http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/ Where intelligence meets technology... and gnomes en-us 3-10-10 6:38:19 3-10-10 6:38:19 PHPBB 2 RSS .01 No one can pretend to moderate GnomeLAN contact@gnomelan.com http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16290 [quote:3aff6cf865="SiliconCowboy"] I however will not withdraw the point that your initial argument was poor. Just because two things can communicate physically does not mean they are interoperable.[/quote:3aff6cf865] Ok I guess I just have to say it. You misinterpreted the intended meaning of my initial argument. Perhaps that was my fault for not being more verbose with my reasoning, but the argument was the same in that first post as it was in my last one. Network compatibility is not an issue between PCs and macs. [quote:3aff6cf865]To be truly compatible the applications network stack have to stay in sync, that means that anything that changes the network communication methods will need to be released at the same time. Meaning you can't treat Mac OS X as a secondary platform.[/quote:3aff6cf865] Which brings me to the next extrapolation of my argument, which is that any incompatibilities between mac and PC clients are almost certainly the result of developers not updating both applications concurrently. Valve can do absolutely nothing to fix that, and so those incompatibilities will remain, and have the same effect they've always had. [quote:3aff6cf865]Finding a list of games that meet this criteria would be too time consuming as I am a busy man. Work + Grad School + Consulting Projects.[/quote:3aff6cf865] So glad you could find the time to make all these posts. ;) [quote:3aff6cf865]Perhaps the fact the two can play together is being over-blow but Steam coming to the Mac is not. I believe it's safe to say that Steam is the single largest multi-game digital distribution platform (I'm going to ignore cell phone games as games). Valve is making it known that they feel there's value in bringing the Mac platform into the Steam community and that will encourage the other developers to follow suit.[/quote:3aff6cf865] You are correct that Steam is the largest digital distribution platform for PC games. However, they're still just a distributor. They do not carry the same influence as a full blown publisher, and so can not do much to direct the decisions of developers. Developers/publishers make the decision to support mac based on whether or not they think it is financially beneficial to put in the necessary development time. And even though Steam is the largest digital distribution platform, it's still small potatoes compared to brick and mortar retail. Meaning its influence is probably far less than those of us in the tech-geek crowd would like to think. [quote:3aff6cf865]Gaming on the Mac has been gaining steam slowly and this could be the boost it finally needs. The fact Mac computers are shipping with Video cards that are actually capable of half-decent rendering is also certainly a help. (The source engine should do especially well on it as it's always scaled well)[/quote:3aff6cf865] lol..."gaining steam". No pun intended right :D. But seriously, mac gaming has been just around the corner for well over a decade. It's going to take way more than Steam support to make it a serious contender. Like perhaps much more competitive pricing, and more quantifiable reasons for choosing OSX over Windows or Linux, since personal preference seems the only reason for 99% of computer users. 3-9-10 16:31:17 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16290#16290 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16289 Okay I will secede that inter-operability could be over-blown. Most of the games that have bothered to support OS X have made that a priority. I however will not withdraw the point that your initial argument was poor. Just because two things can communicate physically does not mean they are interoperable. To be truly compatible the applications network stack have to stay in sync, that means that anything that changes the network communication methods will need to be released at the same time. Meaning you can't treat Mac OS X as a secondary platform. Finding a list of games that meet this criteria would be too time consuming as I am a busy man. Work + Grad School + Consulting Projects. Perhaps the fact the two can play together is being over-blow but Steam coming to the Mac is not. I believe it's safe to say that Steam is the single largest multi-game digital distribution platform (I'm going to ignore cell phone games as games). Valve is making it known that they feel there's value in bringing the Mac platform into the Steam community and that will encourage the other developers to follow suit. Since you mentioned EA they do bring a lot of their big-name (non-fps) games over to Mac. Prior to Madden's PC cancelation it was released. The most recent versions of the SIMs and Spore were both released at the same time. Activision has also released a number of OS X games, although they most notably do not release at the same time as the PC. Most recently they released Modern Warfare (not two) and interestingly enough it was not (initially at least) compatible with PC clients. [http://www.vgblogger.com/?p=4010] Gaming on the Mac has been gaining steam slowly and this could be the boost it finally needs. The fact Mac computers are shipping with Video cards that are actually capable of half-decent rendering is also certainly a help. (The source engine should do especially well on it as it's always scaled well) 3-9-10 15:37:39 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16289#16289 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16288 If you could find a list of games in which PC and mac users are separated for online play, that'd be cool. Or perhaps just name a couple that you can think of off the top of your head. I don't think "enabling mac and PC players to play together" is a big deal because I can't think of a game that doesn't already enable that, and I can't imagine how terrible the application design would have to be to create network communication incompatibilities where there currently are none. The very idea that that's a feature seems vacuous to me. Also, Valve is one company that puts out a game or 2 every few years. Yes, they are a great PC developer, but one developer showing a little launch day support for macs is hardly a huge shift for the industry. Bringing Steam to OSX is being way over hyped by the mac fanboy blogosphere. When big publishers like EA or THQ or Activision start promising launch day support for macs from all their games, that will be a big deal worthy of hype. 3-9-10 15:04:41 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16288#16288 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16287 [quote:8b8e929de2="BeholderEye"]seeing that Cyanide had applied to be around children all day to make a living would have been a flag to me :D[/quote:8b8e929de2] Ironically, most of IT also involves dealing with bratty people who can't read. 3-9-10 14:37:32 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16287#16287 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16286 [quote:93f40b4b87="SiliconCowboy"]vacuous[/quote:93f40b4b87] Ha, haven't heard that one in a few years. [quote:93f40b4b87="SiliconCowboy"] Valve is one of the last refuges of PC gaming and them supporting Mac IS a big deal. [/quote:93f40b4b87] Macs are still completely overpriced IMHO, so though this doesn't affect me directly, I applaud Valve for their forward thinking. 3-9-10 14:27:57 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16286#16286 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16285 Even without checking the score, seeing that Cyanide had applied to be around children all day to make a living would have been a flag to me :D 3-9-10 14:11:19 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16285#16285 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16283 A) The identity theft part was a joke. B) If somebody wants to steal my identity they can fucking have it, along with my 20k or so in college loan debt and rather average credit rating. And when AES calls to find out why I stopped paying on my loans I'll just be like "You got the wrong guy. I stopped being him a few months ago. Let me get you the number for the new guy." :D 3-9-10 13:56:19 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16283#16283 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16282 Ouch, that's never good. I'd get a credit report pronto. https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp Is a good one to use, you don't get your score but you don't have to sign up for anything and remember to cancel either. They'll also give you your score if you care for a small fee. 3-9-10 12:59:12 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16282#16282 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16281 [quote:2824fb7520]Console players can't play with PC players because the control scheme differences destroy any hope of a level playing field, and that's a valid reason for keeping them separate.[/quote:2824fb7520] I understand WHY PC and Console gamers are separate I was merely pointing out that you off-handly saying since the protocols are the same it's not a big deal was a vacuous statement. [quote:2824fb7520="Cyanide"]It's not really going to do much for the lack of mac games. Just seems like the interweb is making a bigger deal out of this than necessary.[/quote:2824fb7520] Yeah, it's just going to guarantee that all of Valve's games are Mac compatible on day 1 and are supported the same as their pc counter-parts. That's not going to improve Mac gaming at all. Valve is one of the last refuges of PC gaming and them supporting Mac IS a big deal. The fact they're treating games the same across all platforms is breath of fresh air in an era where media companies want you to re-purchase the same thing over and over again for different platforms. DVDs versus Digital downloads for example. 3-9-10 12:55:31 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16281#16281 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16280 Got 3 pieces of mail today. The first one I opened informed me that I am in fact a reading teacher. The second one told me that I've been accepted into the field trial for a new hearing aid. The third one told me that because I have already invested so much time in my Navy career, I should not pass up the opportunity to join the Navy reserve. I think my identity may have been stolen. If anybody knows an ex sailor with a hearing problem and a love of children's literature, let me know. 3-9-10 11:55:29 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16280#16280 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16279 Console players can't play with PC players because the control scheme differences destroy any hope of a level playing field, and that's a valid reason for keeping them separate. Segregating PC players from Mac players would be entirely arbitrary, and a rather trivial thing to "fix". Honestly I can't even think of a game off the top of my head that separates Windows, Linux, and Mac players online. It's cool that Valve is branching out their services, but all this is really doing is allowing people to not buy the same game again if for some reason they prefer to play on their mac but didn't buy the mac version first for whatever reason. It's not really going to do much for the lack of mac games. Just seems like the interweb is making a bigger deal out of this than necessary. 3-9-10 11:33:57 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16279#16279 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16278 I'm pretty sure Xbox 360 uses TCP/IP protocols too..... it seems to be an issue there with games such as Modern Warefare 2 and every other console game that are the same on both platforms. Just because platforms CAN communicate doesn't mean the software maker will let them. 3-9-10 10:10:15 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16278#16278 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16277 [quote:a096379ed6]Furthermore I can play with PC counterparts and I'm not segregated into a Mac only room that's likely not to have very many players. [/quote:a096379ed6] Wasn't aware that this was an issue, given that both OSX and Windows use TCP/IP and UDP protocols for networking. 3-9-10 10:07:30 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16277#16277 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16276 About the only thing Valve could do that'd make me happier is say if you want to distribute through Steam you cannot use third party DRM. 3-9-10 6:22:24 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16276#16276 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16275 This was an interesting move for Valve and I'm glad to see they aren't alienating their current PC owners by making sure that their current purchases can move to Mac should they choose to. 3-8-10 22:32:36 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16275#16275 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16274 I agree. Valve makes me wanna buy all my games thru them. Valve +1 3-8-10 18:14:57 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16274#16274 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16273 Further proof that Valve understands PC gaming better than anyone else. (Although I will continue to give Blizzard credit as they have always supported the Mac fairly well) http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/03/08/valve_apple_worked_closely_to_bring_steam_to_mac.html Forget for a moment that virtually no on here cares about the Mac as a gaming platform. [quote:d831ffb882]Steam users who own games for the PC will be able to download and play the same games available on the Mac for free, and the new "Steam Play" feature will allow gamers on both Windows and Mac OS X to play online, with or against each other, regardless of their system. [/quote:d831ffb882] I own a whole slew of PC games on Steam, now I can play those that are compatible with Mac on my Mac without rebuying them. Furthermore I can play with PC counterparts and I'm not segregated into a Mac only room that's likely not to have very many players. Despite the fact that it cost Valve additional money to port these games to the Mac they're not expecting people that use both platforms to pay for it on both platforms. That is simply awesome and deserves kudos. 3-8-10 15:54:18 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16273#16273 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16272 I've used dban for years and never had a problem, just make sure you know the details about the drive you're wiping and you'll be fine. 3-8-10 7:20:20 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16272#16272 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16271 The majority of my data wipes have been for customers who don't want their business data exposed to anyone. Personally I erase things like tax returns that might have my ssn and similar information on it. I think it's safe to say that erasing things like that securely is a good idea :) 3-7-10 21:14:15 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16271#16271 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16270 drill 5 holes thru platters? and be a little less shady with your data 3-7-10 20:10:54 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16270#16270 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16269 I currently use http://eraser.heidi.ie/download.php . It's a little finicky but I find it less concerning to use than boot and nuke on my primary pc. If it's a separate PC with no other drives attached boot and nuke is great. 3-7-10 18:45:48 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16269#16269 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16268 We use this at work. http://www.dban.org/ Hope that helps. 3-7-10 17:31:43 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16268#16268 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16267 Hey guys. Have an HD I need to completely wipe out with no chance of recovery. Any of you have recommendations on a free solution to handle this? Did some googling and came across this disk wipe app but know nothing about it. Haven't done this for a while so no idea what happened to the app I used to use. 3-7-10 16:10:51 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16267#16267 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16266 The dumbass I was training all week INSISTED that I get those over priced Razer ones because they were superior. I ignored him and am now glad I did. I do agree though, they are very good at isolating noise, and it gets hard to hear if Ginny is calling me for something. 3-6-10 15:28:51 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16266#16266 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16265 I had that headset, but I didn't like them because they were TOO good at isolating sound, and I felt like I was yelling all the time because I couldn't hear how loud I was talking. Then I had [url=http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Razer+-+Carcharias+Gaming+Headset/9212531.p?id=1218059945904&skuId=9212531]these[/url] for a few months. The sound was great, they were a bit more open so I could hear myself better, but the mic quality sucked. I had to max out the boost on my end and people still told me I was too quiet. The first pair after a few months the mic stopped working, and the second pair seemed to create static at random times. If only they could mix the sound of the Razer ones and the mic of that Plantronics one I'd be happy. 3-6-10 12:07:18 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16265#16265 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16264 Someone has probably posted this by now but this is why Valve simply rules: http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/portal-2/1074810p1.html :-D keep on trying for that cake bitches! 3-6-10 12:05:26 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16264#16264 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16263 Ok this is cool. Popular Science and Google Books have scanned and made available the entire 137 year archive of the magazine online, for free. http://www.popsci.com/archives 3-6-10 7:21:23 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16263#16263 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16262 [quote:7e87f7fbe7="Hex"]If anyone is looking for a replacement or a new headset, I just picked up one of [url=http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Plantronics+-+GameCom+377+Over-the-Head+Stereo+Headset/8978403.p?id=1218004379967&skuId=8978403&st=Gamecon%20377&cp=1&lp=1]these[/url] at work. I switch off of a Logitech Extreme Gamer wrap around pair and the difference is night and day. Closed cans give way better sound, the mic is retractable and ducks into the can connectors. In line volume and mic mute, all felt covered cans and head rest. They sound fantastic.[/quote:7e87f7fbe7] I have an older generation of those, bought them about 4 years ago. They work great in games and are comfortable for hours. They have worked with my Audigy 2, onboard, and my X-fi. 3-5-10 23:38:22 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16262#16262 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16261 You guys are making me miss my old headset... $20, but it was the best headset in the history of forever. Until they fell apart... :( 3-5-10 22:19:47 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16261#16261 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16260 I use the same headset and I love them. I just recently found out that the mic is extendable. But i have had people tell me I am too quiet so i had to adjust it a bit. 3-5-10 16:08:06 http://www.gnomelan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16260#16260