Is it just me, or does this site kinda completely fail on the current stable version of Firefox?
In fact, I've tried all these (on WinXP):
Chrome 9 Firefox 3.6 IE8 Opera 11 Safari 5
And only Chrome actually works (Opera gets a bit nearer to actually working, the menu appears, but the boxes with links to Bugzilla just have a spinning blue thing in them). I'm sure FF4 beta works, but really, did the site have to be so HTML5ish that most of the stable browsers out there can't actually use it?
Amazon UK avoids VAT on stuff like DVDs and CDs by shipping them from the Channel Islands. Long slightly rambling Wikipedia article about it. In Amazon's case these items are sold by "Amazon's Preferred Merchant", Indigostarfish.com who are based in Jersey. This loophole is used by just about every other British online retailer for DVDs and CDs though...
For instance, it'll be nice to be able to "alt-tab" from one browser tab to another browser tab (so much so that sometimes I open new browser windows just to be able to alt-tab between them).
No, you need to cut a bevel onto the edge of the CD first fool, and the marker is black. Of course that's only part of the full treatment you need to do to improve your CDs and DVDs, as detailed here.
I think the obvious answer is "they removed the networking from it", the Windows XP version still has "The Microsoft Hearts Network" in its title bar and about box, even if it doesn't have a network mode. It's probably a mixture of the network code being archaic (it did first appear in Windows for Workgroups), and Microsoft wanting people to use the Internet Hearts (which goes connects via MSN) instead.
I'd guess it was just a demo video to show off the multimedia bits of the OS. It's a catchy but inoffensive bit of pop, and the music video is based around an interesting gimmick, so why not use that for a demo? It's not like they were pushed for space on the '95 disc anyway, a full install of the OS itself is only around 100MB IIRC (it's been ages since I've installed it).
On a related note, I've got a Gateway 2000 system CD somewhere (well, you never know, you might want to install WfW 3.11 on something) that has a load of their TV ads on the disc as well. I think it's reasonably common for early CD-ROM releases have random stuff to fill the massive 650MB of space that CD-ROMs gave them.
Well, it's clearly some kind of bug in the icon handler for shotcuts, as Microsoft's workaround is to disable that with Regedit, which results in every shortcut having the generic file icon (a rather plain looking Start menu results). I'd guess it some sort of buffer overrun related to custom icons in the shortcut or something like that. Quite nasty really, you look at a directory with Explorer and Windows will execute code because Microsoft seemingly can't load an icon without it causing a major problem.
Just when you think Microsoft is getting better at this security stuff...
Did Microsoft even recompile notepad and paint to 64-bit?
Yep, Notepad and Paint are 64 bit (at least with Windows 7). A random sampling (Wordpad, Solitaire, DVD Maker, Media Center) seems to show that most of the programs that come with 64 bit Windows are indeed 64 bit. The setup_wm.exe program that pops up if I attempt to launch Windows Media Player isn't though, but I can't be bothered setting up a program I have no intention of using to see if the main program is 32 or 64 bits.
Windows Update will install SP3. I think it's just an automatic update if you run it, to not have it you would either have to not have run Windows Update since it was released, or intentionally opted out of it.
If you want to check if it's installed you can check the About boxes for stuff like Notepad, Paint, Solitaire (etc), run Winver.exe or check the system information program (Accessories -> System Tools), they all have some sort version number string that includes what service pack is installed (at least on my machine that's running SP3).
I agree, I have a month old Dell desktop that is pretty much completely "legacy free", up to not having an IDE hard drive connector, let alone stuff like PS2 keyboard / mouse or serial ports - but it has a line in for sound (although it seems to be doubled up with an output for 5.1 audio, but I don't have a fancy speaker setup so that isn't a problem).
Although the few bits of vinyl ripping I've done involved borrowing a handheld digital audio recording thingamajig aimed more at musicians (a Zoom H4), due to the fact that neither desktop PCs or hi-fi setups are that portable.
AFAIK it's pretty much a Hull only thing, back when the various phone systems in the UK vere taken over by the General Post Office (who's phone division became BT), Hull's system was the only one to stay seperate, originally run by the local council, and now by Kingston Communications (who own Karoo). I don't think any other area in the UK has the same situation, and with BT exchanges you usually have a fair number of broadband ISP choices.
AFAIK Valve tend to prototype the gameplay side of things using basic graphics, notably orange (with a white outline) textures for walls and so forth, before moving onto the graphics side. It sounds like 3D Realms went strait to the "making good looking levels" before making sure they worked gameplay wise.
It's from games I think. With first person shooters the mouse usually moves the camera (look up / down, turn left / right), with the keyboard doing movement forward, back and sidestepping. For right handed people it's usually more comfortable to have the keyboard controls on the left of the keyboard, rather than the right side where the PC arrow keys are. Plus using WASD you have the surrounding keys that can be used for other functions. Of course withvideo games you don't realy need to worry about standard typing positions.
Although the Wikipedia article another person mentioned says Quake used it, ISTR the default keybindings were nearer to Doom[1]. It is possible to set Quake to use the now standard WASD + mouselook, I guess the layout just caught on with online gamers at the time (the defaults aren't that good), and became the standard.
[1] The manual backs it up, but I don't have the game installed at the moment.
Actually, a few bits of the UK have switched to digital only the switchover starter last year, but so far it's basicaly one main transmitter (Selkirk and it's relays in the Border region) and a couple of relays as that switched as tests (Ferryside in Wales, and Whitehaven in the Border region) that have switched as of now. Everywhere in the UK will be digital by the end of 2012.
405 and 625 lines only overlapped between 1964 (launch of BBC2) and January 1985 (405 line switch off). AFAIK it was more of a switchover than competing standards, in the early '60s a government committee basically decided that we should switch to 625 lines, and had things like having the third channel only on 625 lines, colour TV only on 625 lines and so on to encourage people to switch. Most sets from the mid 60s onwards are dual standard (or later 625 only). It was rather more sedate switchover though, more based on sets reaching the end of their working lives, people wanting BBC2 or colour TV and so on rather than having to persuade people to buy convertor boxes. I don't think there was much trouble near the end, an anecdote I've heard in that in the '80s Tyne Tees TV once managed to transmit for a week without sound on 405, with no complaints.
That's a feature of your box, rather than DVB-T, with other Freeview boxes you have the manually rescan them.
That message is more about the contents of the digital multiplexes rather than the frequency they transmit on though. Similar to the US, with the UK switch the digital multiplexes will usually change frequency on switchover, and you may have to manually scan for channels then, as the box might not realise they've moved.
I've seen a grand total of one Games for Windows branded game with other platforms - Football Manager 2008, which also has Mac support. TBH, it's more that PC games aren't generally multiple OS anyway, PC CD/DVD basically meant Windows anyway (with the odd exception), so arguably Microsoft's branding has just made it more accurate.
Sierra / Vivendi [Universal-then-but-not-anymore] Games originally published the boxed version of Half-Life 2 as well (my UK copy only has Sierra logos at least), although later retail stuff was through EA after Valves and VUG fell out. I don't think they had much to do with the game beyond shipping the discs about though.
BBFC ratings are enforced by law, although the BBFC isn't strictly speaking a part of the government, they're an independent body. Theoretically another body could be given the same certifying powers over video releases. The law doesn't cover digital downloads though, so a release over something like Steam would be legal AFAIK.
I'm sure I read that the Sega Smash Pack used a version of Kgen9x though. IIRC both Kgen and SSP have the same error on Sonic The Hedgehog's title screen (Sonic's torso is overlaid over the rest of the logo, rather than being under it).
I personally agree, with Twilight Princess, even though Midna talked random nonesense, I found the nonesense made her a much more endearing character than the others where at most you got some random sound. It doesn't mean that Link has to stop being silent or anything, that probably would be a holy cow too much for the fans, although I do somethimes find the whole "blank slate" bit a little annoying as well.
I also sortof agree with the article, recycling the same themes gets annoying, some more variety would be nice (although I haven't played Majora's Mask much, which does seem to be a bit more experimental).
The Xbox 360 ports of Football Manager 2006 & 2007 both require the hard disc AFAIK, so it isn't totally unknown, although GTA IV would be the biggest titles to require it really, and it would be a kick in the bollocks for any idiots who thought they were getting anything like a good deal with the Crap Pack.
Who knows? I think it's technically possible to have an internal HD-DVD drive. Seeing as the drives are apparently so expensive at the moment I can't see Microsoft putting a HD-DVD into the Xbox 360 and keeping the price the same though (even just for the bad PR of making people pay $200 extra for something that then becomes free for the newer model). Perhaps they'd add it as seperate model for a Crap / Premium / HD-DVD lineup or something.
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Is it just me, or does this site kinda completely fail on the current stable version of Firefox?
In fact, I've tried all these (on WinXP):
Chrome 9
Firefox 3.6
IE8
Opera 11
Safari 5
And only Chrome actually works (Opera gets a bit nearer to actually working, the menu appears, but the boxes with links to Bugzilla just have a spinning blue thing in them). I'm sure FF4 beta works, but really, did the site have to be so HTML5ish that most of the stable browsers out there can't actually use it?
Amazon UK avoids VAT on stuff like DVDs and CDs by shipping them from the Channel Islands. Long slightly rambling Wikipedia article about it. In Amazon's case these items are sold by "Amazon's Preferred Merchant", Indigostarfish.com who are based in Jersey. This loophole is used by just about every other British online retailer for DVDs and CDs though...
Ctrl-Tab in Opera works that way (or at least it can be set to work that way, I might have changed the setting from a default myself at some point).
For instance, it'll be nice to be able to "alt-tab" from one browser tab to another browser tab (so much so that sometimes I open new browser windows just to be able to alt-tab between them).
Ctrl-Tab.
No, you need to cut a bevel onto the edge of the CD first fool, and the marker is black. Of course that's only part of the full treatment you need to do to improve your CDs and DVDs, as detailed here.
(Another highlight of the site is a £3,500 kettle cord).
I think the obvious answer is "they removed the networking from it", the Windows XP version still has "The Microsoft Hearts Network" in its title bar and about box, even if it doesn't have a network mode. It's probably a mixture of the network code being archaic (it did first appear in Windows for Workgroups), and Microsoft wanting people to use the Internet Hearts (which goes connects via MSN) instead.
I'd guess it was just a demo video to show off the multimedia bits of the OS. It's a catchy but inoffensive bit of pop, and the music video is based around an interesting gimmick, so why not use that for a demo? It's not like they were pushed for space on the '95 disc anyway, a full install of the OS itself is only around 100MB IIRC (it's been ages since I've installed it).
On a related note, I've got a Gateway 2000 system CD somewhere (well, you never know, you might want to install WfW 3.11 on something) that has a load of their TV ads on the disc as well. I think it's reasonably common for early CD-ROM releases have random stuff to fill the massive 650MB of space that CD-ROMs gave them.
Well, it's clearly some kind of bug in the icon handler for shotcuts, as Microsoft's workaround is to disable that with Regedit, which results in every shortcut having the generic file icon (a rather plain looking Start menu results). I'd guess it some sort of buffer overrun related to custom icons in the shortcut or something like that. Quite nasty really, you look at a directory with Explorer and Windows will execute code because Microsoft seemingly can't load an icon without it causing a major problem.
Just when you think Microsoft is getting better at this security stuff...
Did Microsoft even recompile notepad and paint to 64-bit?
Yep, Notepad and Paint are 64 bit (at least with Windows 7). A random sampling (Wordpad, Solitaire, DVD Maker, Media Center) seems to show that most of the programs that come with 64 bit Windows are indeed 64 bit. The setup_wm.exe program that pops up if I attempt to launch Windows Media Player isn't though, but I can't be bothered setting up a program I have no intention of using to see if the main program is 32 or 64 bits.
Windows Update will install SP3. I think it's just an automatic update if you run it, to not have it you would either have to not have run Windows Update since it was released, or intentionally opted out of it.
If you want to check if it's installed you can check the About boxes for stuff like Notepad, Paint, Solitaire (etc), run Winver.exe or check the system information program (Accessories -> System Tools), they all have some sort version number string that includes what service pack is installed (at least on my machine that's running SP3).
I agree, I have a month old Dell desktop that is pretty much completely "legacy free", up to not having an IDE hard drive connector, let alone stuff like PS2 keyboard / mouse or serial ports - but it has a line in for sound (although it seems to be doubled up with an output for 5.1 audio, but I don't have a fancy speaker setup so that isn't a problem).
Although the few bits of vinyl ripping I've done involved borrowing a handheld digital audio recording thingamajig aimed more at musicians (a Zoom H4), due to the fact that neither desktop PCs or hi-fi setups are that portable.
AFAIK it's pretty much a Hull only thing, back when the various phone systems in the UK vere taken over by the General Post Office (who's phone division became BT), Hull's system was the only one to stay seperate, originally run by the local council, and now by Kingston Communications (who own Karoo). I don't think any other area in the UK has the same situation, and with BT exchanges you usually have a fair number of broadband ISP choices.
AFAIK Valve tend to prototype the gameplay side of things using basic graphics, notably orange (with a white outline) textures for walls and so forth, before moving onto the graphics side. It sounds like 3D Realms went strait to the "making good looking levels" before making sure they worked gameplay wise.
It's from games I think. With first person shooters the mouse usually moves the camera (look up / down, turn left / right), with the keyboard doing movement forward, back and sidestepping. For right handed people it's usually more comfortable to have the keyboard controls on the left of the keyboard, rather than the right side where the PC arrow keys are. Plus using WASD you have the surrounding keys that can be used for other functions. Of course withvideo games you don't realy need to worry about standard typing positions.
Although the Wikipedia article another person mentioned says Quake used it, ISTR the default keybindings were nearer to Doom[1]. It is possible to set Quake to use the now standard WASD + mouselook, I guess the layout just caught on with online gamers at the time (the defaults aren't that good), and became the standard.
[1] The manual backs it up, but I don't have the game installed at the moment.
Actually, a few bits of the UK have switched to digital only the switchover starter last year, but so far it's basicaly one main transmitter (Selkirk and it's relays in the Border region) and a couple of relays as that switched as tests (Ferryside in Wales, and Whitehaven in the Border region) that have switched as of now. Everywhere in the UK will be digital by the end of 2012.
405 and 625 lines only overlapped between 1964 (launch of BBC2) and January 1985 (405 line switch off). AFAIK it was more of a switchover than competing standards, in the early '60s a government committee basically decided that we should switch to 625 lines, and had things like having the third channel only on 625 lines, colour TV only on 625 lines and so on to encourage people to switch. Most sets from the mid 60s onwards are dual standard (or later 625 only). It was rather more sedate switchover though, more based on sets reaching the end of their working lives, people wanting BBC2 or colour TV and so on rather than having to persuade people to buy convertor boxes. I don't think there was much trouble near the end, an anecdote I've heard in that in the '80s Tyne Tees TV once managed to transmit for a week without sound on 405, with no complaints.
That's a feature of your box, rather than DVB-T, with other Freeview boxes you have the manually rescan them.
That message is more about the contents of the digital multiplexes rather than the frequency they transmit on though. Similar to the US, with the UK switch the digital multiplexes will usually change frequency on switchover, and you may have to manually scan for channels then, as the box might not realise they've moved.
Surely it should be '"virtual worlds"... don't inspire much besides mockery.'.
I've seen a grand total of one Games for Windows branded game with other platforms - Football Manager 2008, which also has Mac support. TBH, it's more that PC games aren't generally multiple OS anyway, PC CD/DVD basically meant Windows anyway (with the odd exception), so arguably Microsoft's branding has just made it more accurate.
Sierra / Vivendi [Universal-then-but-not-anymore] Games originally published the boxed version of Half-Life 2 as well (my UK copy only has Sierra logos at least), although later retail stuff was through EA after Valves and VUG fell out. I don't think they had much to do with the game beyond shipping the discs about though.
BBFC ratings are enforced by law, although the BBFC isn't strictly speaking a part of the government, they're an independent body. Theoretically another body could be given the same certifying powers over video releases. The law doesn't cover digital downloads though, so a release over something like Steam would be legal AFAIK.
I'm sure I read that the Sega Smash Pack used a version of Kgen9x though. IIRC both Kgen and SSP have the same error on Sonic The Hedgehog's title screen (Sonic's torso is overlaid over the rest of the logo, rather than being under it).
I don't know about newer stuff though...
I personally agree, with Twilight Princess, even though Midna talked random nonesense, I found the nonesense made her a much more endearing character than the others where at most you got some random sound. It doesn't mean that Link has to stop being silent or anything, that probably would be a holy cow too much for the fans, although I do somethimes find the whole "blank slate" bit a little annoying as well.
I also sortof agree with the article, recycling the same themes gets annoying, some more variety would be nice (although I haven't played Majora's Mask much, which does seem to be a bit more experimental).
The Xbox 360 ports of Football Manager 2006 & 2007 both require the hard disc AFAIK, so it isn't totally unknown, although GTA IV would be the biggest titles to require it really, and it would be a kick in the bollocks for any idiots who thought they were getting anything like a good deal with the Crap Pack.
Who knows? I think it's technically possible to have an internal HD-DVD drive. Seeing as the drives are apparently so expensive at the moment I can't see Microsoft putting a HD-DVD into the Xbox 360 and keeping the price the same though (even just for the bad PR of making people pay $200 extra for something that then becomes free for the newer model). Perhaps they'd add it as seperate model for a Crap / Premium / HD-DVD lineup or something.