Curious...what browser/OS do you use? My experience of GMail has been much better.
Very occasionally I've had GMail be slow on me, or the servers have been down a couple of times. But mostly it's faster than using Thunderbird. Can't remember GMail ever locking up.
For me, Thunderbird is a dog of an app, with some nice features. I'm starting to wonder why I still use it, except as a local backup for my email.
Handle libs were pretty common at the time though, for many platforms. I wrote one for a (windows) app I worked on at the time. But like you say, a lot of coders never bothered with dealing with fragmentation.
I was more remembering the "Oh no, I've run out of memory for Photoshop, so now I have to quit the app and start again with a bigger memory allocation, even though I actually have 4Mb of free RAM just sitting there" scenario. Can't remember exactly when that issue was fixed, but if it wasn't fixed before OS X, that wouldn't surprise me.
I developed mainly for OS 8 (and possibly OS 9...I forget now), and the virtual memory, although it existed, could not be relied on - many users didn't have it turned on, because you lost usable physical RAM, and it slowed stuff down quite a lot, iirc. The app was a game, and we were really hard up against the RAM limit - sometimes if QuickTime coughed we would run out of RAM. Happy days;-)
and Apple Computer Inc. already have operating systems on the market that sport the features - greater memory management
While Windows 95 may have reduced the GDI resources problem of Windows 3.x, I hardly think anyone could credibly claim that Mac OS had good memory management before OS X.
Or a PC, for that matter. MSN IM has done this for ages, too. And from what others are saying, so has Yahoo.
Of course, where Google will probably win (because it's how they usually do) is in the simple, direct and uncluttered UI. Not that I've done anything other than install Google Talk so far - just a guess.
I have a videogame collection with close to 1000 original game carts and systems as well as thousands more in emulation.
You're absolutely right. That is sad.:-)
People have no "soul" anymore, they want fluff with no real substance, typical disposable society.
Yeah, when I was a teenager, playing Pacman and Defender and Monsters and all those other new and shiny but ultimately simple, shallow and short-lived games, I was all about the soul and the substance, let me tell you.
By the way, Mr Nostalgia, when you have a moment, try to reconcile this:
they want fluff with no real substance, typical disposable society.
with this:
close to 1000 original game carts and systems as well as thousands more in emulation
To me that style of writing, (or speaking), screams intellectual snob
You're so right. It's always amusing to me how many 'writers' think good writing is about using long/unusual words. Good writing is about communicating. If he was Thomas Hardy then maybe the flowery prose might have a point, but in a rant like that there's no excuse for this sort of thing:
...given the loveliness of these drawings and the concomitant interest the reader could have in these drawings qua drawings, they are entirely superrogatory. He has mastered a curiously unique rhetorical strategy - or visual sleight-of-hand - that combines a phlebitic and platitudinous sound bite...
Superrogatory? Phlebitic?
I've got a better than average vocabulary, but I still stalled on those.
I don't feel bad though, because the dictionary informs me that he spelled 'supererogatory' wrong anyway, and that 'phlebitic' refers to the inflammation of a vein, so I'm not really sure what he's trying to say there. Maybe it's supposed to be some generic reference to veins/blood, but who the hell knows or cares when he's such a poor communicator. I hope his DNA holds more useful information than his writing.
Windows 95 had USB support in OSR2.1, which was released in 1996. It sucked in terms of reliability, but Windows 98's USB support was pretty solid. PCs had USB ports way before Macs (I think the Gateway PC I used at work in late '96 had USB ports - if not, then it was early 97).
The Microsoft Natural Keyboard (Elite) was released in early 1998, and had a USB connector.
But yeah, Apple were light years ahead of PCs with USB. I think I'm nearly fed up of correcting Mac fans on this now:-)
I haven't tried GT4, but I remember GT3 wasn't great. It could have been due to the wheel, but when some guy at the office tried his wheel controller with GT3 it was pretty sucky.
Could have been a bad (not expensive enough) controller, of course, and he thought it was better than we did - probably cognitive dissonance at work though.
Apart from the little extra time spent handling it, there's no downside.
And as we know, the one thing games devs have oodles of spare time;-)
But yeah - so that's one or maybe 2 big budget first party games that have exploited such an add-on. As you imply, it's not looking good for optional hard-disk add-ons...
Time and time again has shown that developers will not support addons or upgrades to a console.
Yes, and this is true even of simple things like special controllers. The steering wheel controller is a case in point. I can't ever remember a driving game that supported a wheel controller well. It's usually easier to drive with the standard controller - the wheel is just frustrating.
The reason of course, is that the developers don't spend much time on supporting steering wheel controllers, because less than 1% (figure off the top of my head, but am pretty sure it's accurate) of the market has one of these controllers...so why bother? You can spend the time making the driving experience with the standard controller much better, because that's what everyone has.
It's a bit like making a game that you can only play with Xbox Live. You've instantly cut your market down to 10% of what it could have been.
I once returned a £2000 laptop to PC-World and they didn't even open the box! (Mind you it was 5 minutes to closing and he'd already got his coat on).
This is the ideal returns strategy for shops like Dixons - take it back 5 minutes before closing on Saturday. It's always been processed quickly with a minimum of questions when I've done that:-)
Then there was the time I wanted to buy a modem at Dixons. I asked one of the sales assistants if it had a particular feature (can't remember what now) and he proceeded to pick up the box and read off the back of it. Obviously the average Dixons customer is not able to read.
I once asked a guy in Dixons if any of their VCRs were SVHS. He looked around and said "This one's VHS...and this one. Yes, they're all VHS."
Actually, she was probably doing you a favour. It's probably much easier to return an unopened unwanted item than it is one that a customer claims is not of merchantable quality. For a start, she probably wouldn't have to get authorisation.
When shop staff offer me an easy way to get what I want like that, personally I usually go for it.
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Curious...what browser/OS do you use? My experience of GMail has been much better.
Very occasionally I've had GMail be slow on me, or the servers have been down a couple of times. But mostly it's faster than using Thunderbird. Can't remember GMail ever locking up.
For me, Thunderbird is a dog of an app, with some nice features. I'm starting to wonder why I still use it, except as a local backup for my email.
Oh, I know all about that stuff, thanks.
:-)
;-)
I have the t-shirts and scars to prove it
Handle libs were pretty common at the time though, for many platforms. I wrote one for a (windows) app I worked on at the time. But like you say, a lot of coders never bothered with dealing with fragmentation.
I was more remembering the "Oh no, I've run out of memory for Photoshop, so now I have to quit the app and start again with a bigger memory allocation, even though I actually have 4Mb of free RAM just sitting there" scenario. Can't remember exactly when that issue was fixed, but if it wasn't fixed before OS X, that wouldn't surprise me.
I developed mainly for OS 8 (and possibly OS 9...I forget now), and the virtual memory, although it existed, could not be relied on - many users didn't have it turned on, because you lost usable physical RAM, and it slowed stuff down quite a lot, iirc. The app was a game, and we were really hard up against the RAM limit - sometimes if QuickTime coughed we would run out of RAM. Happy days
Better than Windows NT? Hell, no.
While Windows 95 may have reduced the GDI resources problem of Windows 3.x, I hardly think anyone could credibly claim that Mac OS had good memory management before OS X.
Or a PC, for that matter. MSN IM has done this for ages, too. And from what others are saying, so has Yahoo.
Of course, where Google will probably win (because it's how they usually do) is in the simple, direct and uncluttered UI. Not that I've done anything other than install Google Talk so far - just a guess.
You're absolutely right. That is sad. :-)
Yeah, when I was a teenager, playing Pacman and Defender and Monsters and all those other new and shiny but ultimately simple, shallow and short-lived games, I was all about the soul and the substance, let me tell you.
By the way, Mr Nostalgia, when you have a moment, try to reconcile this:
with this:
Hmm... o_O
You're so right. It's always amusing to me how many 'writers' think good writing is about using long/unusual words. Good writing is about communicating. If he was Thomas Hardy then maybe the flowery prose might have a point, but in a rant like that there's no excuse for this sort of thing:
Superrogatory? Phlebitic?
I've got a better than average vocabulary, but I still stalled on those.
I don't feel bad though, because the dictionary informs me that he spelled 'supererogatory' wrong anyway, and that 'phlebitic' refers to the inflammation of a vein, so I'm not really sure what he's trying to say there. Maybe it's supposed to be some generic reference to veins/blood, but who the hell knows or cares when he's such a poor communicator. I hope his DNA holds more useful information than his writing.
As we say in the UK, what a total wanker :-)
There is a saying in the company, that Apple is the only ship that leaks from the top.
No kidding. That's why it bugs me when people tell me how great a platform is on the basis of half-truths. I prefer the truth.
...that Apple hardware isn't always overpriced.
Windows 95 had USB support in OSR2.1, which was released in 1996. It sucked in terms of reliability, but Windows 98's USB support was pretty solid. PCs had USB ports way before Macs (I think the Gateway PC I used at work in late '96 had USB ports - if not, then it was early 97).
:-)
The Microsoft Natural Keyboard (Elite) was released in early 1998, and had a USB connector.
But yeah, Apple were light years ahead of PCs with USB. I think I'm nearly fed up of correcting Mac fans on this now
I haven't tried GT4, but I remember GT3 wasn't great. It could have been due to the wheel, but when some guy at the office tried his wheel controller with GT3 it was pretty sucky.
Could have been a bad (not expensive enough) controller, of course, and he thought it was better than we did - probably cognitive dissonance at work though.
And as we know, the one thing games devs have oodles of spare time ;-)
But yeah - so that's one or maybe 2 big budget first party games that have exploited such an add-on. As you imply, it's not looking good for optional hard-disk add-ons...
If only there was some way for you to be able to decide not to buy Carmack's games.
But I guess that's just impossible.
Don't feed the trolls, mmmkay?
Yes, and this is true even of simple things like special controllers. The steering wheel controller is a case in point. I can't ever remember a driving game that supported a wheel controller well. It's usually easier to drive with the standard controller - the wheel is just frustrating.
The reason of course, is that the developers don't spend much time on supporting steering wheel controllers, because less than 1% (figure off the top of my head, but am pretty sure it's accurate) of the market has one of these controllers...so why bother? You can spend the time making the driving experience with the standard controller much better, because that's what everyone has.
It's a bit like making a game that you can only play with Xbox Live. You've instantly cut your market down to 10% of what it could have been.
Then you, sir, are a muppet.
Sorry, but there it is.
(Were you not around to see the PS2 demo videos? Surely no-one would take a console launch at face value after that!)
One of my favourite IBMisms:
DASD -> Direct Access Storage Device -> Disk Drive
you shell out $50 to get the tv box installed, plus $10-15/mo to watch tv, and then they shove advertising down your throat?
"Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle..."
Does anyone else have something they would like to share with the group?
50% of women developing games should have vaginas? o_O
"So boss, is there anyone that's been here more than 12 hours?"
"Hmm...I don't know...we all look alike to me."
You speak for yourself!
This is the ideal returns strategy for shops like Dixons - take it back 5 minutes before closing on Saturday. It's always been processed quickly with a minimum of questions when I've done that :-)
I once asked a guy in Dixons if any of their VCRs were SVHS. He looked around and said "This one's VHS...and this one. Yes, they're all VHS."
Actually, she was probably doing you a favour. It's probably much easier to return an unopened unwanted item than it is one that a customer claims is not of merchantable quality. For a start, she probably wouldn't have to get authorisation.
When shop staff offer me an easy way to get what I want like that, personally I usually go for it.