I have certain programs on my computer that can get past my firewall for various reasons. I often wonder about some of the biggest heists in the world, they're usually done by someone on the inside. If your network is locked down and something from the inside punches a hole in it how do you control any of that?
You don't. If someone has access (user or physical) you have no real defense. You have to trust the people you give access to and hope that the repucussions of wrong doing keep them honest.
Walmart might not sell it anymore, but http://www.microtelpc.com/ does, and they're still (with an exception or two) $50 difference between Linux (Xandros) and Windows on equivalent models.
Indeed, last I checked Microtel charged about 50 dollars premium over the linux install on their ~$290 pc's (340 with Windows) sold at walmart.com.
The actual price (which is certainly different) is a trade secret. If only because MS doesn't want everyone else paying what Dell does for windows.
Just for background, if you haven't read already this fellows battle with Toshiba refunding him the cost on his windows 95 license many many years ago is an entertaining read.
That would seem to jive with what I've been reading. That the problematic PSU's are a slightly different color and markings which could imply a different (lesser quality) source for some of the PSU's.
At the time there was also the issue of the PS1 being more powerful in addition to doing 3D while the Saturn basically had 3D support added in response and it not being very good.
This same "difficult to program" issue came up with the PS2 but seems to not have had much of an impact overall on sales.:)
If you go to the MFR's website www.zubbles.com and look at the video, they're all very small bubbles (less than a silver dollar I'd say). The pictures on the PS article have a single bubble that is somewhat larger.
I wonder if that's a limitation or just the way the pictures worked out.
Definately picking some up when they're available. The gag potential is enormous.
1up has an in-depth review of the new Live setup http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3145585&did=1 along with a video of two guys talking about the thing. Not exactly like stripping her naked and poking around inside the box, but it is informative (the article, the video is pretty light weight).
The closest to a launch title for an RPG for X-Box was going to be Oblivion, I believe. Unfortunately, it appears as though the game has hit a delay and won't make it for Dec. 6 but probably early Winter '06.
February earliest, they're deffinately slipping beyond their quarter (by their own press release) which ends at the end of January.
However, I will just play Oblivion on the PC, like any sane person would.
True that. PC users get patches which still suck but are better than being told "start over, maybe it won't happen next time". By the time the first expansion rolled around things had progressed to what I would consider a title ready to ship. Console users, they had to buy another game to get something reliable.
Consider Daggerfall. Mention of it still makes people cringe. The game was as close to the addage "if it compiles, ship it" as I've ever seen. That is the kind of trash Bethesda publishes if Microsoft isn't watching (which sounds like a twist on reality, until you've played Daggerfall).
Did they suddenly realize that they still had 6 months work to do? No. I think they had people slashing at anything that wasn't already finished, nailed down and ready to go. They were prepared to ship for XBox users in that state.
Did Microsoft, still drinking their "best launch ever" Kool-Aid, look at their game and tell them to piss off? Hard to say, somebody must have and it I doubt it came from within.
There is something wonderous about the sass that eminates from game shop lackies. Is it the rude attitude, the preordering push, or the constant babling on things they clearly know nothing of? What ever it is I find it to be a rich and headdy experience, akin to changing a baby's diaper. To be fair, the baby doesn't think it is superior to you (that comes later).
For the best launch ever I think this is going well. It's easy when you set the bar that low. They have a game that got a 10 right at the launch which I don't think has ever happened. If Microsoft want's to hang their hat on a single well rated game, technically that does represent an improvement over a typical launch. I hope there is another 9 or better in the near future. Unless you play RPG's there is no reason to buy anything less.
Oddly enough, most of the podcasts I listen already have ads. The stranger thing is that most of the ads are for other podcasts or podcast related products. So far, the limit has been 1 blurb per show, and it's usually explained as a way to offset broadband costs.
However, I've also heard at least one popular podcast state that broadband costs are around $80 a month. At that rate, I think I'd rather sponser a show than have the ad.
I haven't listened to a podcast since slashdot radio went off the air back before they were called podcasts. It's hard to know what is good when the Podcast directory looks like a list you'd see on an IRC server (-------AAAAaaa$IraGlassatemyballs$aaaAAAA------- Teh best back yard tutu wrestling p0d cast3 evar!1!!).
$80 a month would buy you abou 700 gig of transfer from my host. By my calculations, at 32kbs and an hour per show that works out to about 45-50 thousand listeners. If there really are that many listeners then they probably have a decent show put together and putting a "donation" link up and begging for a moment so will probably get them a pretty fat pile of cash.
That said, $80 is pretty cheap for a hobby.
IMHO most ISP's wouldn't even notice if they were served off their complementary web space. Most of the podcasts I've heard listen like someones grating voice stamering into their webcam's built in mic recording at 4.4 khz, compressed, and lovingly streaming to me at 160kbs. Stereo. I think there's some room to optimize bandwidth costs there.
Advertisers though... I think what they're really concerned about are people trying to make money at this. If you're just counting downloads, you can join a group of people who download each other's programs specifically to raise this number (fraud is easy!). Expensive, without actually benefiting the advertiser.
The capacitor issue is more widespread. The problem isn't that they are low quality, it's that a particular MFR was using a stolen and bad formula for fluid for a long while before they began to fail. These capacitors are in everything, cheap stuff, spendy stuff and everything in between. Badcaps.net explains in detail...
On the theme of new and expensive, I'm a little suprised that motherboard MFR's that make high end boards for enthusiasts (you know the ones, with ugly flourecent plastic bits and silver paint and whatnot) haven't used any SMC caps for these boards. You only see them on prototypes. I'd think if there was a market for a motherboard with yellow PCI slots and a purple PCB that this would be a much more attractive option.
On the other hand, I suppose it costs nothing to make lime green and orange connectors, but actually making something nice would cost a few dollars.
Indeed, by the time I found it it was on CD-ROM in the bargin bin. The "jumping madness" that everyone was so upset about had already been patched away.
Still thought the ending was a bit weak.
For the record, I retured Ultima 9 to my local EB games. I didn't even have to explain myself.
Personally I couldn't care less about the release date. When it gets here is when it gets here. But anyone with a capable PC at that time would be a fool to buy the XBox version and turn away all the patches that are forthcomming.
The word Daggerfall alone strikes fear into anyone who tried to play it. This is the kind of game Bethesda would publish if Microsoft(?!) didn't turn their trash away.
For morrowind at least the PC users got patches, granted it really took a full 6 months until the expansion came out before the worst of the bugs got fixed.
The XBox Morrowind players, they got told to "load an old save before you started on that quest (5, 10, 20 hours of playtime?)", or an elaborate song and dance with shuffling save games and using other games to write over Morrowinds cache, or if a critical NPC disapeared the dreaded "start over, maybe it won't happen the next time". If you had any heart for it left over you could wait and buy the game-of-the-year edition (at full price) and get some of the bugs fixed. (yes you still had to "start over")
My interperetation... They have 6 months of serious bug fixing that they were willing to overlook and press the DVD's as "good enough to ship" but they couldn't make the fucker work at all in time for x-mas. Certianly explains their secrecy.
Given their history, there will be a patch for the PC version before they make it onto the shelf. Xbox users? Start over, maybe it won't happen the next time around.
What was good enough to ship is what you'll have to live with forever. One of the main pluses of buying the PC version of Oblivion is that (hopefully) the most agregious bugs will be fixed by the time the first expansion rolls around. That's basically the way Morrowind played out and the XBox people just had to do a lot of stupid shit to work around bugs and broken quests.
Wake me when they have something substantive. Though by the time they have anything substantive, it'll be just a few days before the release or at the release anyway.
I believe you answered your own question there cap'n. Welcome aboard the USSFn Troll.
If you want hard data, perhaps you would be more comfortable at oldcomputers.net (or.com choice is wonderful!) instead of a weblog that caters to people who are excited about emerging technology.
For those of us who care, the article serves to indicate that the transition is going much better than expected.
"Will Google be able to pay the millions for all the downloads?"
Checks NYSE.... Do you suppose? Since we're talking about a lot less than "millions", more like a million or so on a good year here on out. That's for all installs, not the fraction of installs with google toolbar.
Since the data/referals they'll get will grow/improve significantly. I would imagine that this is a screaming deal for all parties.
Personally, I doubt I'll use it. The last thing I need is another toolbar I don't use (actually I would use the spell check, but that's a lot of real estate to give up to somthing that should be on the tools menu). The search bar is already more than I want. By more I mean I generally turn it of an use keywords to forward search terms to google from the address bar.
Or... If you save 5 minutes in a day due to the performance difference and you make 20 dollars an hour. It will take you 52 days to make the difference.
Slashdot Mirror
Didn't see that one comming now did you.
I have certain programs on my computer that can get past my firewall for various reasons. I often wonder about some of the biggest heists in the world, they're usually done by someone on the inside. If your network is locked down and something from the inside punches a hole in it how do you control any of that?
You don't. If someone has access (user or physical) you have no real defense. You have to trust the people you give access to and hope that the repucussions of wrong doing keep them honest.
Walmart might not sell it anymore, but http://www.microtelpc.com/ does, and they're still (with an exception or two) $50 difference between Linux (Xandros) and Windows on equivalent models.
The actual price (which is certainly different) is a trade secret. If only because MS doesn't want everyone else paying what Dell does for windows.
Just for background, if you haven't read already this fellows battle with Toshiba refunding him the cost on his windows 95 license many many years ago is an entertaining read.
That would seem to jive with what I've been reading. That the problematic PSU's are a slightly different color and markings which could imply a different (lesser quality) source for some of the PSU's.
At the time there was also the issue of the PS1 being more powerful in addition to doing 3D while the Saturn basically had 3D support added in response and it not being very good.
:)
This same "difficult to program" issue came up with the PS2 but seems to not have had much of an impact overall on sales.
If you indend to install Microsoft Windows to a SATA drive you must install the drivers from a floppy disk.
From TFA: The inventor is a 50% stakeholder in the company.
Read the thing, it's interesting. Really.
If you go to the MFR's website www.zubbles.com and look at the video, they're all very small bubbles (less than a silver dollar I'd say). The pictures on the PS article have a single bubble that is somewhat larger.
I wonder if that's a limitation or just the way the pictures worked out.
Definately picking some up when they're available. The gag potential is enormous.
Last time the words "stripped her naked" and "poking around inside the box" were used, I got in a lot of trouble :(
Next time you'll remember the roofies and chloroform.
Your old XBox games will run in HD. Not just stretched, but render at 720p and 1080i. That alone makes an early purchase for myself a given.
1up has an in-depth review of the new Live setup http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3145585&did=1 along with a video of two guys talking about the thing. Not exactly like stripping her naked and poking around inside the box, but it is informative (the article, the video is pretty light weight).
The closest to a launch title for an RPG for X-Box was going to be Oblivion, I believe. Unfortunately, it appears as though the game has hit a delay and won't make it for Dec. 6 but probably early Winter '06.
February earliest, they're deffinately slipping beyond their quarter (by their own press release) which ends at the end of January.
However, I will just play Oblivion on the PC, like any sane person would.
True that. PC users get patches which still suck but are better than being told "start over, maybe it won't happen next time". By the time the first expansion rolled around things had progressed to what I would consider a title ready to ship. Console users, they had to buy another game to get something reliable.
Consider Daggerfall. Mention of it still makes people cringe. The game was as close to the addage "if it compiles, ship it" as I've ever seen. That is the kind of trash Bethesda publishes if Microsoft isn't watching (which sounds like a twist on reality, until you've played Daggerfall).
Did they suddenly realize that they still had 6 months work to do? No. I think they had people slashing at anything that wasn't already finished, nailed down and ready to go. They were prepared to ship for XBox users in that state.
Did Microsoft, still drinking their "best launch ever" Kool-Aid, look at their game and tell them to piss off? Hard to say, somebody must have and it I doubt it came from within.
There is something wonderous about the sass that eminates from game shop lackies. Is it the rude attitude, the preordering push, or the constant babling on things they clearly know nothing of? What ever it is I find it to be a rich and headdy experience, akin to changing a baby's diaper. To be fair, the baby doesn't think it is superior to you (that comes later).
For the best launch ever I think this is going well. It's easy when you set the bar that low. They have a game that got a 10 right at the launch which I don't think has ever happened. If Microsoft want's to hang their hat on a single well rated game, technically that does represent an improvement over a typical launch. I hope there is another 9 or better in the near future. Unless you play RPG's there is no reason to buy anything less.
Oddly enough, most of the podcasts I listen already have ads. The stranger thing is that most of the ads are for other podcasts or podcast related products. So far, the limit has been 1 blurb per show, and it's usually explained as a way to offset broadband costs.
However, I've also heard at least one popular podcast state that broadband costs are around $80 a month. At that rate, I think I'd rather sponser a show than have the ad.
I haven't listened to a podcast since slashdot radio went off the air back before they were called podcasts. It's hard to know what is good when the Podcast directory looks like a list you'd see on an IRC server (-------AAAAaaa$IraGlassatemyballs$aaaAAAA------- Teh best back yard tutu wrestling p0d cast3 evar!1!!).
$80 a month would buy you abou 700 gig of transfer from my host. By my calculations, at 32kbs and an hour per show that works out to about 45-50 thousand listeners. If there really are that many listeners then they probably have a decent show put together and putting a "donation" link up and begging for a moment so will probably get them a pretty fat pile of cash.
That said, $80 is pretty cheap for a hobby.
IMHO most ISP's wouldn't even notice if they were served off their complementary web space. Most of the podcasts I've heard listen like someones grating voice stamering into their webcam's built in mic recording at 4.4 khz, compressed, and lovingly streaming to me at 160kbs. Stereo. I think there's some room to optimize bandwidth costs there.
Advertisers though... I think what they're really concerned about are people trying to make money at this. If you're just counting downloads, you can join a group of people who download each other's programs specifically to raise this number (fraud is easy!). Expensive, without actually benefiting the advertiser.
The capacitor issue is more widespread. The problem isn't that they are low quality, it's that a particular MFR was using a stolen and bad formula for fluid for a long while before they began to fail. These capacitors are in everything, cheap stuff, spendy stuff and everything in between. Badcaps.net explains in detail...
On the theme of new and expensive, I'm a little suprised that motherboard MFR's that make high end boards for enthusiasts (you know the ones, with ugly flourecent plastic bits and silver paint and whatnot) haven't used any SMC caps for these boards. You only see them on prototypes. I'd think if there was a market for a motherboard with yellow PCI slots and a purple PCB that this would be a much more attractive option.
On the other hand, I suppose it costs nothing to make lime green and orange connectors, but actually making something nice would cost a few dollars.
Indeed, by the time I found it it was on CD-ROM in the bargin bin. The "jumping madness" that everyone was so upset about had already been patched away.
Still thought the ending was a bit weak.
For the record, I retured Ultima 9 to my local EB games. I didn't even have to explain myself.
I'm the guy who liked U8.
There I said it.
Personally I couldn't care less about the release date. When it gets here is when it gets here. But anyone with a capable PC at that time would be a fool to buy the XBox version and turn away all the patches that are forthcomming.
The word Daggerfall alone strikes fear into anyone who tried to play it. This is the kind of game Bethesda would publish if Microsoft(?!) didn't turn their trash away.
For morrowind at least the PC users got patches, granted it really took a full 6 months until the expansion came out before the worst of the bugs got fixed.
The XBox Morrowind players, they got told to "load an old save before you started on that quest (5, 10, 20 hours of playtime?)", or an elaborate song and dance with shuffling save games and using other games to write over Morrowinds cache, or if a critical NPC disapeared the dreaded "start over, maybe it won't happen the next time". If you had any heart for it left over you could wait and buy the game-of-the-year edition (at full price) and get some of the bugs fixed. (yes you still had to "start over")
My interperetation... They have 6 months of serious bug fixing that they were willing to overlook and press the DVD's as "good enough to ship" but they couldn't make the fucker work at all in time for x-mas. Certianly explains their secrecy.
Given their history, there will be a patch for the PC version before they make it onto the shelf. Xbox users? Start over, maybe it won't happen the next time around.
People who buy Xbox games don't get bug fixes.
What was good enough to ship is what you'll have to live with forever. One of the main pluses of buying the PC version of Oblivion is that (hopefully) the most agregious bugs will be fixed by the time the first expansion rolls around. That's basically the way Morrowind played out and the XBox people just had to do a lot of stupid shit to work around bugs and broken quests.
You are welcome.
Wake me when they have something substantive. Though by the time they have anything substantive, it'll be just a few days before the release or at the release anyway.
.com choice is wonderful!) instead of a weblog that caters to people who are excited about emerging technology.
I believe you answered your own question there cap'n. Welcome aboard the USSFn Troll.
If you want hard data, perhaps you would be more comfortable at oldcomputers.net (or
For those of us who care, the article serves to indicate that the transition is going much better than expected.
"Will Google be able to pay the millions for all the downloads?"
Checks NYSE.... Do you suppose? Since we're talking about a lot less than "millions", more like a million or so on a good year here on out. That's for all installs, not the fraction of installs with google toolbar.
Since the data/referals they'll get will grow/improve significantly. I would imagine that this is a screaming deal for all parties.
Personally, I doubt I'll use it. The last thing I need is another toolbar I don't use (actually I would use the spell check, but that's a lot of real estate to give up to somthing that should be on the tools menu). The search bar is already more than I want. By more I mean I generally turn it of an use keywords to forward search terms to google from the address bar.
Or...
If you save 5 minutes in a day due to the performance difference and you make 20 dollars an hour. It will take you 52 days to make the difference.
When you are in school it is called cheating.
After you graduate it's called being competitive.