I don't know how it would make you feel better. Getting both companies won't make Mozilla more secure. The reason Google is forking that money over is to ensure Mozilla keeps Google as the default search engine and other Google friendly policies. The only way Mozilla can take Microsoft's money is to throw away Google's money, and thus those policies in favor of Microsoft friendly policies.
Of course, this wouldn't happen as Mozilla would likely look to Yahoo before it looked for Microsoft, and even then Microsoft would have to actually look back, which it probably wouldn't, but the idea remains the same. It is the key reason Google gives the money. In turn, it allows Google to stand off against Microsoft.
That said, Mozilla doesn't have much to worry about as far as becoming over-dependent on Google. Mozilla is actually the one holding the leash and could easily tell Microsoft/Yahoo that they will make Microsoft/Yahoo's search the default for the right price if Google decided to stop paying/has financial trouble.
Given Firefox's growth, Yahoo would not say no, so at least Mozilla has one fall back.
Police state? Wow. I won't even start on that one. I just find it insulting to all the people in the world who actually do live helplessly under tyrants that you would consider the United States a police state.
'Cause routing the traffic through hammer and sickle China is a much better thing.
Rumored? Where? It can only be a rumor if it has actually been talked about. I am curious as to if this was actually "rumored" or if it was blind "speculation" or even ignorant "wishful thinking."
Starting with Animal Crossing, what on earth would make Nintendo change its position on online gaming so much as to make it a MMO of any kind? They barely let you play with people at random over the Internet. The only times they do, they usually remove anything that could establish communication between users who don't know each other. It is incredibly unlikely that a game that they advertise for children's use be the first game that allows users to communicate with anyone as they want in a MMO fashion. This seems almost like the rumors about the Revolution, before it was really announced, where people believed it would be some virtual reality system that allows you to create your own games and weird stuff of that nature. Based on the interviews I have seen with the creators of the series, they only added "lame" online support to support Wii's features, such as the bulletin board connecting to Wii's bulletin board, etc. I can't even see where the developers have once even hinted at the possibility of going beyond that. The article links to no new interviews where anything like this was made.
As far as the DS card, again, I have searched all over the web and there isn't even a hint that they are considering such a thing, other than people talking about the "rumor" the article's author probably started to begin with. And to be honest, I don't see it happening for two key reasons:
1) If it is released, and older Gameboy games can be downloaded, Nintendo will have officially killed the Gameboy brand once and for all, eliminating the "third branch" explanation of the DS. The reason the DS can't play Gameboy games was not a technical limitation, but an artificial one that they put on the system so they could ensure that if the DS failed, the Gameboy brand would be untarnished. The DS is not the successor of the GBA, and this seems to suggest that they are planing to make it one. By giving the Gameboy to DS, they have killed the Gameboy off once and for all.
2) I don't expect Nintendo to suddenly turn the tides against what they have advocated for more than a decade. The idea that they are going to suddenly support homebrew is fantasy. It is not Nintendo-like to suddenly accept something of that nature until it is proven to be in their financial benefit. Even though we like to think of Nintendo as the company that will take chances (such as with Wii) to be honest, they aren't. Look at Nintendo 64 where they stubbornly stood by cartridges and Gamecube where they stood stubbornly against online gaming. They tend to stick by their policies only until Sony or Microsoft kick their butts for doing so. Nintendo probably won't adopt support for homebrew not only until Sony and Microsoft have, but also had their asses served to them on a silver platter for not doing so. The tides are not flowing in that direction.
I don't know where this "rumor" started, but my guess is that the rumor started with the article linked to. Neither of these things are very likely at all, just by looking at Nintendo's past, and the fact that they won't be willing to take such a risk now they are the alpha dog of the console developers.
Mario Strikers bad? Have you tried the game? And I don't mean looked at screenshots of the game and determined its worth based on that, rather, actually put the game in your hands, played the tutorials and actually tried playing it? I know that when the first one released, I didn't even consider buying it. Looked bad so I decided not to. The Wii one I own, as I had received it as a gift and decided I would at least try the game, and probably never touch it again.
It doesn't collect near as much dust as I thought it would, that's for certain. Mario (insert sport here) are very easy games to underestimate, but some are actually pretty good.
Nintendo doesn't expect you to buy the new game. That's why Wii is reverse compatible with Gamecube and VC will try to the best of its ability (as far as getting third party on board) so people don't need those old systems anymore and they don't need to continue reselling the games over and over again for each new system they release. In fact, it was a response to the very criticism you bring up.
They release new versions to obtain new fans, not only to appease old ones. I never really appreciated the Metroid series until Prime. I am one of few Super Nintendo owners that were alive during the Super Metroid era but never truly got into the game, due to getting lost all the time. I pretty much loaded my brother's complete game and shot enemies around for a while with full equipment. That was my idea of playing that game back then.
After Prime, which is harder to get lost in due to 3D-maps, prepared me for VC releases of Super Metroid, I can actually say I enjoyed it now. I never realized that back when the game originally released, I never even made it to Kraid, showing how horribly lost I was back then. I didn't even know he was the first major boss you fight. (Seriously. I thought he was third to last, followed only by Ridley and Mother Brain)
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I don't know how it would make you feel better. Getting both companies won't make Mozilla more secure. The reason Google is forking that money over is to ensure Mozilla keeps Google as the default search engine and other Google friendly policies. The only way Mozilla can take Microsoft's money is to throw away Google's money, and thus those policies in favor of Microsoft friendly policies.
Of course, this wouldn't happen as Mozilla would likely look to Yahoo before it looked for Microsoft, and even then Microsoft would have to actually look back, which it probably wouldn't, but the idea remains the same. It is the key reason Google gives the money. In turn, it allows Google to stand off against Microsoft.
That said, Mozilla doesn't have much to worry about as far as becoming over-dependent on Google. Mozilla is actually the one holding the leash and could easily tell Microsoft/Yahoo that they will make Microsoft/Yahoo's search the default for the right price if Google decided to stop paying/has financial trouble.
Given Firefox's growth, Yahoo would not say no, so at least Mozilla has one fall back.
Police state? Wow. I won't even start on that one. I just find it insulting to all the people in the world who actually do live helplessly under tyrants that you would consider the United States a police state.
'Cause routing the traffic through hammer and sickle China is a much better thing.
Rumored? Where? It can only be a rumor if it has actually been talked about. I am curious as to if this was actually "rumored" or if it was blind "speculation" or even ignorant "wishful thinking."
Starting with Animal Crossing, what on earth would make Nintendo change its position on online gaming so much as to make it a MMO of any kind? They barely let you play with people at random over the Internet. The only times they do, they usually remove anything that could establish communication between users who don't know each other. It is incredibly unlikely that a game that they advertise for children's use be the first game that allows users to communicate with anyone as they want in a MMO fashion. This seems almost like the rumors about the Revolution, before it was really announced, where people believed it would be some virtual reality system that allows you to create your own games and weird stuff of that nature. Based on the interviews I have seen with the creators of the series, they only added "lame" online support to support Wii's features, such as the bulletin board connecting to Wii's bulletin board, etc. I can't even see where the developers have once even hinted at the possibility of going beyond that. The article links to no new interviews where anything like this was made.
As far as the DS card, again, I have searched all over the web and there isn't even a hint that they are considering such a thing, other than people talking about the "rumor" the article's author probably started to begin with. And to be honest, I don't see it happening for two key reasons:
1) If it is released, and older Gameboy games can be downloaded, Nintendo will have officially killed the Gameboy brand once and for all, eliminating the "third branch" explanation of the DS. The reason the DS can't play Gameboy games was not a technical limitation, but an artificial one that they put on the system so they could ensure that if the DS failed, the Gameboy brand would be untarnished. The DS is not the successor of the GBA, and this seems to suggest that they are planing to make it one. By giving the Gameboy to DS, they have killed the Gameboy off once and for all.
2) I don't expect Nintendo to suddenly turn the tides against what they have advocated for more than a decade. The idea that they are going to suddenly support homebrew is fantasy. It is not Nintendo-like to suddenly accept something of that nature until it is proven to be in their financial benefit. Even though we like to think of Nintendo as the company that will take chances (such as with Wii) to be honest, they aren't. Look at Nintendo 64 where they stubbornly stood by cartridges and Gamecube where they stood stubbornly against online gaming. They tend to stick by their policies only until Sony or Microsoft kick their butts for doing so. Nintendo probably won't adopt support for homebrew not only until Sony and Microsoft have, but also had their asses served to them on a silver platter for not doing so. The tides are not flowing in that direction.
I don't know where this "rumor" started, but my guess is that the rumor started with the article linked to. Neither of these things are very likely at all, just by looking at Nintendo's past, and the fact that they won't be willing to take such a risk now they are the alpha dog of the console developers.
Mario Strikers bad? Have you tried the game? And I don't mean looked at screenshots of the game and determined its worth based on that, rather, actually put the game in your hands, played the tutorials and actually tried playing it? I know that when the first one released, I didn't even consider buying it. Looked bad so I decided not to. The Wii one I own, as I had received it as a gift and decided I would at least try the game, and probably never touch it again.
It doesn't collect near as much dust as I thought it would, that's for certain. Mario (insert sport here) are very easy games to underestimate, but some are actually pretty good.
Nintendo doesn't expect you to buy the new game. That's why Wii is reverse compatible with Gamecube and VC will try to the best of its ability (as far as getting third party on board) so people don't need those old systems anymore and they don't need to continue reselling the games over and over again for each new system they release. In fact, it was a response to the very criticism you bring up.
They release new versions to obtain new fans, not only to appease old ones. I never really appreciated the Metroid series until Prime. I am one of few Super Nintendo owners that were alive during the Super Metroid era but never truly got into the game, due to getting lost all the time. I pretty much loaded my brother's complete game and shot enemies around for a while with full equipment. That was my idea of playing that game back then.
After Prime, which is harder to get lost in due to 3D-maps, prepared me for VC releases of Super Metroid, I can actually say I enjoyed it now. I never realized that back when the game originally released, I never even made it to Kraid, showing how horribly lost I was back then. I didn't even know he was the first major boss you fight. (Seriously. I thought he was third to last, followed only by Ridley and Mother Brain)