Anywhere with an Amcom fibre connection. Of course for 10 Mbit/s uncapped you're paying $1,500. I'd hate to think what 100 MB/s costs.
Someone tell me why the NBN is not a good thing again and how Australian broadband is good enough because it's not getting through my 2 Mbit DSL at home.
Personally, if this is in fact a marketing stunt, I will -never- purchase from GOG again. Lying to your customers doesn't make them want to spend their money on your products.
Hey, this could be the Polish version of April Fools.
I hope it is a publicity stunt, no-one else will actually let me download the game install file or let me install it offline on multiple machines.
Not because of the no DRM thing, but because all they sold was old games. Those are going to have to be budget priced, of course, and are just not as popular.
This,
I think the most recent games they sold were before 2005, many of them were late early 90's. In addition to that many other services like Steam and Impulse sold the exact same products for pretty much the same price so the market was not only small, but highly competitive.
The timing of this is terrible for me, with the AUD being so high, I was about to make some purchases.
Unless they told their shareholders about this deal,
You think the shareholders care about that?
All shareholders care about is higher divs (well not APPL share holders, but they "Greed Different"). Why the hell would shareholders stop this if it wasn't illegal and enforced?
So another thing that I don't have proof but I'd be willing to bet on is that at Madarasaa's kids are groomed to get engineering degrees
First off, every Middle eastern school is not a breeding ground for terrorists. The overwhelming majority of Madrasah are just schools, in fact the word Madrasah is Arabic for school. Madrasah Islmiyyah is an Islamic school, there are four other main usages for Madrasah, Madrasah mah (public), Madrasah khah (private), Madrasah dniyyah (religious), Madrasah Jmiah (University).
Next thing, this is not a terrorist training thing, it's a third/developing world thing. Kids are pushed by their parents to get a good career and unlike in the west, engineer is seen as an excellent career. Engineers in the Mid East, India, Asia, Africa get a lot of money compared to average people, a lot of respect and a higher status in society. The push for a ME kid to become an engineer is mostly from his parents who need that kid to look after them in later life (same as India and SE Asia).
Literally generations of kids are being raised, most as cannon fodder, some for technical skills, and a small group as leaders.
Right, you're delusional.
Pantomime mode=on
LOOK BEHIND YOU, IT'S A TERRIST
Smug mode=on
Even so, I'm with the First Poster. He's got it exactly right. We can let machines do the counting if and when the machines are smart enough to vote and to care about those votes
No, yes, well yes and no.
Yes we still need humans to count but machines can help humans. Ultimately we need someone to sign off that the voting was legit as well as a paper trail. Voting machines can create a paper trail by printing out a slip and the voter putting that slip into a ballot box the old fashioned way. This allows for two methods of accountability, the old fashioned ballot box and the new electronic method. By random selection of say 50% of the electorates to be manually counted we can use machines to reduce the amount of labour yet maintain the same level of accuracy as well as leave sufficient evidence that can be investigated in all electorates if fraud is suspected in any electorate.
That is utterly correct. It's too late. Facebook has hit critical mass and Dispora is too late to the party.
Critical Mass does not equal a sustained reaction, only enough to generate a self sustained reaction. Facebook became popular, 2 years ago everyone was regularly on facebook playing farmville, Mafia Wars and what not so Critical Mass was achieved before dispora was even mentioned outside of/. Now days however most people I know on facebook check it once a month, no longer do I receive dozens of Mafia request, lost cows, poker chips and crappy crotchspawn videos on YouTube daily. Facebook is one bad interface change away from losing relevance as I have to wonder how many of those supposed 500 million users actually care if they never log on to their Facebook profile again. In other words, facebook has jumped the shark.
The most innovative use of Facebook I've seen lately is becoming the equivalent of DateInAsia without all the scams. Yes, I have a alt account where I'm friends with a bunch of Thai Girls and frankly, this account gets more time out of me then my real one (as well as is killing my already less then stellar English skills).
Out of court settlements don't create precedent. I'm no lawyer, but I'm certain of that. It's the functional equivalent of giving the bully your lunch money instead of fighting with him.
Indeed. Doubly so considering HTC are Taiwanese, not American.
I believe claims were also made over HTC's own software (HTC sense), I think HTC paid MS to go away and forget about the Linux stuff especially since MS haven't gone after Motorola (US, not Taiwanese so they'd make a great example).
Also, Taiwan is one of the only [_]COUNTRIES/[_]PROVINCES OF CHINA that you can legally reverse engineer Windows, so there may be some kernel of truth to MS's claims (I may be going into paranoid land here though).
Vendor lock in keeps you buying into the ecosystem.
There, fixed that for you.
Apple wants to tie you in to it's other products through any means necessary, this is why you need to buy a Mac to develop for an Iphone. Once you're at this point they need to keep you here and that is best achieved by making you have a large financial investment in the platform ($x in applications). This is the same MO we've seen with Microsoft in the past except Apple have gone one further, not only creating an increasing financial attachment to their ecosystem, they want you to create an emotional investment (commonly called fanboysim).
It's two different business models.
You're quite right here, except one is competitive and the other is abusive.
VMware (player anyway) uses a.bundle file that runs as a loki-style or windows-looking installer. You run sudo sh downloadedfile.bundle and a gui installer runs.
I was referring to VMware server and VMWare tools to be a bit more specific. VMWare tools has a rpm but no deb package so Debian based systems use the source.
And the poisonous spiders that hide in the dunnies. And the poisonous snakes that hide in your shoes. And the poisonous jellyfish that hide in your togs. And the poisonous crocodiles that hide in the sewers. By god, it's no wonder they drink so much.
Sharks that can follow you 200 KM on shore, the dreaded Hoop Snake not to mention the suicidal and deadly Koala Drop Bear.
As am I. I have more then a few games that run on Linux, despite that my gaming boxen still runs XP just for sheer simplicity. However my laptop (for travel) and my Media centre run Linux (Ubuntu and Mythbuntu respectively) for the exact same reason. Desktop Linux excels at simple tasks, torrents, web, email, chat, word processing, stuff makes up the entirety of computer use for 90% of people. So it's simpler to run Linux where possible because it does the job and hardly ever has problems.
My Laptop is on more then my gaming desktop, why? because my gaming desktop sounds like a jet engine (I use noise cancelling headphones) and my lappy is quiet as a mouse so if I leave something going overnight it's on the laptop.
Most people are too stupid to use windows correctly,
People that stupid cant figure out windows, they use rote memorisation. So they learn to click here, then here and then here regardless of what happens. People like this are the easiest to re-train to Linux as you just give them the same rote learning system that they used to learn Windows.
It's the people who think they know how to use computers but cant that art difficult, following your theory this is not most people. People like this will be a problem but their number is small.
Most people will switch to Linux when their employer makes them. End of story, most people wont have an issue adopting even without much training as Windows and Linux are very similar, they just _look_ different. From the end user perspective right click does the same thing, as does the red X. Most people aren't as dumb as you think they are (well at least not in AU).
Printer manufacturers are notorious for not updating drivers. Not just canon but almost all of them. I remember the trouble we had getting Vista drivers for a Konica Minolta C350 that we were paying good support money for (and they kept rabbiting on about upgrading to the C650 when I asked). Forget about 7 drivers, just try and hack in the Vista drivers, the words "She'll be right" are not something I like hearing from paid support personnel.
Every commercial Linux app I've seen has a deb available for Ubuntu/debian these days or at the very least a loki-type installer. Installing is as simple as double clicking on the file and typing in your password. Less of a hassle than Windows IMHO.
Not VMware, but if you're installing VMware on Linux your skill level is at a point where using./configure, make and make install makes windows seem like a hassle.
A lot of applications are being distributed as.deb's but in my experience this is a new thing, but so is desktop Linux. This kind of quick reaction is one of Linux' core strengths.
Google had all the leverage they needed over the carriers
Carriers in the US have a monopoly over what devices can and cant be used. CDMA networks will refuse to activate devices that are not sold via their own channels and the GSM telco's require custom hardware because they use non standard bands. You can buy an unlocked and unbranded HTC Desire, Samsung Galaxy S or any other Android 2100/900 device but you cant use it on a US carrier. Tell me again how this is Googles problem.
HINT: you cant.
Unlocked 2100/900 phones work on any network in Europe and Australia as well as most networks in Asia. Google doesn't need to control the carriers when it can just go around them. Why is it up to Google to fight a battle you aren't willing to.
And yet many carriers bought into, and still carry, they iPhone which allows none of that.
Right, I'll just bring an unlocked Iphone onto AT&T and try tethering. Whoops, I cant because Apple gave carriers the ability to disable that function remotely, completely independent of the handset.
Furthermore, Google could have allowed skinning without going so far as to allow the search engine to be replaced entirely with Bing!
Shock horror. Google allows customisations, it's not like you can install Google search from the market, or launcher pro...
no...
wait...
I can.
I'm sorry but this is utter bollocks, you dont have a clue about how Android works or how the OHA is pushing it.
But Google went whole hog the other way, letting carriers run amok after a promising start where it seemed like they would maintain a firm hand
You're ignorance is showing.
Here is an unbranded and unlocked HTC desire. It's half the cost of an Iphone, does more and can be used on any 2100/900 MHz network in the world...
What, you dont have one of those? Well I'm sorry, the problem isn't Android it's the way your carriers are set up. I have no problem buying this phone and using it on any network in Australia, Europe and most of Asia.
but cannot in good conscious support a model that I feel screws the market over so badly.
So you cant write for Iphone either?
You complain about Google not controlling the carriers (see link above, they went around them completely) but Apple climbed into bed with the carriers. There is no technological reason for preventing VOIP services over 3G nor is there any reason that Tethering has to be carrier controlled. With an android device, whether purchased from a carrier or from a store like Clove.co.uk I can tether on the Optus network in Australia, however if I buy an Iphone unlocked from the Apple store, I still have to pay a tethering fee to Optus if I want to use that function. Google is not in bed with carriers, Apple is, by giving carriers the ability to disable functions at the pipe rather then having to disable them on the OS (which an unlocked and unbranded phone gets around completely).
it also enables the CARRIER or vendor to 'comment out' stuff that we would want and adding crap to our screens that we do NOT want. and often you cannot change this, as its not really a 'portable pc' as people want to think. its still in a lock-down mode when it comes to your ability to do things with ALL 'google phones'.
google did not control the carriers. they made a huge mistake in this design aspect.
I can buy an unbranded and unlocked Android phone that has no carrier restrictions or programs and use it on almost any carrier in Australia, Asia and Europe. Google didn't control the carriers, it did an end run around them.
Stop going on about this crap, if there is a problem using an unlocked 2100/900 phone from Europe, that is a problem with the carriers in your nation are set up not with Android.
vendors are destroying the 'beauty' of the system. apple (I hate apple, btw) had it almost right when it controlled the carriers.
Contrary to popular opinion, Apple did not control the carriers. Apple climbed into bed with the carriers signing exclusivity deals and making changes to IOS to suit carrier needs (there is no technological reason why VOIP cant be sent over 3G, nor any reason for tethering to be carrier activated). Apple went backwards in a big way by making changes at the factory to suit carriers, With Android or any other phone, they are still limited to customising the OS image themselves.
As an Australian, I can buy a non carrier branded phone if I so desire and have it work on all three of Australia's (physical) networks (Optus, VHA and Telstra). With the Iphone, even if I buy one outright from an Apple store Optus still gets to say if I can or cannot tether (without paying) but if I buy the Samsung Galaxy S from Optus, I can tether with the built in application.
What prevents Americans from buying unbranded phones are the American carriers, no carrier operates a nationwide 2100 or 900 MHz network that will work with European/Asian unlocked handsets. Apple has done nothing to change this where as Google began selling unlocked developer handsets from the word go. Android is trying to break the vertical monopoly carriers have over software, hardware and service, Apple is doing nothing to help this. In fact by bowing to carrier demand to charge for tethering they are going in the completely opposite direction.
So stop fooling yourselves, Apples in bed with the carriers.
Three or four main distros each with three or four main desktop variants, each available in 64 bit, 32 bit, and who knows what else. To a newcomer, the choices are mind boggling.
But there are five or six main car manufacturers each with 9 or 10 different models available in Manual and Automatic with who knows how many colours. To a newcomer, the choices are mind boggling.
But there are three of four main cereal manufacturers each with three or four cereal variants each available in 200g, 400g and who knows what else. To a newcomer, the choices are mind boggling.
I sick of this excuse, the so called tyranny of choice. People find a way to pick what they want, the auto industry didn't implode under the tyranny of choice, there are more breakfast cereals then you could shake a fist at. If choice is bad why are there so many channels on TV...
Wait...
Because people want choice. Dell and HP are the largest computer retailers, both have masses of choice available and haven't been crushed by a vendor who only offers one or two models to choose from for just this reason. When you have a lot of choice, either people figure it out or the market figures it out, people to dumb to make up their own mind will just buy what's sold to them but most people can evaluate the strengths of 5 or 6 different choices with little difficulty, these people (the majority) should not be made to suffer because someone else doesn't like having to make their own decisions.
Android *is* open. Open for the carriers.
The users, not so much.
I can buy an Android phone, unlocked and unbranded with no such icons which will work on any network in Australia and most networks in Asia and Europe.
Android is not closed to the end user, America's telco system is closed to the end user. Please do not confuse the two.
I remember a short lived period from the late 90's where "interactive movies" tried to revive the adventure game. Wouldn't this be the same thing but with more footage?
So, basically I am for content creators having the right to monetize their work and against having an electronic cop in my TV room.
You make it sound as if these ideas are intrinsically intertwined.
Copyright is a social contract between me (the public) and the creator (artist) via the government that I permit them a time limited monopoly over their works in exchange that the works are released into the public domain after a reasonable amount of time. This was intended to spur creativity by allowing artists to fund their own works in the future.
If copyright actually had a reasonable time limit (no more then 20 years, I'd say 10 this day and age where content ages so quickly) it would be a fantastic thing.
Instead we have copyright as a legal cudgel used against average people and content creators for the profit of third party organisations who take no part in the actual creative process for an ever increasing length of time.
Until copyright is fixed and the content/media market forced to play by the same rules as any other market we will continue to have problems both from piracy and piracy prevention technologies because ultimately they are trying to solve a social problem with a technological solution because the social solution (giving up control) is unpalatable.
Slashdot Mirror
Anywhere with an Amcom fibre connection. Of course for 10 Mbit/s uncapped you're paying $1,500. I'd hate to think what 100 MB/s costs.
Someone tell me why the NBN is not a good thing again and how Australian broadband is good enough because it's not getting through my 2 Mbit DSL at home.
Hey, this could be the Polish version of April Fools.
I hope it is a publicity stunt, no-one else will actually let me download the game install file or let me install it offline on multiple machines.
This,
I think the most recent games they sold were before 2005, many of them were late early 90's. In addition to that many other services like Steam and Impulse sold the exact same products for pretty much the same price so the market was not only small, but highly competitive.
The timing of this is terrible for me, with the AUD being so high, I was about to make some purchases.
You think the shareholders care about that?
All shareholders care about is higher divs (well not APPL share holders, but they "Greed Different"). Why the hell would shareholders stop this if it wasn't illegal and enforced?
First off, every Middle eastern school is not a breeding ground for terrorists. The overwhelming majority of Madrasah are just schools, in fact the word Madrasah is Arabic for school. Madrasah Islmiyyah is an Islamic school, there are four other main usages for Madrasah, Madrasah mah (public), Madrasah khah (private), Madrasah dniyyah (religious), Madrasah Jmiah (University).
Next thing, this is not a terrorist training thing, it's a third/developing world thing. Kids are pushed by their parents to get a good career and unlike in the west, engineer is seen as an excellent career. Engineers in the Mid East, India, Asia, Africa get a lot of money compared to average people, a lot of respect and a higher status in society. The push for a ME kid to become an engineer is mostly from his parents who need that kid to look after them in later life (same as India and SE Asia).
Right, you're delusional.
Pantomime mode=on
LOOK BEHIND YOU, IT'S A TERRIST
Smug mode=on
No, yes, well yes and no.
Yes we still need humans to count but machines can help humans. Ultimately we need someone to sign off that the voting was legit as well as a paper trail. Voting machines can create a paper trail by printing out a slip and the voter putting that slip into a ballot box the old fashioned way. This allows for two methods of accountability, the old fashioned ballot box and the new electronic method. By random selection of say 50% of the electorates to be manually counted we can use machines to reduce the amount of labour yet maintain the same level of accuracy as well as leave sufficient evidence that can be investigated in all electorates if fraud is suspected in any electorate.
So the paper, much like the GP is full of shit.
Hey, here's an idea, people with their heads up their arses are more likely to make bad studies and conclusions. Where can I collect my fuNding.
Critical Mass does not equal a sustained reaction, only enough to generate a self sustained reaction. Facebook became popular, 2 years ago everyone was regularly on facebook playing farmville, Mafia Wars and what not so Critical Mass was achieved before dispora was even mentioned outside of /. Now days however most people I know on facebook check it once a month, no longer do I receive dozens of Mafia request, lost cows, poker chips and crappy crotchspawn videos on YouTube daily. Facebook is one bad interface change away from losing relevance as I have to wonder how many of those supposed 500 million users actually care if they never log on to their Facebook profile again. In other words, facebook has jumped the shark.
The most innovative use of Facebook I've seen lately is becoming the equivalent of DateInAsia without all the scams. Yes, I have a alt account where I'm friends with a bunch of Thai Girls and frankly, this account gets more time out of me then my real one (as well as is killing my already less then stellar English skills).
Indeed. Doubly so considering HTC are Taiwanese, not American.
I believe claims were also made over HTC's own software (HTC sense), I think HTC paid MS to go away and forget about the Linux stuff especially since MS haven't gone after Motorola (US, not Taiwanese so they'd make a great example).
Also, Taiwan is one of the only [_]COUNTRIES/[_]PROVINCES OF CHINA that you can legally reverse engineer Windows, so there may be some kernel of truth to MS's claims (I may be going into paranoid land here though).
There, fixed that for you.
Apple wants to tie you in to it's other products through any means necessary, this is why you need to buy a Mac to develop for an Iphone. Once you're at this point they need to keep you here and that is best achieved by making you have a large financial investment in the platform ($x in applications). This is the same MO we've seen with Microsoft in the past except Apple have gone one further, not only creating an increasing financial attachment to their ecosystem, they want you to create an emotional investment (commonly called fanboysim).
You're quite right here, except one is competitive and the other is abusive.
At GBP 370, that puts it about A$630 or just shy of being half the cost of an Iphone.
Cheaper and more functional, a bargain I say.
Thats approx 580 of your American Peso's.
I was referring to VMware server and VMWare tools to be a bit more specific. VMWare tools has a rpm but no deb package so Debian based systems use the source.
Sharks that can follow you 200 KM on shore, the dreaded Hoop Snake not to mention the suicidal and deadly Koala Drop Bear.
Strewth, it's time for me lunchtime beer.
As am I. I have more then a few games that run on Linux, despite that my gaming boxen still runs XP just for sheer simplicity. However my laptop (for travel) and my Media centre run Linux (Ubuntu and Mythbuntu respectively) for the exact same reason. Desktop Linux excels at simple tasks, torrents, web, email, chat, word processing, stuff makes up the entirety of computer use for 90% of people. So it's simpler to run Linux where possible because it does the job and hardly ever has problems.
My Laptop is on more then my gaming desktop, why? because my gaming desktop sounds like a jet engine (I use noise cancelling headphones) and my lappy is quiet as a mouse so if I leave something going overnight it's on the laptop.
People that stupid cant figure out windows, they use rote memorisation. So they learn to click here, then here and then here regardless of what happens. People like this are the easiest to re-train to Linux as you just give them the same rote learning system that they used to learn Windows.
It's the people who think they know how to use computers but cant that art difficult, following your theory this is not most people. People like this will be a problem but their number is small.
Most people will switch to Linux when their employer makes them. End of story, most people wont have an issue adopting even without much training as Windows and Linux are very similar, they just _look_ different. From the end user perspective right click does the same thing, as does the red X. Most people aren't as dumb as you think they are (well at least not in AU).
Printer manufacturers are notorious for not updating drivers. Not just canon but almost all of them. I remember the trouble we had getting Vista drivers for a Konica Minolta C350 that we were paying good support money for (and they kept rabbiting on about upgrading to the C650 when I asked). Forget about 7 drivers, just try and hack in the Vista drivers, the words "She'll be right" are not something I like hearing from paid support personnel.
Not VMware, but if you're installing VMware on Linux your skill level is at a point where using ./configure, make and make install makes windows seem like a hassle.
.deb's but in my experience this is a new thing, but so is desktop Linux. This kind of quick reaction is one of Linux' core strengths.
A lot of applications are being distributed as
Carriers in the US have a monopoly over what devices can and cant be used. CDMA networks will refuse to activate devices that are not sold via their own channels and the GSM telco's require custom hardware because they use non standard bands. You can buy an unlocked and unbranded HTC Desire, Samsung Galaxy S or any other Android 2100/900 device but you cant use it on a US carrier. Tell me again how this is Googles problem.
HINT: you cant.
Unlocked 2100/900 phones work on any network in Europe and Australia as well as most networks in Asia. Google doesn't need to control the carriers when it can just go around them. Why is it up to Google to fight a battle you aren't willing to.
Right, I'll just bring an unlocked Iphone onto AT&T and try tethering. Whoops, I cant because Apple gave carriers the ability to disable that function remotely, completely independent of the handset.
Shock horror. Google allows customisations, it's not like you can install Google search from the market, or launcher pro...
no...
wait...
I can.
I'm sorry but this is utter bollocks, you dont have a clue about how Android works or how the OHA is pushing it.
You're ignorance is showing.
Here is an unbranded and unlocked HTC desire. It's half the cost of an Iphone, does more and can be used on any 2100/900 MHz network in the world...
What, you dont have one of those? Well I'm sorry, the problem isn't Android it's the way your carriers are set up. I have no problem buying this phone and using it on any network in Australia, Europe and most of Asia.
So you cant write for Iphone either?
You complain about Google not controlling the carriers (see link above, they went around them completely) but Apple climbed into bed with the carriers. There is no technological reason for preventing VOIP services over 3G nor is there any reason that Tethering has to be carrier controlled. With an android device, whether purchased from a carrier or from a store like Clove.co.uk I can tether on the Optus network in Australia, however if I buy an Iphone unlocked from the Apple store, I still have to pay a tethering fee to Optus if I want to use that function. Google is not in bed with carriers, Apple is, by giving carriers the ability to disable functions at the pipe rather then having to disable them on the OS (which an unlocked and unbranded phone gets around completely).
I can buy an unbranded and unlocked Android phone that has no carrier restrictions or programs and use it on almost any carrier in Australia, Asia and Europe. Google didn't control the carriers, it did an end run around them.
Stop going on about this crap, if there is a problem using an unlocked 2100/900 phone from Europe, that is a problem with the carriers in your nation are set up not with Android.
Contrary to popular opinion, Apple did not control the carriers. Apple climbed into bed with the carriers signing exclusivity deals and making changes to IOS to suit carrier needs (there is no technological reason why VOIP cant be sent over 3G, nor any reason for tethering to be carrier activated). Apple went backwards in a big way by making changes at the factory to suit carriers, With Android or any other phone, they are still limited to customising the OS image themselves.
As an Australian, I can buy a non carrier branded phone if I so desire and have it work on all three of Australia's (physical) networks (Optus, VHA and Telstra). With the Iphone, even if I buy one outright from an Apple store Optus still gets to say if I can or cannot tether (without paying) but if I buy the Samsung Galaxy S from Optus, I can tether with the built in application.
What prevents Americans from buying unbranded phones are the American carriers, no carrier operates a nationwide 2100 or 900 MHz network that will work with European/Asian unlocked handsets. Apple has done nothing to change this where as Google began selling unlocked developer handsets from the word go. Android is trying to break the vertical monopoly carriers have over software, hardware and service, Apple is doing nothing to help this. In fact by bowing to carrier demand to charge for tethering they are going in the completely opposite direction.
So stop fooling yourselves, Apples in bed with the carriers.
But there are five or six main car manufacturers each with 9 or 10 different models available in Manual and Automatic with who knows how many colours. To a newcomer, the choices are mind boggling.
But there are three of four main cereal manufacturers each with three or four cereal variants each available in 200g, 400g and who knows what else. To a newcomer, the choices are mind boggling.
I sick of this excuse, the so called tyranny of choice. People find a way to pick what they want, the auto industry didn't implode under the tyranny of choice, there are more breakfast cereals then you could shake a fist at. If choice is bad why are there so many channels on TV...
Wait...
Because people want choice. Dell and HP are the largest computer retailers, both have masses of choice available and haven't been crushed by a vendor who only offers one or two models to choose from for just this reason. When you have a lot of choice, either people figure it out or the market figures it out, people to dumb to make up their own mind will just buy what's sold to them but most people can evaluate the strengths of 5 or 6 different choices with little difficulty, these people (the majority) should not be made to suffer because someone else doesn't like having to make their own decisions.
I can buy an Android phone, unlocked and unbranded with no such icons which will work on any network in Australia and most networks in Asia and Europe.
Android is not closed to the end user, America's telco system is closed to the end user. Please do not confuse the two.
I said it was short lived (and for a very good reason).
Shame about the adventure game though, I DO miss that genre.
Didn't we used to call those "Video Games"?
I remember a short lived period from the late 90's where "interactive movies" tried to revive the adventure game. Wouldn't this be the same thing but with more footage?
You make it sound as if these ideas are intrinsically intertwined.
Copyright is a social contract between me (the public) and the creator (artist) via the government that I permit them a time limited monopoly over their works in exchange that the works are released into the public domain after a reasonable amount of time. This was intended to spur creativity by allowing artists to fund their own works in the future.
If copyright actually had a reasonable time limit (no more then 20 years, I'd say 10 this day and age where content ages so quickly) it would be a fantastic thing.
Instead we have copyright as a legal cudgel used against average people and content creators for the profit of third party organisations who take no part in the actual creative process for an ever increasing length of time.
Until copyright is fixed and the content/media market forced to play by the same rules as any other market we will continue to have problems both from piracy and piracy prevention technologies because ultimately they are trying to solve a social problem with a technological solution because the social solution (giving up control) is unpalatable.