"Good Windows emulation is probably what killed OS/2, it can kill OS X too..."
M$ killed OS/2 and Apple. Windows 95 killed OS/2 and Apple.
M$ makes Office for Mac because they charge a lot of money for it and it's good monopoly lawsuit prevention. That just doesn't change. Your average Mac user doesn't want to emulate software.
And, btw, Adobe was on the stage with Jobs, to guarantee new versions and be a cheerleader.
First of all, ignore Yahoo! games etc., because that's a different market, and no one buys a PC specifically for Yahoo! Games (I hope).
1. You need A-list titles like Half-Life to sell PC gaming rigs, garner interest, make big money. 2. The last half-life took YEARS to develop, and there's nothing wrong with the development team. 3. Game graphics will flat-line to the point you can't tell real TV from videogame TV. 4. The new consoles are on High-Def- often higher Def than computers. 5. More people are buying laptops. 6. Game and computer companies are getting serious about IP, and the computer is their weak point. You can't copy anything on a console. How many original copies of Starcraft are left? When it's so much easier to pirate computer games and get the same experience, it really diminishes profits and enthusiasm. Even Blizzard is moving to consoles. That's also why online games are popular with publishers- besides the subscription prices, you can't play without paying.
I think real PC gaming is done. My friends still play Starcraft, all own PS2s, don't want to learn the difference between NVidia and ATI, AMD FX and Intel EE, or spend hours setting up LANs, toting computers around, troubleshooting technical problems. Once the A-list titles disappear, the investment goes elsewhere, and this is already happening.
"According to the Google Blog, this is being done '...so that other search engines can do a better job as well."
I love the fact that they're saving us all a lot of time by giving Yahoo! access to this, so we don't have to wait for them to create their own version...
Everyone has to have an opinion on a series so large, old and involved. I thought I would hate X, because I want real, freakin' medieval settings.
Then I played it.
The plot was a good as any writing, really. It blew me away. I always thought VII was a little hammy- and VI was the best in my mind, but now X is better, no doubt.
But she's right, the franchise is in trouble. It's getting too convoluted with different platforms, spin-offs, etc. AND there's a conflict of interest with the Enix part of Square Enix. We probably don't have XII yet, because no one is in a hurry with Dragon Warrior still selling. We can expect longer waits between releases, no doubt, and while I can't wait for the first FF on PS3, I'm no longer excited about the series.
You're actually human and admit you only want to play about 10 hours of Rainbow Six, or Mario, or Final Fantasy.
I LIKE Final Fantasy, but I have a life. I tend to play about 30 hours in 6 months until I get sick of it. Then, when I'm unemployed I finish all the FF games I started. I'm only up to FFX, since I have steady employment. Oh, and halfway through Tactics (the original), but it's pretty much all the same after a while.
On the other hand, hardcore fans that play multiple times, like investing 200 hrs. a year in FFX to discover ALL the secrets? They will probably pay for 10 episodes.
You start in the beginning with DOS, and part way through we have Windows XP. So microkernels, macrokernels, virtual machines, etc., it's all just going to get more complex. That's just building. Computer users as a group want more features year to year, not less. All of us are in competition for scarce resources, and that force operates on the computer industry as much as any other. Survival = competition = capitalism.
So the Ipod is bloated compared to a Walkman. And so Longhorn should be horribly bloated, because c# doesn't replace c++, it's just another branch.
I've always thought that the XBOX needs an American Final Fantasy, which I'm surprised Blizzard hasn't tried (Diablo series coming pretty close already). Basically, XBOX doesn't sell well in Japan, and they've only talked about (never even delivered) MMORPGs. They need a classic RPG, a headliner, to pull in at least some curious hardcore Japanese gamers. I think they really missed their chance with the original XBOX.
Needless to say, I have plot, gameplay and marketing hook in mind, AND I'm not sharing them.
Oh, let's see off the top of my head... Everything on GameCube? Every review talks about how perfect Zelda: Breaking Wind of the Maker is, or how terrific the Mario: Moonshine was, but basically the core videogame audience goes out and buys Grand Theft Auto, Gran Turismo, Halo, SOCOM, etc. PS2 is marketed to adults, and that's what most gamers are now. And that's okay, not everyone wants a 3d Candyland to run around in.
Other examples? Monkey Island, Dirt Track Racing, Klonoa, Hunting games, even Final Fantasy X-2 and NASCAR 2005. I don't want to play a game like X-2 if it looks gay. On the other hand, try to market NASCAR or hunting games to non-fans. They're challenging, fun and different. But you can't get the guy with the Acura in his driveway to even consider them.
Non-virtual example? Soccer in the United States is a marketing problem, not a "fun" problem.
Imagine this: Blizzard finally releases Starcraft 2. But let's say they use the same 75mb executable and 5 year old technology. It has new alien races, all new tech trees, etc, perfectly balanced. Tons of fun. But you know what? It has a marketing problem. It wouldn't really sell. It's a marketing problem because you can't just say 'fun' on every game box- anyone can do that. You've got to have '3d interactive graphics, surround sound, smarter SCVs, adjustable AI', etc., etc. And you've got to give your core fan base new stuff- or they won't 'evangelize' for you.
But if they call it 'Retro Starcraft', then it sells. That's marketing.;)
France has a different system than ours. 'Activism' over there is part of the tradition, they are supposed to rule based on their view of 'current consent.' So, if a judge thought that society was ready for homosexual marraige, that's part of their tradition. Our judicial tradition is almost completely precedent-based, hence the outcry over 'activist' judges.
They can do a lot more than allow Cell processor development. PS3 is a closed system on purpose. They design their software to be region-specific. This isn't going to change that. They could change the region codes simply by eliminating them, as they did on the early PS2's (by accident). What you suggest isn't the rationale for this move. The rational is home servers and selling more Cells, to help cover development costs.
"Given that the only cell device is the PS3, and that sony would sooner slit their wrists than let users write their own code for it, we can only assume that IBM is hoping somebody else will pick up the cell for consumer devices."
From their own press release, nov. 29, 2004
"IBM plans to begin pilot production of Cell microprocessors at its 300mm wafer fabrication facility in East Fishkill, NY during the first half of 2005. The first computing application IBM plans for Cell is the Cell processor-based workstation it is developing with SCEI.
Sony Corporation expects to launch home servers for broadband content as well as high-definition television (HDTV) systems powered by Cell in 2006.
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. also expects to launch its next generation computer entertainment system powered by Cell to revolutionize the experience of computer entertainment.
Toshiba Corporation envisions diverse applications for Cell and expects to launch its first Cell-based product, a high-definition television (HDTV), in 2006."
They always planned to use the Cell in other applications and markets. They have a financial need to market this incredibly expensive/advanced design in other areas. That's why they teamed up to start with - Sony couldn't afford this on their own.
This is why Microsoft REALLY IS at a disadvantage, they're trying to compete with 3 large, successful hardware companies by outsourcing design and engineering to Flextronics (in part).
The question is, what you do with it afterwards. Google is letting people look at less that they can see in a bookstore. The only difference is that we have a lot more tools when we're home for taking notes, etc.
Simplex says turn around. Simplex says go out the door. Simplex says make a right. Simplex says walk to next door. Simplex says go through door. Simplex says sit in middle. Simplex says enjoy Hitchhiker's Guide.
"Microsoft has a serious problem here because they can only make up their hardware losses on game licensing."
Except they are trying to link it to Media Center PC's, and they don't have to sell many of those to make the same money back that SONY makes on their stuff.
Xbox360 vs. PS3 praise 1. Both have wireless controllers. About time. 2. Xbox360 looks a LOT better than Xbox. And smaller, thank GOD! 3. Moms will have a better chance to remember Xbox360 is not the same as 'gamebox' or 'Xcube'. Or is Nintendo Revolution actually Gamecube 1080?!? 4. PS3 have dual screen capability, hopefully for easy multiplayer. (why else?) 5. Both include hard drive capability. 6. built in WIFI. 7. sounds like you can plug cell phone headsets into the xbox controller, that's cool if true.
gripes 1. No built in eye toy for ps3? 2. No one has exceeded the design of the psx in my mind. 3. Xbox has no Blu ray? I smell a mid-cycle upgrade. 4. No built-in Itunes? 5. What happened to networking different Cell-based systems? They didn't mention if I could buy 2 PS3's for 3 times the power. I thought this was the nice thing about the Cell design. 6. Can we get a new remote for the PS3's DVD functions? 7. Can't we just do away with special videogame memory cards? Don't we all have memory from our digital cameras?
The popularity excuse is wearing thin. I doubt Microsoft's position is that the software is designed for the future, when they only have 10% market share! Windows XP was created fully in the Internet age, and it still requires an admin's knowledge to keep safely running.
How bad is M$? Set up a wireless network? I'm far from clueless about tech (I'm posting here, aren't I?) and trying to get a secure network running etc. was an hours long process. And I was _trying_ to be secure, some people don't bother (like neighbors). Sometimes solutions are worse than the cure- firewalls have to be trained (which no one in MY family knows how to do), antivirus updated, email software is effectively all online.
The reason they're bad? Microsoft is about business, not home, and until IE use started dropping, they were fine with making corporations and home users fend for themselves- enriching the security and fix-it industries.
Why start the Xbox? They couldn't get their PC software to play compelling games easily and reliably. How much more powerful is my computer than the PS2, and yet most of my games are ps2.
If they're not inept why doesn't the RunAs service have a slick graphical interface? Why do I need firewall software to feel secure? Why do I need to have an adminstrator-level account to play games - 5 years after Windows 2000? Remember when the Windows Update site got hijacked? When worms slashdotted the entire Internet?
Yes, 'only' 5 to 10 years, but it's 4 versions of Windows ago- many more if you count the mobile, server and embedded versions that distracted M$ from fixing things for once and all. Windows XP was a 'brand new' OS, according to M$ marketing materials. So why did it have problems with market share of only 10%?
Not everyone has a lot of time to learn computers, or a lot of money to fix them or to pay for anti-everything software. This has effectively kept my parents- and many others- from being online at home. And killed computer games.
It's been 10 years since I started dialing up. Enough is ENOUGH!
Slashdot Mirror
"Good Windows emulation is probably what killed OS/2, it can kill OS X too..."
M$ killed OS/2 and Apple. Windows 95 killed OS/2 and Apple.
M$ makes Office for Mac because they charge a lot of money for it and it's good monopoly lawsuit prevention. That just doesn't change. Your average Mac user doesn't want to emulate software.
And, btw, Adobe was on the stage with Jobs, to guarantee new versions and be a cheerleader.
Thank you. PC gaming is just too complicated and problematic. It's supposed to be fun, not in-home tech support training.
First of all, ignore Yahoo! games etc., because that's a different market, and no one buys a PC specifically for Yahoo! Games (I hope).
1. You need A-list titles like Half-Life to sell PC gaming rigs, garner interest, make big money.
2. The last half-life took YEARS to develop, and there's nothing wrong with the development team.
3. Game graphics will flat-line to the point you can't tell real TV from videogame TV.
4. The new consoles are on High-Def- often higher Def than computers.
5. More people are buying laptops.
6. Game and computer companies are getting serious about IP, and the computer is their weak point. You can't copy anything on a console. How many original copies of Starcraft are left? When it's so much easier to pirate computer games and get the same experience, it really diminishes profits and enthusiasm. Even Blizzard is moving to consoles. That's also why online games are popular with publishers- besides the subscription prices, you can't play without paying.
I think real PC gaming is done. My friends still play Starcraft, all own PS2s, don't want to learn the difference between NVidia and ATI, AMD FX and Intel EE, or spend hours setting up LANs, toting computers around, troubleshooting technical problems. Once the A-list titles disappear, the investment goes elsewhere, and this is already happening.
You're not a fool, but you're on the wrong side.
So this is Debian Server 2002 Service Pack 42, code name "Duluth".
"According to the Google Blog, this is being done '...so that other search engines can do a better job as well."
I love the fact that they're saving us all a lot of time by giving Yahoo! access to this, so we don't have to wait for them to create their own version...
You'd think someone smart enough to work at Google would have thought of a second account! ;)
Everyone has to have an opinion on a series so large, old and involved. I thought I would hate X, because I want real, freakin' medieval settings.
Then I played it.
The plot was a good as any writing, really. It blew me away. I always thought VII was a little hammy- and VI was the best in my mind, but now X is better, no doubt.
But she's right, the franchise is in trouble. It's getting too convoluted with different platforms, spin-offs, etc. AND there's a conflict of interest with the Enix part of Square Enix. We probably don't have XII yet, because no one is in a hurry with Dragon Warrior still selling. We can expect longer waits between releases, no doubt, and while I can't wait for the first FF on PS3, I'm no longer excited about the series.
You're actually human and admit you only want to play about 10 hours of Rainbow Six, or Mario, or Final Fantasy.
I LIKE Final Fantasy, but I have a life. I tend to play about 30 hours in 6 months until I get sick of it. Then, when I'm unemployed I finish all the FF games I started. I'm only up to FFX, since I have steady employment. Oh, and halfway through Tactics (the original), but it's pretty much all the same after a while.
On the other hand, hardcore fans that play multiple times, like investing 200 hrs. a year in FFX to discover ALL the secrets? They will probably pay for 10 episodes.
You start in the beginning with DOS, and part way through we have Windows XP. So microkernels, macrokernels, virtual machines, etc., it's all just going to get more complex. That's just building. Computer users as a group want more features year to year, not less. All of us are in competition for scarce resources, and that force operates on the computer industry as much as any other. Survival = competition = capitalism.
So the Ipod is bloated compared to a Walkman. And so Longhorn should be horribly bloated, because c# doesn't replace c++, it's just another branch.
That Shaq-Fu line was awesome.
I've always thought that the XBOX needs an American Final Fantasy, which I'm surprised Blizzard hasn't tried (Diablo series coming pretty close already). Basically, XBOX doesn't sell well in Japan, and they've only talked about (never even delivered) MMORPGs. They need a classic RPG, a headliner, to pull in at least some curious hardcore Japanese gamers. I think they really missed their chance with the original XBOX.
Needless to say, I have plot, gameplay and marketing hook in mind, AND I'm not sharing them.
One word and 4 letters?
Oh, let's see off the top of my head... Everything on GameCube? Every review talks about how perfect Zelda: Breaking Wind of the Maker is, or how terrific the Mario: Moonshine was, but basically the core videogame audience goes out and buys Grand Theft Auto, Gran Turismo, Halo, SOCOM, etc. PS2 is marketed to adults, and that's what most gamers are now. And that's okay, not everyone wants a 3d Candyland to run around in.
;)
Other examples? Monkey Island, Dirt Track Racing, Klonoa, Hunting games, even Final Fantasy X-2 and NASCAR 2005. I don't want to play a game like X-2 if it looks gay. On the other hand, try to market NASCAR or hunting games to non-fans. They're challenging, fun and different. But you can't get the guy with the Acura in his driveway to even consider them.
Non-virtual example? Soccer in the United States is a marketing problem, not a "fun" problem.
Imagine this: Blizzard finally releases Starcraft 2. But let's say they use the same 75mb executable and 5 year old technology. It has new alien races, all new tech trees, etc, perfectly balanced. Tons of fun. But you know what? It has a marketing problem. It wouldn't really sell. It's a marketing problem because you can't just say 'fun' on every game box- anyone can do that. You've got to have '3d interactive graphics, surround sound, smarter SCVs, adjustable AI', etc., etc. And you've got to give your core fan base new stuff- or they won't 'evangelize' for you.
But if they call it 'Retro Starcraft', then it sells. That's marketing.
France has a different system than ours. 'Activism' over there is part of the tradition, they are supposed to rule based on their view of 'current consent.' So, if a judge thought that society was ready for homosexual marraige, that's part of their tradition. Our judicial tradition is almost completely precedent-based, hence the outcry over 'activist' judges.
is such a good idea because M$ wants to piss of EVERY hardware partner to grab the 2 people who buy Apples but like Windows better?
They can do a lot more than allow Cell processor development. PS3 is a closed system on purpose. They design their software to be region-specific. This isn't going to change that. They could change the region codes simply by eliminating them, as they did on the early PS2's (by accident). What you suggest isn't the rationale for this move. The rational is home servers and selling more Cells, to help cover development costs.
"Given that the only cell device is the PS3, and that sony would sooner slit their wrists than let users write their own code for it, we can only assume that IBM is hoping somebody else will pick up the cell for consumer devices."
From their own press release, nov. 29, 2004
"IBM plans to begin pilot production of Cell microprocessors at its 300mm wafer fabrication facility in East Fishkill, NY during the first half of 2005. The first computing application IBM plans for Cell is the Cell processor-based workstation it is developing with SCEI.
Sony Corporation expects to launch home servers for broadband content as well as high-definition television (HDTV) systems powered by Cell in 2006.
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. also expects to launch its next generation computer entertainment system powered by Cell to revolutionize the experience of computer entertainment.
Toshiba Corporation envisions diverse applications for Cell and expects to launch its first Cell-based product, a high-definition television (HDTV), in 2006."
They always planned to use the Cell in other applications and markets. They have a financial need to market this incredibly expensive/advanced design in other areas. That's why they teamed up to start with - Sony couldn't afford this on their own.
This is why Microsoft REALLY IS at a disadvantage, they're trying to compete with 3 large, successful hardware companies by outsourcing design and engineering to Flextronics (in part).
The original story on the PS3 like a year or two ago was running Linux. Can't find it now. Looked like a server box.
The question is, what you do with it afterwards. Google is letting people look at less that they can see in a bookstore. The only difference is that we have a lot more tools when we're home for taking notes, etc.
Simplex says turn around. Simplex says go out the door. Simplex says make a right. Simplex says walk to next door. Simplex says go through door. Simplex says sit in middle. Simplex says enjoy Hitchhiker's Guide.
"Microsoft has a serious problem here because they can only make up their hardware losses on game licensing."
Except they are trying to link it to Media Center PC's, and they don't have to sell many of those to make the same money back that SONY makes on their stuff.
Xbox360 vs. PS3
praise
1. Both have wireless controllers. About time.
2. Xbox360 looks a LOT better than Xbox. And smaller, thank GOD!
3. Moms will have a better chance to remember Xbox360 is not the same as 'gamebox' or 'Xcube'. Or is Nintendo Revolution actually Gamecube 1080?!?
4. PS3 have dual screen capability, hopefully for easy multiplayer. (why else?)
5. Both include hard drive capability.
6. built in WIFI.
7. sounds like you can plug cell phone headsets into the xbox controller, that's cool if true.
gripes
1. No built in eye toy for ps3?
2. No one has exceeded the design of the psx in my mind.
3. Xbox has no Blu ray? I smell a mid-cycle upgrade.
4. No built-in Itunes?
5. What happened to networking different Cell-based systems? They didn't mention if I could buy 2 PS3's for 3 times the power. I thought this was the nice thing about the Cell design.
6. Can we get a new remote for the PS3's DVD functions?
7. Can't we just do away with special videogame memory cards? Don't we all have memory from our digital cameras?
The popularity excuse is wearing thin. I doubt Microsoft's position is that the software is designed for the future, when they only have 10% market share! Windows XP was created fully in the Internet age, and it still requires an admin's knowledge to keep safely running.
How bad is M$? Set up a wireless network? I'm far from clueless about tech (I'm posting here, aren't I?) and trying to get a secure network running etc. was an hours long process. And I was _trying_ to be secure, some people don't bother (like neighbors). Sometimes solutions are worse than the cure- firewalls have to be trained (which no one in MY family knows how to do), antivirus updated, email software is effectively all online.
The reason they're bad? Microsoft is about business, not home, and until IE use started dropping, they were fine with making corporations and home users fend for themselves- enriching the security and fix-it industries.
Why start the Xbox? They couldn't get their PC software to play compelling games easily and reliably. How much more powerful is my computer than the PS2, and yet most of my games are ps2.
If they're not inept why doesn't the RunAs service have a slick graphical interface? Why do I need firewall software to feel secure? Why do I need to have an adminstrator-level account to play games - 5 years after Windows 2000? Remember when the Windows Update site got hijacked? When worms slashdotted the entire Internet?
Yes, 'only' 5 to 10 years, but it's 4 versions of Windows ago- many more if you count the mobile, server and embedded versions that distracted M$ from fixing things for once and all. Windows XP was a 'brand new' OS, according to M$ marketing materials. So why did it have problems with market share of only 10%?
Not everyone has a lot of time to learn computers, or a lot of money to fix them or to pay for anti-everything software. This has effectively kept my parents- and many others- from being online at home. And killed computer games.
It's been 10 years since I started dialing up. Enough is ENOUGH!
People would never be comfortable with "nuking" their food, anyway.
I've wanted to put a Austin MINI in my basement for years- just for this. Alas, I'm poor and American.
;)
Did anyone catch how many cupholders they have?