Random Thoughts Thread

[Ziggy]

There was one time where someone had managed over the course of a couple months to lift $30k worth of SD cards before he was caught.

So that's how you can find legit SD cards on eBay for super cheap.

[ZeroAX]

what if, like me, you regularly use both a Mac and PC daily?

oh I use both of them daily too. Heck I have them side by side on my desk. To me it's as stupid as console fanboysism or even religious zealotry . Why attack anyone for a personal choice?

This isn't politics where you coooouuuuuuld argue that the other's choice affects you, so you have a reason "fighting" for.

[lisalover1]

I'm a big OS enthusiast, so I love every OS for its differences. I have used Windows, Mac OS 9, Mac OS X, Amiga OS 4, BeOS/Haiku, dozens of Linux distros, UnixWare, FreeBSD, OS/2 Warp, and SunOS. It's fascinating to see how each one handles user interface, workflow, and utilities. It makes me really sad that the sheer amount of diversity in computers that we saw in the 80's and early 90's never carried over into modern times (Unless you add in mobile OSs). Does anyone think this diverse model would have been sustainable, given the growth of the home computer?

[Menegrothx]

I don't know about software, but atleast (more popular) games were often released on multiple platforms back then. Like the same game might be released on 5-10 different platforms, not counting any consoles or handhelds.

[lisalover1]

I don't know about software, but atleast (more popular) games were often released on multiple platforms back then. Like the same game might be released on 5-10 different platforms, not counting any consoles or handhelds.

There has been much maligning regarding the console/platform wars, much of it quite valid and deserved. However, I do still say such a division has its place for the exact reason you stated: Diversity. Back then, when each hardware platform was wildly different, each port of a game had its own quirks and exclusive features or audiovisual flourishes. I wholeheartedly believe that many works of art can only be made under restriction, and this is one of the best examples of this concept in action. I love seeing how each development team decided to portray, say, a port of an arcade title, which had far less restrictions in hardware. Said decisions show what each developer believed to be the most important aspects of the original, and which ones would be appropriate for the platform. If you still need a good practical study of how this plays out, just watch this video, comparing all the different ports of After Burner:

[isiolia]

Does anyone think this diverse model would have been sustainable, given the growth of the home computer?

Not as completely separate and different platforms, no. But, had the internet developed sooner/faster into something like we have today, I think the common ground that platforms have in it now would have allowed more of them to stick around. With how web-oriented most people's day-to-day usage is, anything that could keep up to date with standards there would remain viable. Arguably, we have a reemergence of that variety now if you count the spectrum of mobile OSes, or even embedded and console stuff.

[AppleQueso]

Would there be anything more hipster than an artsy indie rock band releasing an album exclusively on Phonograph Cylinder?

[fastbilly1]

Would there be anything more hipster than an artsy indie rock band releasing an album exclusively on Phonograph Cylinder?

so 2009:
http://hyperallergic.com/82804/after-ne ... w-release/

[AppleQueso]

Would there be anything more hipster than an artsy indie rock band releasing an album exclusively on Phonograph Cylinder?

so 2009:
http://hyperallergic.com/82804/after-ne ... w-release/

Yeah but that's a recording from 1979, I'm talking about a band writing, recording, and releasing music in the present day on one.

I can't think of anything more gimmicky.

...but it'd be a cool gimmick.

[Luke]

...but it'd be a cool gimmick.

Agreed, but it would be sales suicide.