Re:Speaking as a valve fanboy and steam early adop
on
The Age of Steam
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· Score: 3, Insightful
"What happens if Valve dies and I want to play my games?"
It is, as you point out, a valid concern. But I frame this problem in context of the cost/benefit I have received from a game. For the amount of money that I payed for TF2 and the hours I've spent playing it, I feel like I have already gotten the better end of the deal. Throw in the fact that the game has gotten so many additional updates (free of charge!) and I feel like I have already gotten value. If the game were to evaporate or be gone forever, I take comfort in knowing that I played it a lot, got enormous entertainment value out of it, and if I really missed it *that* bad, there's a cracked version out there to keep playing.
So that argument from the anti-DRM boogie man doesn't seem to hold too much water with me. I mean, at least some secu-rom rootkit isn't being installed on my machine, right?
So I'm not even pushing my 30s yet, but I grew up on this stuff. As a kid I would go through my dad's vinyl collection and dub them to tape (yar, I be a pirate at a young age!). It's interesting that in my teenage years I still listened to them and noticed a lot of influences from the Beatles in some of the more contemporary music of the day.
Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, for example, attempted a Sgt. Pepper's-esque album with Machina, and though I don't think it had the same effect, you could see him trying to take the band in a new direction by being this fictional psuedo-band like the Beatles did to get a refresh thirty years earlier.
And that's what makes them culturally significant--that thirty years after their disbandment and half of quartet are dead, their music still has a major impact.
Exactly. They realize this which is why they want to control the various kinds of media that come across, who they're coming from, how fast the throughput is, etc. They *know* that they're fast becoming out maneuverable from the common lay person--this is what net neutrality is all about: returning control back into their hands.
The cable companies would rather you watch tv using their existing services
But you don't say why. They don't want you to have ala carte service for programming. They'd much rather sell you a package which includes two channels you do want and sixteen in a language you don't understand. They make significantly more money this way. Sure you get on-demand with them, but only because you've bought into their service packages.
This, to me, reveals the beauty of Steam. Whenever I nuke my system from an image, I don't even worry about backing up my games, I just redownload them. Steam lets me reinstall games an infinite amount of times and for my most played games, Steam provides a backup utility to save them off to my server.
What the judge is asking for is a person-in-fact. The person-in-law is the corporate entity (RIAA) and is demanding that a person-in-fact show up in court that is authorized to make decisions for the corporation.
I don't know about you, but my vehicle has a much more utilitarian purpose in getting me to the places I need to be. Its value to me is much greater than what someone may offer on it. I couldn't care less if my new $15K car lost all its 'value' as long as I get to work everyday, safely and consistently.
That's the kicker, though, isn't it? Being able to pick and choose what you want to buy is killing their craft.
They're pissed off that you aren't buying into the crap. The whole business model of churn out stuff--it doesn't matter what is because it will all balance out in the end--is now broken. That's why there are artists that disallow their albums to be purchased in singles, because they make more off an entire album sale than a single. Their argument is that the art was intended to be consumed as a whole, but I suspect it's because the album *maybe* has a good single but is loaded with other cruft to make more money.
Pushing for Linux on a statewide level is probably the wrong move, but trying to start a local pilot program where you can get the school to buy into it first..
What better place for getting funding than the state legislature?
There are some nuances in play, though, that I think are actually beneficial here. My employer has a heightened interest in OSS because of its zero cost of entry and is more willing to spend money on just support contracts. This has in effect been beneficial to OSS as a whole because economic situations are encouraging firms to go that route. This would have the net effect of not only benefiting OSS, but creating jobs in that sector of IT spending.
No, Wolfenstein 3D would be the revolution maker. It was the proof of concept that John Carmack and his team of misfits at Id needed to even go to the next level with DOOM. It proved that you could do a first person shooter in a realtime 3D-like (because it wasn't really 3D, just looked like it) space.
It's much worse than that. The knowledge for using an encrypted tool is much more portable than that used to fly a plane. Once one has learned which tools to use, the whole collective effectively has.
At some point...that food, and everything else has to be PAID for with cold hard cash at some point.
And what clause appears on that cold, hard cash? From the article:
Fiat money is a subset of credit money (money backed by promise to pay in goods or services controlled by the creditor) in which a government, often through a central bank or reserve bank, is the major creditor backing the currency.
Doing what is right is its own reward. There is something intrinsic to doing what is right which enriches our souls, clears the conscience such that what else need be given in addition? It would seem that by expecting something in addition be returned for right-doing you are selling your morality to the highest bidder. If the reward for doing wrong things were somehow greater, would you not then take that course of action instead, as you suggest? No, teach people to do what is right for right's sake.
I can't take honor to the store and convert it into food.
Sure you can. If I fulfill my end of an agreement, then my credit worthiness (my honor) allows me to enter into other such agreements (ie a credit card) which can be used to purchase other goods and services on credit (my honor). Therefore, it is intrinsically good for me to be on time with my payments. My continued good behavior allows me to make such 'honor' purchases.
Will the inhabitants of those "off-world colonies" survive? We are far less likely to adapt to their conditions.
Exactly. We have spent the last several millennium finding our own balance, a genetic war if you will, against pathogens and other animals to establish our dominance in this sphere. There is no reason to suppose that we will conquer another world with ease even if it is filled with 'lesser' forms of life.
Maybe it's because we are tired of people (read: activists and politicians) trying to take away our rights based on bunk data.
I just think it's human nature to filter information to support our positions. Hypocrisy abounds in all of us in some quantity, but "with all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world."
Kinda like the 'Year of Desktop Linux'! When the predictions for the current year don't pan out, wait! *NEXT* year is going to be the year of desktop Linux!
Slashdot Mirror
"What happens if Valve dies and I want to play my games?"
It is, as you point out, a valid concern. But I frame this problem in context of the cost/benefit I have received from a game. For the amount of money that I payed for TF2 and the hours I've spent playing it, I feel like I have already gotten the better end of the deal. Throw in the fact that the game has gotten so many additional updates (free of charge!) and I feel like I have already gotten value. If the game were to evaporate or be gone forever, I take comfort in knowing that I played it a lot, got enormous entertainment value out of it, and if I really missed it *that* bad, there's a cracked version out there to keep playing.
So that argument from the anti-DRM boogie man doesn't seem to hold too much water with me. I mean, at least some secu-rom rootkit isn't being installed on my machine, right?
I smell a pimp analogy in here somewhere. The consumer gets abused while Mr. Pimp there walks away with all the cash.
Consumer 'reward'? Lousy service.
Must...not...feed...the...trolls...
So I'm not even pushing my 30s yet, but I grew up on this stuff. As a kid I would go through my dad's vinyl collection and dub them to tape (yar, I be a pirate at a young age!). It's interesting that in my teenage years I still listened to them and noticed a lot of influences from the Beatles in some of the more contemporary music of the day.
Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, for example, attempted a Sgt. Pepper's-esque album with Machina, and though I don't think it had the same effect, you could see him trying to take the band in a new direction by being this fictional psuedo-band like the Beatles did to get a refresh thirty years earlier.
And that's what makes them culturally significant--that thirty years after their disbandment and half of quartet are dead, their music still has a major impact.
Exactly. They realize this which is why they want to control the various kinds of media that come across, who they're coming from, how fast the throughput is, etc. They *know* that they're fast becoming out maneuverable from the common lay person--this is what net neutrality is all about: returning control back into their hands.
The cable companies would rather you watch tv using their existing services
But you don't say why. They don't want you to have ala carte service for programming. They'd much rather sell you a package which includes two channels you do want and sixteen in a language you don't understand. They make significantly more money this way. Sure you get on-demand with them, but only because you've bought into their service packages.
Until you start letting 'friends' join your peer network with usernames like Riaa250k into your 'private network'.
This, to me, reveals the beauty of Steam. Whenever I nuke my system from an image, I don't even worry about backing up my games, I just redownload them. Steam lets me reinstall games an infinite amount of times and for my most played games, Steam provides a backup utility to save them off to my server.
Well, here's the difference:
What the judge is asking for is a person-in-fact. The person-in-law is the corporate entity (RIAA) and is demanding that a person-in-fact show up in court that is authorized to make decisions for the corporation.
I don't know about you, but my vehicle has a much more utilitarian purpose in getting me to the places I need to be. Its value to me is much greater than what someone may offer on it. I couldn't care less if my new $15K car lost all its 'value' as long as I get to work everyday, safely and consistently.
That's the kicker, though, isn't it? Being able to pick and choose what you want to buy is killing their craft.
They're pissed off that you aren't buying into the crap. The whole business model of churn out stuff--it doesn't matter what is because it will all balance out in the end--is now broken. That's why there are artists that disallow their albums to be purchased in singles, because they make more off an entire album sale than a single. Their argument is that the art was intended to be consumed as a whole, but I suspect it's because the album *maybe* has a good single but is loaded with other cruft to make more money.
Those pirates are spending money on flowers instead of our media! Quick, summon the lawyers!
Pushing for Linux on a statewide level is probably the wrong move, but trying to start a local pilot program where you can get the school to buy into it first..
What better place for getting funding than the state legislature?
There are some nuances in play, though, that I think are actually beneficial here. My employer has a heightened interest in OSS because of its zero cost of entry and is more willing to spend money on just support contracts. This has in effect been beneficial to OSS as a whole because economic situations are encouraging firms to go that route. This would have the net effect of not only benefiting OSS, but creating jobs in that sector of IT spending.
You also forgot all the classic adventure games like King's Quest and Space Quest. I cut my computer gaming teeth on those awesome games!
No, Wolfenstein 3D would be the revolution maker. It was the proof of concept that John Carmack and his team of misfits at Id needed to even go to the next level with DOOM. It proved that you could do a first person shooter in a realtime 3D-like (because it wasn't really 3D, just looked like it) space.
It's much worse than that. The knowledge for using an encrypted tool is much more portable than that used to fly a plane. Once one has learned which tools to use, the whole collective effectively has.
At some point...that food, and everything else has to be PAID for with cold hard cash at some point.
And what clause appears on that cold, hard cash? From the article:
Fiat money is a subset of credit money (money backed by promise to pay in goods or services controlled by the creditor) in which a government, often through a central bank or reserve bank, is the major creditor backing the currency.
Old fashioned and eastern, indeed.
Doing what is right is its own reward. There is something intrinsic to doing what is right which enriches our souls, clears the conscience such that what else need be given in addition? It would seem that by expecting something in addition be returned for right-doing you are selling your morality to the highest bidder. If the reward for doing wrong things were somehow greater, would you not then take that course of action instead, as you suggest? No, teach people to do what is right for right's sake.
I can't take honor to the store and convert it into food.
Sure you can. If I fulfill my end of an agreement, then my credit worthiness (my honor) allows me to enter into other such agreements (ie a credit card) which can be used to purchase other goods and services on credit (my honor). Therefore, it is intrinsically good for me to be on time with my payments. My continued good behavior allows me to make such 'honor' purchases.
There will be no incentives for people that are on time...
Is not honor reward enough? Doing the right thing is its own reward.
Will the inhabitants of those "off-world colonies" survive? We are far less likely to adapt to their conditions.
Exactly. We have spent the last several millennium finding our own balance, a genetic war if you will, against pathogens and other animals to establish our dominance in this sphere. There is no reason to suppose that we will conquer another world with ease even if it is filled with 'lesser' forms of life.
Just think of it this way: it is a locked down version of Internet Explorer.
Maybe it's because we are tired of people (read: activists and politicians) trying to take away our rights based on bunk data.
I just think it's human nature to filter information to support our positions. Hypocrisy abounds in all of us in some quantity, but "with all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world."
Kinda like the 'Year of Desktop Linux'! When the predictions for the current year don't pan out, wait! *NEXT* year is going to be the year of desktop Linux!
Dear Google,
You can keep my $66.