A dual system to do all that? A bit excessive, perhaps. It really shouldn't take a dual system for all of that.
I tend to get a quite a bit out of just a Pentium III 800, but this is all beside the point.
The things I run in the background are not CPU demanding, and they go into Wait status pretty quietly. (Explorer uses hardly any CPU time if it's not actively doing anything, and that's true for WinAMP, Outlook, ICQ, AIM, AVG, etc... basically anything most people are likely to be running)
But even if MS Operating Systems DO perform "Well enough", the point I was trying to make originally is that the level of multitasking they perform isn't really on the level of Unix. It's certainly not as efficient, and it's definately not preemptive.
But yes, I certainly agree that Windows XP makes a great Workstation OS; Windows 2000/XP is a serious improvement over the previous Windows 95/98/SE/ME...
Windows is becoming stable. Linux is gaining viability as a gaming platform. Pretty soon the merits of one over the other will be judged less over technical features and more over such things as cost and legalities.
What kind of bloat do you have running on that Windows machine? Games typically DO run better on Windows, though there are exceptions. (Quake is NOT by any means one of them).
HOWEVER, it is well known that Windows does not Multitask well compared to Linux, so anything you have running in the background is going to have some kind of ill effect on your gaming experiences. How ill that effect is depends largely on how powerful your PC is, what type of game you are playing, and what other software you have running.
Also, if your video card supports T&L, or other really nice very modern features, and the game you are running also supports those features, I seriously doubt Linux gaming performance will even come close to comparing with Windows.
This isn't even so much a "Can't Do" issue so much as "Just not done yet" issue.
Fortunately, things like SDL and Mesa are paving the way for this to change. And of course, Wine is getting more mature all the time.
If they want a Babel Fish, they're going to have to make sure they have the Towel, the Pile of Junk Mail, and a bunch of other crap.
I eventually got mine, but I hope nobody asks me how I did it. I don't remember and I'm not about to figure it out again!
If one really cared, they could just do a web-search for a walk-through. I'm sure one is out there.
30 years for a Babel Fish. Shesh.
So when do we get to see....
on
Magnetic Fluids
·
· Score: 2
So when do we get to see them build the first Liquid Terminator out of this stuff?
I realize the first metal Terminator has yet to be done, but after Sony realizes that AIBO isn't very useful, I think we'll start seeing some really fun stuff walking out of their labs.
The whole Liquid Metal Morphing Killer Robot thing though, man... that's where it's at!
I can't wait until I have a barrels full of minions to call upon for my evil deeds!
Once again, the open source peer review system works as it should.
Yup. And now that most boxes will probably go unpatched - there will be thousands of systems for which the exploits work exactly as they should as well!
Oh yeah, SURE, --YOU-- might have already applied the patch, but anybody reading Slashdot is part of a vastly outnumbered minority.
Luckily this isn't remotely exploitable... (...but then again...)
Still. I have these little rules...
Any bug in software is there forever.
Patches only fix systems that get patched.
Assume your software is dangerous; I keeps you aware and it's probably true.
Good... maybe that will force people to apply their damn patches
People don't even need to do THAT much to be safe!
Turn off the preview pane (Preview Pain), turn of all the other bloat, and don't open e-mail from people you don't know (or if you must read it, just view the source), and you know what? Outlook is every bit as secure as any other client out there.
Why everybody quivers in fear of Outlook is beyond me, except maybe they doubt their own abilities to turn off the crap that makes Outlook insecure. Those "neat features" make the program a time-bomb. Some of them are features other programs don't have, so they are features I don't mind turning off.
I happen to like Outlook. Worms have never infected me. Maybe Microsoft should take an "opt-in" stance with all of their feature-bloat. Disabled by Default. It's the way to be.
I have some fun myself...
The following phone conversation really happened, but I'm having to recreate it pretty much from memory so the wording is probably not exact...
THEM: Hello, I'd like to tell you about our Vinyl Siding... (rest of sales pitch here)
ME: I don't need Vinyl Siding. I live in a doghouse.
THEM: Oh really?
ME: Are you calling me a liar?
THEM: Uh, no it's just...
ME: It's just what? How many people do you know who put vynil siding on their dog houses?
This is the best advice anyone interested in making games can receive. You want to make games? Make games. Make mods. Make models. Make maps. If you are very lucky, you might get hired by a game developer... if not, at least your still making games!
One major wall some people have is doing ALL of the work. Not everybody can write music. Not everybody can do graphic work. Not everybody can code. Some people can do ALL of those things at least to some level, but don't have TIME to do ALL of them.
It's hard to get together a team of people who all want to "Make a game" just to "Make a game". Most people don't want to contribute their time without getting something out of it.
So while I agree with the statement "If you want to make games, just make games" entirely, I think it should be kept in mind that most people do not have the resources (time, money, etc) to just up and make a game no matter what kind of talent they may have.
The Jedi religion does in fact have many stated ideas that aren't too far from "real" religions, so who is to say that one can not actually proclaim themselves Jedi followers?
The question is a whole lot like asking "Is Discordianism Real?"
Any Discordian will tell you with absolute uncertainty that it probably isn't unreal. But just because the Discordian religion probably appeared first in a fictional novel doesn't mean that the beliefs are not valid, even if a bit loony.
I say if someone wants to be a Jedi, so be it. They have every bit as much a right to create miracles as any Christian, Jew, or Muslim. In fact, they're probably just as good at it!
I know people who actually use the words "I like AOL" all together in one sentence.
It's really a weird thing to witness.
Re:Postal was never a good game in the first place
on
Loki Goes Postal
·
· Score: 2
But in any case, Postal is still a poor to mediocre game:)
It was bad when it came out. And it hasn't gotten better with age, I promise. I admit, mindless shooters are often fun. But at the time Postal was released it was very obviously trying to ride off of the hype of being "so violent it should be banned." I don't think it should be banned. I'm not about to tell someone what they can and can not put in a video game/song/movie/etc. I'm all for their freedom of speech. I do however question their gaming priorities. Are they making a game or are they making a political statement?
If it's a political statement, okay. Point made. Nobody needs to play the game now. We get the point. If it's a game, I think they really should try to be a little more creative.
They brag about how successful the game has been, and how it's reached cult status but I think what they're really trying to say is that several years later they still haven't given up trying to push it down people's throats. They're still injecting it into whatever market will absorb it, and now they're gunning for the Linux users. They don't think they've exposed enough people I guess.
Whatever the reason, I think this says more about Running With Scissors than it does about Loki. It means that RWS is so desperate to make a few more fans of the franchise that they're even aiming for the Linux users. Somehow I doubt the "Sick and Twisted" Linux users are going to bite, though. But then agian, I suppose there might just be enough game-starved users out there that they'll buy it just because it's from Loki (something I don't consider a good thing.)
And for those who have never played the game, it's a 2D shooter. Not 3D. It has very low system requirements. You can find screenshots here. Now I think you've seen enough you can pass up the game.
Re:i have no problem with your bizarre taste in ga
on
Loki Goes Postal
·
· Score: 2
I run linux, and something tells me the types of games people like me like to play is different than the types of games all the M$ sheep like to play.
Funny you should say that.
Most of the people I know who are most fanatical about Diablo II are Linux users who cuss because they have to keep Windows around just to play it.
If anything, Diablo II is MORE the type of game that a Linux user would like than the 1st person shooters of the minute...
Just because something is popular doesn't mean it's good. But just because it's good doesn't mean it can't be popular.
The "Sheep" who use Microsoft, as you put it, are sometimes Wolves who violently refuse to compromise their gaming experience.
So, only actual MS customers can criticise MS. In that case you are applying a filter that says only those who are satisfied with MS (satisfied enough to keep purchasing their OS'es) are allowed to comment.
That's not what I meant! Not at all!
I'm talking about people who use Windows on a daily basis and STILL don't understand the basic workings of it.
True -- someone who does not use Windows is free to hate MICROSOFT all they want for many other reasons from ethical to technical.
The people of which I speak love to rant on about certain things in Windows that (for the most part) simply aren't even true.
For instance -- "HOW HARD" it supposedly is to change file associations when there is a simple method of doing it just by right clicking.
At 20 Ghz you'd have to slow the thing down to play Diablo!!
A properly designed game should run at a set speed on any system with enough power to play the game as intended.
There are many ways to synchronise events (timers, verticle blanks, etc).
I doubt Diablo II is going to be popular in 6 years, but if it is there isn't any reason why it shouldn't run at it's intended speed unless Blizzard messed something up somewhere.
I agree. Not everything Microsoft does must be part of some evil plot. (Almost, but not quite everything).
I'm shocked how many people don't really TRUELY know how to use Windows. They don't realize all of the options that are right their in their faces. "Open With-> Choose Program" is one of those "basic" things that a lot of "So Called Experts" don't realize they can do.
It annoys me that many people I know who have been using computers for many years proclaim themselves gurus and still don't understand a lot of very basic stuff about Windows. Yet, they can zoom around inside Unix as if it were a first language.
There's nothing wrong with knowing Unix better than Windows, but they should at least know how to use Windows before they spend 90% of their energy trying to convince people that Windows is evil.
First, just because there isn't a large Linux game market right now doesn't mean there will not be in the distant future. Since this compiler is only at version 2.0, now is the PERFECT time to get into Linux. That way, this compiler can grow with the Linux gaming market.
There is no "Linux users acceptance" here, if developers get to have it for free, that is it, you just killed your entire market here.
There are all kinds of free liscensing schemes which could apply to the free version. "Free for non-commercial use, etc. etc." Budding game developers might want to try the free version. Professional developers would almost certainly be willing to fork out the cost for the commercial version. After all, those are small expenses compared to the cost of developing a video game now days.
I don't think they want to get in, for the simple reason that there is almost no money to be made in Linux market selling compilers.
Sure they want to get in. They want to get in if the future of Linux gaming is bright. Sure, that's questionable. But then most business ventures are questionable. Some just make more clear business sense than other. If the Linux game market really sees a boom in the next five years then having their feet in the game-centric compiler door before the boom hits will have been an excellent decision. It's a risk, but I'd be willing to say it's a worthwhile risk. It's like gambling on fair odds with a high payout.
I think the real question here isn't so much if THEY want to invest the time in a Linux version, but rather, if the Linux community really wants to see Linux move in that direction.
It's partially my opinion that Linux users actually don't WANT Linux to become so mainstream that a large portion of the software for it is commercial, and only binary distributions exist. That sort of market is generally what happens to a mainstream OS, and it goes somewhat against the grain of Linux.
I personally think a game-centric compiler for Linux is a great idea. It's certainly no worse of an idea than SDL, and SDL is definately coming along nicely. The future of Linux gaming looks a whole lot better today than I would have thought it would a few years back. There's still along way to go, though.
Get used to it. Titanium may surplant Aluminum and Steel for many uses. I've read this many times and seen many articles about how we are now entering into a Titanium Age.
In fact, Slashdot wrote about it nearly a year ago!
AT&T is thinking about selling it's broadband access to AOL, and this deal is likely just intended to sweeten the pot. Imagine, AOL as the one true broadband provider/movie studio/tv news outlet/browser company/music label? Yep, time to start a dialup ISP in MY area;-)
Given all of the Sci-Fi movies where robots and computers take over the world (Terminator, Matrix, etc...) maybe having Microsoft as an OS Monopoly and AOL as the sole connectivity provider would be a really good way to keep the Robots in check.
Them: "ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO..." [Network lag][BSOD]
Us: Quick, someone shut that thing off, it's annoying me.
Slashdot Mirror
All of the college students would lie.
Some wouldn't have to.
There are tons of people here who have years of experience but have either just started college, or never finished. Some never went at all.
My suggestion, for what it's worth: Invest in a magic 8-Ball.
A dual system to do all that? A bit excessive, perhaps. It really shouldn't take a dual system for all of that.
...
I tend to get a quite a bit out of just a Pentium III 800, but this is all beside the point.
The things I run in the background are not CPU demanding, and they go into Wait status pretty quietly. (Explorer uses hardly any CPU time if it's not actively doing anything, and that's true for WinAMP, Outlook, ICQ, AIM, AVG, etc... basically anything most people are likely to be running)
But even if MS Operating Systems DO perform "Well enough", the point I was trying to make originally is that the level of multitasking they perform isn't really on the level of Unix. It's certainly not as efficient, and it's definately not preemptive.
But yes, I certainly agree that Windows XP makes a great Workstation OS; Windows 2000/XP is a serious improvement over the previous Windows 95/98/SE/ME
Windows is becoming stable. Linux is gaining viability as a gaming platform. Pretty soon the merits of one over the other will be judged less over technical features and more over such things as cost and legalities.
What kind of bloat do you have running on that Windows machine? Games typically DO run better on Windows, though there are exceptions. (Quake is NOT by any means one of them).
HOWEVER, it is well known that Windows does not Multitask well compared to Linux, so anything you have running in the background is going to have some kind of ill effect on your gaming experiences. How ill that effect is depends largely on how powerful your PC is, what type of game you are playing, and what other software you have running.
Also, if your video card supports T&L, or other really nice very modern features, and the game you are running also supports those features, I seriously doubt Linux gaming performance will even come close to comparing with Windows.
This isn't even so much a "Can't Do" issue so much as "Just not done yet" issue.
Fortunately, things like SDL and Mesa are paving the way for this to change. And of course, Wine is getting more mature all the time.
If they want a Babel Fish, they're going to have to make sure they have the Towel, the Pile of Junk Mail, and a bunch of other crap.
I eventually got mine, but I hope nobody asks me how I did it. I don't remember and I'm not about to figure it out again!
If one really cared, they could just do a web-search for a walk-through. I'm sure one is out there.
30 years for a Babel Fish. Shesh.
So when do we get to see them build the first Liquid Terminator out of this stuff?
I realize the first metal Terminator has yet to be done, but after Sony realizes that AIBO isn't very useful, I think we'll start seeing some really fun stuff walking out of their labs.
The whole Liquid Metal Morphing Killer Robot thing though, man... that's where it's at!
I can't wait until I have a barrels full of minions to call upon for my evil deeds!
Once again, the open source peer review system works as it should.
Yup. And now that most boxes will probably go unpatched - there will be thousands of systems for which the exploits work exactly as they should as well!
Oh yeah, SURE, --YOU-- might have already applied the patch, but anybody reading Slashdot is part of a vastly outnumbered minority.
Luckily this isn't remotely exploitable... (...but then again...)
Still. I have these little rules...
Any bug in software is there forever.
Patches only fix systems that get patched.
Assume your software is dangerous; I keeps you aware and it's probably true.
"You can't win you know, but there are alternatives to fighting."
Free software doesn't have a fighting chance.
It does, however, have a very passive and almost viral way of spreading.
Will it ever consume the whole? Probably not. But then, it doesn't have to as long as it never dies. As long as it still lives, it wins by default.
Good... maybe that will force people to apply their damn patches
People don't even need to do THAT much to be safe!
Turn off the preview pane (Preview Pain), turn of all the other bloat, and don't open e-mail from people you don't know (or if you must read it, just view the source), and you know what? Outlook is every bit as secure as any other client out there.
Why everybody quivers in fear of Outlook is beyond me, except maybe they doubt their own abilities to turn off the crap that makes Outlook insecure. Those "neat features" make the program a time-bomb. Some of them are features other programs don't have, so they are features I don't mind turning off.
I happen to like Outlook. Worms have never infected me. Maybe Microsoft should take an "opt-in" stance with all of their feature-bloat. Disabled by Default. It's the way to be.
Moderation Totals: Wrong=2, Stupid=3, Total=4.
But that's not consistant with the law of fives! fnord
I have some fun myself...
The following phone conversation really happened, but I'm having to recreate it pretty much from memory so the wording is probably not exact...
THEM: Hello, I'd like to tell you about our Vinyl Siding... (rest of sales pitch here)
ME: I don't need Vinyl Siding. I live in a doghouse.
THEM: Oh really?
ME: Are you calling me a liar?
THEM: Uh, no it's just...
ME: It's just what? How many people do you know who put vynil siding on their dog houses?
THEM: (click)
What happens if it takes them 5 years to get those 20,000 subscriptions?
What happens if by the time they FINALLY get that 20,000th, they've expended most of the money it all generated?
I don't see why this model would work any better than an all out commercial liscense.
If the project is good enough, people are going to pay for it.
Well, some people anyway. Other people won't pay for anything at all. But they hardly count since they won't ever be a revenue stream.
This is the best advice anyone interested in making games can receive. You want to make games? Make games. Make mods. Make models. Make maps. If you are very lucky, you might get hired by a game developer... if not, at least your still making games!
One major wall some people have is doing ALL of the work. Not everybody can write music. Not everybody can do graphic work. Not everybody can code. Some people can do ALL of those things at least to some level, but don't have TIME to do ALL of them.
It's hard to get together a team of people who all want to "Make a game" just to "Make a game". Most people don't want to contribute their time without getting something out of it.
So while I agree with the statement "If you want to make games, just make games" entirely, I think it should be kept in mind that most people do not have the resources (time, money, etc) to just up and make a game no matter what kind of talent they may have.
Starflight had an entire Galaxy on two 5.25" floppy disks! :P
The Jedi religion does in fact have many stated ideas that aren't too far from "real" religions, so who is to say that one can not actually proclaim themselves Jedi followers?
The question is a whole lot like asking "Is Discordianism Real?"
Any Discordian will tell you with absolute uncertainty that it probably isn't unreal. But just because the Discordian religion probably appeared first in a fictional novel doesn't mean that the beliefs are not valid, even if a bit loony.
I say if someone wants to be a Jedi, so be it. They have every bit as much a right to create miracles as any Christian, Jew, or Muslim. In fact, they're probably just as good at it!
Hail Eris! fnord
I suppose there might be a handful.
More than a handful.
I know people who actually use the words "I like AOL" all together in one sentence.
It's really a weird thing to witness.
But in any case, Postal is still a poor to mediocre game :)
It was bad when it came out. And it hasn't gotten better with age, I promise. I admit, mindless shooters are often fun. But at the time Postal was released it was very obviously trying to ride off of the hype of being "so violent it should be banned." I don't think it should be banned. I'm not about to tell someone what they can and can not put in a video game/song/movie/etc. I'm all for their freedom of speech. I do however question their gaming priorities. Are they making a game or are they making a political statement?
If it's a political statement, okay. Point made. Nobody needs to play the game now. We get the point. If it's a game, I think they really should try to be a little more creative.
They brag about how successful the game has been, and how it's reached cult status but I think what they're really trying to say is that several years later they still haven't given up trying to push it down people's throats. They're still injecting it into whatever market will absorb it, and now they're gunning for the Linux users. They don't think they've exposed enough people I guess.
Whatever the reason, I think this says more about Running With Scissors than it does about Loki. It means that RWS is so desperate to make a few more fans of the franchise that they're even aiming for the Linux users. Somehow I doubt the "Sick and Twisted" Linux users are going to bite, though. But then agian, I suppose there might just be enough game-starved users out there that they'll buy it just because it's from Loki (something I don't consider a good thing.)
And for those who have never played the game, it's a 2D shooter. Not 3D. It has very low system requirements. You can find screenshots here. Now I think you've seen enough you can pass up the game.
I run linux, and something tells me the types of games people like me like to play is different than the types of games all the M$ sheep like to play.
Funny you should say that.
Most of the people I know who are most fanatical about Diablo II are Linux users who cuss because they have to keep Windows around just to play it.
If anything, Diablo II is MORE the type of game that a Linux user would like than the 1st person shooters of the minute...
Just because something is popular doesn't mean it's good. But just because it's good doesn't mean it can't be popular.
The "Sheep" who use Microsoft, as you put it, are sometimes Wolves who violently refuse to compromise their gaming experience.
So, only actual MS customers can criticise MS. In that case you are applying a filter that says only those who are satisfied with MS (satisfied enough to keep purchasing their OS'es) are allowed to comment.
That's not what I meant! Not at all!
I'm talking about people who use Windows on a daily basis and STILL don't understand the basic workings of it.
True -- someone who does not use Windows is free to hate MICROSOFT all they want for many other reasons from ethical to technical.
The people of which I speak love to rant on about certain things in Windows that (for the most part) simply aren't even true.
For instance -- "HOW HARD" it supposedly is to change file associations when there is a simple method of doing it just by right clicking.
At 20 Ghz you'd have to slow the thing down to play Diablo!!
A properly designed game should run at a set speed on any system with enough power to play the game as intended.
There are many ways to synchronise events (timers, verticle blanks, etc).
I doubt Diablo II is going to be popular in 6 years, but if it is there isn't any reason why it shouldn't run at it's intended speed unless Blizzard messed something up somewhere.
I agree. Not everything Microsoft does must be part of some evil plot. (Almost, but not quite everything).
I'm shocked how many people don't really TRUELY know how to use Windows. They don't realize all of the options that are right their in their faces. "Open With-> Choose Program" is one of those "basic" things that a lot of "So Called Experts" don't realize they can do.
It annoys me that many people I know who have been using computers for many years proclaim themselves gurus and still don't understand a lot of very basic stuff about Windows. Yet, they can zoom around inside Unix as if it were a first language.
There's nothing wrong with knowing Unix better than Windows, but they should at least know how to use Windows before they spend 90% of their energy trying to convince people that Windows is evil.
I remember them working really well in Black and White...
What's the gesture to set fire to a web-page?
You've been doing some nice trolling.
I'll counter your psuedopoints.
There is no money to be made in Linux market.
First, just because there isn't a large Linux game market right now doesn't mean there will not be in the distant future. Since this compiler is only at version 2.0, now is the PERFECT time to get into Linux. That way, this compiler can grow with the Linux gaming market.
There is no "Linux users acceptance" here, if developers get to have it for free, that is it, you just killed your entire market here.
There are all kinds of free liscensing schemes which could apply to the free version. "Free for non-commercial use, etc. etc." Budding game developers might want to try the free version. Professional developers would almost certainly be willing to fork out the cost for the commercial version. After all, those are small expenses compared to the cost of developing a video game now days.
I don't think they want to get in, for the simple reason that there is almost no money to be made in Linux market selling compilers.
Sure they want to get in. They want to get in if the future of Linux gaming is bright. Sure, that's questionable. But then most business ventures are questionable. Some just make more clear business sense than other. If the Linux game market really sees a boom in the next five years then having their feet in the game-centric compiler door before the boom hits will have been an excellent decision. It's a risk, but I'd be willing to say it's a worthwhile risk. It's like gambling on fair odds with a high payout.
I think the real question here isn't so much if THEY want to invest the time in a Linux version, but rather, if the Linux community really wants to see Linux move in that direction.
It's partially my opinion that Linux users actually don't WANT Linux to become so mainstream that a large portion of the software for it is commercial, and only binary distributions exist. That sort of market is generally what happens to a mainstream OS, and it goes somewhat against the grain of Linux.
I personally think a game-centric compiler for Linux is a great idea. It's certainly no worse of an idea than SDL, and SDL is definately coming along nicely. The future of Linux gaming looks a whole lot better today than I would have thought it would a few years back. There's still along way to go, though.
Guess what? Asbestos is much more dangerous than terrorism. It just kills you slower, and allows some corporation to profit from your demise.
Heh. I don't guess you know that there are many different TYPES of asbestos, and not all of them are considered a serious health risk.
Hey, but why is everything 'Titanium' now anyway?
Get used to it. Titanium may surplant Aluminum and Steel for many uses. I've read this many times and seen many articles about how we are now entering into a Titanium Age.
In fact, Slashdot wrote about it nearly a year ago!
AT&T is thinking about selling it's broadband access to AOL, and this deal is likely just intended to sweeten the pot. Imagine, AOL as the one true broadband provider/movie studio/tv news outlet/browser company/music label? Yep, time to start a dialup ISP in MY area ;-)
Given all of the Sci-Fi movies where robots and computers take over the world (Terminator, Matrix, etc...) maybe having Microsoft as an OS Monopoly and AOL as the sole connectivity provider would be a really good way to keep the Robots in check.
Them: "ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO..." [Network lag][BSOD]
Us: Quick, someone shut that thing off, it's annoying me.