This was not an unexpected move, if you think about it.
There are two reasons that this was going to happen. First, look at how much bad press Sony has been getting over the DRM spyware. There are a lot of people who are saying that they won't be buying anything from Sony ever again (or for the forseeable future, myself included). There are bound to be some SWG subscribers who are feeling the same way, and the last thing SOE needs is to lose even more SWG subscribers.
The second reason, which ties in with the first, is that if they didn't offer a refund, there would be a lot of rather angry SWG players. More bad press, and more cancelled subscriptions would be the end result.
Sony is clearly looking to generate some good will to recover from recent screwups.
"You know what I found? Right in the kernel, in the heart of the operating system, I found a developer's comment that said, 'Does this belong here?' "Lok says. "What kind of confidence does that inspire? Right then I knew it was time to switch.
That is, without a doubt, the dumbest reason to switch operating systems. A comment that was probably meant as a joke? Come on! While I understand that a person would like nice, helpful, clear professional comments in code they use, you would also think that a person of his standing would base his judgments on the quality of the products he wants to use, not the comments.
Except that the EU has already said that the MS proposal is acceptable, and they are proceding to "market test" it. If people want to beat MS on this, they need to make sure those market tests fail.
That's a laugh. This is Berman and Braga's work at its finest (and I use that term as loosely as is possible): a lame concept that does nothing to advance the Star Trek universe. Shades of the evil, time-travelling, Nazi aliens from the Season 3 finale, anyone?
They're right. The packaging lists an internet connection as required, when a Steam account (which does require an internet connection) is what is actually required. The packaging is false, but I don't think Valve/VU should be fined or forced to disconnect Steam from HL2. THe better solution would be to force them to restate the game requirements (i.e. a public admission that they were misleading). Problem solved.
Don't turn this into a "we can finally rip Steam out of HL2" issue. It's completely irrelevant.
Sid Meyer is known to be taking more of a lead role in the design and development of this version, as opposed to the previous Civ game. Given that, I would bet that gameplay will be greatly improved over Civ 3.
Since 0.88% is unlikely to be within the statistical error of the survey, this is the key figure to look at. IE's popularity is slowly but surely dropping. The month-to-month changes are likely to be within error, but not the six+ month data.
All you have to do is look at the author of the original LinuxWorld story. Yes, that's right. It's everyone's favorite journalist/paid SCO shill Maureen O'Gara. That should have been enough to convince anyone with half a brain cell that this wasn't legit.
From the looks of it, EA is really serious about buying up as many development studios as is feasible. Here's a possible reason for it:
Steam. EA sees Steam as a way (rightly so) for developers to get a much larger chunk of the money in the gaming industry. So, they buy a bunch of developers who produce decent games to prevent such a move. That way, EA can ensure it maintains its revenue.
Slashdot Mirror
This was not an unexpected move, if you think about it.
There are two reasons that this was going to happen. First, look at how much bad press Sony has been getting over the DRM spyware. There are a lot of people who are saying that they won't be buying anything from Sony ever again (or for the forseeable future, myself included). There are bound to be some SWG subscribers who are feeling the same way, and the last thing SOE needs is to lose even more SWG subscribers.
The second reason, which ties in with the first, is that if they didn't offer a refund, there would be a lot of rather angry SWG players. More bad press, and more cancelled subscriptions would be the end result.
Sony is clearly looking to generate some good will to recover from recent screwups.
Btw, is being an arrogant fuckwit a prerequisite for working at MS?
It's not a prerequisite for working at MS.
For being a manager at MS, on the other hand...
That is, without a doubt, the dumbest reason to switch operating systems. A comment that was probably meant as a joke? Come on! While I understand that a person would like nice, helpful, clear professional comments in code they use, you would also think that a person of his standing would base his judgments on the quality of the products he wants to use, not the comments.
Except that the EU has already said that the MS proposal is acceptable, and they are proceding to "market test" it. If people want to beat MS on this, they need to make sure those market tests fail.
That's a laugh. This is Berman and Braga's work at its finest (and I use that term as loosely as is possible): a lame concept that does nothing to advance the Star Trek universe. Shades of the evil, time-travelling, Nazi aliens from the Season 3 finale, anyone?
Don't turn this into a "we can finally rip Steam out of HL2" issue. It's completely irrelevant.
Sid Meyer is known to be taking more of a lead role in the design and development of this version, as opposed to the previous Civ game. Given that, I would bet that gameplay will be greatly improved over Civ 3.
IE has lost 4% since June last year
Since 0.88% is unlikely to be within the statistical error of the survey, this is the key figure to look at. IE's popularity is slowly but surely dropping. The month-to-month changes are likely to be within error, but not the six+ month data.
Go Firefox go!
That's what in-depth financial analysis has always been called.
All you have to do is look at the author of the original LinuxWorld story. Yes, that's right. It's everyone's favorite journalist/paid SCO shill Maureen O'Gara. That should have been enough to convince anyone with half a brain cell that this wasn't legit.
And, on a Windows box, no less.
Ahhh, the irony of it all.
Steam. EA sees Steam as a way (rightly so) for developers to get a much larger chunk of the money in the gaming industry. So, they buy a bunch of developers who produce decent games to prevent such a move. That way, EA can ensure it maintains its revenue.
That's what happens when your stock price goes through the roof (check out the one-year chart: http://quotes.nasdaq.com/quote.dll?page=charting&m ode=basics&selected=ERTS From a business standpoint, this is a good move. From a consumer standpoint, very bad.