The fact that your opinions are so self-righteous does not make them correct. It is completely feasible that the tone and flavor of the cell shaded graphics in Wind Waker did not really tickle some gamers fancy. Myself, I enjoyed the game and the graphics, but I was not as blown away with the title as I have been with other Zelda titles that might have a more dark tone, in both story and art direction.
Wind Waker tried something new with the Zelda franchise, and the fact that not everyone liked it doesn't mean it's a failure or that they aren't "real" gamers. People have different criteria for what they consider a good game, and simply because their set does not correspond with yours does not make them wrong.
I would submit the paper I wrote, "The Psychology of Slashdot" but the editors wouldn't let it through.
Grow some balls and post a link, then.
Hollywood has the right idea!
on
Doom Movie Update
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· Score: 3, Insightful
People, people! There is a reason that they've changed so much about the new DOOM movie, and that reason is the fact that DOOM was already made into a movie. They gotta look orignal now, don't they?
All sarcasm aside, this movie is going to totally blow. DOOM is the type of intellectual property that I think can only be made into a movie ONE WAY, and this way sure as hell ain't it. The best us die-hard DOOM fans can do now is sit back and watch it crash and burn horribly, never to be spoken of again. As far as I'm concerned, they might as well have given it to someone who could at least butcher it in style like Uwe Boll, but he was probably busily turning another videogame liscence into pure tripe.
I completely agree. There is a LOT wrong with video game reviews, and it seems to revolve completely around money.
The worst offender lately, as far as I'm concerned, would have to be Game Informer, though I read that magazine all the time. Only the WORST games they give a poor review, and most of the time those games are by publishers and developers that don't have much credibility (read:cashflow) anyway. The loopholes in their review system, as well as many other review sites/magazines, show if you actually read the review. While they might give a game a number rating of 7 or 8, if you actually read the review text maybe 50% of the written review criticizes the weak points of the game. Now I understand even the best games aren't flawless, but if you're taking half of the time to criticize what's wrong with the game, then that should automatically be like a 5 or 6. It's even worse though, when a reviewer IGNORES ALTOGETHER the poor aspects of a game when they are blatantly there or played it in an environment that is optimized to specifically cater to a particular game.
Case in point, Half-Life 2. It's my understanding that in order to get reviews of the game out in a timely manner, the reviewers had to play the game in the Valve offices. Which means they didn't have to deal with Steam downloads, authentication or the verification system each time they wanted to play. Even more skewing is the fact that they most likely played the game on systems that the game might have been specifically designed for, thus robbing the whole "average gamer" aspect from their review; they might not have had to deal with a minimum requirement system OR possible unrealiabilites with the Steam servers.
So, sadly, you really can't trust any reviewer these days, and this will probably only get worse as the industry continues to grow. With game review publishers getting more and more money from hardware manufacturers, game developers/publishers, and game culture companies it's going to become VERY hard to get away with saying anything bad about your financial contributors. It's a Catch-22 though, really, because the groups that are willing to give the most advertising dollar to game reviewers are the ones that are going to raise the biggest stink about harsh reviews. Hopefully the industry might grow in a manner where companies who have little invested in game reviews can market towards gamers in magazines and on websites so that reviewers no longer have to worry about pleasing the greater majority of the ones paying their bills, but who knows...
Someone really needs to help me out here, as I'm incredibly confused by this situation.
Am I to understand that there are individuals out there who pirated a copy of HL2 and still allowed their machines to log into Steam to authenticate. AND they used a valid Steam account to do all this with, so now they are blacklisted for life?
My understanding to the inevitibility of HL2 getting cracked would be that the "fix" wouldn't be a CD Key that works, but probably be something that prevents HL2 from dialing home altogether. Are people really as foolish to think that simply using a pirated CD key on an authentication server like STEAM will keep them in the clear? It boggles the mind...
(Overheard in the Valve offices:)
Oh, Nos! A cranky slashbot isn't gonna buy HL2! Well, guys, it's been a fun few years, but slashbot 10537 isn't going to buy our games, so we have to close up shop. Everyone pack up your desks, security is coming down the hall to kick you all out!
...I swear to Christ, sometimes I think comments like this are the only reason I even bother reading slashdot.
Granted that I love WinAmp, feel it's the best player on a Windows-based system, AND I use it every day for all my music and video related needs, the media libary functionality is terrible. The query builder is completely weak; I'd like to sort by a hierarchy other than just Artist/Album, or even build my own. If you can direct me to a plug-in that let's me do this, I'd be set.
Regardless, Winamp has all the features I need and have grown to love. Namely, a it's speedy to open when I need it plus GLOBAL HOTKEYS, a truly ingenious design. Plus the plug-ins; I won't even get started there. Winamp is the best, but it doesn't have EVERYTHING, and some of the things it DOES have it does rather poorly...
...so I'm sitting here thinking "I'd really love to play Half-Life 2; I loved the first one to death, played it over and over again for years and years, and I think it'd be a blast to play through the second one (granted it's as good as everyone claims.) However, I think that Valve and their 'content delivery' system is a total sham, and I really have no desire to support that or endorse it. So, should I pirate it? What does this all MEAN?"
Then it hits me like a ton of bricks: we've really gotten to a point in our capitalist society where it is no longer the norm for the producers to provide the consumers what they want; rather we're at a point where the producers/corporations TELL us what we want and how the fuck we're going to get it. Case in point; I want to play Half-Life 2, without all the bullshit of online activation, yadda yadda. I have no problem with going to the store, paying $55, taking it home to install it with my valid CD key and just go play a singleplayer game. It's irrelevant if I have an internet connection right now. I want a single player experience, and I do NOT want to jump through Valve's hoops to get it. But, in order for me to be a "legitimate" player of Half-Life 2, I have no choice but to do as Valve has permitted me.
What this shows is that Valve, and companies like them, no longer care about the consumer in the sense of supplying them with a product that sells itself. As consumers, we have gotten to a point where we've enabled companies to instruct and dictate the conditions of how we spend OUR money. Even worse, we've seemed to do little to combat this, and as displayed by the Valve servers grinding to a halt due to 'authentication demands', we're not cracking the proverbial whip to get these companies back in line and providing what we all want. Valve and all the companies just like them are going to be rolling in it.
...I really didn't post this to fan the flames of "Piracy has brought us to this!" arguments, but I might get those. To you I say this; in regards to Steam and the activation of Half-Life 2, the ones who have it the easiest ARE the pirates. Download a copy, install the crack, and apparently you can be up and running in no time as opposed to the legitimate purchasers, some of which might have to wait for hours! The bottom line is that Steam is not a "content" the content delivery system it claims to be, but rather just another extreme and incredibly hindering method for the publishers to combat a loss of their profits.
At this point in time I'd love to say: "You know what, fuck it. Fuck all the hype, the inflated game price, the nonsense. I'll wait until HL2 hits the bargain bins at my local software store in a few years and pick it up. I'll vote with my dollar and show Valve that I'm really not going to fall into the hype; if they want my cash, they're gonna have to earn it." But then I realize, that with a distribution system like Steam, the chances of me getting HL2 in a bargain bin down the road for a reduced price are very slim. What happens if this whole thing blows up in there face, and Steam isn't around in a year or two? Then what? Even worse, what if it does well, and other companies follow suit. Then, maybe they'll come up with some absurd reasoning that it's not longer economically feasible or fair to them to sell their games at a discount price just because they're old; they're games are worth just as much in 2007 as they were worth in 2004. And since they have the power and control of a system like Steam, there is going to be very little to stop them from following through with such absurd rationalizations. Obviously we, the gamers and consumers, aren't keeping them in line.
* DISCLAIMER : * I know the above scribblings might sound totally cheesy and disjointed, but forgive me, my headcold, and my need to rant. That's what slashdot is for though, right...?
I just recently checked out Media Center after using Winamp for years, and while I have to say it's media library support/functionality is the BEST I've ever used I'm still at a loss for GLOBAL HOTKEY SUPPORT. Is it possible, you being a more experienced user, to get some light shed on the status of Media Center and hotkeys? Any plugins or anything? Hotkeys are the only thing keeping me on Winamp now; Winamp isn't bad necessarily, but I have a huge music collection and as of late Winamp's library management has felt inadequate.
...I don't mean to turn this into a support forum thread or anything, but I did feel like milking this opportunity to pose my question...
Dark Forces is one of the best FPS', if not one of the best games, I've ever played. For it's time, it had the perfect blend of action, story and environment interaction that really makes it a true classic. Next to DOOM, I think it's one of the only FPSs I've played straight through multiple times. Plus, it's set in the Star Wars universe.
As for this MOD, I have to say it looks great and I'm going to have to keep my eyes on it. While the update to the graphics engine will add some new depth to the classic Dark Forces levels (I remember always LOVING the "Detention Center" and that level set in the mine), I really hope the gameplay can be carried over as well. In the meantime, let's hope Lucasarts doesn't shut it down, eh? Though I don't own Jedi Academy, I'd definitely pick it up for this MOD alone, so I hope that should be incentive enough for Mr. Lucas to keep his lawyers off of this one.
How can you honestly say Microsoft is to blame for the sad state of the IT admin and tech support fields? It's not like Microsoft FORCED companies to accept their MSCEs; business owners and IT managers were the ones who figured it'd be a good idea to let a private company determine the education requirements for the IT employees. Micrsoft just rode the wave and laughed all the way to the bank.
The state of "mainstream" IT in the U.S. seems to be more systematic than anything. Business owners and their advisors have gotten it into their head that "official" certifications are what qualifies one for a position, not actual technical knowledge. It functions the same way as the U.S. education system; some of the DUMBEST people I've known were straight A students, but I'm sure with an educational record as "impressive" as a college degree and even graduate school (*shudder*) they'll have no trouble at all finding a job or getting into college/graduate school. Colleges are just making a killing by riding on the blind faith business managers give to college degrees. So is Microsoft. Don't blame them; blame your boss(es).
I'd have to say you're half right. While I agree that Lucas was just in the right place at the right time and his "cheap" sci-fi happened to appeal to the right producers/movie-making goons, I think the first three Star Wars movies are incredibly polished and put together wonderfully. His more recent Star Wars endeavors might lead us all to believe that his original sci-fi opera might have just been a fluke as far as his creativity pool is concerned, but nevertheless the original three are still great movies.
I do have to agree with many other posts I've seen so far in that Star Wars is NOT science fiction. Yes, it takes place in space and makes heavy use of advanced technologies to foster it's appeal, but I've never felt Star Wars to be at all based on reality. I think we can all agree that the BEST sci-fi takes concepts that are already existent today and either expands on them or twists them around in such a manner that we view them from an entirely different perspective.
It'd be tragic if the parent got modded down, as he or she does have a very valid point. I've also been a Windows user for an incredibly long time, and the only time my system has gotten completely hosed is due to my own stupidity. The bottom line is, I cover my ass and all my bases when using a Windows system (reliable AV, NON-MS firewall, ad-aware, etc, etc.) and I can honestly say I've never had a problem.
Yes, there is a trade off I suppose. I DO have to worry more about security than I might with say, a Linux or a OS X system, but on the other hand I like playing GAMES. Lots of them, and whichever ones I want. Therefore, I've taken the steps to educate myself to "deal" with a Windows system, and I think it's safe to say that I've never gotten burned. This isn't to say that I never will, but the truth is for all of the bitching and complaining I hear about MS insecurity I've never had a problem.
I guess it all comes down to is knowing the userbase. Windows is designed to appeal to the LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR. That means the more computer-savy users have to sift through all the nonsense in order to get things working the way they want. With Linux, it seems like all your dealing with IS nonsense (but the good kind of nonsense...heheh). And Mac, those seem to have the best of both worlds because Apple has all the control they want over the hardware/OS, so they really have no excuse for it NOT to be perfect as far as I'm concerned.
I have question for anyone a bit more knowledgable on the whole patent-granting process: if you sucesfully apply for a patent does that mean you have the right to let anyone do whatever the hell they want with your patented material? So, theoretically could one apply for a patent just for the sake of ensuring that it remains "open source"? I guess one could always have a change of heart down the line and say "Hey, I think I changed my mind. You bitches better start paying up..." I'm just curious because I envision the scenarios in which someone with more of a open source philosophy invents something innovative and does not patent it, but then someone who emulates the invention goes and patents it themselves. Some may argue that "prior art" attempts to prevent this, but decisions based on prior art can totally be exploited, as the whole concept seems incredibly subjective.
The first thing that popped into my head when I thought prior art was also the X-Band, but now that I think about it there is something pre-dating even THAT I believe. I think there was a console system released back in the 80's, I think ATARI2600-generation (I'm not exactly sure; ATARI was before my time. I'm 23...). Anyways, I can't remember exactly what it was called nor where the hell I read about it, so I have no idea on what the hell to do a search for any information, but if anyone knows what the hell I'm talking about then it'd be interesting to take a look at. Then again, now that I think about it I believe the system was only 1-on-1 via a modem, so depending on whether or not Nintendo is trying to patent online gaming in general or an online gaming "hub" it would only apply accordingly.
Re:Separating Linux users from Windows users
on
The Spyware Inferno
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· Score: 0
You're right. Linux users never commit copyright violations. And if they do, God forbid they have to SACRIFICE anything for it. Leave Windows to the immoral, corrupt and unwashed masses. I follow ya...
I completely agree with you. I'm not a total cynic; I'd expect that there are a great deal of companies out there (both large and small) that treat their employees quite well. I just think that, majority wise, most people have a tendency to end up working for a company that is so beurocratic and "efficiency oriented" that it just completely anihilates morale and kills any desire for employees to maintain any company loyalty whatsoever.
Gangrene up on that azz...
on
Vive La Loafing!
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· Score: 2, Informative
[the author] argues that France's ossified corporate cultural no longer offers rank-and-file employees the prospect of success, so, "why not spread gangrene through the system from inside?"
Interesting concept. Of course, I'd have to read the book to get the full explanation of this philosophy, but I think corporatist/capitalist countries have in fact gotten to the point where the corporate culture isn't one where one can aspire to promote themselves, but moreso just make sure that they're going to have a job come tomorrow morning. Business administration seems to have gotten to the point where employees have become so anonmyous and replaceable that, for the most part, it seems no one is encouraged to maintain or even develop a sense of loyalty. Maybe her suggestion to eat out these corporations from the inside could prove to light a fire under their asses. On the other hand, as I think anyone can attest to being displayed in the past, it will most likely just instill the people in charge to take away more and more rights and benefits from the employees as a means to counter-act the half-assed work they're getting in return for paying out salaries. Ah well, the door swings both ways it would seem. I guess it'd just be safe enough to admit that we're all pretty much fucked.
This shouldn't be a poke at the user who had this problem or the techy who took so long to fix it... the problem is much deeper... it's not even a case of user education... user's should NOT have to worry about things like this.
I couldn't agree with you more on this, my friend. I grow so weary of the belief that using a computer is a privelage, and anyone who doesn't have the "know how" of so many of the nerds on slashdot shouldn't even be allowed near one. The fact of the matter is not everyone enjoys tinkering with computers to the degree many of us "nerds" do, so you cannot realistically expect them to learn, or even WANT to learn, how to use one. Computers are complex machines, and we've gotten to a point now where they're almost a necessity for EVERYONE, and I really think it's time the nerds got off their high horse and realized that poor software/hardware design is the result of "oblivious" users, not the fact that the uers are stupid. As the nerds that we claim to be, it's not our responsibility to bitch and mock computer illiterate users, but to first try to teach them. Failing that, just fix the damn thing so they don't even have to worry about it anymore.
The ironic thing is that so many of the nerds who are so apt to criticize are probably often the same ones designing so much the poorly designed software/OS components. Therefore, I think this should be a pretty strong indicator that you need to adopt one of two philosophies: make your software so ROCK SOLID that even the most illiterate person can sit down and start using it (which I think would be pretty easily argued to be next to impossible) OR design your software while keeping in mind that computers and their users are touchy and often unpredictable things, and the user is going to do some pretty stupid stuff sometimes. Deal with it, and try to accomodate it to the best of your abilities. Don't berate the user...
Slashdot Mirror
You are an elitist ass.
The fact that your opinions are so self-righteous does not make them correct. It is completely feasible that the tone and flavor of the cell shaded graphics in Wind Waker did not really tickle some gamers fancy. Myself, I enjoyed the game and the graphics, but I was not as blown away with the title as I have been with other Zelda titles that might have a more dark tone, in both story and art direction.
Wind Waker tried something new with the Zelda franchise, and the fact that not everyone liked it doesn't mean it's a failure or that they aren't "real" gamers. People have different criteria for what they consider a good game, and simply because their set does not correspond with yours does not make them wrong.
God damn I wish I had some mod points. Very well said, my friend.
I would submit the paper I wrote, "The Psychology of Slashdot" but the editors wouldn't let it through.
Grow some balls and post a link, then.
People, people! There is a reason that they've changed so much about the new DOOM movie, and that reason is the fact that DOOM was already made into a movie. They gotta look orignal now, don't they?
All sarcasm aside, this movie is going to totally blow. DOOM is the type of intellectual property that I think can only be made into a movie ONE WAY, and this way sure as hell ain't it. The best us die-hard DOOM fans can do now is sit back and watch it crash and burn horribly, never to be spoken of again. As far as I'm concerned, they might as well have given it to someone who could at least butcher it in style like Uwe Boll, but he was probably busily turning another videogame liscence into pure tripe.
I completely agree. There is a LOT wrong with video game reviews, and it seems to revolve completely around money.
The worst offender lately, as far as I'm concerned, would have to be Game Informer, though I read that magazine all the time. Only the WORST games they give a poor review, and most of the time those games are by publishers and developers that don't have much credibility (read:cashflow) anyway. The loopholes in their review system, as well as many other review sites/magazines, show if you actually read the review. While they might give a game a number rating of 7 or 8, if you actually read the review text maybe 50% of the written review criticizes the weak points of the game. Now I understand even the best games aren't flawless, but if you're taking half of the time to criticize what's wrong with the game, then that should automatically be like a 5 or 6. It's even worse though, when a reviewer IGNORES ALTOGETHER the poor aspects of a game when they are blatantly there or played it in an environment that is optimized to specifically cater to a particular game.
Case in point, Half-Life 2. It's my understanding that in order to get reviews of the game out in a timely manner, the reviewers had to play the game in the Valve offices. Which means they didn't have to deal with Steam downloads, authentication or the verification system each time they wanted to play. Even more skewing is the fact that they most likely played the game on systems that the game might have been specifically designed for, thus robbing the whole "average gamer" aspect from their review; they might not have had to deal with a minimum requirement system OR possible unrealiabilites with the Steam servers.
So, sadly, you really can't trust any reviewer these days, and this will probably only get worse as the industry continues to grow. With game review publishers getting more and more money from hardware manufacturers, game developers/publishers, and game culture companies it's going to become VERY hard to get away with saying anything bad about your financial contributors. It's a Catch-22 though, really, because the groups that are willing to give the most advertising dollar to game reviewers are the ones that are going to raise the biggest stink about harsh reviews. Hopefully the industry might grow in a manner where companies who have little invested in game reviews can market towards gamers in magazines and on websites so that reviewers no longer have to worry about pleasing the greater majority of the ones paying their bills, but who knows...
This is the smartest and most insightful post I've ever seen on slashdot.
Someone really needs to help me out here, as I'm incredibly confused by this situation.
Am I to understand that there are individuals out there who pirated a copy of HL2 and still allowed their machines to log into Steam to authenticate. AND they used a valid Steam account to do all this with, so now they are blacklisted for life?
My understanding to the inevitibility of HL2 getting cracked would be that the "fix" wouldn't be a CD Key that works, but probably be something that prevents HL2 from dialing home altogether. Are people really as foolish to think that simply using a pirated CD key on an authentication server like STEAM will keep them in the clear? It boggles the mind...
I find it both reassuring and humourous that the parent post was moderated "Informative".
Nice to hear from you, Mr. Ashcroft; didn't know you posted on slashdot.
How's your resignment coming along, or has it's progress been brought to a standstill from too much HL2?
(Overheard in the Valve offices:) Oh, Nos! A cranky slashbot isn't gonna buy HL2! Well, guys, it's been a fun few years, but slashbot 10537 isn't going to buy our games, so we have to close up shop. Everyone pack up your desks, security is coming down the hall to kick you all out!
...I swear to Christ, sometimes I think comments like this are the only reason I even bother reading slashdot.
Granted that I love WinAmp, feel it's the best player on a Windows-based system, AND I use it every day for all my music and video related needs, the media libary functionality is terrible. The query builder is completely weak; I'd like to sort by a hierarchy other than just Artist/Album, or even build my own. If you can direct me to a plug-in that let's me do this, I'd be set.
Regardless, Winamp has all the features I need and have grown to love. Namely, a it's speedy to open when I need it plus GLOBAL HOTKEYS, a truly ingenious design. Plus the plug-ins; I won't even get started there. Winamp is the best, but it doesn't have EVERYTHING, and some of the things it DOES have it does rather poorly...
...so I'm sitting here thinking "I'd really love to play Half-Life 2; I loved the first one to death, played it over and over again for years and years, and I think it'd be a blast to play through the second one (granted it's as good as everyone claims.) However, I think that Valve and their 'content delivery' system is a total sham, and I really have no desire to support that or endorse it. So, should I pirate it? What does this all MEAN?"
...I really didn't post this to fan the flames of "Piracy has brought us to this!" arguments, but I might get those. To you I say this; in regards to Steam and the activation of Half-Life 2, the ones who have it the easiest ARE the pirates. Download a copy, install the crack, and apparently you can be up and running in no time as opposed to the legitimate purchasers, some of which might have to wait for hours! The bottom line is that Steam is not a "content" the content delivery system it claims to be, but rather just another extreme and incredibly hindering method for the publishers to combat a loss of their profits.
Then it hits me like a ton of bricks: we've really gotten to a point in our capitalist society where it is no longer the norm for the producers to provide the consumers what they want; rather we're at a point where the producers/corporations TELL us what we want and how the fuck we're going to get it. Case in point; I want to play Half-Life 2, without all the bullshit of online activation, yadda yadda. I have no problem with going to the store, paying $55, taking it home to install it with my valid CD key and just go play a singleplayer game. It's irrelevant if I have an internet connection right now. I want a single player experience, and I do NOT want to jump through Valve's hoops to get it. But, in order for me to be a "legitimate" player of Half-Life 2, I have no choice but to do as Valve has permitted me.
What this shows is that Valve, and companies like them, no longer care about the consumer in the sense of supplying them with a product that sells itself. As consumers, we have gotten to a point where we've enabled companies to instruct and dictate the conditions of how we spend OUR money. Even worse, we've seemed to do little to combat this, and as displayed by the Valve servers grinding to a halt due to 'authentication demands', we're not cracking the proverbial whip to get these companies back in line and providing what we all want. Valve and all the companies just like them are going to be rolling in it.
At this point in time I'd love to say: "You know what, fuck it. Fuck all the hype, the inflated game price, the nonsense. I'll wait until HL2 hits the bargain bins at my local software store in a few years and pick it up. I'll vote with my dollar and show Valve that I'm really not going to fall into the hype; if they want my cash, they're gonna have to earn it." But then I realize, that with a distribution system like Steam, the chances of me getting HL2 in a bargain bin down the road for a reduced price are very slim. What happens if this whole thing blows up in there face, and Steam isn't around in a year or two? Then what? Even worse, what if it does well, and other companies follow suit. Then, maybe they'll come up with some absurd reasoning that it's not longer economically feasible or fair to them to sell their games at a discount price just because they're old; they're games are worth just as much in 2007 as they were worth in 2004. And since they have the power and control of a system like Steam, there is going to be very little to stop them from following through with such absurd rationalizations. Obviously we, the gamers and consumers, aren't keeping them in line.
* DISCLAIMER : * I know the above scribblings might sound totally cheesy and disjointed, but forgive me, my headcold, and my need to rant. That's what slashdot is for though, right...?
I just recently checked out Media Center after using Winamp for years, and while I have to say it's media library support/functionality is the BEST I've ever used I'm still at a loss for GLOBAL HOTKEY SUPPORT. Is it possible, you being a more experienced user, to get some light shed on the status of Media Center and hotkeys? Any plugins or anything? Hotkeys are the only thing keeping me on Winamp now; Winamp isn't bad necessarily, but I have a huge music collection and as of late Winamp's library management has felt inadequate.
...I don't mean to turn this into a support forum thread or anything, but I did feel like milking this opportunity to pose my question...
...just plain awesome.
Dark Forces is one of the best FPS', if not one of the best games, I've ever played. For it's time, it had the perfect blend of action, story and environment interaction that really makes it a true classic. Next to DOOM, I think it's one of the only FPSs I've played straight through multiple times. Plus, it's set in the Star Wars universe.
As for this MOD, I have to say it looks great and I'm going to have to keep my eyes on it. While the update to the graphics engine will add some new depth to the classic Dark Forces levels (I remember always LOVING the "Detention Center" and that level set in the mine), I really hope the gameplay can be carried over as well. In the meantime, let's hope Lucasarts doesn't shut it down, eh? Though I don't own Jedi Academy, I'd definitely pick it up for this MOD alone, so I hope that should be incentive enough for Mr. Lucas to keep his lawyers off of this one.
Yes, but the game library is hardly anything comparable to what you can get on an Alienware machine.
Couldn't have said it better myself. Too bad you were modded as a Troll.
How can you honestly say Microsoft is to blame for the sad state of the IT admin and tech support fields? It's not like Microsoft FORCED companies to accept their MSCEs; business owners and IT managers were the ones who figured it'd be a good idea to let a private company determine the education requirements for the IT employees. Micrsoft just rode the wave and laughed all the way to the bank.
The state of "mainstream" IT in the U.S. seems to be more systematic than anything. Business owners and their advisors have gotten it into their head that "official" certifications are what qualifies one for a position, not actual technical knowledge. It functions the same way as the U.S. education system; some of the DUMBEST people I've known were straight A students, but I'm sure with an educational record as "impressive" as a college degree and even graduate school (*shudder*) they'll have no trouble at all finding a job or getting into college/graduate school. Colleges are just making a killing by riding on the blind faith business managers give to college degrees. So is Microsoft. Don't blame them; blame your boss(es).
I'd have to say you're half right. While I agree that Lucas was just in the right place at the right time and his "cheap" sci-fi happened to appeal to the right producers/movie-making goons, I think the first three Star Wars movies are incredibly polished and put together wonderfully. His more recent Star Wars endeavors might lead us all to believe that his original sci-fi opera might have just been a fluke as far as his creativity pool is concerned, but nevertheless the original three are still great movies.
I do have to agree with many other posts I've seen so far in that Star Wars is NOT science fiction. Yes, it takes place in space and makes heavy use of advanced technologies to foster it's appeal, but I've never felt Star Wars to be at all based on reality. I think we can all agree that the BEST sci-fi takes concepts that are already existent today and either expands on them or twists them around in such a manner that we view them from an entirely different perspective.
It'd be tragic if the parent got modded down, as he or she does have a very valid point. I've also been a Windows user for an incredibly long time, and the only time my system has gotten completely hosed is due to my own stupidity. The bottom line is, I cover my ass and all my bases when using a Windows system (reliable AV, NON-MS firewall, ad-aware, etc, etc.) and I can honestly say I've never had a problem.
Yes, there is a trade off I suppose. I DO have to worry more about security than I might with say, a Linux or a OS X system, but on the other hand I like playing GAMES. Lots of them, and whichever ones I want. Therefore, I've taken the steps to educate myself to "deal" with a Windows system, and I think it's safe to say that I've never gotten burned. This isn't to say that I never will, but the truth is for all of the bitching and complaining I hear about MS insecurity I've never had a problem.
I guess it all comes down to is knowing the userbase. Windows is designed to appeal to the LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR. That means the more computer-savy users have to sift through all the nonsense in order to get things working the way they want. With Linux, it seems like all your dealing with IS nonsense (but the good kind of nonsense...heheh). And Mac, those seem to have the best of both worlds because Apple has all the control they want over the hardware/OS, so they really have no excuse for it NOT to be perfect as far as I'm concerned.
I have question for anyone a bit more knowledgable on the whole patent-granting process: if you sucesfully apply for a patent does that mean you have the right to let anyone do whatever the hell they want with your patented material? So, theoretically could one apply for a patent just for the sake of ensuring that it remains "open source"? I guess one could always have a change of heart down the line and say "Hey, I think I changed my mind. You bitches better start paying up..." I'm just curious because I envision the scenarios in which someone with more of a open source philosophy invents something innovative and does not patent it, but then someone who emulates the invention goes and patents it themselves. Some may argue that "prior art" attempts to prevent this, but decisions based on prior art can totally be exploited, as the whole concept seems incredibly subjective.
The first thing that popped into my head when I thought prior art was also the X-Band, but now that I think about it there is something pre-dating even THAT I believe. I think there was a console system released back in the 80's, I think ATARI2600-generation (I'm not exactly sure; ATARI was before my time. I'm 23...). Anyways, I can't remember exactly what it was called nor where the hell I read about it, so I have no idea on what the hell to do a search for any information, but if anyone knows what the hell I'm talking about then it'd be interesting to take a look at. Then again, now that I think about it I believe the system was only 1-on-1 via a modem, so depending on whether or not Nintendo is trying to patent online gaming in general or an online gaming "hub" it would only apply accordingly.
You're right. Linux users never commit copyright violations. And if they do, God forbid they have to SACRIFICE anything for it. Leave Windows to the immoral, corrupt and unwashed masses. I follow ya...
I completely agree with you. I'm not a total cynic; I'd expect that there are a great deal of companies out there (both large and small) that treat their employees quite well. I just think that, majority wise, most people have a tendency to end up working for a company that is so beurocratic and "efficiency oriented" that it just completely anihilates morale and kills any desire for employees to maintain any company loyalty whatsoever.
[the author] argues that France's ossified corporate cultural no longer offers rank-and-file employees the prospect of success, so, "why not spread gangrene through the system from inside?"
Interesting concept. Of course, I'd have to read the book to get the full explanation of this philosophy, but I think corporatist/capitalist countries have in fact gotten to the point where the corporate culture isn't one where one can aspire to promote themselves, but moreso just make sure that they're going to have a job come tomorrow morning. Business administration seems to have gotten to the point where employees have become so anonmyous and replaceable that, for the most part, it seems no one is encouraged to maintain or even develop a sense of loyalty. Maybe her suggestion to eat out these corporations from the inside could prove to light a fire under their asses. On the other hand, as I think anyone can attest to being displayed in the past, it will most likely just instill the people in charge to take away more and more rights and benefits from the employees as a means to counter-act the half-assed work they're getting in return for paying out salaries. Ah well, the door swings both ways it would seem. I guess it'd just be safe enough to admit that we're all pretty much fucked.
This shouldn't be a poke at the user who had this problem or the techy who took so long to fix it... the problem is much deeper... it's not even a case of user education... user's should NOT have to worry about things like this.
I couldn't agree with you more on this, my friend. I grow so weary of the belief that using a computer is a privelage, and anyone who doesn't have the "know how" of so many of the nerds on slashdot shouldn't even be allowed near one. The fact of the matter is not everyone enjoys tinkering with computers to the degree many of us "nerds" do, so you cannot realistically expect them to learn, or even WANT to learn, how to use one. Computers are complex machines, and we've gotten to a point now where they're almost a necessity for EVERYONE, and I really think it's time the nerds got off their high horse and realized that poor software/hardware design is the result of "oblivious" users, not the fact that the uers are stupid. As the nerds that we claim to be, it's not our responsibility to bitch and mock computer illiterate users, but to first try to teach them. Failing that, just fix the damn thing so they don't even have to worry about it anymore.
The ironic thing is that so many of the nerds who are so apt to criticize are probably often the same ones designing so much the poorly designed software/OS components. Therefore, I think this should be a pretty strong indicator that you need to adopt one of two philosophies: make your software so ROCK SOLID that even the most illiterate person can sit down and start using it (which I think would be pretty easily argued to be next to impossible) OR design your software while keeping in mind that computers and their users are touchy and often unpredictable things, and the user is going to do some pretty stupid stuff sometimes. Deal with it, and try to accomodate it to the best of your abilities. Don't berate the user...