I think it would be easy enough to embed some sort of ID into the laptops that would allow them to easily be recognized as school property. They might get stolen at first but when the criminals find that the pawn shops won't accept them (since the pawn shops keep getting busted for the stolen laptops) I think the problem would go away.
The purpose of my post was to point out that OpenOffice exports to PDF just fine and an external PDF creation program seemed excessive. I guess you're responding to my tangent on the fact that I don't like the PDF format.
If you're curious as to why I said that, I've got my reasons.
My main complaint with PDF is that it's overused. Professors at universities post everything from homework to grades in PDF format. Why? I have no idea. Usually, they're not intending for the students to print the files out. My guess is that they want to send it out in a format that everyone can view. This seems reasonable enough, except we've already got a better format that everyone can use and it's called XHTML. Documents that are not meant to be printed, but just viewed online, should be HTML and not PDF. I hate having to click a button to switch between "pages" when I'm using a computer with a display that is perfectly capable of eliminating any sort of pagination.
My other main complaint is that PDF is not XML-based. This isn't a huge problem, but I think XML formats make a lot of sense (especially when combined with XSLT and other XML processors). This argument is certainly not enough to switch people off of PDF and onto another, newer format and I realize that, but it still factors into my hatred.
Complaint #3: Adobe created the format and I don't particularly like Adobe and their hideous GUIs. I doubt many people agree with this sentiment, but I'm listing MY reasons for disliking PDF.
Ok, my original post wasn't clear. My point is I don't care about compression; RAR, ACE, 7z, etc. are all pretty close in most cases.
My point is that we've already got some unencumbered, free formats that people use and I see no compelling reason to switch.
Additionally, splitting files up into pieces is easy and can be done on any file format. Sure, RAR does some integrity checking on the pieces, but usually when you split a file into pieces, you're going to be using something like PAR that checks the integrity of the pieces and recreates missing ones. RAR's checks are just a waste of time in all of the cases I've used them for (Usenet).
Re:I agree with most of what you say but...
on
Videogames as Art
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· Score: 1
You're correct that I was referring to the vast majority of games and there are some exceptions.
Unlike most games, the Final Fantasy games do have some characters that are not completely one dimensional and I appreciate that. Unfortunately, the games all end up the same way; with the player saving the world from evil. Ok, done. There's nothing particularly interesting about this once you've done it a few times (like in FFs 1, 2, 3, 7, for example).
Like I said above, the Final Fantasy games have a lot of good qualities, but the endings are not that great. Perhaps they're slightly moving, but that's not a hard feat to accomplish. Frankly, I'd prefer having to make some choices at the end that involve not being able to save everyone, compromising with the villain's objectives, or something like that. Just something to make the player use some brain cells, you know?
(Note: I'm not entirely sure this is even possible to pull off well in a game. Maybe it's even been done before and I just haven't seen it. Feel free to cite examples =)
Additionally, very few people use it/have it installed and the savings in file size are not worth it to most people with decent Internet connections.
Gimmer.tar.gz or.tar.bz2 anyday. I don't wanna waste time getting a program just to install something else.
To date, I've never used 7-zip.
My Problem with the Premise
on
Videogames as Art
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· Score: 5, Interesting
People seem to be claiming that video games are art simply because some of them have plots with twists and the ability to tug on some players' heart strings. Some people see nothing wrong with this, but I would imagine that such people would consider black and white (with regard to characters) movies like Terminator 3 to also be art.
To me, the most artistic (for lack of a better word) movies are the ones that leave me thinking at the end; movies with characters whose motivations aren't as simple as pure revenge; movies with villains that are not soulless evil incarnate. I'm having some trouble coming up with examples, but things like the characters in movies like Princess Mononoke or Insomnia.
Making a story where you battle true evil is not art, it's mostly formulaic. Making a story that is unpredictable and unique is art.
(Note: I'm addressing only the plot of games as art. The actual 3D content and graphics classify as art and I don't think anyone could argue against this in many games)
Then if you complain to the webmaster, he'll probably ignore your complaints, just like the Linux kernel developers ignore complaints by people using closed source drivers.
Same reaction. Stop trying to call everyone hypocrites.
This is the Internet we're talking about here. Morons will do anything they want because they can't be held accountable for their actions. If you don't want people doing something in a game, the only way to prevent it is by making the actions impossible to perform.
If you read more of the article, you'd see that he telecommuted most of the time anyway and his games that had been selling well were starting to lose out due to comptetition.
I don't think his move really changed what was going to happen to that company. They were simply riding a temporary indie/puzzle game boom and they didn't change their focus once the boom was over. I guess the fact that they were creatively drained probably affected things too (preventing them from switching genres easily).
Well, you probably only play free Flash games (as I do) and they're charging money.
Additionally, they appear to only have one Flash-based game, Fruit Frolic, that is their most expensive game, and they addmit in the linked article that it was their worst-selling game:
Our last game, Fruit Frolic, was the one we had the most confidence in. We felt we had nailed variable game play, music, animations, flash, you name it -- and it ended up our worst selling title.
particularly known for its Flash-based Web games like Candy Cruncher
I read an article by the guy that ported Candy Cruncher to Linux and he was using SDL. It is clearly NOT a flash-based web game. Just because it has cute, shiny graphics and it works on multiple platforms does not make it Flash-based or browser-based.
Sure, some Americans might have their rights side-stepped by Germany, but the US could use all of its crazy IP laws to prevent any European company from developing things like "method for clearing memory storage space ('memory') by filling said space with null digits ('zeroes')" and a multitude of common knowledge pieces of software covered by ridiculous patents.
Slashdot Mirror
Can't read or write ENGLISH, I believe is what you meant.
They'll all quickly become familiar with WTF, hax0r, camping f4g, and such.
I think it would be easy enough to embed some sort of ID into the laptops that would allow them to easily be recognized as school property. They might get stolen at first but when the criminals find that the pawn shops won't accept them (since the pawn shops keep getting busted for the stolen laptops) I think the problem would go away.
The purpose of my post was to point out that OpenOffice exports to PDF just fine and an external PDF creation program seemed excessive. I guess you're responding to my tangent on the fact that I don't like the PDF format.
If you're curious as to why I said that, I've got my reasons.
Ok, my original post wasn't clear. My point is I don't care about compression; RAR, ACE, 7z, etc. are all pretty close in most cases.
My point is that we've already got some unencumbered, free formats that people use and I see no compelling reason to switch.
Additionally, splitting files up into pieces is easy and can be done on any file format. Sure, RAR does some integrity checking on the pieces, but usually when you split a file into pieces, you're going to be using something like PAR that checks the integrity of the pieces and recreates missing ones. RAR's checks are just a waste of time in all of the cases I've used them for (Usenet).
You're correct that I was referring to the vast majority of games and there are some exceptions.
Unlike most games, the Final Fantasy games do have some characters that are not completely one dimensional and I appreciate that. Unfortunately, the games all end up the same way; with the player saving the world from evil. Ok, done. There's nothing particularly interesting about this once you've done it a few times (like in FFs 1, 2, 3, 7, for example).
Like I said above, the Final Fantasy games have a lot of good qualities, but the endings are not that great. Perhaps they're slightly moving, but that's not a hard feat to accomplish. Frankly, I'd prefer having to make some choices at the end that involve not being able to save everyone, compromising with the villain's objectives, or something like that. Just something to make the player use some brain cells, you know?
(Note: I'm not entirely sure this is even possible to pull off well in a game. Maybe it's even been done before and I just haven't seen it. Feel free to cite examples =)
I'm not sure what you need PDFcreator for. OpenOffice can export to PDF.
I hate the PDF format with a passion, but that's beside the point.
Additionally, very few people use it/have it installed and the savings in file size are not worth it to most people with decent Internet connections.
.tar.gz or .tar.bz2 anyday. I don't wanna waste time getting a program just to install something else.
Gimmer
To date, I've never used 7-zip.
People seem to be claiming that video games are art simply because some of them have plots with twists and the ability to tug on some players' heart strings. Some people see nothing wrong with this, but I would imagine that such people would consider black and white (with regard to characters) movies like Terminator 3 to also be art.
To me, the most artistic (for lack of a better word) movies are the ones that leave me thinking at the end; movies with characters whose motivations aren't as simple as pure revenge; movies with villains that are not soulless evil incarnate. I'm having some trouble coming up with examples, but things like the characters in movies like Princess Mononoke or Insomnia.
Making a story where you battle true evil is not art, it's mostly formulaic. Making a story that is unpredictable and unique is art.
(Note: I'm addressing only the plot of games as art. The actual 3D content and graphics classify as art and I don't think anyone could argue against this in many games)
It seems that you have misspelled "nevar"
Then if you complain to the webmaster, he'll probably ignore your complaints, just like the Linux kernel developers ignore complaints by people using closed source drivers.
Same reaction. Stop trying to call everyone hypocrites.
This is the Internet we're talking about here. Morons will do anything they want because they can't be held accountable for their actions. If you don't want people doing something in a game, the only way to prevent it is by making the actions impossible to perform.
Nice FUD, but I've been exchaning .doc and other Office format files written/edited in OpenOffice with other people and they've never had any problems.
If you read more of the article, you'd see that he telecommuted most of the time anyway and his games that had been selling well were starting to lose out due to comptetition.
I don't think his move really changed what was going to happen to that company. They were simply riding a temporary indie/puzzle game boom and they didn't change their focus once the boom was over. I guess the fact that they were creatively drained probably affected things too (preventing them from switching genres easily).
Well, you probably only play free Flash games (as I do) and they're charging money.
Additionally, they appear to only have one Flash-based game, Fruit Frolic, that is their most expensive game, and they addmit in the linked article that it was their worst-selling game:
I read an article by the guy that ported Candy Cruncher to Linux and he was using SDL. It is clearly NOT a flash-based web game. Just because it has cute, shiny graphics and it works on multiple platforms does not make it Flash-based or browser-based.
3) Children are usually not hired in place of graphic artists for a reason.
4) The "OK" logo (which I haven't seen anyone use in about 7 years) is obscene in many countries.
I think it's a mistake. In fact, I think logo competitions in general are just asking for trouble.
OHHHH SNAP!!! Take that PHP!
Well given that I didn't even know what the words meant when I learned to regurgitate the phrases, I don't think brainwashing was possible.
... but what are the Europeans thinking?
Sure, some Americans might have their rights side-stepped by Germany, but the US could use all of its crazy IP laws to prevent any European company from developing things like "method for clearing memory storage space ('memory') by filling said space with null digits ('zeroes')" and a multitude of common knowledge pieces of software covered by ridiculous patents.
Exclude != Forgot
That particular use of "gay" is not in my vocabulary due to the other definitions mentioned in the parent post.
No, not insightful.
Funny.
I find it ironic that, of all people, YOU are trying to point out humor to the parent poster.
There was a humor notification in his post for a reason. Any guess as to what that reason was?
Maybe Microsoft sponsored his efforts to screw over Apple?