Well, everyone has different experiences. I played Ultima 9 all the way through on that same machine with only 3-4 crashes, all of them just to the desktop.
But you're right about my not knowing how to run Windows. How do you run it? I tried typing
"man windows", and all it did was print an error.
If you accept the Big Bang theory, then there is a finite amount of time that the Universe in its current form has existed. Granted that it's possible for many technological civilizations to arise, perhaps we're just the first.
Maybe Java wouldn't be appropriate for writing the entire game engine, but it could be useful as a 'script interpreter'. The commercial game, Vampire: Masquerade used it in this way.
Yes, I tried the Homeworld demo. that came in a gaming magazine. Looked beautiful... for all of five minutes. Then it froze, requiring a reboot, which failed because the partition where it was installed had become corrupted, and ScanDisk crashed when it tried to fix it.
Yes, that was lots of fun. I think I ended up booting to Linux so I could recreate the partition.
Also, take a look at Loki's SDL newsgroup. There are a lot of new developers writing multiplatform games using SDL. Sure, the established game companies can't see a big enough market in Linux; but then, in my opinion, these companies aren't doing anything all that interesting anyway.
Linux has free, high-quality tools (GNU, SDL, OpenGL, CrystalSpace), and lots of hobbyists are using them. The PC gaming industry started with hobbyists (Richard Garriot and Roberta Williams come to mind) and that may be where its future lies.
My own recent experience is playing Gabriel Knight 3 under Windows, and Heroes of Might and Magic 3 under Linux:
The Windows game installed flawlessly upon inserting the disk. It started up fine, but it crashes at an early point in the game. And when it crashes, I have to reboot, just like in the DOS days of gaming.
The Linux game came with a GUI installer, but it didn't work on my SuSE 6.2 system. But the command-line script worked fine. Unfortunately, the game wouldn't run at all at first. But after downloading the latest patch from Loki's site, it worked perfectly. And it's never crashed.
So, for now, the choice is between a game that was easy to install, but crashes badly, and another that was hard to install, but runs perfectly. I prefer the latter; but I can see why lots of people don't even bother with PC gaming, and buy consoles.
Yes, he talks about what a pain it is to develop for the PC, because you have problems dealing with different brands of hardware. But isn't that what the operating system is supposed to take care of?
In other words, we're supposed to believe that the XBox will solve these problems; yet it's being produced by the same company that's promised, yet failed, to solve them in the past.
Is it really that much easier to create games under Windows?
Look at Loki. It seems like they're porting at least a half-dozen
games a year to Linux, and they're a small, privately-funded
startup.
...if they show a couple small lines on an LCD display, one for
the current minute, and a second, shorter one for the hour. Then
place the numbers 1-12 around the perimeter to represent the
hour, with 5 dots inbetween to represent minutes.
They could even put a little knob on the side; and when you pull
it out and turn it, you can set the time.
Lots of the suggestions, such as exercising, taking time off, getting married:-), are really good. Another one that often helps me when I'm stuck: If you can't work on a hard problem, work on an easy one. In other words, if you're not sure how to do something, but you're pretty sure that it will need, say, a hash table implementation that you don't already have, then work on the hash table. Do this long enough, and you'll have so many building blocks and tools that the overall problem might not look so overwhelming.
Yes, imagine the gullibility of someone who thinks they can get software for free! I keep seeing web pages that claim they'll give me an operating system, games, even a complete office suite, and that I can download them without paying a cent.
Class Mystring does NOT free its string. Good thing, too, since it doesn't make a copy of what's passed. It would be more robust if it made a copy and then deleted it on destruction; but it would also be a lot less efficient. The point is, you have to know how it acts internally, and you have to keep track of what you do with it.
Although I still prefer to program in C++ (I've just been doing it for far longer), I really appreciate the use of garbage collection. A LOT of messy logic and potential bugs simply disappear.
BTW, you can use GC with C++. I used the Boehm implementation on a fairly large project, and was quite happy with it.
You're right that it's a risky business. But how many of these do we need? Well, how many VCR's do we need? The answer is millions and millions. Many households have two or more.
I realize that $500 is too much for a mass-market device; but that's just the starting price. VCR's started out a lot more expensive, and now they're around $100.
Also, Intel does have a history of seeding the market to increase demand for their core product, microprocessors. They'd probably be quite happy if some other company saw that their design was good, but found a better way to produce something similar at a lower price.
Yes... When I interviewed for my current job, I made it clear to the hiring manager that I would do my development on Linux (or Unix) platforms. It was fine with him; but after a week I was transferred to a different manager, who's constantly chiding me (or threatening...) because I won't switch to Windows like the rest of his group. And we're developing Java! As another data point: I've got some HUGE java source files (automatically generated by another tool). On my Linux machine, each compiles in about 15 secs. with javac, or in 2 secs. with the jikes compiler. But the Windows machines, with equivalent hardware, take several minutes, and occassionally crash. And I'm working on these files all the time. Could this be why my coworkers are always working weekends, while I never do?
But, the online banking option is the only reason I use Quicken. Otherwise, a simple program like Gnucash for balancing checkbooks would be fine. In fact, I can't stand the usual Windows bloatware that Quicken represents. Besides, my bank provided Quicken for free.
Even worse, an owner of Ultima7 emailed EA, asking if he could use an alternate game engine with the U7 graphics files. He received the following response:
"Using technology from any Origin/Ultima title is an infringement of copyright laws. Thanks for inquiring, but I'm afraid allowing this is against our company policies."
Seems pretty laughable to think that 'technology' is covered by copyright laws.
Your are right; copyrighted material should be removed, even if it belongs to someone you don't like.
On the other hand, a copyright only protects the expression of an idea, not the idea itself. One should be able to write an original description of the specification, and repost it.
"a) Linux is not easy to use. Compile my kernel? hahaha "
Why do you have to compile your kernel? In the several years I've used Linux, I've only done this three times, and only because I'm a technogeek. Most people will just buy an upgraded distribution for $20 if they really need the latest.
"b) KDE and Gnome are ugly much of the time."
I just don't agree. I use KDE, and feel that both it and Gnome are better-looking than Windows. Windows users in my office seem to think my desktop looks pretty nice. Actually, all you really need is a nice background, which works for any GUI.
"e) Developing for multiple platforms at the same time is overhead."
You're assuming that development costs are the same for all platforms. I believe Linux is cheaper to develop for, not only because the tools are free, but because Linux itself is a better platform. Where I work, we have a large body of Java code. My Linux machine has no problem compiling all of in within 60 seconds; but the WinNT machines, with the same hardware, take 20 minutes. They also crash occasionally, but mine never does. So developing under Linux, then porting to Windows, may actually save time over developing on Windows.
Regarding the 'war' between ABC and Time/Warner: When governments reach a point where they can't resolve their conflicts, the result is often bombs dropped on each others' populations. When these two corportations reached that point, the result was missed television programs. My god!!
I had no trouble learning about the OS/2 API; there were plenty of books available. I also recall using EMX/GCC to write a game demo. using the DIVE (video) and DART (audio) API's, without having to buy anything. There was plenty of free stuff available for developing on OS/2, even if it wasn't official IBM.
But I do agree that OS/2 has had its day. While I'm not rabid about open-source, I do see OS/2 vs Linux as a good case study in why OSS is a good thing.
While Linux is my primary OS, I still keep an OS/2 v4 partition on one of my machines for playing my large collection of older DOS games. Remember when you had to worry about 'low memory' (that was in the first 640K), and things like EMS and XMS to get a game running? OS/2's DOS box is excellent at that sort of thing, FAR better even than Win95. As an example, I couldn't even get Quest for Glory 4 to install in Windows, but it installs and runs perfectly in Warp.
Perhaps he should get together with Roberta and Ken Williams, who were forced out of Sierra last year, and start a new company to create RPG and adventure games. I believe I read an interview with Roberta Williams where she praised R.G., and Sierra published at least one of the early Ultima's.
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But you're right about my not knowing how to run Windows. How do you run it? I tried typing "man windows", and all it did was print an error.
If you accept the Big Bang theory, then there is a finite amount of time that the Universe in its current form has existed. Granted that it's possible for many technological civilizations to arise, perhaps we're just the first.
Maybe Java wouldn't be appropriate for writing the entire game engine, but it could be useful as a 'script interpreter'. The commercial game, Vampire: Masquerade used it in this way.
Yes, that was lots of fun. I think I ended up booting to Linux so I could recreate the partition.
Linux has free, high-quality tools (GNU, SDL, OpenGL, CrystalSpace), and lots of hobbyists are using them. The PC gaming industry started with hobbyists (Richard Garriot and Roberta Williams come to mind) and that may be where its future lies.
The Windows game installed flawlessly upon inserting the disk. It started up fine, but it crashes at an early point in the game. And when it crashes, I have to reboot, just like in the DOS days of gaming.
The Linux game came with a GUI installer, but it didn't work on my SuSE 6.2 system. But the command-line script worked fine. Unfortunately, the game wouldn't run at all at first. But after downloading the latest patch from Loki's site, it worked perfectly. And it's never crashed.
So, for now, the choice is between a game that was easy to install, but crashes badly, and another that was hard to install, but runs perfectly. I prefer the latter; but I can see why lots of people don't even bother with PC gaming, and buy consoles.
In other words, we're supposed to believe that the XBox will solve these problems; yet it's being produced by the same company that's promised, yet failed, to solve them in the past.
Is it really that much easier to create games under Windows? Look at Loki. It seems like they're porting at least a half-dozen games a year to Linux, and they're a small, privately-funded startup.
They could even put a little knob on the side; and when you pull it out and turn it, you can set the time.
Lots of the suggestions, such as exercising, taking time off, getting married :-), are really good. Another one that often helps me when I'm stuck: If you can't work on a hard problem, work on an easy one. In other words, if you're not sure how to do something, but you're pretty sure that it will need, say, a hash table implementation that you don't already have, then work on the hash table. Do this long enough, and you'll have so many building blocks and tools that the overall problem might not look so overwhelming.
... Laura Bow 2: The Dagger of Amon Ra. Definitely a classic (despite being extremely buggy).
I'm not sure if Windows was their initial inspiration. The first time I tried KDE, I thought it was inspired by OS/2.
What sort of chump do they take me for?
You can only be confident if you know how Resource's destructor works. Maybe it doesn't free everything. Or even worse, maybe it frees too much.
Consider:
class Mystring {
char *str;
public:
Mystring(char *s) : str(s) { }
}
Class Mystring does NOT free its string. Good thing, too, since it doesn't make a copy of what's passed. It would be more robust if it made a copy and then deleted it on destruction; but it would also be a lot less efficient. The point is, you have to know how it acts internally, and you have to keep track of what you do with it.
Although I still prefer to program in C++ (I've just been doing it for far longer), I really appreciate the use of garbage collection. A LOT of messy logic and potential bugs simply disappear.
BTW, you can use GC with C++. I used the Boehm implementation on a fairly large project, and was quite happy with it.
I realize that $500 is too much for a mass-market device; but that's just the starting price. VCR's started out a lot more expensive, and now they're around $100.
Also, Intel does have a history of seeding the market to increase demand for their core product, microprocessors. They'd probably be quite happy if some other company saw that their design was good, but found a better way to produce something similar at a lower price.
Yes... When I interviewed for my current job, I made it clear to the hiring manager that I would do my development on Linux (or Unix) platforms. It was fine with him; but after a week I was transferred to a different manager, who's constantly chiding me (or threatening...) because I won't switch to Windows like the rest of his group. And we're developing Java!
As another data point: I've got some HUGE java source files (automatically generated by another tool). On my Linux machine, each compiles in about 15 secs. with javac, or in 2 secs. with the jikes compiler. But the Windows machines, with equivalent hardware, take several minutes, and occassionally crash. And I'm working on these files all the time. Could this be why my coworkers are always working weekends, while I never do?
Then try it with Loki's open-source SMPEG player; on my machine, it looks at least as nice as with the Windows player.
But, the online banking option is the only reason I use Quicken. Otherwise, a simple program like Gnucash for balancing checkbooks would be fine. In fact, I can't stand the usual Windows bloatware that Quicken represents. Besides, my bank provided Quicken for free.
Even worse, an owner of Ultima7 emailed EA, asking if he could
use an alternate game engine with the U7 graphics files. He received
the following response:
"Using technology from any Origin/Ultima title is an infringement of
copyright laws. Thanks for inquiring, but I'm afraid allowing this
is against our company policies."
Seems pretty laughable to think that 'technology' is covered
by copyright laws.
Your are right; copyrighted material should be removed, even
if it belongs to someone you don't like.
On the other hand, a copyright only protects the expression of
an idea, not the idea itself. One should be able to write an
original description of the specification, and repost it.
"a) Linux is not easy to use. Compile my kernel? hahaha "
Why do you have to compile your kernel? In the several years
I've used Linux, I've only done this three times, and only because
I'm a technogeek. Most people will just buy an upgraded
distribution for $20 if they really need the latest.
"b) KDE and Gnome are ugly much of the time."
I just don't agree. I use KDE, and feel that both it and Gnome
are better-looking than Windows. Windows users in my office
seem to think my desktop looks pretty nice. Actually, all you
really need is a nice background, which works for any GUI.
"e) Developing for multiple platforms at the same time is overhead."
You're assuming that development costs are the same for
all platforms. I believe Linux is cheaper to develop for, not
only because the tools are free, but because Linux itself is
a better platform. Where I work, we have a large body of
Java code. My Linux machine has no problem compiling all of
in within 60 seconds; but the WinNT machines, with the same
hardware, take 20 minutes. They also crash occasionally,
but mine never does. So developing under Linux, then
porting to Windows, may actually save time over developing
on Windows.
Regarding the 'war' between ABC and Time/Warner: When governments reach a point where they can't resolve their conflicts, the result is often bombs dropped on each others' populations. When these two corportations reached that point, the result was missed television programs. My god!!
I had no trouble learning about the OS/2 API; there were plenty
of books available. I also recall using EMX/GCC to write a
game demo. using the DIVE (video) and DART (audio) API's,
without having to buy anything. There was plenty of free stuff
available for developing on OS/2, even if it wasn't official IBM.
But I do agree that OS/2 has had its day. While I'm not rabid
about open-source, I do see OS/2 vs Linux as a good case
study in why OSS is a good thing.
While Linux is my primary OS, I still keep an OS/2 v4 partition on one of my machines for playing my large collection of older DOS games. Remember when you had to worry about 'low memory' (that was in the first 640K), and things like EMS and XMS to get a game running? OS/2's DOS box is excellent at that sort of thing, FAR better even than Win95. As an example, I couldn't even get Quest for Glory 4 to install in Windows, but it installs and runs perfectly in Warp.
Perhaps he should get together with Roberta and Ken Williams, who were forced out of Sierra last year, and start a new company to create RPG and adventure games. I believe I read an interview with Roberta Williams where she praised R.G., and Sierra published at least one of the early Ultima's.