Ok, so my title is definite flamebait/troll material, but the point is it's these exact reasons that Linux hasn't 'taken off' like it's supposed to (it seems like every year Slashdot has an article titled "The Year of Linux?").
I've read through the comments, and rather than actually take the criticism seriously, the two main points I keep coming across are:
a.) It's Microsoft's fault for not opening up their standards
b>) This guy's a moron for expecting Linux to interoperate perfectly with a proprietary company
Now, it may very well be the case that both of the above are true, but accusing someone who WANTS to use Linux of being a moron and passing the blame elsewhere doesn't really do a whole lot to win them to your cause.
I guess I'm defending the guy because I find myself in the same position. I'm no fan of Microsoft's business practices. I LIKE the principles behind FOSS and I WANT to use Linux and I've TRIED over the last 10 years or so as well, but every time I hit a killer bug and it gets to the point where it's just easier to go back. And I mean I've put serious effort into this.
So go on and ridicule this guy and ridicule me for our lack of patience and understanding of how software works, but it really doesn't do much to attract others to your platform. I often feel as though the "Linux Community" are like members of a missionary religion who actually prefer each other's company more than seeking out new believers and sharing the wonderful secret which they possess (in spite of what their leaders preach).
Instead of being snobby computing elitists, why not suggest a viable alternative for such a specific software problem (a different mail server/calendar program/whatever this guy needs). If one doesn't exist, then why not get together and write one? Don't be so defensive. Try to see it through his eyes. And if you're not willing to offer POSITIVE solutions then just don't expect Linux to ever take any larger market share than it has now.
Sorry for being so harsh, I woke up in an argumentative mood this morning.
I'm too lazy to find the stats to cite this fact, but I can't believe no one's mentioned it yet:
Something like 90% of the population of Canada lives within a 3 hour drive of the American border. Having grown up in the Niagara Region I know that I can get into downtown Buffalo in 30 minutes if the border crossing is quick.
Are they going to turn me away if I state that my reason for entering the country is to see the latest blockbuster 3 months early??
Unlike the West, China has a large PHYSICAL pirate presence.
The expense of paying for a computer and monthly broadband charges seems ridiculous when you can head to your local corner and pick up the latest software/cd/movie for less than a dollar.
I hadn't heard that, but it makes a lot of sense. After all, while it would produce more terror to blow up a Wal-mart in the Middle of Nowhere, USA that's certainly no where near as big or meaningful as the 9/11 attacks.
I was having a conversation with my friends about this and the other point they made was the 'human factor.' After all, if a suicide bomber is giving his life to a mission, I'm sure he'd rather go down in history as one of the guys who participated in 9/11 than one of the many dudes who blew up some wal-mart's across the country. Now, I realize that car bombs go off every day in Iraq, but like you said, it's the low-level terrorism that people sort of get used to. Even on the news now they report it as "another day of deadly attacks in Iraq - 2 carbombs, a shooting and one suicide bomber" - nowhere near they amount of coverage of 9/11. Now, I'm no psychologist, but I sense there's a little bit of egoism and megalomania in these guys...they wanna be heroes, they wanna be martyrs, they don't wanna be just some cannon fodder for some 'greater cause.'
My vote goes to the "Coffee? Tea? SEGA!" ads that were on TV during my Saturday morning cartoons in the mid-90s. I still have nightmares about those ones!
* Developer: Flying Lab Software
* Platform: PC
* MMO History: There's only one other pirate-themed MMO (Puzzle Pirates) out at the moment, so the way is clear for more; this is Flying Lab's first MMO release.
* About the Game: Set amid the high seas, Pirates of the Burning Sea lets players partake in naval combat against other players and NPCs. Players can side with one of three powers -- Britain, France and Spain -- to conquer the Caribbean. The game also supports piracy...
Finally! A developer listening to what players really want....
"If you look at this building, you can open the windows and get fresh air and natural light. Those things actually matter to people. Having a mahogany credenza does not." He laughs powerfully. "There are no mahogany credenzas here. There's no art on the walls.
Ok, now I agree that what is hanging on most office walls is an expensive waste of space, but by saying it in this way, it makes the guy sound like he's saying art doesn't matter to people. That's a ballsy statement that I would highly contest (just look at the uproar here on/. surrounding Ebert's comments as to whether video games are art).
I RTFA but didn't see any mention of hardware specs, so what did they use? What kind of disk can process that amount of information per second? Any speculations?
I have a feeling that if you tried hooking up my laptop, its 4200 rpm drive would pack up and walk out of the door, on principle alone;)
Oh man! There was this one RPG (I forget which one now) where this one guy had me take a package and then - get this - deliver it to a different guy! BEST. QUEST. EVER!
Hell yeah! I bought an Archos AV420 last spring and have never regretted it once. I was watching my ripped DVDs while riding trains and planes across europe before the iPod video prototype even existed!
There is really no excuse for any proper geek to own an iPod besides trying to look cooler than they actually are. iPods are overpriced and under-featured. There are many good mp3/mpg4 players which are much cheaper and provide far more functionality than the iPod. Of course they aren't designed with your grandma in mind, but anyone with even a little computer experience should be able to figure out how to use them properly. Some of my friends scoffed at mine until they saw that I was watching episodes of Family Guy during my lunch break:)
This is quite possibly the best idea I have read in a long time.
Unfortunately though, you know it will never fly. The distribution channels (be it *AA or the bigger game publishers, EA, Eidos, etc.) are like the horse and buggy makers, and they're all up in arms now that we want to travel around in automobiles. The only difference is that these horse and buggy makers are organized and have the governments in their pocket.
so you are equating playing this game to playing with children? and from the tone of it that's a bad thing?
i buy games to entertain myself in the precious 'free time' that i have available. if you want to enjoy your erudite, esoteric, frustrating games while patting yourself on the back for being so much cleverer than the rest of us, then be my guest. i plan to have FUN.
Oh that's right, the British left after the Indians deployed their elite tank and fighter jet forces...
The problem with violence is that it's not democratic. Even if it's coming from the underdog, it's still one party imposing its way on another. What the US needs isn't more violence (you've got enough) but some serious political reform.
From what I understand there's going to be a 'standard' controller setup for the Revolution as well, but it's not as if that's gonna be any more useful to a person with Parkinson's than the 'new' controller.
And by 'doing better things' I meant spending time with your family, seeing the world, doing the things you never got a chance to do. I really just can't picture a guy with Parkinson's sitting in his room and wishing that he could beat the latest rendition of Super Mario.
Slashdot Mirror
Ok, so my title is definite flamebait/troll material, but the point is it's these exact reasons that Linux hasn't 'taken off' like it's supposed to (it seems like every year Slashdot has an article titled "The Year of Linux?").
I've read through the comments, and rather than actually take the criticism seriously, the two main points I keep coming across are:
a.) It's Microsoft's fault for not opening up their standards
b>) This guy's a moron for expecting Linux to interoperate perfectly with a proprietary company
Now, it may very well be the case that both of the above are true, but accusing someone who WANTS to use Linux of being a moron and passing the blame elsewhere doesn't really do a whole lot to win them to your cause.
I guess I'm defending the guy because I find myself in the same position. I'm no fan of Microsoft's business practices. I LIKE the principles behind FOSS and I WANT to use Linux and I've TRIED over the last 10 years or so as well, but every time I hit a killer bug and it gets to the point where it's just easier to go back. And I mean I've put serious effort into this.
So go on and ridicule this guy and ridicule me for our lack of patience and understanding of how software works, but it really doesn't do much to attract others to your platform. I often feel as though the "Linux Community" are like members of a missionary religion who actually prefer each other's company more than seeking out new believers and sharing the wonderful secret which they possess (in spite of what their leaders preach).
Instead of being snobby computing elitists, why not suggest a viable alternative for such a specific software problem (a different mail server/calendar program/whatever this guy needs). If one doesn't exist, then why not get together and write one? Don't be so defensive. Try to see it through his eyes. And if you're not willing to offer POSITIVE solutions then just don't expect Linux to ever take any larger market share than it has now.
Sorry for being so harsh, I woke up in an argumentative mood this morning.
I'm too lazy to find the stats to cite this fact, but I can't believe no one's mentioned it yet:
Something like 90% of the population of Canada lives within a 3 hour drive of the American border. Having grown up in the Niagara Region I know that I can get into downtown Buffalo in 30 minutes if the border crossing is quick.
Are they going to turn me away if I state that my reason for entering the country is to see the latest blockbuster 3 months early??
Unlike the West, China has a large PHYSICAL pirate presence.
The expense of paying for a computer and monthly broadband charges seems ridiculous when you can head to your local corner and pick up the latest software/cd/movie for less than a dollar.
Note, I love American people. It's the corrupt government that I can't stand.
Why aren't you doing a better job of steering that path??
I hadn't heard that, but it makes a lot of sense. After all, while it would produce more terror to blow up a Wal-mart in the Middle of Nowhere, USA that's certainly no where near as big or meaningful as the 9/11 attacks.
I was having a conversation with my friends about this and the other point they made was the 'human factor.' After all, if a suicide bomber is giving his life to a mission, I'm sure he'd rather go down in history as one of the guys who participated in 9/11 than one of the many dudes who blew up some wal-mart's across the country. Now, I realize that car bombs go off every day in Iraq, but like you said, it's the low-level terrorism that people sort of get used to. Even on the news now they report it as "another day of deadly attacks in Iraq - 2 carbombs, a shooting and one suicide bomber" - nowhere near they amount of coverage of 9/11. Now, I'm no psychologist, but I sense there's a little bit of egoism and megalomania in these guys...they wanna be heroes, they wanna be martyrs, they don't wanna be just some cannon fodder for some 'greater cause.'
Just think how frustrated you get when you lose your keys at the moment...now imagine 16gb going missing with them!
no seriously, best thing i've ever read on /.
My vote goes to the "Coffee? Tea? SEGA!" ads that were on TV during my Saturday morning cartoons in the mid-90s. I still have nightmares about those ones!
Finally! A developer listening to what players really want....
From TFA:
/. surrounding Ebert's comments as to whether video games are art).
"If you look at this building, you can open the windows and get fresh air and natural light. Those things actually matter to people. Having a mahogany credenza does not." He laughs powerfully. "There are no mahogany credenzas here. There's no art on the walls.
Ok, now I agree that what is hanging on most office walls is an expensive waste of space, but by saying it in this way, it makes the guy sound like he's saying art doesn't matter to people. That's a ballsy statement that I would highly contest (just look at the uproar here on
Microsoft didn't "steal" the font, they "embraced and extended" it.
Don't believe me? Look at the Segoe "1"
I RTFA but didn't see any mention of hardware specs, so what did they use? What kind of disk can process that amount of information per second? Any speculations?
;)
I have a feeling that if you tried hooking up my laptop, its 4200 rpm drive would pack up and walk out of the door, on principle alone
Oh man! There was this one RPG (I forget which one now) where this one guy had me take a package and then - get this - deliver it to a different guy! BEST. QUEST. EVER!
I can just picture a giant Dalai Lama breathing fire and throwing his nobel peace prize at you...
Hell yeah! I bought an Archos AV420 last spring and have never regretted it once. I was watching my ripped DVDs while riding trains and planes across europe before the iPod video prototype even existed!
:)
There is really no excuse for any proper geek to own an iPod besides trying to look cooler than they actually are. iPods are overpriced and under-featured. There are many good mp3/mpg4 players which are much cheaper and provide far more functionality than the iPod. Of course they aren't designed with your grandma in mind, but anyone with even a little computer experience should be able to figure out how to use them properly. Some of my friends scoffed at mine until they saw that I was watching episodes of Family Guy during my lunch break
it starts with an earthquake....doesn't it? ;)
don't you mean dance dance revolution Revolution?
This is quite possibly the best idea I have read in a long time.
Unfortunately though, you know it will never fly. The distribution channels (be it *AA or the bigger game publishers, EA, Eidos, etc.) are like the horse and buggy makers, and they're all up in arms now that we want to travel around in automobiles. The only difference is that these horse and buggy makers are organized and have the governments in their pocket.
These days the cinema will be lucky to get 1% of ticket sales on a first-run, blockbuster-y film. At least for the first few weeks anyway...
so you are equating playing this game to playing with children? and from the tone of it that's a bad thing? i buy games to entertain myself in the precious 'free time' that i have available. if you want to enjoy your erudite, esoteric, frustrating games while patting yourself on the back for being so much cleverer than the rest of us, then be my guest. i plan to have FUN.
...I can then use my kock key...
;)
We're gonna let you get away with this one and write it off as a typo
"Our business does rely on Microsoft..."
Now if that doesn't set off warning bells...
Peaceful protest doesn't work.
Oh that's right, the British left after the Indians deployed their elite tank and fighter jet forces...
The problem with violence is that it's not democratic. Even if it's coming from the underdog, it's still one party imposing its way on another.
What the US needs isn't more violence (you've got enough) but some serious political reform.
3 articles in a row ending in a question mark?
Cliff should try being more creative with headlines?
From what I understand there's going to be a 'standard' controller setup for the Revolution as well, but it's not as if that's gonna be any more useful to a person with Parkinson's than the 'new' controller. And by 'doing better things' I meant spending time with your family, seeing the world, doing the things you never got a chance to do. I really just can't picture a guy with Parkinson's sitting in his room and wishing that he could beat the latest rendition of Super Mario.