I've been dying to try one, but I refuse to pay thier server tax
That's right!!! Damn those game companies, how DARE they charge you a service fee to pay for the bandwidth, power, cooling, and improvements to a perpetual online game. I mean Jesus Christ, next thing you know, I'll have to pay for my cable modem AND a monthly fee just to use the internet...or buy a cable box but still be required to subscribe to channels to actually use it...or buy a $200 cell phone and pay for airtime...or my favorite, I can't use my $20K car unless, get this, I PAY for gas to run it with.
Damn this capitalist society where I still have to pay for services...I'm moving to Canada.
On a more serious, less flaming-troll note, I don't think the price for MMORPG's should have increased to $15/month, but once one game did it, you knew the rest were going to follow...however I am hooked on COH/COV and EVE-Online, so I pay.
Right before I started to work in the building I am in now (back in Aug 2000) the NT domain was Windows on Alpha...all I ever heard was how horrible it was, Exchange servers crashing multiple times a day, lost files. They ditched Windows on Alpha, ran most server on Solaris/Samba servers, with Windows systems for things that required it (ie, Exchange). Stable as anything.
Then another shop took over the Windows network and migrated to Win2K, 2kServer, Exchange2K, etc...storage problems, lost data from the migration, Exchange server out at least once a day...although we attribute these problems to the shop running the systems. I have found Win2k, and expecially WinXP/2K3 server to be fairly stable. Of course when something doesn't work right, it is a pain in the ass to fix.
The specific software in question is SERVER software, so unless people start running their games on Longhorn Server, this won't do a damn thing for the gaming communities.
Now, when their next Desktop OS after Vista requires 64-bit, you will see a massive change.
We have been cloning NTFS partitions for over a year using Partimage and have had ZERO problems with them. It may be experimental, but it friggin' rocks when you can't afford/don't need Ghost.
Having said that, having a custom schell script to help automate the partitioning and such using partimage really helps a lot. "./install.sh " gets us a complete client image for our workstations (dual boot RHEL3/Win2K) in about 10 minutes on a 100mb LAN after booting from a Linux rescue CD.
Where I work we have been using NewSid for years, with no issues. It gets loaded on every Windows workstation whether or not we initially intend to clone it.
We also use partimaged and a custom shell script for our cloning. Build a box, grap the boot sector, the partition table, and use partimage (the client) to upload an image of each directory.
Then use a rescue CD on a blankbox, download the custom script and run it. Writes out the partition table, drops in the boot loader, and lays the image onto the new partitions.
Good point, I hadn't thought of the reseller market...this is why I am sysad, machines are simpler than licensing agreements and copyrights.:-)
I have no idea how anyone would handle that market...I guess by pure definition if I sold you (in this example) my used Linksys router, since I was the one to provide you the software (i.e., distribute software binaries) I would be the responsible one to ensure that the source code was made available to you upon request. This is where I sort of mentioned that this would really all be moot since undoubtedly some of the first people to acquire the code from the company would undoubtedly post it on the internet, making the discussion of who actually had to give who the code more academic that reality based. But again, I have no real answer to the reseller problem.
What started me posting on this little rant was remembering during a Project Management course at the university, our instructor was out for about 4 weeks due to intestinal surgery, so the Dept chair invited her husband, a professional Program Manager, to sort of lecture the class on how the subject matter worked in the real world on large scale systems engineering projects. He mentioned at one point they had sub-contracted out some linux kernel work dealing with real-time OSs, at which point one of the over-zealous GPL students in the class went off on how that was in violation of the GPL since the code wasn't posted ont he internet, blah blah blah. He refused to listen to the examples I referenced in my original reply on this thread.
I think I was argumentative with the general crowd of people who think that because something has GPL slapped on it, that it is required to be posted publicly all over the world. I got distracted while I was typing and it went downhill. The fact that a happy work day was apparently not in my horoscope doesn't help matters.
I wasn't being argumentative with your comments perse, so I apologize if it came across that way.
I personally don't think it needs to be "tightened up", as things are, it is probably just easier and more convenient to post source on the internet if you actually sell the software commercially or allow it to be downloaded anyway. The system works fine as is, at least with respect to this part of the GPL.
You must still provide the source code to the library
No, you must make available upon request the source code to the LGPL licensed software, and the code does NOT have to be made available for download. If they want, they can make you write them a letter requesting the source code, and then send you the source code via snail mail if they so choose. All the license requires is that if you distribute the software in binary form, you must make available the source code upon request. And even then, they only have to make available the source to those people who actually received a copy of the binaries.
If I, as a consultant for a company, write a bunch of code using GPL/LGPL licensed source code and create a binary of that program, the ONLY entity entitled to a copy of that source code is the company to whom I delivered my work to (not withstanding the fact that they paid me to write the code). No one else has any right to the availability of that source code unless they are also provided a legitimately licensed provided copy of that code.
As far as I can see (IANAL), back with the Linksys router GPL fiasco, Linksys probably would have been completely within letter of the GPL to have required you to send in a copy of the receipt showing that you purchased a Linksys router, thereby proving you had legally received a licensed copy of provided GPL'd code in binary form, in order for you to receive a copy of the source. Of course, since the first person to do so probably would have posted it on the internet anyway, it was quicker just to make the code available on the internet in the first place.
Any real lawyers here want to validate/refute my reasoning? I am by no means claiming to be a GPL expert, but just looking at it and knowing some legal stuff from some business laws courses, that is what I come up with.
While not specific, most likely the code was written to be in-house software for some specialized purposes. Why would you expect there to be a FLOSS equivalent out there?
We have a number of in-house specialty programs that I seriously doubt you would find a FLOSS equivalent for unless you undertook some ridiculously heavy modifications to a code-base somewhere. And since we have perfectly fine working in-house code, why would we ever do that?
To my knowledge out of all of the alts in my SG, there are 8 actual human beings behind them. 3 of those are women, the wives of three of the other members.
We the People have been wanting this for years and have been ignored, but now that a CORPORATION suggested it (along with an envelope of bribe...er campaign money) it will in all likelihood come to pass.
At least they are not going to the extreme the corps do in this book
Short run down:
1. Uber-hype a new pair of shoes,
2. Only deliver 4 to a single store in each city to create psycho demand, hire a gunman to cap a kid in the crowd to give the shoe "Street Cred".
3. PROFIT!!!!
4. Then avoid the government coming after you...:-)
That is not the whole book, just one sub-plot. Really great book.
That probably would not have quite the effect you think. Most likely all of the fees a company pays to imigrate an H1-B are written off as operating expenses for tax purposes, and the payroll taxes the company pays would be less than for the H1-B worker because his actual reported salary would still be lower than that of an American worker.
My point was that the parent post was complaining about having to buy the Windows version in order to play the linux version he downloaded. Of course you have to pay for some version of the game in order to play it. Currently the only way to get the data files is buy purchasing the Windows boxed copy. Just to play the linux version you are also required to download the linux binaries. You need the game data from the disc(s) you actually purchased.
I would love to be able to buy a game where the box said "Supports Windows, Macintosh, and Linux" on the cover and the binaries for all versions were in the box, vice having to download the binaries for anything other than Windows. I have broadband, so am not really concerned with downloading the files, but if you have dial-up internet access and want to play on linux, odds are you need to find some other location to download the files.
However, I can't see the whole game being much larger than say a Fedora Distro, so I also don't see why you couldn't purchase the linux version online and then download the files via BitTorrent or something. I am sure people are already serving the data files this way anyway, so as soon as someone figures out how to hack the license keys, people will have free copies of this game.
Re:Sinister Voiceover
on
Quake 4 Linux
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
What the hell are they supposed to do, let you download a $50 game for FREE just becuase you run linux? They are not going to provide all of the critical game data files off of a download, expecially since they come on a DVD-ROM. You are just downloading the binaries for linux, not the whoel frickin' game.
I agree with other posters that it would rock if they included the Linux binaries on the game CDs. Then they could include Mac binaries and everyone would be happy.
Exactly. I would love to go into space just for that reason, but people never seem to understand that when I mention it to them. If I had that kind of disposable cash, I would definitely be a space tourist.
I've been to Europe, Asia, and South America, have rock climbed (though no famous mountains), have SCUBA dived. I am still missing sky diving and will hopefully hit that some day. But there are millions and/or billions of people who have done those things. I want to be one of the few to be able to day I saw our entire planet from my passenger window.
Hopefully the private space enterprises keep taking off and pretty soon we will be able to take a quick space jaunt for only a couple thousand $$. By "pretty soon" I mean the 10-20 year range.
Before getting a wide-screen with a cabinet that had glass doors on it, we had our old tv on a stand with the DVD player and VCR. Never had a problem with out first child other than he liked to watch the DVD tray eject.
Comes the second child, after she got big enough to move around on her own, she would also play with the DVD player eject. I come home from work one day, wife says that the DVD player won't eject all the way and even if you can get a disk in it, they do not play. I chalk it up to age of the player and the little girl probably broke the tray mechanism.
Move into a new house, decide for the hell of it to open up the play and see what is broken. Turns out the little one had shoved a baby wipe into the tray opening, which had gotten caught, and in addition to not letting the tray open all of the way, was also covering the laser head. I pull it out, wipe away some of the rust that has hit the metal components, and voila, working DVD player.
Was quite glad since this was an early generation DVD player that had cost me THREE HUNDRED dollars back in 1999...
Zoe's answer when Simon asks abouts the Reavers in the series pilot:
If they take the ship, they'll rape us to death, eat our flesh and sew our skins into their clothing and if we're very very lucky, they'll do it in that order
Since I live in Norfolk, VA, the Naby's largest east coast naval base...there are usually 10-15 different reactors in port depending on how many carriers and subs are at the docks...this does not bother me. We also have a relatively small nuclear reactor in Surry county about 30-45 miles from my house. This does not bother me either.
What bothers me is everyday right next to one of the main freeways you see PILES AND PILES of coal getting loaded into train cars every single day to be burned at the power plant. I know for a FACT that every day the coal plant is polluting my lungs and the lungs of everyone in the area...I have never heard of one incident with nuclear plant in the 6 years I have lived here.
So yes, I am one of those idiots who thinks nuclear power is safe.
Jesus Christ, fucking PERU runs a nuclear plant outside the capitol city and they don't have any problems. And having lived there and seen their infrastructre, that really surprises me.
Hmm, let's talk about about broken things...I added NOTHING to Microsoft Office...I built a nice Contacts list that needed to get distributed to 140 PC clients (no central address book available). I then exported said contact list into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet using the import/export feature built into Outlook. I then tried to import said spreadsheet into Outlook on another system, and guess what, IT DIDN"T FUCKING IMPORT. Do we know why? Yes, because when Outlook exports a contact list it fucks up the field headers and you have to MANUALLY map the fields in the spreadsheet to the correct fields that Outlook expects...so basically Outlook can't import what it exports. We tried this exporting to.csv and.mdb files, same situation.
I have used the (obivously false) anology that this is like Veritas selling you back up software that will take backups, but force you to manually massage the dump files in order to recover you system...
Apparently you don't understand the little amount of work they have to do...shouldn't be more than adding the new levels since the engine is already built. Off of the top of my head...I would say NLT August 2008
That's right!!! Damn those game companies, how DARE they charge you a service fee to pay for the bandwidth, power, cooling, and improvements to a perpetual online game. I mean Jesus Christ, next thing you know, I'll have to pay for my cable modem AND a monthly fee just to use the internet...or buy a cable box but still be required to subscribe to channels to actually use it...or buy a $200 cell phone and pay for airtime...or my favorite, I can't use my $20K car unless, get this, I PAY for gas to run it with.
Damn this capitalist society where I still have to pay for services...I'm moving to Canada.
On a more serious, less flaming-troll note, I don't think the price for MMORPG's should have increased to $15/month, but once one game did it, you knew the rest were going to follow...however I am hooked on COH/COV and EVE-Online, so I pay.
"The beatings will continue until morale improves"
Right before I started to work in the building I am in now (back in Aug 2000) the NT domain was Windows on Alpha...all I ever heard was how horrible it was, Exchange servers crashing multiple times a day, lost files. They ditched Windows on Alpha, ran most server on Solaris/Samba servers, with Windows systems for things that required it (ie, Exchange). Stable as anything.
Then another shop took over the Windows network and migrated to Win2K, 2kServer, Exchange2K, etc...storage problems, lost data from the migration, Exchange server out at least once a day...although we attribute these problems to the shop running the systems. I have found Win2k, and expecially WinXP/2K3 server to be fairly stable. Of course when something doesn't work right, it is a pain in the ass to fix.
The specific software in question is SERVER software, so unless people start running their games on Longhorn Server, this won't do a damn thing for the gaming communities.
Now, when their next Desktop OS after Vista requires 64-bit, you will see a massive change.
We have been cloning NTFS partitions for over a year using Partimage and have had ZERO problems with them. It may be experimental, but it friggin' rocks when you can't afford/don't need Ghost.
Having said that, having a custom schell script to help automate the partitioning and such using partimage really helps a lot. "./install.sh " gets us a complete client image for our workstations (dual boot RHEL3/Win2K) in about 10 minutes on a 100mb LAN after booting from a Linux rescue CD.
Where I work we have been using NewSid for years, with no issues. It gets loaded on every Windows workstation whether or not we initially intend to clone it.
We also use partimaged and a custom shell script for our cloning. Build a box, grap the boot sector, the partition table, and use partimage (the client) to upload an image of each directory.
Then use a rescue CD on a blankbox, download the custom script and run it. Writes out the partition table, drops in the boot loader, and lays the image onto the new partitions.
Good point, I hadn't thought of the reseller market...this is why I am sysad, machines are simpler than licensing agreements and copyrights. :-)
I have no idea how anyone would handle that market...I guess by pure definition if I sold you (in this example) my used Linksys router, since I was the one to provide you the software (i.e., distribute software binaries) I would be the responsible one to ensure that the source code was made available to you upon request. This is where I sort of mentioned that this would really all be moot since undoubtedly some of the first people to acquire the code from the company would undoubtedly post it on the internet, making the discussion of who actually had to give who the code more academic that reality based. But again, I have no real answer to the reseller problem.
What started me posting on this little rant was remembering during a Project Management course at the university, our instructor was out for about 4 weeks due to intestinal surgery, so the Dept chair invited her husband, a professional Program Manager, to sort of lecture the class on how the subject matter worked in the real world on large scale systems engineering projects. He mentioned at one point they had sub-contracted out some linux kernel work dealing with real-time OSs, at which point one of the over-zealous GPL students in the class went off on how that was in violation of the GPL since the code wasn't posted ont he internet, blah blah blah. He refused to listen to the examples I referenced in my original reply on this thread.
I think I was argumentative with the general crowd of people who think that because something has GPL slapped on it, that it is required to be posted publicly all over the world. I got distracted while I was typing and it went downhill. The fact that a happy work day was apparently not in my horoscope doesn't help matters.
I wasn't being argumentative with your comments perse, so I apologize if it came across that way.
I personally don't think it needs to be "tightened up", as things are, it is probably just easier and more convenient to post source on the internet if you actually sell the software commercially or allow it to be downloaded anyway. The system works fine as is, at least with respect to this part of the GPL.
You must still provide the source code to the library
No, you must make available upon request the source code to the LGPL licensed software, and the code does NOT have to be made available for download. If they want, they can make you write them a letter requesting the source code, and then send you the source code via snail mail if they so choose. All the license requires is that if you distribute the software in binary form, you must make available the source code upon request. And even then, they only have to make available the source to those people who actually received a copy of the binaries.
If I, as a consultant for a company, write a bunch of code using GPL/LGPL licensed source code and create a binary of that program, the ONLY entity entitled to a copy of that source code is the company to whom I delivered my work to (not withstanding the fact that they paid me to write the code). No one else has any right to the availability of that source code unless they are also provided a legitimately licensed provided copy of that code.
As far as I can see (IANAL), back with the Linksys router GPL fiasco, Linksys probably would have been completely within letter of the GPL to have required you to send in a copy of the receipt showing that you purchased a Linksys router, thereby proving you had legally received a licensed copy of provided GPL'd code in binary form, in order for you to receive a copy of the source. Of course, since the first person to do so probably would have posted it on the internet anyway, it was quicker just to make the code available on the internet in the first place.
Any real lawyers here want to validate/refute my reasoning? I am by no means claiming to be a GPL expert, but just looking at it and knowing some legal stuff from some business laws courses, that is what I come up with.
While not specific, most likely the code was written to be in-house software for some specialized purposes. Why would you expect there to be a FLOSS equivalent out there?
We have a number of in-house specialty programs that I seriously doubt you would find a FLOSS equivalent for unless you undertook some ridiculously heavy modifications to a code-base somewhere. And since we have perfectly fine working in-house code, why would we ever do that?
To my knowledge out of all of the alts in my SG, there are 8 actual human beings behind them. 3 of those are women, the wives of three of the other members.
We the People have been wanting this for years and have been ignored, but now that a CORPORATION suggested it (along with an envelope of bribe...er campaign money) it will in all likelihood come to pass.
Go USA politicians.!!!!!
At least they are not going to the extreme the corps do in this book
:-)
Short run down:
1. Uber-hype a new pair of shoes,
2. Only deliver 4 to a single store in each city to create psycho demand, hire a gunman to cap a kid in the crowd to give the shoe "Street Cred".
3. PROFIT!!!!
4. Then avoid the government coming after you...
That is not the whole book, just one sub-plot. Really great book.
Do we work on the same government contract? Because you just described the daily routine where I work...
That probably would not have quite the effect you think. Most likely all of the fees a company pays to imigrate an H1-B are written off as operating expenses for tax purposes, and the payroll taxes the company pays would be less than for the H1-B worker because his actual reported salary would still be lower than that of an American worker.
My point was that the parent post was complaining about having to buy the Windows version in order to play the linux version he downloaded. Of course you have to pay for some version of the game in order to play it. Currently the only way to get the data files is buy purchasing the Windows boxed copy. Just to play the linux version you are also required to download the linux binaries. You need the game data from the disc(s) you actually purchased.
I would love to be able to buy a game where the box said "Supports Windows, Macintosh, and Linux" on the cover and the binaries for all versions were in the box, vice having to download the binaries for anything other than Windows. I have broadband, so am not really concerned with downloading the files, but if you have dial-up internet access and want to play on linux, odds are you need to find some other location to download the files.
However, I can't see the whole game being much larger than say a Fedora Distro, so I also don't see why you couldn't purchase the linux version online and then download the files via BitTorrent or something. I am sure people are already serving the data files this way anyway, so as soon as someone figures out how to hack the license keys, people will have free copies of this game.
What the hell are they supposed to do, let you download a $50 game for FREE just becuase you run linux? They are not going to provide all of the critical game data files off of a download, expecially since they come on a DVD-ROM. You are just downloading the binaries for linux, not the whoel frickin' game.
I agree with other posters that it would rock if they included the Linux binaries on the game CDs. Then they could include Mac binaries and everyone would be happy.
Exactly. I would love to go into space just for that reason, but people never seem to understand that when I mention it to them. If I had that kind of disposable cash, I would definitely be a space tourist.
I've been to Europe, Asia, and South America, have rock climbed (though no famous mountains), have SCUBA dived. I am still missing sky diving and will hopefully hit that some day. But there are millions and/or billions of people who have done those things. I want to be one of the few to be able to day I saw our entire planet from my passenger window.
Hopefully the private space enterprises keep taking off and pretty soon we will be able to take a quick space jaunt for only a couple thousand $$. By "pretty soon" I mean the 10-20 year range.
Before getting a wide-screen with a cabinet that had glass doors on it, we had our old tv on a stand with the DVD player and VCR. Never had a problem with out first child other than he liked to watch the DVD tray eject.
Comes the second child, after she got big enough to move around on her own, she would also play with the DVD player eject. I come home from work one day, wife says that the DVD player won't eject all the way and even if you can get a disk in it, they do not play. I chalk it up to age of the player and the little girl probably broke the tray mechanism.
Move into a new house, decide for the hell of it to open up the play and see what is broken. Turns out the little one had shoved a baby wipe into the tray opening, which had gotten caught, and in addition to not letting the tray open all of the way, was also covering the laser head. I pull it out, wipe away some of the rust that has hit the metal components, and voila, working DVD player.
Was quite glad since this was an early generation DVD player that had cost me THREE HUNDRED dollars back in 1999...
Since I live in Norfolk, VA, the Naby's largest east coast naval base...there are usually 10-15 different reactors in port depending on how many carriers and subs are at the docks...this does not bother me. We also have a relatively small nuclear reactor in Surry county about 30-45 miles from my house. This does not bother me either.
What bothers me is everyday right next to one of the main freeways you see PILES AND PILES of coal getting loaded into train cars every single day to be burned at the power plant. I know for a FACT that every day the coal plant is polluting my lungs and the lungs of everyone in the area...I have never heard of one incident with nuclear plant in the 6 years I have lived here.
So yes, I am one of those idiots who thinks nuclear power is safe.
Jesus Christ, fucking PERU runs a nuclear plant outside the capitol city and they don't have any problems. And having lived there and seen their infrastructre, that really surprises me.
Hmm, let's talk about about broken things...I added NOTHING to Microsoft Office...I built a nice Contacts list that needed to get distributed to 140 PC clients (no central address book available). I then exported said contact list into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet using the import/export feature built into Outlook. I then tried to import said spreadsheet into Outlook on another system, and guess what, IT DIDN"T FUCKING IMPORT. Do we know why? Yes, because when Outlook exports a contact list it fucks up the field headers and you have to MANUALLY map the fields in the spreadsheet to the correct fields that Outlook expects...so basically Outlook can't import what it exports. We tried this exporting to .csv and .mdb files, same situation.
I have used the (obivously false) anology that this is like Veritas selling you back up software that will take backups, but force you to manually massage the dump files in order to recover you system...
Forgot to mention that Update 5 is slotted to come out in August.
"Failure to follow contracts is failure to follow contracts, and is against civil law"
Thank you for someone finally bringing this up...if I had mod points you would get them so this shows up on the main posting page.
Apparently you don't understand the little amount of work they have to do...shouldn't be more than adding the new levels since the engine is already built. Off of the top of my head...I would say NLT August 2008