It's a reimagining - Braben and Bell had envisioned a much richer, larger, lively experience in 1984 but there were lots of limitations. Now Braben can make a lot more of their original idea happen.
Not to scare anyone, but hasn't George Lucas said this about a hundred times?
What's hilarious is that you can set an address as your primary without verifying it.
I can confirm that Sony's PSN and Match.com both have the same problem. My gmail account is first-initial-last-name@gmail.com, and I have a fairly uncommon last name. That address was used to register for both; the first by somebody named Jared and the second by a mid-60's woman from North Carolina. In both cases, attempts to alert customer service just led to canned responses, though Match.com did at least give me an option to disable email communication. (Which was a Godsend after 3 days of e-flirting from older men.)
Match.com was particularly bad. Not only did they not verify the email address, the initial sign-up email included both the user name and password. I had full access to the account. (And I'll admit, the call of the Dark Side was strong. But, as I said, I have an uncommon last name, so she was probably distantly related to me.)
I love my netbook (a first-generation Acer Aspire 1) for two reasons: 1) It's small enough that I can take it anywhere 2) It's cheap enough that I'm willing to take it anywhere and yes, I use it all the time for work - far more than for personal use, actually.
The small, cheap laptop fits a perfect niche for me. I really need a laptop, but the things I do on the go don't require much in the way of power. I'm also a PC gamer. I could buy a laptop with enough horsepower for gaming, but it would be less portable and much more expensive than my netbook, and vastly overpowered for my portable computing needs. For what I'd spend on a gaming laptop, I can buy a netbook, assemble a desktop for gaming, and come out money ahead, with the added advantage that the desktop is far more upgradeable than a laptop.
Myself, when I need to find something on the Start Screen (or the old Start Menu), I just hit the Windows key and type in the name of the app I'm trying to launch. If I use the program often enough, I'll pin its icon somewhere to save me the trouble.
That's similar to the way I've worked since I discovered Launchy back in the Windows XP days. One problem is when you don't know the name of the app, or if you just want to browse to see what's available.
I'm at work setting up a new laptop for a user. This will be the second Windows 8 machine in the company - the first being my own desktop. If I press the Windows key and bring up the Start page, I get tiles for Internet Explorer, File Explorer, Desktop, and Store. I know there's got to be more - my gut tells me that Microsoft must have built in the usual stuff like a media player, messaging, and probably a bunch of other stuff too, but there's no sign of it. Right-clicking gives me an "All Apps" option at the bottom.
I don't have a problem with gesture-based controls. I absolutely loved WebOS, partly because of the gestures. They can be a quick and convenient way to interact with a device, and once you know about them, they can be very intuitive if they're done properly. But the gestures in Windows 8 aren't done well. The "Charms" bar is a perfect example of that, as the video mentioned. Aside from having a stupid name, the Charms bar appears from the side but is triggered by mousing into one of the right corners. This kinda works in Metro apps, but in the Desktop, the top-right corner is where the Close button sits, and the bottom-right houses the system tray. (Speaking of which, I've been using Win8 for about 2 weeks, and I still haven't found a way to close Metro apps other than Alt-F4.)
With Windows 8, Microsoft is moving to a tablet-centric interface while ignoring a very important point: Computers are not Tablets, and - here's the kicker - people don't use them the same way. The interface that you want while using a 10-inch tablet on your lap is not what you want when you're using a PC with dual 20-inch monitors at your desk.
While trying to set up Window 8 for actually doing real work, it's becoming very clear how consumer-oriented Microsoft tried to make it. When setting up my own desktop, I saw the option to put a calendar widget on the lock screen. I figured that might be handy, so I tried to enable it, only to find that it requires creating an account with Microsoft, so I could display items from my Microsoft calendar. You know what? On my work PC, I already have an account I log in to - on our Windows domain - and that account already has a calendar associated with it - on our Exchange server. Why can't it just work with those? Seems like a basic option that should be available as soon as you join a Win8 PC to a Domain.
For that matter, it would be nice if they would notify us of which movies in our queue are about to be removed from streaming. Give us, maybe, 2 weeks warning.
I recently upgraded my work PC to Win8. I upped the RAM to 8 GB, but the box came with the 32-bit version of Win7. I looked into the cost of buying a copy of Win7 64-bit, compared it to the cost of Win8, and figured, "Someone here has to be first, might as well be the IT guy."
It took me a few days to tweak, but I've figured out how to make the parts that piss me off mostly stay out of my way. I hate The Interface Formerly Known As Metro, including and especially the Start page. But since I've been using Launchy since the XP days, I just installed that and I mostly use Win8 the same way I used Win7.
I hate the flat, two-dimensional look. Under Win7, if the keyboard and mouse are idle long enough for the display to shut off, I still have that half-second grace period to nudge the mouse and not need to punch in the password to unlock it. I hate that the calendar widgets on the lock screen and Start page will only pull calendar info from Microsoft's online calendar instead of the copy of Outlook I've got installed. But most of all, I hate having a pseudo-tablet interface pop up on my dual-screen desktop PC
I've said it before here: 10 years ago Microsoft learned - the hard way - that putting a desktop interface on a phone doesn't work. Now they're learning - the hard way - that the opposite is also true.
I'm a big fan of Ancient Domains of Mystery - development recently restarted after a kickstarter fundraising project. It's closed-source unlike a lot of roguelikes, and it's console-mode only. There's a great community-run server where I can play via SSH.
Agreed. I haven't pirated a game in probably close to 10 years now, mostly for the reasons you mentioned, but also for one big reason: Steam Sales. Every time Steam has a sale, I have part of my brain whispering, "You already have a ton of games, a lot of which you haven't even played!" and another part of my brain whispering, "But they're so cheap! At least grab a couple!" The last couple of sales, I've mostly managed to resist, but I'm bracing my willpower for the Holiday sales I know are forthcoming.
George Lucas is also getting a good amount of Disney shares.
Old Disney model: Every few years, re-release movies from the "vault"
New Disney model: Every few years, release "special edition" version of the classic movies with added cgi filler footage, claiming they "...are the movies Walt really wanted to make."
I didn't mind the overall atmosphere. I can't speak for others, but what I hated most about it was the platforming. Frankly, platforming in First-Person games needs to die. If I look down and can't see my own feet, I shouldn't have to do precision jumping.
With early versions of Windows Phone, Microsoft learned - the hard way - that cramming a desktop interface on to a phone makes for an awkward phone. With Windows 8, they'll learn - the hard way - that the reverse is also true.
Mod Parent Up! Between Steam sales and the Humble Bundles, I've got a nice, cheap source of entertainment without pirating anything. Honestly, right now the biggest problem I run into is reminding myself that I've already got the virtual equivalent of a big stack of games I haven't played yet and I shouldn't make any more impulse Steam buys. (I usually grab the Humble Bundles regardless, because I like the idea of supporting charities and indie game devs.)
Speaking of the Humble Bundle, if any of the Android devs that have complained about piracy are reading this, check into getting your game into the next Humble Bundle. In the time I'm writing this, it looks like the current bundle will tick over 87,200 sales with an average of $6.22 per copy. If we assume an even 12-way split between 2 charities, the developers of the 9 games listed, and the "Humble Bundle Tip", that's over $45,000 and there's still over 7 days remaining.
(A quick check of http://humblebundle.com/ shows that it's selling slightly faster than I estimated - almost up to 87,300 by the time I finished posting)
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The free market says eliminate the subsidies - farmers will figure out for themselves whether it still makes sense to grow corn.
It's a reimagining - Braben and Bell had envisioned a much richer, larger, lively experience in 1984 but there were lots of limitations. Now Braben can make a lot more of their original idea happen.
Not to scare anyone, but hasn't George Lucas said this about a hundred times?
What's hilarious is that you can set an address as your primary without verifying it.
I can confirm that Sony's PSN and Match.com both have the same problem. My gmail account is first-initial-last-name@gmail.com, and I have a fairly uncommon last name. That address was used to register for both; the first by somebody named Jared and the second by a mid-60's woman from North Carolina. In both cases, attempts to alert customer service just led to canned responses, though Match.com did at least give me an option to disable email communication. (Which was a Godsend after 3 days of e-flirting from older men.)
Match.com was particularly bad. Not only did they not verify the email address, the initial sign-up email included both the user name and password. I had full access to the account. (And I'll admit, the call of the Dark Side was strong. But, as I said, I have an uncommon last name, so she was probably distantly related to me.)
Why not? There are more than just one Steve Ballmer on this planet no doubt.
I get the impression that Steve Ballmer either eats them, or kills them (probably via chair).
Steve cuts off their heads to take their power as his own.
I love my netbook (a first-generation Acer Aspire 1) for two reasons:
1) It's small enough that I can take it anywhere
2) It's cheap enough that I'm willing to take it anywhere
and yes, I use it all the time for work - far more than for personal use, actually.
The small, cheap laptop fits a perfect niche for me. I really need a laptop, but the things I do on the go don't require much in the way of power. I'm also a PC gamer. I could buy a laptop with enough horsepower for gaming, but it would be less portable and much more expensive than my netbook, and vastly overpowered for my portable computing needs. For what I'd spend on a gaming laptop, I can buy a netbook, assemble a desktop for gaming, and come out money ahead, with the added advantage that the desktop is far more upgradeable than a laptop.
Myself, when I need to find something on the Start Screen (or the old Start Menu), I just hit the Windows key and type in the name of the app I'm trying to launch. If I use the program often enough, I'll pin its icon somewhere to save me the trouble.
That's similar to the way I've worked since I discovered Launchy back in the Windows XP days. One problem is when you don't know the name of the app, or if you just want to browse to see what's available.
I'm at work setting up a new laptop for a user. This will be the second Windows 8 machine in the company - the first being my own desktop. If I press the Windows key and bring up the Start page, I get tiles for Internet Explorer, File Explorer, Desktop, and Store. I know there's got to be more - my gut tells me that Microsoft must have built in the usual stuff like a media player, messaging, and probably a bunch of other stuff too, but there's no sign of it. Right-clicking gives me an "All Apps" option at the bottom.
I don't have a problem with gesture-based controls. I absolutely loved WebOS, partly because of the gestures. They can be a quick and convenient way to interact with a device, and once you know about them, they can be very intuitive if they're done properly. But the gestures in Windows 8 aren't done well. The "Charms" bar is a perfect example of that, as the video mentioned. Aside from having a stupid name, the Charms bar appears from the side but is triggered by mousing into one of the right corners. This kinda works in Metro apps, but in the Desktop, the top-right corner is where the Close button sits, and the bottom-right houses the system tray. (Speaking of which, I've been using Win8 for about 2 weeks, and I still haven't found a way to close Metro apps other than Alt-F4.)
With Windows 8, Microsoft is moving to a tablet-centric interface while ignoring a very important point: Computers are not Tablets, and - here's the kicker - people don't use them the same way. The interface that you want while using a 10-inch tablet on your lap is not what you want when you're using a PC with dual 20-inch monitors at your desk.
While trying to set up Window 8 for actually doing real work, it's becoming very clear how consumer-oriented Microsoft tried to make it. When setting up my own desktop, I saw the option to put a calendar widget on the lock screen. I figured that might be handy, so I tried to enable it, only to find that it requires creating an account with Microsoft, so I could display items from my Microsoft calendar. You know what? On my work PC, I already have an account I log in to - on our Windows domain - and that account already has a calendar associated with it - on our Exchange server. Why can't it just work with those? Seems like a basic option that should be available as soon as you join a Win8 PC to a Domain.
Though at 90, plan on climbing a few ladders yourself to install antennas.
http://www.cracked.com/article_17165_6-reasons-north-korea-funniest-evil-dictatorship-ever.html
Probably one of my favorite Cracked articles ever.
... I think I'm switching to Haiku.
*Tadum* *Crash* *Thud*
How could you possibly possibly have missed the opportunity to phrase it like this?
Linux is mainstream
Too many people use it
I'll switch to Haiku.
Nobody moans about the lack of competing browsers on the PS3 or Wii because nobody actually browses the web on their TV anyway.
For that matter, it would be nice if they would notify us of which movies in our queue are about to be removed from streaming. Give us, maybe, 2 weeks warning.
Seriously? Dammit.
I recently upgraded my work PC to Win8. I upped the RAM to 8 GB, but the box came with the 32-bit version of Win7. I looked into the cost of buying a copy of Win7 64-bit, compared it to the cost of Win8, and figured, "Someone here has to be first, might as well be the IT guy."
It took me a few days to tweak, but I've figured out how to make the parts that piss me off mostly stay out of my way. I hate The Interface Formerly Known As Metro, including and especially the Start page. But since I've been using Launchy since the XP days, I just installed that and I mostly use Win8 the same way I used Win7.
I hate the flat, two-dimensional look. Under Win7, if the keyboard and mouse are idle long enough for the display to shut off, I still have that half-second grace period to nudge the mouse and not need to punch in the password to unlock it. I hate that the calendar widgets on the lock screen and Start page will only pull calendar info from Microsoft's online calendar instead of the copy of Outlook I've got installed. But most of all, I hate having a pseudo-tablet interface pop up on my dual-screen desktop PC
I've said it before here: 10 years ago Microsoft learned - the hard way - that putting a desktop interface on a phone doesn't work. Now they're learning - the hard way - that the opposite is also true.
Sounds like a self-punishing crime.
I'm a big fan of Ancient Domains of Mystery - development recently restarted after a kickstarter fundraising project. It's closed-source unlike a lot of roguelikes, and it's console-mode only. There's a great community-run server where I can play via SSH.
Agreed. I haven't pirated a game in probably close to 10 years now, mostly for the reasons you mentioned, but also for one big reason: Steam Sales. Every time Steam has a sale, I have part of my brain whispering, "You already have a ton of games, a lot of which you haven't even played!" and another part of my brain whispering, "But they're so cheap! At least grab a couple!" The last couple of sales, I've mostly managed to resist, but I'm bracing my willpower for the Holiday sales I know are forthcoming.
Now that he's selling it, who cares what his original "vision" was for episodes 7 and beyond? Grand Admiral Thrawn is the obvious direction to take.
Yes Please!!!
Now if we can get new versions of X-Wing and TIE Fighter to go with it.
Good Lord, Yes Please!!! And while I'm wishing, how about the X-Wing book series into a TV mini-series?
Four words... Josh Whedon.
The fuck??? How did you manage to mess up both the name and the word count?
George Lucas is also getting a good amount of Disney shares.
Old Disney model: Every few years, re-release movies from the "vault"
New Disney model: Every few years, release "special edition" version of the classic movies with added cgi filler footage, claiming they "...are the movies Walt really wanted to make."
Now that they're both owned by the same company, we could see a reunion of the Muppet Show episode with Luke, C3PO, and R2D2.
I have a bad feeling about this.
I didn't mind the overall atmosphere. I can't speak for others, but what I hated most about it was the platforming. Frankly, platforming in First-Person games needs to die. If I look down and can't see my own feet, I shouldn't have to do precision jumping.
With early versions of Windows Phone, Microsoft learned - the hard way - that cramming a desktop interface on to a phone makes for an awkward phone. With Windows 8, they'll learn - the hard way - that the reverse is also true.
Mod Parent Up! Between Steam sales and the Humble Bundles, I've got a nice, cheap source of entertainment without pirating anything. Honestly, right now the biggest problem I run into is reminding myself that I've already got the virtual equivalent of a big stack of games I haven't played yet and I shouldn't make any more impulse Steam buys. (I usually grab the Humble Bundles regardless, because I like the idea of supporting charities and indie game devs.)
Speaking of the Humble Bundle, if any of the Android devs that have complained about piracy are reading this, check into getting your game into the next Humble Bundle. In the time I'm writing this, it looks like the current bundle will tick over 87,200 sales with an average of $6.22 per copy. If we assume an even 12-way split between 2 charities, the developers of the 9 games listed, and the "Humble Bundle Tip", that's over $45,000 and there's still over 7 days remaining.
(A quick check of http://humblebundle.com/ shows that it's selling slightly faster than I estimated - almost up to 87,300 by the time I finished posting)
It's all but impossible to underestimate the amount of time it takes a 4channer to masturbate. Assuming they ever stop.