There is some merit to that. It does keep changing, and that can be irritating. But, most of the changes provide new functionality in the language. You don't *have* to use them. And respecting backward compatibility means you can blithely ignore new features and continue on in the usual fashion.
BUT....
You'd be missing out. Everyone gets bugged by how much things keep changing, and it is a problem. But what's the alternative? I've worked on VB, VB.NET, Java, and Python projects and they all keep changing at high speeds. Every project is a learning experience. Almost no project feature is cookie cutter from the get-go, it always takes some exploration.
On the other hand, I've got a buddy for whom that is almost never a problem. Every project he works on is almost the same. But then, he's using COBOL, CICS, and JCL. He's got different problems from mine, and I'll take my bag of problems instead of his any day.
Incidentally, what have you found to be the best ways to code a dynamic website in Python? I know about Zope and have used it a bit, but are there other compelling options?
Get a bigger head. Seriously, the amount of background knowledge one needs to be productive in Python vs. C++ (or even Java) is trivial. You don't have to remember it all; just keep a reference handy.
Criticizing Python because of the new features, modules, etc. really isn't warranted. Python hasn't lost its cohesion. You simply haven't kept up.
And yes, I have done Python full time. And yes, it was about 3 years ago. So yes, I will need to catch up at some point too. But it's not anyone else's fault that I haven't done so yet.
I, for one, apologize for the arrogance displayed by those in this country. They read far too little, assume far too much, and believe what they're told far too often. Comes with being somewhat isolated geographically I guess.
Amen! This reasoning is why I've recommended and/or used Python, C++, Java, VB, and VB.NET on projects. You can be a one trick pony if you would like, but it's not necessary and it doesn't serve your clients/employer in the best way possible.
I'm guessing (no I'm not a stealth MS beta tester or anything like that, I'm really guessing) that this will be a souped up PDA with a hard drive + a new media center application used for playback, etc. I really have to wonder how battery life will be for these though.
You're right that Apple doesn't do OS X on iPods, but that doesn't mean Microsoft is barking up the wrong tree here. I have a Windows CE based GSM phone, and I'm very happy with it. Stick a hard drive in this thing for playback along with the battery needed for that, and I'll be one happy camper. Windows CE PDAs are seriously powerful devices these days. Most people could use one of these with a portable keyboard instead of a laptop, and it would be enough. Really...
I am an atheist, but I don't go around professing my (lack of) beliefs to everyone within earshot.
I'm sorry to tell you this, but you just did and atheism is a necessarily incorrect (lack of) belief. The only rational position is Apathetic Agnosticism. Find the introduction here.
Oh, and you can't possibly say that atheism represents a lack of beliefs. Atheism is the definitive belief that god doesn't exist. It is the belief in the negation of the belief in god. To have a NULL belief concerning god would be to have no belief on the matter whatsoever. That's what Apathetic Agnosticism promotes.
Note that standard agnosticism isn't necessarily apathetic. Standard agnosticism is more along the lines of "I don't know if there's a god". Apathetic Agnosticism takes it to the next level because it acknowledges that the search to prove or disprove the existence of god is ultimately fruitless and therefore is a waste of time.
Well, that was fun.:+)
Re:Finding child porn on the Internet
on
What You Can't Say
·
· Score: 1
Child porn is indeed a taboo, and for good reasons. I don't blame folks for a little hypocritical behavior for a subject like that. Not only does child porn typically prove extremely traumatic for a child (as the offending trusted caregiver is proven to be neither trusting or caring; and ultimately only has the child around to use for sex), but also sex with minors gives rise to a whole host of health problems for the minors and results in an inability to have a healthy family life as an adult.
Even if you don't believe all the above, any reasonable person will refuse to host child porn material or even pointers for the simple reason that doing so can land them in prison. I've never experienced it, but being in prison for pedophilia is supposed to be a most unpleasant experience.
Come to think of it, this should be obvious to anyone. Are you just trolling, or do you have a point here?
P.S. You can say 2+2=5 if you like, but you can't really act on that, because it's not true. In that sense, none of us are truly free, because reality constrains us even if society doesn't. P.P.S. I didn't downmod you.
It's called Windows 2000.:+) Yeah, I'm sort of kidding, but I'm not. I've successfully used every version of Windows since 3.0 EXCEPT Millennium Edition. It's the biggest piece of shite I've ever seen come out of Microsoft (I never saw Bob, so I can't compare it to that). I can't name even one redeeming feature about it. Perhaps I'm just under informed on the issue, but I doubt it.
Seriously, just use Windows 2000 or XP. I'm running XP on a 500 Mhz laptop with 192 MB RAM and it runs like a dream. Performance is a little snappier if I turn off the visual styles, keep the other fancy visual effects to a minimum, and turn off the System Restore on the drive, but that's about it.
As far as your poor little 200 Mhz machine with 64 MB RAM: if you upgrade the RAM on that thing to at least 128 MB, you should have no problem with Windows 2000 on it. I have a "poor little laptop" with only a 133 Mhz processor and 144 MB RAM and Windows 2000 runs just fine on there. It's no speed demon, but Linux with KDE wouldn't do any better either. Barring that, Win98SE is a good OS to use, or maybe just use Linux if you want to try it out.
No. This is not a real solution to the problem. If they had something like the current machine with hard drive slots where I could take a complete hard drive mirror out of the machine for off-site storage, this would be a real solution. A backup solution without an off-site storage ability is not a real solution. Why backup files for machines A & B, to machine C when they all reside on the same premises? Doesn't even make real sense.
Actually, it's trademarks. And, you have to protect your trademarks when someone else confuses or dilutes your trademark. If you don't protect your trademark and it becomes diluted (would anyone like a kleenex with their spam?), your trademark may become invalid.
Then your competition can start slapping your former trademark all over their products, legally.
Your story is kind of funny, but the whole legal aspect of this rests almost entirely in trademark law. IANAL but if you had trademarked the name and had distinctive logo and artwork to go along with that, you probably would have had a case.
I got the same response. Must be the intended response. Looks like SurveyMonkey uses IIS, though that wouldn't really be the cause of this. Application must not be well written. *shrug*
You must be on someone's s-list! I've never seen a non-troll so consistently modded down. Oh well, don't take it too seriously, it's just a karma score on a meaningless web site. No one is going to review your/. posts/karma when you apply for a job you know. Take comfort in the fact that someday/. will close up shop and go away and you'll probably outlast it by a significant measure.
On the other hand, if you have attached your ego to this web site (my sympathies), do make some effort at making constructive posts which are timed immediately after a story is posted. Positive modding is really reserved for those posts that help other readers after all; and the most helpful posts are those that clarify the article and add context around it.
Why am I explaining this anyway? Oh well. Good luck with the karma whoring.
It also reassures me that programming linux applications is the better choice for me.
Just out of curiosity, why are you bothering to psychologically tether yourself to either option? Why not remain flexible? The true advent of portable code is upon us in the form of Java, Python, Perl, cross platform C/C++ (with libraries like Qt, etc), and other options. If you're actually programming "applications" that end-users will use, then you really ought to be thinking about portability. Relegating yourself to just Windows || Linux || Mac is kinda silly these days if you're not doing systems level stuff (and I'm sure that most of us are not).
I see your point, but I don't think it's really relevant to the problem. The real problem, in my mind, is that students who are used to copying notes from a whiteboard, PowerPoint slides, or even a chalkboard are not used to needing to structure the information for themselves. When information is presented in a pre-structured format for you, it's takes much less effort to capture the information. However, I think assimilation of the information (i.e. learning) is enhanced by the act of structuring. Just recording information doesn't make me think about it. If I have to structure it AND record it, well that's a whole lot harder, but much more effective too.
This is from someone who is essentially ADD but somehow made it through undergraduate and master degrees.
Now wait just a darn second here. No ad skipping? Do you mean to tell me that you can not fast forward through the ads? I understand that a Tivo will record the ads and not skip recording them, but you can fast forward through them; right?
Excuse my ignorance. Though I am interested, I do not own one of these yet. Any other caveats & irritations (minor and major) you could identify would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!
How long before people start demanding that their e-mail addresses be portable when they change ISPs?
Many people already do that. Get an email account with Yahoo, MSN, etc. and actually pay them their yearly (low) fee for POP access and increased storage, and you're all set. I've been through 5 ISPs since I got my Yahoo account and no one even had to know about it.
Granted, I am bound to Yahoo that way, but that's a lot more stable than being bound to MediaOne (which became ATTBI which because Comcast and god only knows what's next).
Number portability is a bit of a red herring; for most people it just doesn't matter.
However, there are a lot of people for whom number portability is a very big deal. Typically, these are the people who make their living on the phone (especially sales people, CxOs, etc.). These people give out their number all the time; so much so that it's impossible to keep track of everyone they give it to. All of their important customers and customers-to-be have that number, and it's extremely important that they be reachable on that number 24x7, 365 days a year. Often, if the customer/whomever cannot reach them at that number (because they didn't get an updated one), that's the end of the relationship. That customer will either go to a different rep at the same business or go to a different business altogether (as in: "crap I can't get a hold of Fred, back to square one with that stuff; may as well just go to the yellow pages/directory for someone else".
So, this applies to sales people of all stripes, and anyone else for whom loose informal relationships are very important. This applies to all the movers and shakers who actually get stuff done in our society. Note that this includes people like senators and representatives.
Now, given that a stable phone number is so important, consider this: cell phone companies are generally having a problem turning a profit. All of their low-end customers cost them too much money per contract. However, they know the high-end customers generally won't move on no matter how much they're abused, so the cell phone companies abuse those customers in the form of high fees, unreasonable contract changes, etc. Cell phone companies that are profitable, or even just solvent, owe their very existence to their high-end customers.
And until recently, the high-end customers couldn't do anything about this abuse. They had no bargaining power. Now they do.
Ok, since you're a EU fan, I thought I would try you on this question. I have EUII (got it for Christmas last year), and I just could NOT get into it.
Two problems: 1. I didn't get to the point where I could see what I was doing was having a visible effect on the course of the game. EUII can be a subtle game, and the subtleties just whizzed past me somewhere in there. It wasn't much fun to sit there and get creamed and not even know why.
2. Related to #1 I'm sure: It just wasn't any fun. I never found the groove in the game.
Keep in mind that I don't just play FPS/twitch games either. I've gotten considerable enjoyment from chess, MUDs, Morrowind, Rise of Nations, and other games besides the like of Quake et al. For some reason though, EUII just didn't click for me.
Anyway, if you know of any online groups, tutorials, etc. that could really help crack the EUII nut for me, I would appreciate it.
Just out of curiosity, did you and/or your brother in law have any thoughts/facts about what jobs are now being considered higher value? I think your theory is valid and it does seem to explain the phenomenon quite well. I think we should also recognize that the same things have happened (in various forms) in a number of industries including, but not limited to: farming, mining, steel production, automotives, manufacturing of all stripes, textiles, etc. ad nauseum. It's worth noting that we don't always export the jobs in question, because it's not always possible (e.g. farming). However, we do industrialize them to such an extent with large companies. Either way, they're commoditized.
I have to wonder though where we (and ultimately the rest of the world) are heading with all of this. We seem to be getting more and more efficient as an economy. We really don't need to work so much to support ourselves any more. So, I have to wonder in the future if we'll simply scale back our individual labors (and thereby retain as many workers as possible in the economy so more people overall can meet their needs), or if we'll simply start to let people fall through the economic cracks into unemployment and/or into the new "working poor" class.
Certainly, the working poor group has been growing over the years, so it's not a concern that we should take lightly.
OT - Whereabouts are you located anyway? I went to school (UST) here with someone who used a handle like yours (not an uncommon one perhaps).
So you think cutting down the number of produced games would help. Maybe so. But how are you gonna cut it down?
Good question. I guess we'll just have to let the market sort it out. None of us will ever have centralized power over the market, so we'll just have to let them figure it out. Eventually, publishers and developers will get good at identifying games that just won't sell well.
In a sense though, this is already happening at the developer level. I know people who will buy any new Blizzard game with no other information required. Other companies like Valve, id, and Bethesda Softworks also enjoy this level of trust from their customers. But these companies all have something in common: they release very few, but very high quality games. The formula already is proven to work.
I have to wonder if the overall game development industry/community really wants this though. It seems like game developers all want their shot at developing a commercial game and I think they would want to do it even if they knew the game was going to be sub-quality or not sell very well.
I won't argue that games are too expensive, given how things work today. But, you guessed it, I would argue that how things work today isn't at all optimal.
Here's the punch line: Too many games get made. It's that simple. Too many games get made for which publishers front the money. Because too many games get made, many (most?) of them fail in the marketplace, and the publishers are out the money on those projects. So, they have to charge enough on the other titles to make up for that.
I don't begrudge anyone the $20-$50+ USD$ I slap down for a great game. But I absolutely detest doing that for a title that sucks. The result? I won't even buy a game (unless it's off the discount rack) without having played it first. I won't touch it, it won't happen, forget it. But then, that drives up costs further though online distribution costs, advertising, etc.
So, I guess what I'm saying here is that game publishers should only produce great games, and not mere market knockoffs designed to cash in on some fad theme. I want to have enough confidence in the industry (or at least a given publisher/developer) to know that I can buy a given game sight unseen because I know it will rock my world. Period.
What exactly was wrong with the ending of the Matrix anyway? I keep hearing about "how bad" it was, and I don't think I agree. Granted, it had a tough lead to follow with the first two movies (especially the first one), but that doesn't make the last movie a stinker.
Slashdot Mirror
There is some merit to that. It does keep changing, and that can be irritating. But, most of the changes provide new functionality in the language. You don't *have* to use them. And respecting backward compatibility means you can blithely ignore new features and continue on in the usual fashion.
BUT....
You'd be missing out. Everyone gets bugged by how much things keep changing, and it is a problem. But what's the alternative? I've worked on VB, VB.NET, Java, and Python projects and they all keep changing at high speeds. Every project is a learning experience. Almost no project feature is cookie cutter from the get-go, it always takes some exploration.
On the other hand, I've got a buddy for whom that is almost never a problem. Every project he works on is almost the same. But then, he's using COBOL, CICS, and JCL. He's got different problems from mine, and I'll take my bag of problems instead of his any day.
Incidentally, what have you found to be the best ways to code a dynamic website in Python? I know about Zope and have used it a bit, but are there other compelling options?
Get a bigger head. Seriously, the amount of background knowledge one needs to be productive in Python vs. C++ (or even Java) is trivial. You don't have to remember it all; just keep a reference handy.
:+)
Criticizing Python because of the new features, modules, etc. really isn't warranted. Python hasn't lost its cohesion. You simply haven't kept up.
And yes, I have done Python full time. And yes, it was about 3 years ago. So yes, I will need to catch up at some point too. But it's not anyone else's fault that I haven't done so yet.
I just need another Python project.
I, for one, apologize for the arrogance displayed by those in this country. They read far too little, assume far too much, and believe what they're told far too often. Comes with being somewhat isolated geographically I guess.
Amen! This reasoning is why I've recommended and/or used Python, C++, Java, VB, and VB.NET on projects. You can be a one trick pony if you would like, but it's not necessary and it doesn't serve your clients/employer in the best way possible.
I'm guessing (no I'm not a stealth MS beta tester or anything like that, I'm really guessing) that this will be a souped up PDA with a hard drive + a new media center application used for playback, etc. I really have to wonder how battery life will be for these though.
You're right that Apple doesn't do OS X on iPods, but that doesn't mean Microsoft is barking up the wrong tree here. I have a Windows CE based GSM phone, and I'm very happy with it. Stick a hard drive in this thing for playback along with the battery needed for that, and I'll be one happy camper. Windows CE PDAs are seriously powerful devices these days. Most people could use one of these with a portable keyboard instead of a laptop, and it would be enough. Really...
I am an atheist, but I don't go around professing my (lack of) beliefs to everyone within earshot.
:+)
I'm sorry to tell you this, but you just did and atheism is a necessarily incorrect (lack of) belief. The only rational position is Apathetic Agnosticism. Find the introduction here.
Oh, and you can't possibly say that atheism represents a lack of beliefs. Atheism is the definitive belief that god doesn't exist. It is the belief in the negation of the belief in god. To have a NULL belief concerning god would be to have no belief on the matter whatsoever. That's what Apathetic Agnosticism promotes.
Note that standard agnosticism isn't necessarily apathetic. Standard agnosticism is more along the lines of "I don't know if there's a god". Apathetic Agnosticism takes it to the next level because it acknowledges that the search to prove or disprove the existence of god is ultimately fruitless and therefore is a waste of time.
Well, that was fun.
Child porn is indeed a taboo, and for good reasons. I don't blame folks for a little hypocritical behavior for a subject like that. Not only does child porn typically prove extremely traumatic for a child (as the offending trusted caregiver is proven to be neither trusting or caring; and ultimately only has the child around to use for sex), but also sex with minors gives rise to a whole host of health problems for the minors and results in an inability to have a healthy family life as an adult.
Even if you don't believe all the above, any reasonable person will refuse to host child porn material or even pointers for the simple reason that doing so can land them in prison. I've never experienced it, but being in prison for pedophilia is supposed to be a most unpleasant experience.
Come to think of it, this should be obvious to anyone. Are you just trolling, or do you have a point here?
P.S. You can say 2+2=5 if you like, but you can't really act on that, because it's not true. In that sense, none of us are truly free, because reality constrains us even if society doesn't.
P.P.S. I didn't downmod you.
It's called Windows 2000. :+) Yeah, I'm sort of kidding, but I'm not. I've successfully used every version of Windows since 3.0 EXCEPT Millennium Edition. It's the biggest piece of shite I've ever seen come out of Microsoft (I never saw Bob, so I can't compare it to that). I can't name even one redeeming feature about it. Perhaps I'm just under informed on the issue, but I doubt it.
Seriously, just use Windows 2000 or XP. I'm running XP on a 500 Mhz laptop with 192 MB RAM and it runs like a dream. Performance is a little snappier if I turn off the visual styles, keep the other fancy visual effects to a minimum, and turn off the System Restore on the drive, but that's about it.
As far as your poor little 200 Mhz machine with 64 MB RAM: if you upgrade the RAM on that thing to at least 128 MB, you should have no problem with Windows 2000 on it. I have a "poor little laptop" with only a 133 Mhz processor and 144 MB RAM and Windows 2000 runs just fine on there. It's no speed demon, but Linux with KDE wouldn't do any better either. Barring that, Win98SE is a good OS to use, or maybe just use Linux if you want to try it out.
Quit whining.
No. This is not a real solution to the problem. If they had something like the current machine with hard drive slots where I could take a complete hard drive mirror out of the machine for off-site storage, this would be a real solution. A backup solution without an off-site storage ability is not a real solution. Why backup files for machines A & B, to machine C when they all reside on the same premises? Doesn't even make real sense.
IANAL
Actually, it's trademarks. And, you have to protect your trademarks when someone else confuses or dilutes your trademark. If you don't protect your trademark and it becomes diluted (would anyone like a kleenex with their spam?), your trademark may become invalid.
Then your competition can start slapping your former trademark all over their products, legally.
Your story is kind of funny, but the whole legal aspect of this rests almost entirely in trademark law. IANAL but if you had trademarked the name and had distinctive logo and artwork to go along with that, you probably would have had a case.
But you didn't do that, right?
I got the same response. Must be the intended response. Looks like SurveyMonkey uses IIS, though that wouldn't really be the cause of this. Application must not be well written. *shrug*
You must be on someone's s-list! I've never seen a non-troll so consistently modded down. Oh well, don't take it too seriously, it's just a karma score on a meaningless web site. No one is going to review your /. posts/karma when you apply for a job you know. Take comfort in the fact that someday /. will close up shop and go away and you'll probably outlast it by a significant measure.
On the other hand, if you have attached your ego to this web site (my sympathies), do make some effort at making constructive posts which are timed immediately after a story is posted. Positive modding is really reserved for those posts that help other readers after all; and the most helpful posts are those that clarify the article and add context around it.
Why am I explaining this anyway? Oh well. Good luck with the karma whoring.
It also reassures me that programming linux applications is the better choice for me.
Just out of curiosity, why are you bothering to psychologically tether yourself to either option? Why not remain flexible? The true advent of portable code is upon us in the form of Java, Python, Perl, cross platform C/C++ (with libraries like Qt, etc), and other options. If you're actually programming "applications" that end-users will use, then you really ought to be thinking about portability. Relegating yourself to just Windows || Linux || Mac is kinda silly these days if you're not doing systems level stuff (and I'm sure that most of us are not).
I see your point, but I don't think it's really relevant to the problem. The real problem, in my mind, is that students who are used to copying notes from a whiteboard, PowerPoint slides, or even a chalkboard are not used to needing to structure the information for themselves. When information is presented in a pre-structured format for you, it's takes much less effort to capture the information. However, I think assimilation of the information (i.e. learning) is enhanced by the act of structuring. Just recording information doesn't make me think about it. If I have to structure it AND record it, well that's a whole lot harder, but much more effective too.
This is from someone who is essentially ADD but somehow made it through undergraduate and master degrees.
No ad-skipping.
Now wait just a darn second here. No ad skipping? Do you mean to tell me that you can not fast forward through the ads? I understand that a Tivo will record the ads and not skip recording them, but you can fast forward through them; right?
Excuse my ignorance. Though I am interested, I do not own one of these yet. Any other caveats & irritations (minor and major) you could identify would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Umm... we call that a battery. *duck*
How long before people start demanding that their e-mail addresses be portable when they change ISPs?
Many people already do that. Get an email account with Yahoo, MSN, etc. and actually pay them their yearly (low) fee for POP access and increased storage, and you're all set. I've been through 5 ISPs since I got my Yahoo account and no one even had to know about it.
Granted, I am bound to Yahoo that way, but that's a lot more stable than being bound to MediaOne (which became ATTBI which because Comcast and god only knows what's next).
Number portability is a bit of a red herring; for most people it just doesn't matter.
However, there are a lot of people for whom number portability is a very big deal. Typically, these are the people who make their living on the phone (especially sales people, CxOs, etc.). These people give out their number all the time; so much so that it's impossible to keep track of everyone they give it to. All of their important customers and customers-to-be have that number, and it's extremely important that they be reachable on that number 24x7, 365 days a year. Often, if the customer/whomever cannot reach them at that number (because they didn't get an updated one), that's the end of the relationship. That customer will either go to a different rep at the same business or go to a different business altogether (as in: "crap I can't get a hold of Fred, back to square one with that stuff; may as well just go to the yellow pages/directory for someone else".
So, this applies to sales people of all stripes, and anyone else for whom loose informal relationships are very important. This applies to all the movers and shakers who actually get stuff done in our society. Note that this includes people like senators and representatives.
Now, given that a stable phone number is so important, consider this: cell phone companies are generally having a problem turning a profit. All of their low-end customers cost them too much money per contract. However, they know the high-end customers generally won't move on no matter how much they're abused, so the cell phone companies abuse those customers in the form of high fees, unreasonable contract changes, etc. Cell phone companies that are profitable, or even just solvent, owe their very existence to their high-end customers.
And until recently, the high-end customers couldn't do anything about this abuse. They had no bargaining power. Now they do.
Got the picture?
Ok, since you're a EU fan, I thought I would try you on this question. I have EUII (got it for Christmas last year), and I just could NOT get into it.
Two problems:
1. I didn't get to the point where I could see what I was doing was having a visible effect on the course of the game. EUII can be a subtle game, and the subtleties just whizzed past me somewhere in there. It wasn't much fun to sit there and get creamed and not even know why.
2. Related to #1 I'm sure: It just wasn't any fun. I never found the groove in the game.
Keep in mind that I don't just play FPS/twitch games either. I've gotten considerable enjoyment from chess, MUDs, Morrowind, Rise of Nations, and other games besides the like of Quake et al. For some reason though, EUII just didn't click for me.
Anyway, if you know of any online groups, tutorials, etc. that could really help crack the EUII nut for me, I would appreciate it.
Thanks!
Just out of curiosity, did you and/or your brother in law have any thoughts/facts about what jobs are now being considered higher value? I think your theory is valid and it does seem to explain the phenomenon quite well. I think we should also recognize that the same things have happened (in various forms) in a number of industries including, but not limited to: farming, mining, steel production, automotives, manufacturing of all stripes, textiles, etc. ad nauseum. It's worth noting that we don't always export the jobs in question, because it's not always possible (e.g. farming). However, we do industrialize them to such an extent with large companies. Either way, they're commoditized.
I have to wonder though where we (and ultimately the rest of the world) are heading with all of this. We seem to be getting more and more efficient as an economy. We really don't need to work so much to support ourselves any more. So, I have to wonder in the future if we'll simply scale back our individual labors (and thereby retain as many workers as possible in the economy so more people overall can meet their needs), or if we'll simply start to let people fall through the economic cracks into unemployment and/or into the new "working poor" class.
Certainly, the working poor group has been growing over the years, so it's not a concern that we should take lightly.
OT - Whereabouts are you located anyway? I went to school (UST) here with someone who used a handle like yours (not an uncommon one perhaps).
So you think cutting down the number of produced games would help. Maybe so. But how are you gonna cut it down?
Good question. I guess we'll just have to let the market sort it out. None of us will ever have centralized power over the market, so we'll just have to let them figure it out. Eventually, publishers and developers will get good at identifying games that just won't sell well.
In a sense though, this is already happening at the developer level. I know people who will buy any new Blizzard game with no other information required. Other companies like Valve, id, and Bethesda Softworks also enjoy this level of trust from their customers. But these companies all have something in common: they release very few, but very high quality games. The formula already is proven to work.
I have to wonder if the overall game development industry/community really wants this though. It seems like game developers all want their shot at developing a commercial game and I think they would want to do it even if they knew the game was going to be sub-quality or not sell very well.
I won't argue that games are too expensive, given how things work today. But, you guessed it, I would argue that how things work today isn't at all optimal.
;+)
Here's the punch line: Too many games get made. It's that simple. Too many games get made for which publishers front the money. Because too many games get made, many (most?) of them fail in the marketplace, and the publishers are out the money on those projects. So, they have to charge enough on the other titles to make up for that.
I don't begrudge anyone the $20-$50+ USD$ I slap down for a great game. But I absolutely detest doing that for a title that sucks. The result? I won't even buy a game (unless it's off the discount rack) without having played it first. I won't touch it, it won't happen, forget it. But then, that drives up costs further though online distribution costs, advertising, etc.
So, I guess what I'm saying here is that game publishers should only produce great games, and not mere market knockoffs designed to cash in on some fad theme. I want to have enough confidence in the industry (or at least a given publisher/developer) to know that I can buy a given game sight unseen because I know it will rock my world. Period.
But now I know I'm dreaming.
What exactly was wrong with the ending of the Matrix anyway? I keep hearing about "how bad" it was, and I don't think I agree. Granted, it had a tough lead to follow with the first two movies (especially the first one), but that doesn't make the last movie a stinker.