dickrichards2000's Profile

  • Jun 01, 2006
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Latest comments made by: dickrichards2000

  • Hardly a challenging topic for an Apple site. After all, it seems the company is finally getting the recognition that its fans have been wanting for the past decade or more. How safe is it to say that Apple should be a trailblazing tech entity? Or Google for that matter? Google? NOT all things to all people? Last time I checked they virtually had a site or a piece of software for just about everything. Not that I'm complaining, I think they make great stuff - wait - great FREE stuff - but they have their hands in more cookie jars than I can count. As far as eBay and Amazon, yeah, it's a shame that the modern world and the modern shareholder demand so much. Here are two great services that inevitably MUST expand in some capacity or face the wrath of the almight stale stock value. Too bad, they're both so good at what they do best. I hear that groceries are coming soon to an Amazon.com page near me... Something about that just makes me cringe. AMD? Used to love 'em. Intel? Recently learned to love 'em. Now that the GHz war is officially over and I lost (thousands) I'm really hoping that both of these companies continue to duke it out. I'm far more excited at the prospect of a DozenCore CPU than I am of reaching 5GHz. I can only hope that they invest more in R&D and less in their respective legal depts. Xbox? Is that thing still around? Oh yeah.. the 360... At this time last year I was drooling over such a thing. Oddly enough I just don't care anymore. Like I said, I lost the GHz war trying to have the best gaming rig around for several years running. Next to a great PC, Xbox 360 just seems kind of lame, so lame that I've almost forgotten it came out. Will Wii win? Will PS3 ever materialize? Will Microsoft ever figure out that good games make great consoles? Maybe, maybe not. In the meantime my Intel iMac plays a bitchin' game of Counterstrike though ... it's almost worth the time it takes to restart into XP. I don't know though, I just don't see Xbox being the savior of Microsoft, not even close. I have high hopes for Vista, not because I care to use it, but because of the competitive spirit it might just give to Apple. Future version of OS X can only benefit from Vista being a very cool experience. HP? hahahahahahahaha. Yeah right. And finally... DRM. Yes folks, DRM is the future of entertainment media. By God it's going to be just like it was only a few short years ago... We'll have to pay for movies and music, hell MAYBE even software! Oh no! And yeah I suppose we can stress out that the iTunes I buy today might not work on the Plays For Sure device that takes over the world tomorrow but I really wasn't expecting it to. That'd be like trying to shove my cassettes into my CD player. The entertainment industry rapes its own customers, why is everyone so surprised by this? They've done it for longer than any of us have been alive and they'll do it long after we're gone.
  • I have yet to own an audio device from an original Sony Walkman in the 80's to a Discman in the 90's, to an iPod today that had perfectly responsive audio volume controls... Having said that, I'm better at setting an iPod's volume than any of them, I find the wheel to be less than perfect, sure, but I've never blown my own head off with the thing. This is the same scare they came up with 20 years ago.
    dickrichards2000 had this to say on Apr 09, 2006 Posts: 112
    iPod Uses Grow Along with Sales
  • Screw the pledge, I wanted to play Counterstrike and I'm not about to give another dime to Dell - having just given them a boatload of money at this time last year for two crap computers that didn't last more than 3 months each. I loathe Windows but find it useful for a few odd tasks here and there that Virtual PC ran adequately. The idea that if I want to play a game or two should justify my buying a Dell, an Xbox 360, whatever - well, that's just stupid. Why? I can play the best of the PC world on a Mac now (whereas I could only play about 60% of the best games before on it if I waited nearly a year for them to be released). There's no sense in that arguement. PC's have great games, and if given the opportunity to play them - hey why not? I've been running dualboot XP/Mac for 3 days and that's been about it. I ran Internet Explorer once to get a patch and was quickly reminded of why I left Windows in the first place... But these Intel mac's boot so fast (at least the iMac does, I dont have a MacBook just yet) that I can kill Windows and be back typing in Pages in a matter of a few seconds. Life is good. This whole experience has more clearly defined for me what each OS is good for.
    dickrichards2000 had this to say on Apr 09, 2006 Posts: 112
    Take the No Windows-Booting Pledge
  • If Apple could sell Leopard OS discs for $99 each to everyone who wanted one, regardless of what kind of hardware they intended to use it with, they'd simply make a lot more money than they do in the hardware game. A $99 software CD - development and support costs aside - is $98.95 in markup, hardware isn't anywhere close to that - just ask Microsoft who continues to take a bath on Xbox. Though I don't agree with either scenario, I do believe that a major shift in the industry is just beginning and though it may not favor Apple specifically, it certainly will not favor Dell. While some see Microsoft as the enemy, I see Dell and HP as such. I love Sony PC's, I love Alienware PC's, heck I even have an eMachines laptop that plays a great game and is speedy as all get out.. but the cookie cutter cheapo mentality that has propelled HP and Dell into the sales stratosphere is potentially the exact same thing that will bring them back down to earth. Neither brand is 'hip' and neither brand seems able to deal well with the fact that they just don't get repeat customers - well, not very many anyway. Apple users are religious to a fault, I know it, you know it, and I'm just as guilty as anyone. We love this crap, sometimes even for reasons unknown to us. Apple gets repeat customers - unfortunately it just doesn't get as many new ones as Dell and HP, et al. Here's how I see it... The marketing strategy behind Vista comes as a shock to everyone and MS extends their lifespan another 5 years, even growing a little bit. A couple of new-comer PC makers move up the ranks and boot either HP or Dell (but not both) out of existence and the remaining titan buys out the other. Apple gains some serious (by their standards) marketshare in the meantime but continues to be more niche than mass-market. After all, we're only a little more than 4.5 years away from 2010 here. As for clones, if you can solve the problems that Windows XP has with multiple drivers for multiple devices for multiple pieces of software then I'm all for it. Right now Apple does that more or less for us. In a more open market we obviously wouldn't have that sort of leisure. I do not fondly remember the days of installing my new graphics driver to work with a new game only to find out that now 2 of my older games don't work anymore. It's just plain dumb and a complete waste of time.
    dickrichards2000 had this to say on Apr 05, 2006 Posts: 112
    What will Apple look like by 2010?
  • Dvorak is a dweeb and Apple has done way too much lately to jump ship on OS X. I *DO* agree with the point about Virtual PC though, that's all this is when it comes right down to it - an alternative. There were those of us who used Virtual PC rather religiously (whether it was fast or not - which it wasn't) because we needed both a Mac and Windows PC with us while we're on the go. It satisfied that need and now this can too. While it obviously opens up a lot of doors into the world of gaming, etc. for Mac users, I seriously doubt that the long term impact is going to be much different than it already is (90% of the games out there will still be PC only and that's unlikely to change anytime soon regardless of what Apple does). Sure, it's a heckuva lot faster than Virtual PC but if you love OS X is this really going to change your life? No, not really. I further loathe the idea that, just like Virtual PC, I'm having to shove a damn Symantec product installer CD into my Mac once again so I don't get plagued with all the virus crap out there... Once again I'm doing 3 hours of Windows XP updates, once again I'm checking for spyware and defragging this stupid partition... Is it a good idea? Sure, I love Half-Life 2. Is it going to replace OS X in my world? Not a chance. I need/want/use both and this is a great solution. It won't kill OS X, it won't help out Microsoft, and Dvorak will continue to be wrong about just about everything.
  • Now, is this the "new" AT&T (formerly SBC)? The one that got swallowed up by Comcast? Or the one that my grandmother remembers? I think the automatic "out" for Apple, Divx, et. al. should be simply this "How many times have you thought this company was dead already?" Anyway, I was under the impression for one reason or another that MPEG-4 was developed by the Motion Picture Experts Group... maybe not, but if not why call it MPEG-Anything??
    dickrichards2000 had this to say on Feb 14, 2006 Posts: 112
    AT&T Claims MPEG-4 Patent Infringement
  • I still have one, a 1040ST, somewhere. I went through a few of 'em, customer service and warranties at the time not being what they are today. Who puts joystick and mouse ports UNDER the computer though? C'mon!
    dickrichards2000 had this to say on Feb 14, 2006 Posts: 112
    Part 1: What if Microsoft Never Existed?
  • Damn! I read that whole article and the titles of the upcoming articles thinking "aww man, you forgot the Atari ST!" only to get beat to the punch! Thank God someone else on here remembers Jack Tramiel and his contributions (MAJOR contributions) to the computing world. I hate to sidestep this whole "What if" thing as I find it all quite fascinating, but to leave out the Tramiel family and their contribution to technology ("we'll call it the COMMODORE 64!") would be a major omission. There was a time in the infancy of this industry where you could buy a computer in your local Safeway grocery store and the only time you ever heard the name Microsoft was when you refered to an all-too-expensive flight simulator program. Maybe MS changed all that eventually but I've been using computers for 25 years straight and it was only in November of 2000 that I first owned a MS OS computer, what did I miss? You could say then that for me, well, they've barely existed at all anyway. (please note: this is not anti-MS sentiment here, just the way it turned out, I was never a PC fan...sue me). Anyway, rise up Atari ST brothers! May all of your desktops be a horrifying shade of green.
    dickrichards2000 had this to say on Feb 14, 2006 Posts: 112
    Part 1: What if Microsoft Never Existed?
  • Yeah.... OK!.... And now back to the topic at hand.... You mean to tell me that those comfortable little chairs around the iMac table were for kids? Then answer me this, why the hell can I play Doom 3 and Unreal Tournament on said iMac's? If you think Americans utterly disregard foreign cultures, then you obviously haven't seen what we're sometimes capable of doing to our own.
    dickrichards2000 had this to say on Feb 14, 2006 Posts: 112
    The Apple Store - No Place for Kids
  • More like ColecoVision vs. Atari 5200... in the end of that one, no one "won" because consumers just got bored.
    dickrichards2000 had this to say on Nov 30, 2005 Posts: 112
    Will the Xbox 360 Gamble Pay Off?
  • Another downside to releasing early, with a little background information included... I've estimated that in the past 15 years I have owned over a dozen game systems - heck I bought a Sega Saturn for $500 on release day in 95, dropped $800 on 3DO, etc. and it doesn't stop there, I've dumped countless thousands into games - hundreds of them. Having said that, the downside to releasing early is quite simple, Microsoft simply does no innovate. Period. Not their video game dept. at least. The whole XBOX 360 thing, much like the regular old XBOX before it simply bores the pants off me. Wow, gee, now its able to do what my gaming PC has been able to do for the past year. Big deal. How many FPS games can I really play at this point? The whole industry needs a kick in the ass these days, none of this is revolutionary at all, just more of the same with a few more polygons per second and (ooh ooh!) 20 more shadows on-screen at once. Woo. In walking by the demo display with my wife, we were still uncertain if we were watching an actual XBOX 360 game or an older XBOX game playing ON a 360. Another guy standing watching mentioned "man that's a great TV, too bad they aren't showing movies on it". I suspect that once the dust settles, the MS name will do little to get XBOX out of the #2 spot. They're hip, sure, with geeks but who else? Do I really need a sequel to Perfect Dark? I hadn't even thought of that game in 5 years. And hence, the mistake of releasing early. If you're a company not known for innovation then it's usually wiser to wait and see what everyone else is going to do and rip it off, rather than just release a seriously boring and uninspired product. Does PS3 look any better? Couldn't say... the industry is so stagnant now that I have a very hard time even paying attention.
    dickrichards2000 had this to say on Nov 28, 2005 Posts: 112
    Will the Xbox 360 Gamble Pay Off?
  • Also, I'm positively salivating at the notion that I could be playing Grand Theft Auto 42 here soon...
    dickrichards2000 had this to say on Nov 08, 2005 Posts: 112
    What Is The Next Data Input Device?
  • I think you'll see input divided into two different camps entirely. 1. Voice will become the norm for home users, perhaps even a combination of voice/retina-scan. For the casual users this is already possible but just not as well implemented as it could be. Casual users don't need fancy 8-button commands or much else. I know I still get a kick out of telling my Mac to "Open My Browser" from time to time. The capability is there, it just needs refining. Combined with a retina scanner this would be fantastic. Your voice giving the application commands, your eyes telling the browser which article to focus on. Even more fun to see will be how the web porn industry uses this, lol. 2. Pro users require far more speed and control and therefore they are far more likely to don the cool gloves, etc. - for use in conjunction with or without the voice/eye commands. This opens the possibilities of two hand control as well, allowing anyone with the dexterity the ability to multitask.
    dickrichards2000 had this to say on Nov 08, 2005 Posts: 112
    What Is The Next Data Input Device?
  • Microsoft has grown into being that company you love to hate over the past several years, whether you're a Mac user or not. In my travels, selling/training Windows-based PC's to a lot of folks and especially the elderly, there is an undercurrent of belief that all of the bad press is true. Let's face it, if Microsoft made as many bad mistakes as everyone claims then they simply wouldn't exist, no matter how much wealth they've accumulated over the past two and a half decades. I also believe that Mac users tend to amplify this for their own ends (ends I've yet to understand - call me a pacifist) and make failure mountains out of failure molehills. The rest of the tech industry, of course, pretty much follows suit but in a bit less impassioned manner - they, after all, are not making the bucks or impact that Microsoft is and the most vocal voices on this industry seem to love the underdog - or at least hate the reigning king. Your other options, going to your closest urban newspaper for opinions and news, are more likely Google-lovers right now and pretty much guilty of the same thing. Google is set to take over the world and everyone else just stumbles in comparison, or at least that's what I would believe. Even in Seattle, 15 minutes from Redmond, WA, anti-Microsoft sentiment is growing and really, for no good reason. Fact: I haven't used a Windows PC myself in several months now and have no plans to ever again if I can help it. BUT, I have multiple (EXPENSIVE) software applications by Microsoft installed on each of my 4 Mac's and absolutely love them. If Microsoft Office for Mac isn't "doing something right", then I don't know what is. It's an excellent package. I love Virtual PC and I applaud MS for putting it out. I could give a crap about the sales figures of Xbox 360, I want one now just because it I want to play a video game - it's been awhile. It's not hard for anyone to find something GOOD to say about Microsoft, it's just that no one wants to. I still say this: dump Steve Balmer and you'll see Microsoft's image in general improve dramatically. That guy's an idiot and yes, Media Center is WAY too hard to use for the average couch potato.
    dickrichards2000 had this to say on Nov 08, 2005 Posts: 112
    Microsoft's Bad Press
  • Now Steve, just think how inflated those figures will get once there is some truly worthwhile content at higher resolution... Get me the CSI's, or music videos from someone other than Dokken, and we're in business. Better still, get me the ability to download FULL-LENGTH Pixar material. It'll still be interesting to see what a movie costs, I doubt it'll be $1.99 - unless it's an expiring rental.