Oh no, here we go with another driving analogy! Well, anyway, being computer literate, in my opinion, is similar to being a good driver. You have to be technically proficient at the task, which is the level taught in schools (for driving and computers, oddly enough), but there is another element that only experience can bring to you. You have to know how your vehicle will react under various circumstances. You have to know how fast you can corner safely. You have to have an awareness of what's going on around you, so that you don't obstruct traffic and make life harder for others. It's more than just a matter of pressing pedals and turning the wheel, although those skills will allow you to drive, and possibly even pass the driver's test. Similarly, there's more to operating a computer than being able to use a few basic applications. You should be able to adapt your previous knowledge to new situations, and be able to troubleshoot any problems, among other things. The trouble is that so few people, in either situation, go beyond that level of basic competency, and it is a good thing in neither.
Yeah, it's great to be an idealist, but there are some of us who want usable 3D. I fall squarely in the latter category, and I will continue to load proprietary modules into my kernel.
Any move by the FSF to prohibit this will only drive people away from Linux, since it's not likely that NVidia and ATI will ever open their drivers completely. Free Software is great for some things, but occasionally the FSF has to recognize that some proprietary elements are unavoidable.
You don't pay by the hour, meaning that you are perfectly free to do anything else. Why, right now, as I'm on a wind rider, I'm posting to slashdot. You can criticize WoW on many things, but this isn't really one of them. Combined with the teleport/portal mage abilities, I think you're just trolling.
I'm a World of Warcraft player, and it always pisses me off to hear about things like this. I simply accept that lag and outages are a part of playing an MMORPG. Your raid died in MC? Well, guess what? The sun will still rise tomorrow. This is a game, and too many people take it far too seriously. Yes, there should be no outages, but it's not realistic to expect that. Given the load that these servers must experience, it's amazing that they do as well as they do. Don't like it? I don't see anyone forcing you to play.
Just on the iPod point: why is opening a dialog any typing "sudo apt-get install gtkpod" and harder than going through Apple's install process, as long as it's made clear that you should do it? iPods don't need any kernel drivers to work; they merely require the equivilant of iTunes. Since WINE is getting better and better, I'm willing to bet that soon, it will be a matter of installing iTunes and plugging in the iPod.
I'm so sick of hearing everyone mention the coffee lawsuit. McDonald's coffee, at the time, was obviously hot enough to cause third degree burns through clothing. That's negligent, if you don't warn the consumer. Now, the guy who sued McDonald's for making him fat... that's a comparable situation.
As much as you all laugh that emphysema will still kill smokers, you have to remember that not all smokers inhale the smoke into their lungs, therefore decreasing the possibility of getting emphysema. This treatment will also work for mouth cancer, which is the biggest threat to those who only smoke cigars. As one of them, I'm glad to see it.
Did you make sure that the settings (bass and treble and so forth) were reasonable? I was test driving a new truck recently, and the radio sounded like absolute shit until I turned the bass down.
Also, are you sure that the weakness is in XM and not the sound system itself?
Well, I'm not sure about DVD quality, but on television (especially football games) I notice a clear difference between regular and high-def. What do you make of that?
Though I do agree that the quality difference isn't enough to re-invest in all my movies.
The sooner they start releasing Blu-ray/HD-DVD, the sooner people can get to work on reverse-engineering the encryption and copy-protection so it'll work on linux. From what I've heard about the copy protection, it will definitely be an obstacle, but will be defeated by the bright minds of open-source.
Will I buy HD-DVD/Blu-ray movies if they aren't supported by open-source at all? I might, but only if releases on regular DVD stop altogether.
I wonder if it will be released as a giant box-set (1-6), two box sets (1-3 and 4-6), or both? I'd certainly buy a giant box set, but I imagine the price of such an item would put some buyers off (remember, marketing isn't about appealing to common sense). Or I'll just wait for it to come out on Blu-ray... yeah, that sounds better.
While obviously the copy-protection still sucks, and it won't be usable on Linux, this is actually a step in the right direction. I guess we need to take it small steps at a time, or we'll never get anything.
Well, I'm guessing that, if intended for use with the video iPod specifically, it only supports up to whatever the iPod supports (480x480, I've heard) or maybe VGA... don't hold your breath for HD.
I agree that this is a risk to the MPAA and RIAA, but closing the analog hole will do nothing to stop it, so it is mainly seperate from this discussion. It even shows that society can do completely without DRM-encumbered media from the **AA. I think this is an exciting time for society, as amateur content becomes easier to produce, and easier to find, but I think it is a frightening time for the "old order".
By the same token, I bet you have a good sound system on which to listen to things. I have fairly sensitive ears, but I am nowhere near the level you are in terms of detecting compression. It is important to remember that, for the average person listening on a shitty pair of iPod earbugs (God, I hate those things), there will really be no difference what a given song is encoded with, because the speakers/headphones/earbuds sound so shitty anyway.
If it's anything like previous attempts at DRM, it will be broken quickly, and with relatively little pain. As much as I like the idea of being able to copy my movies to any format, and move them around, and play them wherever I want, I cannot really fault the MPAA for wanting to keep those rights out of the hands of people who abuse them. I will admit to, on occasion, having downloaded movies, but for the most part, I just buy DVDs. There are a great number of arguments, both for and against file sharing, but the truth is that the MPAA feels sharing is a threat, and is trying to stop it. It will be defeated, like all other such attempts, and the MPAA will go back to the drawing board. I see no reason why we need to have an article on the subject every week.
I'm not sure exactly where you live, but here in Canada, a bartender or other server of alcohol (if you are, for example, serving alcohol to party guests at your house) can be held responsible for overserving if the drinker in question goes and kills himself or someone else. That's why a lot of bars insist that you give them your keys when you start drinking.
Well, with large drives the way they are, why don't you just use WAV? C'mon, I have a big hard drive, but it fills up damn fast. I need all the space I can get, and I just don't lose enough quality to justify taking up more space with my music.
If you "top up" the tank (put another little bit of fuel in after the pump stops), it causes some sort of problem. It is fairly common for gas station attendants to do this, if they are not told otherwise, and I don't really want to explain it to them every time or have the possibility that they'll forget.
Read between the lines. He's one of those excessively "Open" people, who feels everyone should be able to do everything. I agree with him to a point; I would hate to get stranded with a broken steam engine, and be unable to find anyone to fix it. I also drive a BMW. I would never take it to anything other than a BMW dealer for service, because I just don't trust anyone else, and the BMW service department is pretty much the best set of mechanics I've ever dealt with, in terms of attention to detail and so on. Hell, I fill it with petrol at the self-serve in -20 degree weather, just to make sure it's done right (there's a peculiarity regarding the fueling that I don't want to explain to a station attendant every time, and still probably have done incorrectly). YMMV.
Perhaps I'm just dumb, but I see no such "free account" option offered to me, even on the main page. Would you care to direct me to this page? The only options I see are "pay" and "pay more".
You, good sir, are one of the few intelligent people I've seen wander in on this debate. I am an avid user of Linux, and of Free software in general, but even I have to concede that Windows is a better choice for commercial game developers. Linux certainly has all the necessary features to be a great operating system, and I would even go so far as to say that Linux is superior to Windows, but it is less usable and that's the truth. I have a Windows box for playing games, just like many people have a console for playing games; I simply do not find it abhorrant to do work on one system, and play on another.
Also, we have to look at the obstacles in the way of developing a game on Linux, even assuming there is a sufficiently interested, and sufficiently large userbase to support such a development. First, hardware support isn't great; it's okay, it works if you purchase them with compatibility in mind, but you simply cannot guarantee that hardware will work, and that is a support nightmare. Secondly, the different distros are far too different to guarantee that all the required libraries, kernel modules, what-have you, will be available to the game. Third, there is the cost of getting developers with linux expertise and/or experience. There are more Windows programmers to choose from, therefore development for Windows is cheaper. Although one could argue that cross-platform libraries make this irrelevant, it does not negate the fact that there are still some linux quirks that require experience and know-how to solve.
Once there is a large installed base of linux, greater consistency between distros, and more user-friendliness in your average linux distro, games will have a chance to thrive. Until then, it is a niche market that few commercial game producers are willing to satisfy. You could, of course, try using Cedega or WINE if you simply must have it now.
Slashdot Mirror
Oh no, here we go with another driving analogy! Well, anyway, being computer literate, in my opinion, is similar to being a good driver. You have to be technically proficient at the task, which is the level taught in schools (for driving and computers, oddly enough), but there is another element that only experience can bring to you. You have to know how your vehicle will react under various circumstances. You have to know how fast you can corner safely. You have to have an awareness of what's going on around you, so that you don't obstruct traffic and make life harder for others. It's more than just a matter of pressing pedals and turning the wheel, although those skills will allow you to drive, and possibly even pass the driver's test. Similarly, there's more to operating a computer than being able to use a few basic applications. You should be able to adapt your previous knowledge to new situations, and be able to troubleshoot any problems, among other things. The trouble is that so few people, in either situation, go beyond that level of basic competency, and it is a good thing in neither.
Yeah, it's great to be an idealist, but there are some of us who want usable 3D. I fall squarely in the latter category, and I will continue to load proprietary modules into my kernel.
Any move by the FSF to prohibit this will only drive people away from Linux, since it's not likely that NVidia and ATI will ever open their drivers completely. Free Software is great for some things, but occasionally the FSF has to recognize that some proprietary elements are unavoidable.
You don't pay by the hour, meaning that you are perfectly free to do anything else. Why, right now, as I'm on a wind rider, I'm posting to slashdot. You can criticize WoW on many things, but this isn't really one of them. Combined with the teleport/portal mage abilities, I think you're just trolling.
I know what we can ask Jeeves: why does he suck?
I'm a World of Warcraft player, and it always pisses me off to hear about things like this. I simply accept that lag and outages are a part of playing an MMORPG. Your raid died in MC? Well, guess what? The sun will still rise tomorrow. This is a game, and too many people take it far too seriously. Yes, there should be no outages, but it's not realistic to expect that. Given the load that these servers must experience, it's amazing that they do as well as they do. Don't like it? I don't see anyone forcing you to play.
Just on the iPod point: why is opening a dialog any typing "sudo apt-get install gtkpod" and harder than going through Apple's install process, as long as it's made clear that you should do it? iPods don't need any kernel drivers to work; they merely require the equivilant of iTunes. Since WINE is getting better and better, I'm willing to bet that soon, it will be a matter of installing iTunes and plugging in the iPod.
I'm so sick of hearing everyone mention the coffee lawsuit. McDonald's coffee, at the time, was obviously hot enough to cause third degree burns through clothing. That's negligent, if you don't warn the consumer. Now, the guy who sued McDonald's for making him fat... that's a comparable situation.
As much as you all laugh that emphysema will still kill smokers, you have to remember that not all smokers inhale the smoke into their lungs, therefore decreasing the possibility of getting emphysema. This treatment will also work for mouth cancer, which is the biggest threat to those who only smoke cigars. As one of them, I'm glad to see it.
Did you make sure that the settings (bass and treble and so forth) were reasonable? I was test driving a new truck recently, and the radio sounded like absolute shit until I turned the bass down.
Also, are you sure that the weakness is in XM and not the sound system itself?
Well, I'm not sure about DVD quality, but on television (especially football games) I notice a clear difference between regular and high-def. What do you make of that?
Though I do agree that the quality difference isn't enough to re-invest in all my movies.
Given that the guy's a spammer, don't you mean V1_@9r@?
The sooner they start releasing Blu-ray/HD-DVD, the sooner people can get to work on reverse-engineering the encryption and copy-protection so it'll work on linux. From what I've heard about the copy protection, it will definitely be an obstacle, but will be defeated by the bright minds of open-source.
Will I buy HD-DVD/Blu-ray movies if they aren't supported by open-source at all? I might, but only if releases on regular DVD stop altogether.
I wonder if it will be released as a giant box-set (1-6), two box sets (1-3 and 4-6), or both? I'd certainly buy a giant box set, but I imagine the price of such an item would put some buyers off (remember, marketing isn't about appealing to common sense). Or I'll just wait for it to come out on Blu-ray... yeah, that sounds better.
While obviously the copy-protection still sucks, and it won't be usable on Linux, this is actually a step in the right direction. I guess we need to take it small steps at a time, or we'll never get anything.
Just out of curiosity, what does your red button do?
By the way, I also saw the incident that precipitated this sig... very funny.
Well, I'm guessing that, if intended for use with the video iPod specifically, it only supports up to whatever the iPod supports (480x480, I've heard) or maybe VGA... don't hold your breath for HD.
I agree that this is a risk to the MPAA and RIAA, but closing the analog hole will do nothing to stop it, so it is mainly seperate from this discussion. It even shows that society can do completely without DRM-encumbered media from the **AA. I think this is an exciting time for society, as amateur content becomes easier to produce, and easier to find, but I think it is a frightening time for the "old order".
By the same token, I bet you have a good sound system on which to listen to things. I have fairly sensitive ears, but I am nowhere near the level you are in terms of detecting compression. It is important to remember that, for the average person listening on a shitty pair of iPod earbugs (God, I hate those things), there will really be no difference what a given song is encoded with, because the speakers/headphones/earbuds sound so shitty anyway.
If it's anything like previous attempts at DRM, it will be broken quickly, and with relatively little pain. As much as I like the idea of being able to copy my movies to any format, and move them around, and play them wherever I want, I cannot really fault the MPAA for wanting to keep those rights out of the hands of people who abuse them. I will admit to, on occasion, having downloaded movies, but for the most part, I just buy DVDs. There are a great number of arguments, both for and against file sharing, but the truth is that the MPAA feels sharing is a threat, and is trying to stop it. It will be defeated, like all other such attempts, and the MPAA will go back to the drawing board. I see no reason why we need to have an article on the subject every week.
I'm not sure exactly where you live, but here in Canada, a bartender or other server of alcohol (if you are, for example, serving alcohol to party guests at your house) can be held responsible for overserving if the drinker in question goes and kills himself or someone else. That's why a lot of bars insist that you give them your keys when you start drinking.
Well, with large drives the way they are, why don't you just use WAV? C'mon, I have a big hard drive, but it fills up damn fast. I need all the space I can get, and I just don't lose enough quality to justify taking up more space with my music.
If you "top up" the tank (put another little bit of fuel in after the pump stops), it causes some sort of problem. It is fairly common for gas station attendants to do this, if they are not told otherwise, and I don't really want to explain it to them every time or have the possibility that they'll forget.
Read between the lines. He's one of those excessively "Open" people, who feels everyone should be able to do everything. I agree with him to a point; I would hate to get stranded with a broken steam engine, and be unable to find anyone to fix it. I also drive a BMW. I would never take it to anything other than a BMW dealer for service, because I just don't trust anyone else, and the BMW service department is pretty much the best set of mechanics I've ever dealt with, in terms of attention to detail and so on. Hell, I fill it with petrol at the self-serve in -20 degree weather, just to make sure it's done right (there's a peculiarity regarding the fueling that I don't want to explain to a station attendant every time, and still probably have done incorrectly). YMMV.
Perhaps I'm just dumb, but I see no such "free account" option offered to me, even on the main page. Would you care to direct me to this page? The only options I see are "pay" and "pay more".
You, good sir, are one of the few intelligent people I've seen wander in on this debate. I am an avid user of Linux, and of Free software in general, but even I have to concede that Windows is a better choice for commercial game developers. Linux certainly has all the necessary features to be a great operating system, and I would even go so far as to say that Linux is superior to Windows, but it is less usable and that's the truth. I have a Windows box for playing games, just like many people have a console for playing games; I simply do not find it abhorrant to do work on one system, and play on another. Also, we have to look at the obstacles in the way of developing a game on Linux, even assuming there is a sufficiently interested, and sufficiently large userbase to support such a development. First, hardware support isn't great; it's okay, it works if you purchase them with compatibility in mind, but you simply cannot guarantee that hardware will work, and that is a support nightmare. Secondly, the different distros are far too different to guarantee that all the required libraries, kernel modules, what-have you, will be available to the game. Third, there is the cost of getting developers with linux expertise and/or experience. There are more Windows programmers to choose from, therefore development for Windows is cheaper. Although one could argue that cross-platform libraries make this irrelevant, it does not negate the fact that there are still some linux quirks that require experience and know-how to solve. Once there is a large installed base of linux, greater consistency between distros, and more user-friendliness in your average linux distro, games will have a chance to thrive. Until then, it is a niche market that few commercial game producers are willing to satisfy. You could, of course, try using Cedega or WINE if you simply must have it now.