Well, fortunately you're not making the decisions. The "users should have to learn" mentality is what keeps computers complicated and difficult to use.
Computers, like any complex device, are going to require some the user to learn something. Lets use the car analogy here. A car is a complex piece of machinery and people are required to learn how to safely operate one before they are given a license to drive. The same thing goes for many complex piece of equipment.
You can't just let somebody use something without any knowlege on how to use it. Do you know how dangerous roads would be if everybody wasn't required to take some basic training? It would be far worse then it already is (just because you complete the training doesn't mean you'll be a good driver but at least you can't claim you didn't know anything when you get into an accident).
In fact it would be similar to how the computing environment is now. Needless to say Microsoft labeled Windows as so easy anybody could run it without much in the way of training. Where did that get us? Well the majority of the computing environment (i.e. desktops running Windows) is now one riddles with zombie servers, viruses, and identify theft because the majority of people don't know the first thing about basic computer security.
The point I'm trying to make is if people were required to take some basic computer training before being allows to operate a computer (or at least go online with one) we wouldn't have such a dire situation. Sure there would be plenty of zombie servers out there from people being lazy but many people would also take some basic security practices so we wouldn't have as many problems as we do today.
Like any complex piece of equipment computers should require at least some basic training to use (maybe mandatory classes in school). If people aren't willing to learn the basics of computing then they shouldn't be running their own systems in the first place.
"But wait -- you cannot just put your MP3s onto the device, you have to run them through Sony's obfuscation software first."
Actually thats no different then the iPod. I had an iPod (which was recently replaced with a Sony Pocket VAIO) and in order to get songs onto it, no matter what formate it was in, I had to use iTunes to transfer them (or some other similar product). My Pocket VAIO now requires me to use SonicStage to transfer music, same thing just a different program (works pretty much the same way as well, plug it in and it automatically transfers new stuff).
There was a firmware update (which is why I finally got one) not to long ago for several of their devices that allowed you to use native MP3s. There is some stuff added to the files while they are being transfered (its automatic, you don't have to do anything) but the overall format isn't changed, its still a native MP3.
I still will agree that ATRAC3 is crap, but I haven't found any form of DRM that I do like (or even find acceptable). But their new line of MP3 players are nice devices overall and really aren't not worse then the iPods as far as easy of use goes (I will say the overall build quality of my new device is better then my old iPod in the sense that this thing doesn't get scratched nearly was easily).
PalmOne has already said they won't be moving to Cobalt anytime soon, they believe Garnet has everything they need (which is a rather bad oversight if you ask me). So I don't think we will see any Cobalt devices for a good long while (by that I mean probably around version 6.3 or 6.4).
I agree there. A computer is a tool, and like any other tool it should do what I want not what it thinks I want at the time. I don't like the idea of my computer doing tasks for me out of the blue just because it saw a pattern of me doing them in a particular way.
When I want my computer to do something I'll tell it to.
Actually its not hard at all. My Windows box is set up to have an administration account and a user account that I use from day to day. I have no problems with programs not working properly (except games which save in their own directory, but I just give write permissions to my Games folder to a Gamer group and added my user account to it).
Frankly running as a regular user solves a lot of problems being any malware that tries to alter anything critical can't do it.
Unless you are using a bunch of extremely old programs I don't see how running as a regular user in Windows is all that difficult.
The only music formats it can play are MP3 and Atrac3Plus (and PCM via UMD). So those fine Windows Media Format files from Napster won't even work on a PSP, talk about a deal!
I'll warn everybody now that this is a fairly one-sided view on the whole interview but I'm one-sided on this for a reason. All these are pulled out of the Jack Thompson interview. The shows himself to be a moron...
I am working with an Oakland, CA prosecutor in a murder trial in which the older gang members used GTA 3 to train teens to do carjackings and murders
Yup becasue we all know that the way to highjack a car in real life is to walk up to it an just open the door and get in. Don't worry it will magically start when you get in without any required work.
Are parents paying attention to what their kids play?
Nope.
Gee could that possible be part of the problem?
According to the Center for Child Death Review, 1,242 kids were murdered with guns and 174 children died from accidental firearm-related injuries in 2000. Aside from stories that get covered in the news [like Columbine], there are few, if any, actual statistics that show how many children's deaths are directly linked to video games. Do the facts speak for themselves? Or is it just that nobody is really keeping tabs?
The federal government found that in the school year 2003, there were 48 school killings. The year before that there were 16, and the year before that 17. Something is going on. I submit that the video game generation is coming of age.
Yup because violent video games started coming about right around 2001. We all know there were no violent games before then so there were obviously less school shootings.
(we predicted Columbine on NBC's Today eight days before it happened)
And you didn't do something about it before people died? You should be locked up in that case.
You see, the industry is selling these games to kids whose parents are reckless. How is that Joe Jame's fault? We need to punish the industry and the parents who are putting innocent people in harm's way
Ah so now video game companies are suppose to monitor every family in the world and prevent parents who do a bad job at parenting from buying their video games. Well that sounds simple enough.
This guy really did a good job at coming off as a complete zealot. Tim on the other hand was able to remain level headed and present some actual non-zealoted opinions.
But I find myself most productive in Windows. But the reasoning for that is because the software I need to be productive is on Windows. If all the software I needed had a Linux or Mac version they I could do just as much work on those.
In the end the only thing that really determines if I'm productive or not is the software I need. After all the operating system doesn't really do much in the way of making you more or less able to do your job, it mainly just runs the software you need to do you job.
You better do a google search buddy. There are usually a nice slew of problems when upgrading to a new version of Mac OS X (the problem with certain firewire cards pops into my head).
Anytime you upgrade from one version of an operating system to another you will run into problems. Service Pack 2 was a good jump in security that Windows had needed for a long time. Yes in the process of things they ended up breaking some programs but in the end the overall addition of security was worth it.
Sadly enough though Valve is pretty much covered since the system requirements do state an Internet connection is required to play the game.
Now I do believe that if they are going to required an Internet connection they should also be responsible for having their servers up 24/7. But I'm not the law writers and I'm sure the people who are left some kind of loophole that can be used by companies such as Vavle to avoid these types of lawsuits.
I sadly had to teach at one of those free introduction to computers classes for a class credit. And I was suprised that a majority of the people there (senior citizens) had no clue how to use a mouse and it took the better part of three or so sessions (we had to teach at ten sessions) before they finally got the hang of it. You would be suprised at how hard it was for them to use this little piece of plastic to move a cursor around on a screen and then try to click on something without jerking the mouse around at the same time (it must be a reaction or something to suddenly jerk the mouse up when you click a button or something becasue all of them did it). Then God forbid you they had to double-click something.
So teaching somebody how to use a mouse isn't as stupid as it sounds. There are people that have no idea what one is or how it works, especially in third world countries where computer use is uncommon. And in many countries where Windows XP Starter Edition is being sold those classes are not avalible. Remember this isn't bein sold in countries which are abundant with computer users, its being sold in countries where computers are still rather uncommon. So having a movie teaching people how to use a mouse isn't as crazy as it may sound.
Yes but Microsoft fails to realize that being the first to market doesn't mean you are going to be the best.
Remember the Xbox has done fairly well in America but in Japan it has been an awful flop (I have no idea how well it is doing in Europe), while the top dog Sony is extrememly popular in all three areas. Likewise the GameCube is quite popular in Japan but didn't do well in America.
And I don't see how Xbox 2 being the first to launch is going to improve the situation for Microsoft any. Unless Microsoft can do like Sony and get games that appeal to all three markets (The Japanese, Europe, and American gamers have different tastes) on their console they won't be getting their much desired monopoly on the gaming console market (not to mention if they wanted a monopoly they would have to find a way to eliminate both Sony and Nintendo).
You know I just went and looked at that again. I never even noticed they were trying to market those towards entry level workstations... heck I didn't think those were entry level anything for the price (vs. something like an AMD processor).
Oh well I still think it makes sense for Microsoft since I'm going to bet most user workstations are probably running something a little cheaper then the Itanium.
Although this is old news I will say this move does make sense for Microsoft. The Itanium is a server based processor, Windows XP is a consumer and workstation based operating system. This move doesn't seem too horribly suprising.
The problem with this analogy is that the reason behind the Firestore tires exploding was becasue most of the tires weren't fully inflated in the first place.
You can look at the door sticker on early model explorers and it says to inflate the tires to 28psi, which the tire itself actually has a maximum (and since they were four ply tires the maximum is what should have been run in them) of 35psi. And since most people don't check their tire pressure anymore the tires eventually became low enough where they ran the risk of exploding while running at higher speeds. And of course you have to love the Ford PR people who were able to pin this on Firestone.
Back on the actual subject your main point was very correct. Microsoft was the company that released a buggy operating system. I know you can't avoid spyware or adware from being installed with some programs like Kazaa, but there is no reason that spyware, adware, or any other program can install itself on a computer simply because of a buggy security hole ladden browser.
Microsoft shouldn't be held responsible for spyware or adware that piggybacks onto a computer with other programs. But when spyware and adware is able to install itself just because a user is browsing a web site then Microsoft should get out there and fix their browser.
Slashdot Mirror
So if somebody visits their own website are they Flocking Themselves?
Well, fortunately you're not making the decisions. The "users should have to learn" mentality is what keeps computers complicated and difficult to use.
Computers, like any complex device, are going to require some the user to learn something. Lets use the car analogy here. A car is a complex piece of machinery and people are required to learn how to safely operate one before they are given a license to drive. The same thing goes for many complex piece of equipment.
You can't just let somebody use something without any knowlege on how to use it. Do you know how dangerous roads would be if everybody wasn't required to take some basic training? It would be far worse then it already is (just because you complete the training doesn't mean you'll be a good driver but at least you can't claim you didn't know anything when you get into an accident).
In fact it would be similar to how the computing environment is now. Needless to say Microsoft labeled Windows as so easy anybody could run it without much in the way of training. Where did that get us? Well the majority of the computing environment (i.e. desktops running Windows) is now one riddles with zombie servers, viruses, and identify theft because the majority of people don't know the first thing about basic computer security.
The point I'm trying to make is if people were required to take some basic computer training before being allows to operate a computer (or at least go online with one) we wouldn't have such a dire situation. Sure there would be plenty of zombie servers out there from people being lazy but many people would also take some basic security practices so we wouldn't have as many problems as we do today.
Like any complex piece of equipment computers should require at least some basic training to use (maybe mandatory classes in school). If people aren't willing to learn the basics of computing then they shouldn't be running their own systems in the first place.
"Buy the Xbox 360 becasue its 120 times better then the PlayStation 3!"
"But wait -- you cannot just put your MP3s onto the device, you have to run them through Sony's obfuscation software first."
Actually thats no different then the iPod. I had an iPod (which was recently replaced with a Sony Pocket VAIO) and in order to get songs onto it, no matter what formate it was in, I had to use iTunes to transfer them (or some other similar product). My Pocket VAIO now requires me to use SonicStage to transfer music, same thing just a different program (works pretty much the same way as well, plug it in and it automatically transfers new stuff).
There was a firmware update (which is why I finally got one) not to long ago for several of their devices that allowed you to use native MP3s. There is some stuff added to the files while they are being transfered (its automatic, you don't have to do anything) but the overall format isn't changed, its still a native MP3.
I still will agree that ATRAC3 is crap, but I haven't found any form of DRM that I do like (or even find acceptable). But their new line of MP3 players are nice devices overall and really aren't not worse then the iPods as far as easy of use goes (I will say the overall build quality of my new device is better then my old iPod in the sense that this thing doesn't get scratched nearly was easily).
PalmOne has already said they won't be moving to Cobalt anytime soon, they believe Garnet has everything they need (which is a rather bad oversight if you ask me). So I don't think we will see any Cobalt devices for a good long while (by that I mean probably around version 6.3 or 6.4).
I agree there. A computer is a tool, and like any other tool it should do what I want not what it thinks I want at the time. I don't like the idea of my computer doing tasks for me out of the blue just because it saw a pattern of me doing them in a particular way.
When I want my computer to do something I'll tell it to.
Actually its not hard at all. My Windows box is set up to have an administration account and a user account that I use from day to day. I have no problems with programs not working properly (except games which save in their own directory, but I just give write permissions to my Games folder to a Gamer group and added my user account to it).
Frankly running as a regular user solves a lot of problems being any malware that tries to alter anything critical can't do it.
Unless you are using a bunch of extremely old programs I don't see how running as a regular user in Windows is all that difficult.
You want some real devine irony. If you bought the bundle with the Napster gift cards you couldn't even play the songs you purchased on your PSP.
Take a look at the specks page...
http://www.us.playstation.com/consoles.aspx?id=4
The only music formats it can play are MP3 and Atrac3Plus (and PCM via UMD). So those fine Windows Media Format files from Napster won't even work on a PSP, talk about a deal!
I belive the Apple card trumps the geek card.
I'll warn everybody now that this is a fairly one-sided view on the whole interview but I'm one-sided on this for a reason. All these are pulled out of the Jack Thompson interview. The shows himself to be a moron...
I am working with an Oakland, CA prosecutor in a murder trial in which the older gang members used GTA 3 to train teens to do carjackings and murders
Yup becasue we all know that the way to highjack a car in real life is to walk up to it an just open the door and get in. Don't worry it will magically start when you get in without any required work.
Are parents paying attention to what their kids play?
Nope.
Gee could that possible be part of the problem?
According to the Center for Child Death Review, 1,242 kids were murdered with guns and 174 children died from accidental firearm-related injuries in 2000. Aside from stories that get covered in the news [like Columbine], there are few, if any, actual statistics that show how many children's deaths are directly linked to video games. Do the facts speak for themselves? Or is it just that nobody is really keeping tabs?
The federal government found that in the school year 2003, there were 48 school killings. The year before that there were 16, and the year before that 17. Something is going on. I submit that the video game generation is coming of age.
Yup because violent video games started coming about right around 2001. We all know there were no violent games before then so there were obviously less school shootings.
(we predicted Columbine on NBC's Today eight days before it happened)
And you didn't do something about it before people died? You should be locked up in that case.
You see, the industry is selling these games to kids whose parents are reckless. How is that Joe Jame's fault? We need to punish the industry and the parents who are putting innocent people in harm's way
Ah so now video game companies are suppose to monitor every family in the world and prevent parents who do a bad job at parenting from buying their video games. Well that sounds simple enough.
This guy really did a good job at coming off as a complete zealot. Tim on the other hand was able to remain level headed and present some actual non-zealoted opinions.
But I find myself most productive in Windows. But the reasoning for that is because the software I need to be productive is on Windows. If all the software I needed had a Linux or Mac version they I could do just as much work on those.
In the end the only thing that really determines if I'm productive or not is the software I need. After all the operating system doesn't really do much in the way of making you more or less able to do your job, it mainly just runs the software you need to do you job.
I can't agree with Firefly being the best (I still like Babylong 5 much better) but I do agree with the context of what you said.
Having that line in the article was just itching to start a small flamewar since the best series depends on the person reading the article.
Thats easy... get the sniper rifle, find a nice hiding spot that offers a good view of the map and let rounds fly.
If your're going to be in debt might as well do it right and buy every game you can find!
You better do a google search buddy. There are usually a nice slew of problems when upgrading to a new version of Mac OS X (the problem with certain firewire cards pops into my head).
Anytime you upgrade from one version of an operating system to another you will run into problems. Service Pack 2 was a good jump in security that Windows had needed for a long time. Yes in the process of things they ended up breaking some programs but in the end the overall addition of security was worth it.
I think his name is Guilty Spark, and yes he is back in Halo 2.
Ok old news doesn't even begin to cover this. This game has been out for months, and everybody under the sun has already reviewed it.
If you feel so inclinded to review a game please review something new. I know quite a few games that could use a few reviews.
Sadly enough though Valve is pretty much covered since the system requirements do state an Internet connection is required to play the game.
Now I do believe that if they are going to required an Internet connection they should also be responsible for having their servers up 24/7. But I'm not the law writers and I'm sure the people who are left some kind of loophole that can be used by companies such as Vavle to avoid these types of lawsuits.
Yup its all becasue of us stupid Americans. I mean nobody else in the world buys Microsoft software /sarcasm
I sadly had to teach at one of those free introduction to computers classes for a class credit. And I was suprised that a majority of the people there (senior citizens) had no clue how to use a mouse and it took the better part of three or so sessions (we had to teach at ten sessions) before they finally got the hang of it. You would be suprised at how hard it was for them to use this little piece of plastic to move a cursor around on a screen and then try to click on something without jerking the mouse around at the same time (it must be a reaction or something to suddenly jerk the mouse up when you click a button or something becasue all of them did it). Then God forbid you they had to double-click something.
So teaching somebody how to use a mouse isn't as stupid as it sounds. There are people that have no idea what one is or how it works, especially in third world countries where computer use is uncommon. And in many countries where Windows XP Starter Edition is being sold those classes are not avalible. Remember this isn't bein sold in countries which are abundant with computer users, its being sold in countries where computers are still rather uncommon. So having a movie teaching people how to use a mouse isn't as crazy as it may sound.
Yes but Microsoft fails to realize that being the first to market doesn't mean you are going to be the best.
Remember the Xbox has done fairly well in America but in Japan it has been an awful flop (I have no idea how well it is doing in Europe), while the top dog Sony is extrememly popular in all three areas. Likewise the GameCube is quite popular in Japan but didn't do well in America.
And I don't see how Xbox 2 being the first to launch is going to improve the situation for Microsoft any. Unless Microsoft can do like Sony and get games that appeal to all three markets (The Japanese, Europe, and American gamers have different tastes) on their console they won't be getting their much desired monopoly on the gaming console market (not to mention if they wanted a monopoly they would have to find a way to eliminate both Sony and Nintendo).
You know I just went and looked at that again. I never even noticed they were trying to market those towards entry level workstations... heck I didn't think those were entry level anything for the price (vs. something like an AMD processor).
Oh well I still think it makes sense for Microsoft since I'm going to bet most user workstations are probably running something a little cheaper then the Itanium.
Although this is old news I will say this move does make sense for Microsoft. The Itanium is a server based processor, Windows XP is a consumer and workstation based operating system. This move doesn't seem too horribly suprising.
The problem with this analogy is that the reason behind the Firestore tires exploding was becasue most of the tires weren't fully inflated in the first place.
You can look at the door sticker on early model explorers and it says to inflate the tires to 28psi, which the tire itself actually has a maximum (and since they were four ply tires the maximum is what should have been run in them) of 35psi. And since most people don't check their tire pressure anymore the tires eventually became low enough where they ran the risk of exploding while running at higher speeds. And of course you have to love the Ford PR people who were able to pin this on Firestone.
Back on the actual subject your main point was very correct. Microsoft was the company that released a buggy operating system. I know you can't avoid spyware or adware from being installed with some programs like Kazaa, but there is no reason that spyware, adware, or any other program can install itself on a computer simply because of a buggy security hole ladden browser.
Microsoft shouldn't be held responsible for spyware or adware that piggybacks onto a computer with other programs. But when spyware and adware is able to install itself just because a user is browsing a web site then Microsoft should get out there and fix their browser.
Apparently he does.