn't closed out her account, and had left her ATM/debit card in the machine. She had not exercised proper security by leaving her account open and her card in the ATM. This was her fault for not having secure habits. What should I have done?
Now, I closed the account window, removed the card and receipt and turned them in to the bank teller. I followed the law and my own ethical code. HOWEVER, let's just say for the sake of discussion that I didn't do that. Let's say that I went back into her account, changed the card PIN, and proceeded to empty out her account and go on a shopping spree with her money. Now, when I get caught, arrested and charged with a crime, Do you think that the jury in my trial is going to believe that is was the victim's fault for not exercising proper ATM security? Do you think that I will be able to get off with that kind of defense? Yeah, I didn't think so.
It is the same in this situation. The children are under School supervision. They must follow the school rules when at the school, and this includes the AUP for school computers. For these kids, the school rules are like laws. Follow them and all is well. Break them and expect to be punished. If the rules are unjust, then follow proper procedure to get them changed. (IE: work with parents to lobby the school board to change them) In an emergency, talk to the appropriate authorities about making an exception. Most teachers and principals are flexible enough to bend the rules if it is for schoolwork. But DO NOT expect to mount that kind of defense after breaking the rules and expect to get away with it.
Your post smacks of the typical kind of childish liberality that pervades WAY too much of western society today. Grow up, learn that there are consequences for your actions, and be a productive member of society. Otherwise I'll be seeing you in the local police blotter.
Most of these NDAs don't hold up in court anyway, so I wouldn't worry about it.
They are basically there just to provide a general warning not to try and double cross the company, or to pull the "double agent" bit and steal company secrets. But as far as preventing you from working for someone else after you have left employment with your previous company they aren't very effective. As another poster said, the whole "non-compete" clause was used in a similar manner by companies and was trounced by the courts as illegal. Anyone trying to use an NDA for the same reason would likely face a similar loss in court.
We seem to have a fundamental misunderstanding of PKE here.
Person A wants to talk to person B using encryption.
A sends B his public Key, B sends A her public key. They each then use the combination of the other's public key and their own private key to encode and decode messages to and from each other.
Let's say A goes to send B his key, but it's intercepted by C, and C sends B a modified key (man in the middle attack). Then B will not be able to initiate communication with A because the key won't match. This is how and why PKE works. If it was possible to capture and send a modified key and have the conversation still function then PKE wouldn't be very useful, would it?
That communism isn't about competition. Communism is about eliminating all competing ideas and asserting absolute control over every aspect of life. The communist leaders understand perfectly well about the "competition of ideas". They also know they can't compete because communism is a failed ideology. Thusly they seek to control access to information and keep their people in the dark. It's typical totalitarianism.
(To the commie trolls: Yes, I KNOW that's not how communism and socialism is supposed to work, I've read both Marx and Mao. The problem is that in practice it cannot possibly work the way it's designers envisioned it because they didn't take human nature into account.)
Interesting Wikipedia article. I'm normally not much for Wikipedia as an authoritative source, but it is sometimes useful for provoking discussions and deeper thought.
As far as the "Chinese thought room" experiment, I guess it comes down to the basic concept of "understanding" a language in human psychological and physiological terms. I don't think we have discovered the exact mechanics of "understanding" yet. It could very well be that humans use a process much like the "Chinese thought room" in order to be able to communicate. Ultimately, what is a language but a set of rules for communicating abstract concepts? The basic mechanics of it are likely to be far different for humans, but perhaps the basic concept is very much like the "Chinese thought room". Who knows? It is interesting to think about though.
You win the "thought provoker of the day" award!:)
So you give one Wikipedia link, and two out of date links regardiunbg 2 generation old versions of OpenGL and DX.
Since Wikipedia is basically worthless as an authoritative source we have to throw that one out right off. The others are completely out of date, and the gamedev link even talks about Windows 95 and DOS games!
C-mon. If you want to back up your argument, at least use up-to-date information and non-wikipedia links.
Note that I'm not saying you are wrong. You may very well be correct that DX is better than OGL. You just aren't making your case very well.
Check the "PC Games" column. Not a single non-Windows compatible game there. They are all Sony products. (Yeah yeah, Sony didn't originally make many of them, but they own and develop them now, so they are Sony's.)
Hmmm... Forgive me if I am just a TAD skeptical about claims of DX's superiority from someone named MSFanBoi2.
Of course, you could be just engaging in a little humorous sock-puppetry and I'm not getting it.
Either way, I was under the distinct impression that OpenGL was and has been MUCH more advanced than Direct X for many years, and DX-10 doesn't really up the ante much.
They show an image of the print head a bit further down the page. There are THOUSANDS of nozzles, in very deep rows, set into 1 inch square sections. So even if you got all those nozzles clogged enough to create a white line, you would just replace that little section and done.
The guys that made this are very smart. I'm sure they thought the whole "clogging" problem through.
"the only officially certified sane lawyer in the entire state of Florida."
Ok, I loathe Jack Thompson, but I have to admit, that's funny.:)
One other point. As a Christian, I would like to formally denounce Jack Thompson as a hypocrite of the first class. He reminds me of the Pharisees of Christ's time. All pious on the outside, but completely corrupt and vile on the inside.
Jack, stop quoting scripture. We Christians pretty much never get an even break in the press as it is. We don't need you making it harder.
Thankfully, We had the foresight to buy a corporate licensed copy of XP early last year.
We have a Dell Premiere Account, and just order all Dell N-Series Desktops and Laptops with the resource CD included. Then we either install XP, or ghost an image onto them. We won't be going to Vista until we have no choice (IE: MS drops support for it) and even then we will be using the "Business" version with all the crufty pretties turned off via Active Directory. So basically XP-v2 without the legoland desktop theme.
I would LOVE to be able to go to a Red Hat or Ubuntu desktop setup, but since my work designs Windows-based software with windows-based tools, it's not really an option. (more's the pity)
Of course this would never work since it requires the cooperation of the whole world. As far as I know most online porn sites aren't based in Utah
Of course it won't work. But that's not the point. SCO is trying to generate good press for itself, and so are the legislators. It's all about PR for the non-IT educated masses. The fact that it will and could never work is irrelevant.
Like many laws oriented towards social issues, this is about symbolism. Substance be damned.
So instead of doing something at least partially sensible, like setting up a.xxx TLD for porn sites, We are gonna start breaking web browsing now?
Come ON people! I'm as much for protecting kids from online boobies as the next parent, but messing with the basic structural foundation of the Web? Give me a break!
Methinks we have some legislators that need:
a) A basic IT education (A+ and Net+ would be a good start) b) a permanent vacation if they don't stop trying to push nonsense laws.
His being a geographer is IRRELEVANT to the discussion of whether he has gotten death threats, and irrelevant to the scientists that have signed the petition that I mentioned.
Also, you offered no proof. All you have is some circumstantial story about China, written in the most horrendous grammar and spelling I have seen on Slashdot in years. I provided a full scientific abstract, you provided hearsay.
I have a few suggestions for you;
1) Get out of grade school and learn proper English grammatical and sentence structure. Also, spell check everything you write so as not to appear like an ignorant ranting child.
2) Actually read and respond appropriately to other's posts in order to avoid appearing like a troll.
3) Study the scientific evidence presented and move beyond "bumper sticker" level thought.
Slashdot Mirror
-1 for missing the sarcasm.
/sarc tag.
Although I suppose he should get -1 for not using a
-1's all around! Whee!
That would be "The Net". and yeah, it sucked as bas as the others, except that you got to see Sandra Bullock in a bikini sipping a martini. So it wasn't all bad.
Software wise, If we are talking about a Windows PC, then yes. Mostly due to the fact that the users have more access to the operating system itself, and the system is used in a more diverse manner that can lend itself to failure. It would be impossible for PC's not to have less problems than consoles based on that fact alone.
Hardware wise, No. Modern consoles are made of the exact same components as modern PC's (they essentially ARE PC's, just very limited use ones. Hell, the 360 runs WINDOWS!) and are susceptible to any and all of the hardware failure issues that PC's are susceptible to.
Again, it comes down to a matter of taste. Do you want a gaming machine that will be essentially free of most software issues, is very simple to operate and costs less? Then get a console.
Do you want a gaming machine that will also allow you to check your e-mail, surf the web, download stuff from iTunes (or wherever), watch a Divx movie file, dual-boot Linux, do any and all of a million other things and be completely customizable and upgradeable? Then get a PC.
I personally choose the latter. Nothing against consoles, it's just not where I opt to spend my small amount of extra income. However, with the lower Wii price, and the family friendly aspect of it's titles, I might just choose to get a Wii too.
Funny, you sure sounded like a fanboy when you said this:
That is something a fanboy of consoles would say. A more balanced opinion would be that PC's and consoles both have their strengths and weaknesses, and much of the controversy amounts to a difference in taste between the camps. Your comment came off as trollish, fanboyish, and smacked of a lack of reading comprehension. That may not be how you intended it, but that's how it read.
Apparently I'm not the only one who though so: http://games.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=234353&
Once again you fail for reading comprehension. See my statement here:
So I quite obviously had a point, and was able to substantively add to the conversation. This would be the exact OPPOSITE of a troll post. Care to try again?
"Contrary to popular fanboy legend, consoles are not magic devices that magically work exactly right unless the user is a fucking idiot. Maybe you'll figure that out once you have more experience with consoles."
:)
Fixed it for you.
Nor can I play games on the console that have not been released for it. Big deal. It's an issue BOTH platforms have, therefore not useful in a contrast and comparison analysis.
The OP's point was that the Wii offers something that neither the PC nor the 360/PS3 can offer. Unique play, and unusual and creative games that take advantage of it's unique controllers. Thusly for a dedicated PC user the Wii is a compelling argument for buying a console.
It's too bad you missed that point and had to pull out the 360/PS3 fanboi arguments that are so easily dismissed by the links I provided. Now stop trolling and go play a game.
You mean like Heat issues? http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_cont
Software Compatibility problems? http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=3
Crashing? http://www.xbox-scene.com/xbox1data/sep/EEFkZkkky
Seems to me I'm not missing much by sticking with a PC.
Way to miss the point.
No, What's wrong with society is too many people copping out and only following the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law, and not enough personal responsibility. Rachel Hyman is walking the good walk by not only carding minors, but confiscating their fake ID's and publicly shaming them for trying to break the law. These kids WILL remember this experience, and it WILL make them think twice the next time they consider breaking the law.
Shame is an underrated emotion.
Cable labs approved doesn't mean squat as long as cable companies are using a burned-in MAC to provision the cards.
It's the same thing with Cable modems. As long as they are Docsis compatible, the low-wage tech on the other end of the line has NO CLUE that your Motorola SB5102 that you are calling in to provision is actually from cablemodemhack.com and has the blackcat mod chip on it.
(not that I endorse uncapping your modem, or doing anything blatantly illegal, of course.)
No, the only reason they are being punished is because they broke the rules. The nature of the punishment is another discussion altogether, and not related to the fact that they broke the rules. The fact that you don't understand this points to your immaturity, and lack of critical thinking.
And that is exactly the point here. They need to LEARN to give a shit about AUPs, because there WILL be AUPs out in the work force when they grow up. Those AUPs will be enforced MUCH more rigorously, and violating them can result in suspension, loss of employment, and lawsuits. Stuff that can REALLY hurt you and your financial future. Better for them to learn responsibility now, when the consequences are relatively minor, than later when other people (such as their spouses or children) can be hurt by their irresponsibility.
Just in case you STILL don't get it, let me use a real-life example to educate you;
Yesterday I had to go to the drive-up ATM to get some cash out. Ahead of me in line was a lady in a minivan. After she was done she pulled away and I pulled up. I looked out the car window at the ATM and saw that it was at the "Are you finished or do you want another transaction?" screen. Basically she hadn't closed out her account, and had left her ATM/debit card in the machine. She had not exercised proper security by leaving her account open and her card in the ATM. This was her fault for not having secure habits. What should I have done?
Now, I closed the account window, removed the card and receipt and turned them in to the bank teller. I followed the law and my own ethical code. HOWEVER, let's just say for the sake of discussion that I didn't do that. Let's say that I went back into her account, changed the card PIN, and proceeded to empty out her account and go on a shopping spree with her money. Now, when I get caught, arrested and charged with a crime, Do you think that the jury in my trial is going to believe that is was the victim's fault for not exercising proper ATM security? Do you think that I will be able to get off with that kind of defense? Yeah, I didn't think so.
It is the same in this situation. The children are under School supervision. They must follow the school rules when at the school, and this includes the AUP for school computers. For these kids, the school rules are like laws. Follow them and all is well. Break them and expect to be punished. If the rules are unjust, then follow proper procedure to get them changed. (IE: work with parents to lobby the school board to change them) In an emergency, talk to the appropriate authorities about making an exception. Most teachers and principals are flexible enough to bend the rules if it is for schoolwork. But DO NOT expect to mount that kind of defense after breaking the rules and expect to get away with it.
Your post smacks of the typical kind of childish liberality that pervades WAY too much of western society today. Grow up, learn that there are consequences for your actions, and be a productive member of society. Otherwise I'll be seeing you in the local police blotter.
Most of these NDAs don't hold up in court anyway, so I wouldn't worry about it.
They are basically there just to provide a general warning not to try and double cross the company, or to pull the "double agent" bit and steal company secrets. But as far as preventing you from working for someone else after you have left employment with your previous company they aren't very effective. As another poster said, the whole "non-compete" clause was used in a similar manner by companies and was trounced by the courts as illegal. Anyone trying to use an NDA for the same reason would likely face a similar loss in court.
We seem to have a fundamental misunderstanding of PKE here.
Person A wants to talk to person B using encryption.
A sends B his public Key, B sends A her public key. They each then use the combination of the other's public key and their own private key to encode and decode messages to and from each other.
Let's say A goes to send B his key, but it's intercepted by C, and C sends B a modified key (man in the middle attack). Then B will not be able to initiate communication with A because the key won't match. This is how and why PKE works. If it was possible to capture and send a modified key and have the conversation still function then PKE wouldn't be very useful, would it?
That communism isn't about competition. Communism is about eliminating all competing ideas and asserting absolute control over every aspect of life. The communist leaders understand perfectly well about the "competition of ideas". They also know they can't compete because communism is a failed ideology. Thusly they seek to control access to information and keep their people in the dark. It's typical totalitarianism.
(To the commie trolls: Yes, I KNOW that's not how communism and socialism is supposed to work, I've read both Marx and Mao. The problem is that in practice it cannot possibly work the way it's designers envisioned it because they didn't take human nature into account.)
Interesting Wikipedia article. I'm normally not much for Wikipedia as an authoritative source, but it is sometimes useful for provoking discussions and deeper thought.
:)
As far as the "Chinese thought room" experiment, I guess it comes down to the basic concept of "understanding" a language in human psychological and physiological terms. I don't think we have discovered the exact mechanics of "understanding" yet. It could very well be that humans use a process much like the "Chinese thought room" in order to be able to communicate. Ultimately, what is a language but a set of rules for communicating abstract concepts? The basic mechanics of it are likely to be far different for humans, but perhaps the basic concept is very much like the "Chinese thought room". Who knows? It is interesting to think about though.
You win the "thought provoker of the day" award!
Ok..
So you give one Wikipedia link, and two out of date links regardiunbg 2 generation old versions of OpenGL and DX.
Since Wikipedia is basically worthless as an authoritative source we have to throw that one out right off. The others are completely out of date, and the gamedev link even talks about Windows 95 and DOS games!
C-mon. If you want to back up your argument, at least use up-to-date information and non-wikipedia links.
Note that I'm not saying you are wrong. You may very well be correct that DX is better than OGL. You just aren't making your case very well.
Ok, I'll take this one.
http://www.station.sony.com/
Check the "PC Games" column. Not a single non-Windows compatible game there. They are all Sony products.
(Yeah yeah, Sony didn't originally make many of them, but they own and develop them now, so they are Sony's.)
Reeeeeaaallly?
Hmmm... Forgive me if I am just a TAD skeptical about claims of DX's superiority from someone named MSFanBoi2.
Of course, you could be just engaging in a little humorous sock-puppetry and I'm not getting it.
Either way, I was under the distinct impression that OpenGL was and has been MUCH more advanced than Direct X for many years, and DX-10 doesn't really up the ante much.
Heh.
RTFA dude,
They show an image of the print head a bit further down the page. There are THOUSANDS of nozzles, in very deep rows, set into 1 inch square sections. So even if you got all those nozzles clogged enough to create a white line, you would just replace that little section and done.
The guys that made this are very smart. I'm sure they thought the whole "clogging" problem through.
Ok, I loathe Jack Thompson, but I have to admit, that's funny.
One other point. As a Christian, I would like to formally denounce Jack Thompson as a hypocrite of the first class. He reminds me of the Pharisees of Christ's time. All pious on the outside, but completely corrupt and vile on the inside.
Jack, stop quoting scripture. We Christians pretty much never get an even break in the press as it is. We don't need you making it harder.
Thankfully, We had the foresight to buy a corporate licensed copy of XP early last year.
We have a Dell Premiere Account, and just order all Dell N-Series Desktops and Laptops with the resource CD included. Then we either install XP, or ghost an image onto them. We won't be going to Vista until we have no choice (IE: MS drops support for it) and even then we will be using the "Business" version with all the crufty pretties turned off via Active Directory. So basically XP-v2 without the legoland desktop theme.
I would LOVE to be able to go to a Red Hat or Ubuntu desktop setup, but since my work designs Windows-based software with windows-based tools, it's not really an option. (more's the pity)
Of course it won't work. But that's not the point. SCO is trying to generate good press for itself, and so are the legislators. It's all about PR for the non-IT educated masses. The fact that it will and could never work is irrelevant.
Like many laws oriented towards social issues, this is about symbolism. Substance be damned.
So instead of doing something at least partially sensible, like setting up a .xxx TLD for porn sites, We are gonna start breaking web browsing now?
Come ON people! I'm as much for protecting kids from online boobies as the next parent, but messing with the basic structural foundation of the Web? Give me a break!
Methinks we have some legislators that need:
a) A basic IT education (A+ and Net+ would be a good start)
b) a permanent vacation if they don't stop trying to push nonsense laws.
Ok, a couple things here.
Did you even READ what I wrote?
His being a geographer is IRRELEVANT to the discussion of whether he has gotten death threats, and irrelevant to the scientists that have signed the petition that I mentioned.
Also, you offered no proof. All you have is some circumstantial story about China, written in the most horrendous grammar and spelling I have seen on Slashdot in years. I provided a full scientific abstract, you provided hearsay.
I have a few suggestions for you;
1) Get out of grade school and learn proper English grammatical and sentence structure. Also, spell check everything you write so as not to appear like an ignorant ranting child.
2) Actually read and respond appropriately to other's posts in order to avoid appearing like a troll.
3) Study the scientific evidence presented and move beyond "bumper sticker" level thought.