Simple really - because OS X is still lacking in certain software. The OS is great. Really. The hardware is a bit overpriced, yes but let's face it, it *is* oh so desirable!
But there is still a ton of software out there that doesn't come in OS X flavour. Notably games.
And to get the absolute maximum performance for Windows games, you'd want to dual-boot, not use some VMware system....Hang on...Did I just use the words "performance" and "windows" in the same sentence? I need more sleep....
I find it somewhat worrying. It's an index, right? It's not the infringing content per se, but a list of where such content could be found. Morally, pointing the way to some of this content is wrong...but what law is it breaking?
Look at it another way. Let's say I've learnt of someone who gives away burnt CDs. I don't have any myself but but I'm fully aware of how to contact this guy and get freebies. So in conversation I let other's know too. I'm not forcing anyone to do anything and although it may be immoral not to turn the guy in, I'm fully within my rights to share what I know. I'm basically indexing this guy's contact details for other people to obtain. How they use those details is beyond my control.
Shakey analogy aside, where does protecting copyright end? Shall we go close down a library because a few of the books describe how to perform an illegal act (Shock! Horror! This book describes how someone murdered an innocent! No!)?
Or am I just getting pissed off and ranting? Probably both to be honest...
But note that the article mentions the growth of both Linux _and_ Windows. This is really about the ongoing decline of pure UNIX mainfarmes - something we've all been aware of for years.
The fact that Windows OS now outnumbers UNIX boxes is neither suprising nor noteworthy. They've been chipping away at the server market for ages. Bound to happen eventually.
But what I would be more interested in is out of all these switchers, what's the ratio that switch to Linux compared to Windows? Linux growth is faster (Upgrades along the Windows path don't count, we're talking complete platform migration) I believe. But naturally the title of the article gives enough bias to encourage readers to miss that little tidbit. Or maybe using the phrase "Windows beats Unix" is the journalistic equivalent of shouting "Fire!" when it comes to grabbbing attention...:D
Just a note - World of Warcraft has 2 graphical engines - an OpenGL based one and a DirectX based one. Mac version only contains the OpenGL version, the Windows build defaults to DirectX but can be switched to OpenGL.
There are two seperate engines/set of procedure calls so there's no "translation" overhead.
The point I was making is that you can't make assumptions on the requirements of the server based on the graphical presentation of of the game because the server crunches the numbers, processes the rules and handles connections only. The actual visual rendering and user interaction is handled by the client.
In summary - the look and graphics of an MMO are not particularly related to the server-side requirements.
Some metadata is transparent. After all MIME/File type is a piece of metadata present in every file. Even if some OSes have to rely on file extensions. Yes, I'm talking to you my monolithic friend....
I don't think metadata is a lost cause. I think it's the future. The point I was arguing is how to hide it from the user. You're right - the system needs to be better able to supply extra metadata itself. Having MP3s automatically embellished with CDDB info is a fantastic idea. There also needs to be better ways of applying this information. Even the GUI hand holding of OS X seperates out "browsing" from "searching"
It will be a long time and a dramatic change before manual folder filing and hierachial filesystems get superseded but I still beleive it's worth persuing these other options. Of course, flipside is *we* still need to be in control, not the system.
Rendering terrain (or not) is a function of the game client and has no effect server-side.
Everything in the game is merely a list of data - object type, stats, position, vector, state/animation etc. How that looks graphically is down to the client. EVE's concurency *is* impressive since it implies they have a server farm capable enough to access a single database at high speed .
In contrast, the idea behind seperate "realms" (like WoW) is to limit the size of each database for speed purposes.
The bigger the database, the more entities it contains and the longer it takes to cycle through each one and update them. So WoW's server farm contains lots of smaller databases. I would expect it makes maintenance and backup easier.
Of course, this is just a rough impression - there's a myriad of ways to design such systems but you'd probably find something akin to the above if you ever went to work for either company, I'd guess.
I feel that half the problem in file management (i.e. search and retreival) lies in metadata. With the right metadata attached to each file, classification, organisation and search becomes far, far easier. The problem lies in who the metadata is generated and stored.
For example, I'm building a specific CRM/Helpdesk hybrid thingy (technical term!) to replace our current system and massively bloated spreadsheets. Now because it's work based there's no issue in forcing some minor metadata to be supplied each time one of us submits or updates a document. But such an intrusion would not be welcome everytime you upload your photos or save a letter would it?
Existing stuff like Google Desktop Search, Beagle and Spotlight use file attributes and in certain cases an understanding of a particular file type (PDFs, DOC etc) to build up a metadata database.
Love 'em or hate 'em (easy choice!) but I was quite excited by MS's WinFS concept when they first mentioned it. That it did away with traditional folder structures and was based purely on metadata. It was a fantastic idea - not exactly new but certainly and idea ready for the desktop. Of course that's flopped spectacurlarly since.
So where to next? Native metadata support will need new software, new filesystems and new user memes to be successful. But I believe you're right - what good is 20TB of data if you can't find that photo you're looking for?
Utter garbage! Playing Doom for 9 hours a day all of the last 12 years hasn't had any effect on me!....Oohh, someones at my door. Sorry people - I gotta go get my chainsaw....Hmm...looks like I need a bigger freezer too...ho hum...
Left hand insists on bundling root kits, backing the *IAAs and curtailing purchasers rights wherever possible in the pursuit of profit.
Right hand wants you to freely copy from everyone else - assuming any kind of truth to these rumours. Bear in mind we've seen thus kind of U-turn before with MP3 players.
Either Sony are just too branched out to figure out a consistent stance on digital media and copyright or they're so old and cumbersome that they're beginning to suffer from the corporate equivalent of schizophrenia. It bothers me only a little since I now boycott Sony thanks to the whole rootkit issue. I can understand the need for "light-touch" DRM (Fairplay etc.) but *any* DRM opens a door that we don't want opened and Sony's antics convinced me of that.
Besides all that, despite the high quality of the screen, I can't really see myself using any kind of handheld to play video on the go. Squinting at a tiny screen on the train seems somewhat pointless to me. Of course, that's just my take on it.
Ok, ok...Bare with me here as I take you on a fantastic journey to the land of make believe...
What is Google's biggest threat? Microsoft. (Not that they'd admit it..) What is Microsoft's source of power? Money and Marketshare (replace with "Monopoly" as appropriate). What's the basis for this? Desktop share and Public ignorance of alternatives.
What is Google's power? Branding. Search engine aside, Google is riding a wave of buzz!
Sooooo...A link to a Google branded OS on the main search page...possible follow-up links to Ubuntu or other FOSS sites... Come next upgrade cycle, more users turn to non-Windows operating systems...
Depends on the reliability of your AV and how well it's monitored (i.e. Can you identify any non-protected machines quickly) as the Virus attempts to disable AV software. Remember - there's always a nice window of opportunity between a virus doing the rounds and your AV software being updated to detect it. In this specific example, it'd only need one infected machine with access to some general shares to cause havoc come Feburary 3rd. Just one machine. AV won't stop a standard "Delete" command coming from an authenticated workstation.
You're very likely perfectly safe. But never assume anything...:D
As regards to backup, well, I'd never let users be responsible for backups anyway. That should be taken care of automatically - either to tape or secure off-site server storage (and preferably non-windows based) on a very regular basis. Relying on users for any part of data security is A Bad Thing (TM). It's not their fault, but they inverably make dangerous and costly mistakes.
Besides, you just *know* that their gonna copy the contents of their home directories to their workstation harddrives and then wonder how their files got deleted from both locations anyway....
A fine would be nice and dandy if it prevented further monoplistic practices, sure. But the trouble is, MS' monopoly is already in place. A fine isn't going to do that.
Face it, in most US anti-trust trials the common result is for a company to be broken up. But that didn't happen. Well it's the same here in the EU. But since MS is not an EU company, different restrictions need to be applied.
As for not doing business, that's exactly what this is about. The EU have said that MS can take it or leave it. If MS wanted to, they could forgo the whole thing. But then they would not be allowed to do business in Europe (33% of Microsoft's business I beleive).
This is about admitting to power. Does the EU say "Oohh, you've been naughty - have a slap on the wrist but carry on" because they're scared of losing MS or do they say "No. Can't do that it's wrong. From now on tow the line or you're out" and thereby showing that the *Government* is in charge, not the company?
Ahh..I'm getting worked up..spent too long building Windows servers today..just gloss over this one...
Is it me or does it seem that Jonathan Todd (or whoever brought the sourcecode problem to light) is actually aware of the priciples invoved in programming? That documentation of the protocols is more important than arbitraty source code? And that to allow the punishemnt to work (break a portion of MS' monopoly, in this case network protocols) there needs to be no hidden strings. 'Cos documentation would be far safer for FOSS projects than the actual source code...
Woo...Scary..I mean, an enlightened beauracrat? What's the world coming to?
Let's see. Um..Microsoft has been convicted of Anti-Trust practices. I.E standing in the way of fair competition and unfairly abusing their monopoly position. So no. Considering that they already have "an unfair advantage" this ruling is intended to help level the playing field. You can't honestly believe that having any one corporate entity hold the keys to a market as vital as IT is a good thing?
Now if this was a judgement passed on some smaller, peripheral company then I'd agree with you. But it's not. So I don't.
Great. And I just bought the nasty pink version for my Girlfriend just before Christmas...I swear she's collecting these things. Ah well...
So it's gonna cost more than the standard version? Hmm...but will they drop the price of the original (assuming they have any left in stock) like the did when the GBA SP came out?
Yes. Not bad going for reverse engineering a deliberatley obsfucated and poorly documented proprietary set of protocols plus an open standard security protocol that was subtley altered and therefore incompatible with other standard implementations.
Yep. Pretty good job for something that was done completely voluntarily.
Sheesh...
If there was ever a word that resisted discreet categorisation it's "Art". Art is such a sliding scale it would be immensly foolish to say whether games are art or not. Is a play a piece of art? Is a moving mechanical construct art? Where do you draw the line between art, artistry and simple aesthetics?
The amount of time and effort wasted by people trying to pin down the definition of something that, by it's very nature, is personal and massively subjective is astounding. Really - for every work of art that the majority agrees on (Old masters such as the works of DaVinci or Constable) there are an equal number of disputed pieces. Let me cut a cow in half and stick it in a fish tank as a way of example....
Anything that requires creativity - the use of imagination and innovation over the use of rules and procedures - has the elements of art. Whether it can be truly called "A work of art" is entirely down to the individual experiencing the final piece.
My personal view? As far as games go, no. I don't think most games are works of art. Most games. However there are some games where the aesthetic sense is the key point, where narrative (interactive or otherwise) is so tightly woven that the simple mechanics of the game are forgotten. Two examples that come to mind are ICO (Such a beautiful game!) and it's unofficial sequel, Shadow of the Collossus (as morally ambiguous as many great novels). The emotional impact on me from those games is great - as great as a poem or a stirring song. So I feel they are Art.
Games are a new medium, no doubt. And a lot of them are cookie-cutter copies, bland, formulaic, mechanical. But whether the rare gems that stand out are actually works of art is a personal decision and one that each player should decide for his or herself. Certainly it's not a decision that should be made for you.
If that's a true response (i.e. not someone masquerading as Mr Thompson) then he shows an astounding lack of human compassion and a worringly sociopathic streak.....
Not of great interest (for obvious reasons) but OS X is actually an open-source/proprietary hybrid. A large part of the underlying system (kernel in particular) is indeed open-source - check out the Darwin Project. It's then polished with the proprietary Aqua interface and it's associated APIs.
The rest of your comment not withstanding (plenty of points to digest there), I think you underestimate the potential of a novel controller method. Yes, it could be duplicated by the other consoles but you have to remember - *all* Revolutions will have this controller.
Historically, peripherals on consoles don't do too well. Why is a developer going to make a game require a specific peripheral when they can't guarantee everyone will have it? You have x number of consoles to sell too but only a few of them will have SuperWidgityControllerDooDad which drastically reduces your potential market on that platform.
So while I somewhat agree with you (Nintendo's success is as much due to the others messing up as to their own quality of games/consoles), don't be so quick to discount the potential of breaking the mould (I dislike the word "innovation" - it's been abused far to much recently...).
The "Automatic Code Generation" is a slight misnomer. It would be better to think of it as "Semi Automatic Code Generation". (Mental image...hehe).
It's just a part of the system that can *if you so desire* generate basic classes and parts of an MVC system by inspecting your database. It's basic and is designed to give you something to work with while you build the actual application you want.
The real strength of the Rails framework is the various support libraries and the way it gently encourages you to follow specific coding conventions (Hungarian notation fans, run for the hills!). If anything, this not only speeds development but makes maintenance a breeze - Ruby is a very readable language when not abused.
Hmm...that does all sound a bit fan-boyish, doesn't it? Well, I'm a PHP convert to Ruby and I have to say I wish I'd decided to take a look sooner.
Short answer - Rails systems are probably more maintainable than your average ASP/PHP system.
Although mostly true, certain games and game types just don't play well on a console.
The console versions of The Sims nowhere near match their PC counterparts. The sheer amount of storage required for all the expansions, for example, and save files. Not to mention mouse control.
Of course, you could just not play the damn game...:P
PCs are (on average) more powerful, with more memory, and better controls for particular game genres.
No no no...You're not supposed to pick at the huge inconsistency in my historically inaccurate and nonsensical post. You were supposed to post something like...ur...
"Snow? Snow? Back in the metazoic era we had to wade through 20 miles of tar and swampland just to reallign the other stone circles! Now that's proper data transport!"
See? It's total bollocks but that's OK! You low IDs are always lording it over us latecomers like were ignorant kids or the like. I'm telling my [Insert parental figure here] on you!
Bah...you've ruined it now...I'm feeling inclined to be serious and actually do some work. Spoilsport...;)
(And after that complete bout of lunacy, I fully expect my next post to be made from within a rubber room...)
Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you! You like tight black leathers... And belong in a zoo!..........OK..I'm really sorry..don't know what came over me..I'll climb back in my box now...
Slashdot Mirror
Simple really - because OS X is still lacking in certain software.
...Hang on...Did I just use the words "performance" and "windows" in the same sentence? I need more sleep....
The OS is great. Really. The hardware is a bit overpriced, yes but let's face it, it *is* oh so desirable!
But there is still a ton of software out there that doesn't come in OS X flavour. Notably games.
And to get the absolute maximum performance for Windows games, you'd want to dual-boot, not use some VMware system.
I find it somewhat worrying. It's an index, right? It's not the infringing content per se, but a list of where such content could be found. Morally, pointing the way to some of this content is wrong...but what law is it breaking?
Look at it another way. Let's say I've learnt of someone who gives away burnt CDs. I don't have any myself but but I'm fully aware of how to contact this guy and get freebies. So in conversation I let other's know too. I'm not forcing anyone to do anything and although it may be immoral not to turn the guy in, I'm fully within my rights to share what I know. I'm basically indexing this guy's contact details for other people to obtain. How they use those details is beyond my control.
Shakey analogy aside, where does protecting copyright end? Shall we go close down a library because a few of the books describe how to perform an illegal act (Shock! Horror! This book describes how someone murdered an innocent! No!)?
Or am I just getting pissed off and ranting? Probably both to be honest...
The numbers - they make me sleepy...
:D
But note that the article mentions the growth of both Linux _and_ Windows. This is really about the ongoing decline of pure UNIX mainfarmes - something we've all been aware of for years.
The fact that Windows OS now outnumbers UNIX boxes is neither suprising nor noteworthy. They've been chipping away at the server market for ages. Bound to happen eventually.
But what I would be more interested in is out of all these switchers, what's the ratio that switch to Linux compared to Windows? Linux growth is faster (Upgrades along the Windows path don't count, we're talking complete platform migration) I believe. But naturally the title of the article gives enough bias to encourage readers to miss that little tidbit. Or maybe using the phrase "Windows beats Unix" is the journalistic equivalent of shouting "Fire!" when it comes to grabbbing attention...
Just a note - World of Warcraft has 2 graphical engines - an OpenGL based one and a DirectX based one. Mac version only contains the OpenGL version, the Windows build defaults to DirectX but can be switched to OpenGL.
There are two seperate engines/set of procedure calls so there's no "translation" overhead.
Yes, and I wasn't disagreeing with that.
The point I was making is that you can't make assumptions on the requirements of the server based on the graphical presentation of of the game because the server crunches the numbers, processes the rules and handles connections only. The actual visual rendering and user interaction is handled by the client.
In summary - the look and graphics of an MMO are not particularly related to the server-side requirements.
My fault - I was rambling on.
Some metadata is transparent. After all MIME/File type is a piece of metadata present in every file. Even if some OSes have to rely on file extensions. Yes, I'm talking to you my monolithic friend....
I don't think metadata is a lost cause. I think it's the future. The point I was arguing is how to hide it from the user. You're right - the system needs to be better able to supply extra metadata itself. Having MP3s automatically embellished with CDDB info is a fantastic idea. There also needs to be better ways of applying this information. Even the GUI hand holding of OS X seperates out "browsing" from "searching"
It will be a long time and a dramatic change before manual folder filing and hierachial filesystems get superseded but I still beleive it's worth persuing these other options. Of course, flipside is *we* still need to be in control, not the system.
I'd have to disagree.
Rendering terrain (or not) is a function of the game client and has no effect server-side.
Everything in the game is merely a list of data - object type, stats, position, vector, state/animation etc. How that looks graphically is down to the client.
EVE's concurency *is* impressive since it implies they have a server farm capable enough to access a single database at high speed .
In contrast, the idea behind seperate "realms" (like WoW) is to limit the size of each database for speed purposes.
The bigger the database, the more entities it contains and the longer it takes to cycle through each one and update them. So WoW's server farm contains lots of smaller databases. I would expect it makes maintenance and backup easier.
Of course, this is just a rough impression - there's a myriad of ways to design such systems but you'd probably find something akin to the above if you ever went to work for either company, I'd guess.
Off topic so be warned!
I feel that half the problem in file management (i.e. search and retreival) lies in metadata. With the right metadata attached to each file, classification, organisation and search becomes far, far easier. The problem lies in who the metadata is generated and stored.
For example, I'm building a specific CRM/Helpdesk hybrid thingy (technical term!) to replace our current system and massively bloated spreadsheets. Now because it's work based there's no issue in forcing some minor metadata to be supplied each time one of us submits or updates a document. But such an intrusion would not be welcome everytime you upload your photos or save a letter would it?
Existing stuff like Google Desktop Search, Beagle and Spotlight use file attributes and in certain cases an understanding of a particular file type (PDFs, DOC etc) to build up a metadata database.
Love 'em or hate 'em (easy choice!) but I was quite excited by MS's WinFS concept when they first mentioned it. That it did away with traditional folder structures and was based purely on metadata. It was a fantastic idea - not exactly new but certainly and idea ready for the desktop. Of course that's flopped spectacurlarly since.
So where to next? Native metadata support will need new software, new filesystems and new user memes to be successful. But I believe you're right - what good is 20TB of data if you can't find that photo you're looking for?
Utter garbage! Playing Doom for 9 hours a day all of the last 12 years hasn't had any effect on me! ....Oohh, someones at my door. Sorry people - I gotta go get my chainsaw. ...Hmm...looks like I need a bigger freezer too...ho hum...
Hypocrisy or just plain ignorance?
Left hand insists on bundling root kits, backing the *IAAs and curtailing purchasers rights wherever possible in the pursuit of profit.
Right hand wants you to freely copy from everyone else - assuming any kind of truth to these rumours. Bear in mind we've seen thus kind of U-turn before with MP3 players.
Either Sony are just too branched out to figure out a consistent stance on digital media and copyright or they're so old and cumbersome that they're beginning to suffer from the corporate equivalent of schizophrenia.
It bothers me only a little since I now boycott Sony thanks to the whole rootkit issue. I can understand the need for "light-touch" DRM (Fairplay etc.) but *any* DRM opens a door that we don't want opened and Sony's antics convinced me of that.
Besides all that, despite the high quality of the screen, I can't really see myself using any kind of handheld to play video on the go. Squinting at a tiny screen on the train seems somewhat pointless to me. Of course, that's just my take on it.
...It's a masterplan step?
Ok, ok...Bare with me here as I take you on a fantastic journey to the land of make believe...
What is Google's biggest threat? Microsoft. (Not that they'd admit it..)
What is Microsoft's source of power? Money and Marketshare (replace with "Monopoly" as appropriate).
What's the basis for this? Desktop share and Public ignorance of alternatives.
What is Google's power? Branding. Search engine aside, Google is riding a wave of buzz!
Sooooo...A link to a Google branded OS on the main search page...possible follow-up links to Ubuntu or other FOSS sites... Come next upgrade cycle, more users turn to non-Windows operating systems...
*Sigh* Well, I can dream, can't I?
That's a loaded question! Woo...
:D
Depends on the reliability of your AV and how well it's monitored (i.e. Can you identify any non-protected machines quickly) as the Virus attempts to disable AV software. Remember - there's always a nice window of opportunity between a virus doing the rounds and your AV software being updated to detect it. In this specific example, it'd only need one infected machine with access to some general shares to cause havoc come Feburary 3rd. Just one machine. AV won't stop a standard "Delete" command coming from an authenticated workstation.
You're very likely perfectly safe. But never assume anything...
As regards to backup, well, I'd never let users be responsible for backups anyway. That should be taken care of automatically - either to tape or secure off-site server storage (and preferably non-windows based) on a very regular basis. Relying on users for any part of data security is A Bad Thing (TM). It's not their fault, but they inverably make dangerous and costly mistakes.
Besides, you just *know* that their gonna copy the contents of their home directories to their workstation harddrives and then wonder how their files got deleted from both locations anyway....
Damn, I'm cynical on a Monday!
Yeah. Fine them. Because that solves the problem.
A fine would be nice and dandy if it prevented further monoplistic practices, sure. But the trouble is, MS' monopoly is already in place. A fine isn't going to do that.
Face it, in most US anti-trust trials the common result is for a company to be broken up. But that didn't happen. Well it's the same here in the EU. But since MS is not an EU company, different restrictions need to be applied.
As for not doing business, that's exactly what this is about. The EU have said that MS can take it or leave it. If MS wanted to, they could forgo the whole thing. But then they would not be allowed to do business in Europe (33% of Microsoft's business I beleive).
This is about admitting to power. Does the EU say "Oohh, you've been naughty - have a slap on the wrist but carry on" because they're scared of losing MS or do they say "No. Can't do that it's wrong. From now on tow the line or you're out" and thereby showing that the *Government* is in charge, not the company?
Ahh..I'm getting worked up..spent too long building Windows servers today..just gloss over this one...
Is it me or does it seem that Jonathan Todd (or whoever brought the sourcecode problem to light) is actually aware of the priciples invoved in programming? That documentation of the protocols is more important than arbitraty source code? And that to allow the punishemnt to work (break a portion of MS' monopoly, in this case network protocols) there needs to be no hidden strings. 'Cos documentation would be far safer for FOSS projects than the actual source code...
Woo...Scary..I mean, an enlightened beauracrat? What's the world coming to?
I'm gonna go hide under my bed now...
I do hope that's sarcasm.
Let's see. Um..Microsoft has been convicted of Anti-Trust practices. I.E standing in the way of fair competition and unfairly abusing their monopoly position. So no. Considering that they already have "an unfair advantage" this ruling is intended to help level the playing field. You can't honestly believe that having any one corporate entity hold the keys to a market as vital as IT is a good thing?
Now if this was a judgement passed on some smaller, peripheral company then I'd agree with you. But it's not. So I don't.
Great. And I just bought the nasty pink version for my Girlfriend just before Christmas...I swear she's collecting these things. Ah well...
So it's gonna cost more than the standard version? Hmm...but will they drop the price of the original (assuming they have any left in stock) like the did when the GBA SP came out?
Yes. Not bad going for reverse engineering a deliberatley obsfucated and poorly documented proprietary set of protocols plus an open standard security protocol that was subtley altered and therefore incompatible with other standard implementations. Yep. Pretty good job for something that was done completely voluntarily. Sheesh...
If there was ever a word that resisted discreet categorisation it's "Art".
Art is such a sliding scale it would be immensly foolish to say whether games are art or not. Is a play a piece of art? Is a moving mechanical construct art? Where do you draw the line between art, artistry and simple aesthetics?
The amount of time and effort wasted by people trying to pin down the definition of something that, by it's very nature, is personal and massively subjective is astounding. Really - for every work of art that the majority agrees on (Old masters such as the works of DaVinci or Constable) there are an equal number of disputed pieces. Let me cut a cow in half and stick it in a fish tank as a way of example....
Anything that requires creativity - the use of imagination and innovation over the use of rules and procedures - has the elements of art. Whether it can be truly called "A work of art" is entirely down to the individual experiencing the final piece.
My personal view? As far as games go, no. I don't think most games are works of art. Most games. However there are some games where the aesthetic sense is the key point, where narrative (interactive or otherwise) is so tightly woven that the simple mechanics of the game are forgotten. Two examples that come to mind are ICO (Such a beautiful game!) and it's unofficial sequel, Shadow of the Collossus (as morally ambiguous as many great novels). The emotional impact on me from those games is great - as great as a poem or a stirring song. So I feel they are Art.
Games are a new medium, no doubt. And a lot of them are cookie-cutter copies, bland, formulaic, mechanical. But whether the rare gems that stand out are actually works of art is a personal decision and one that each player should decide for his or herself. Certainly it's not a decision that should be made for you.
I believe JT posted a reply on Gamingpolitics.com - he appears to frequent the site.
I actually came across this story earlier today via Ctrl-Alt-Del. You may want to check out http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/news.php?i=969 and follow the links.
If that's a true response (i.e. not someone masquerading as Mr Thompson) then he shows an astounding lack of human compassion and a worringly sociopathic streak.....
Not of great interest (for obvious reasons) but OS X is actually an open-source/proprietary hybrid. A large part of the underlying system (kernel in particular) is indeed open-source - check out the Darwin Project. It's then polished with the proprietary Aqua interface and it's associated APIs.
OSS and Apple, sitting in a tree.....
Just one remark:
The rest of your comment not withstanding (plenty of points to digest there), I think you underestimate the potential of a novel controller method. Yes, it could be duplicated by the other consoles but you have to remember - *all* Revolutions will have this controller.
Historically, peripherals on consoles don't do too well. Why is a developer going to make a game require a specific peripheral when they can't guarantee everyone will have it? You have x number of consoles to sell too but only a few of them will have SuperWidgityControllerDooDad which drastically reduces your potential market on that platform.
So while I somewhat agree with you (Nintendo's success is as much due to the others messing up as to their own quality of games/consoles), don't be so quick to discount the potential of breaking the mould (I dislike the word "innovation" - it's been abused far to much recently...).
The "Automatic Code Generation" is a slight misnomer. It would be better to think of it as "Semi Automatic Code Generation". (Mental image...hehe).
It's just a part of the system that can *if you so desire* generate basic classes and parts of an MVC system by inspecting your database. It's basic and is designed to give you something to work with while you build the actual application you want.
The real strength of the Rails framework is the various support libraries and the way it gently encourages you to follow specific coding conventions (Hungarian notation fans, run for the hills!). If anything, this not only speeds development but makes maintenance a breeze - Ruby is a very readable language when not abused.
Hmm...that does all sound a bit fan-boyish, doesn't it? Well, I'm a PHP convert to Ruby and I have to say I wish I'd decided to take a look sooner.
Short answer - Rails systems are probably more maintainable than your average ASP/PHP system.
Although mostly true, certain games and game types just don't play well on a console.
:P
The console versions of The Sims nowhere near match their PC counterparts. The sheer amount of storage required for all the expansions, for example, and save files. Not to mention mouse control.
Of course, you could just not play the damn game...
PCs are (on average) more powerful, with more memory, and better controls for particular game genres.
No no no...You're not supposed to pick at the huge inconsistency in my historically inaccurate and nonsensical post. You were supposed to post something like...ur...
;)
"Snow? Snow? Back in the metazoic era we had to wade through 20 miles of tar and swampland just to reallign the other stone circles! Now that's proper data transport!"
See? It's total bollocks but that's OK! You low IDs are always lording it over us latecomers like were ignorant kids or the like. I'm telling my [Insert parental figure here] on you!
Bah...you've ruined it now...I'm feeling inclined to be serious and actually do some work. Spoilsport...
(And after that complete bout of lunacy, I fully expect my next post to be made from within a rubber room...)
Happy Birthday to you, .... ... ...OK..I'm really sorry..don't know what came over me..I'll climb back in my box now...
Happy Birthday to you!
You like tight black leathers...
And belong in a zoo!