Subject:
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Re: Microsoft and LEGO Company Announce a Shared Doom
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Fri, 12 Jan 2001 18:03:31 GMT
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Original-From:
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Martin <martin@mediax.comSPAMLESS>
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Reply-To:
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MARTIN@nospamMEDIAX.COM
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Viewed:
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1311 times
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If we're going to have OS advocacy wars, perhaps we should just all go
to slashdot and have them there, rather than cluttering up the list.
Todd Lehman wrote:
> In lugnet.general, Jeff Johnston writes:
>
> > What this press release boils down to is:
> >
> > 1) Microsoft powering the S@H stuff on the Web.
>
> Oh, just what I've always wanted!
One word: Expedia. This is a microsoft site that kicks absolute ass.
> > 2) LEGO licensed the ability to use Windows Media for the Studios sets.
> > * Weren't people asking for more options than just .mpg?
>
> Feh. Windows Media is M$ bogo-format.
>
> We want real standards.
I thought that's what mpeg was? How many other truly cross-platform
video standards are there which were not created by microsoft? All you
really have are MPEG and full-frame uncompressed AVI. Both of those are
playable just about everywhere.
It would be nice to be able to set the quality used on the mpegs, though.
> > 3) LEGO writes games for the Xbox.
>
> Xbox is M$. Ptui.
Again, meaningless and pointless advocacy wanking. "Because it's
microsoft, it must be bad!" Or are you just opposed to M$ morally?
I run windows where it makes the most sense. I run openbsd where I need
stability and security. I'm not blind to the possibility that an M$ OS
may be the best fit for a job.
> > * BFD, as far as I'm concerned. There's no mention of it being an
> > exclusive deal either, so they will in all probability continue to write
> > it for home computers as well. They may even write for other platforms
> > like the PS2.
>
> And MacOS and Linux?
Not supporting MacOS and Linux (or in fact any Unix) is different from
the present how? And would be beneficial how? I can see supporting Unix,
just because of the high hacker percentage amongst its users. However,
far and away the vastest percentage of computers in the home have
windows on them. Likewise, many if not most people who do run some Unix
at home have a system running windows, or have windows on a second
partition. So you don't really lock out much of the possible installed base.
Not to mention, Lego most likely knows that their scripting language
sucks compared to the other alternatives like NQC, legOS, or lejOS. None
of those require you to be on windows. Lego doesn't have to support
non-windows operating systems, because the community will do it for
them. It'd be nice to see the camera work on Unix, but the solution to
that is for Lego to release the code for doing the image recognition,
and let the open source community implement it itself. Unfortunately,
this would let people recreate the software without a dependence on the
lego camera, so this is not likely to happen for years if ever. I
suspect Lego is not big on open sourcing. Microsoft isn't either.
The proper solution, of course, is for some badass programmer who's into
Lego at a near fetishistic level to replicate the functionality of the
lego software. I was not entirely impressed with the level of feedback
from Lego's software, anyway.
> > 4) LEGO uses M$ stuff for its corporate network.
> > * They probably do that anyway, or something close to it. Very few
> > non-computer companies run their networks using Unix, and very ferw
> > companies period use Macs (sad to say).
>
> Very few companies ruin their networks using Unix. :-)
Ruin, or run? In my experience, the companies most likely to run their
filesharing and whatnot (which is what I think you mean when you say
"run their networks") on unix are startups who hire people like me; When
I get hired I invariably end up setting up a bunch of unix-based
services. At my last job, I installed a bigass linux server to provide
samba, netatalk, nfs, and coda to the various clients, since that place
has windows, linux, solaris, and macos in place. At my current job, I'm
using openbsd with ipfilter for a firewall, because the company wouldn't
spring for a pix and openbsd is fast, functional, and secure (choose
three.) The company I'm working for now actually is public, but
functionally it's a startup, at least from an employee's point of view.
Anyway, of the large companies I've worked for (IBM, Cisco) both of them
used unix, at least here and there. IBM is not a good example, since
they own their own Unix (AIX) but Cisco is an excellent example, being
the self-proclaimed gods of networking (and the inventor of the router.)
Cisco uses a TON of Solaris on sparc.
> > The only mention of Mindstorms comes in the "About LEGO Company" section,
> > so I think it's a wee bit premature to start panicing and tossing rumors
> > around. I don't think any of the above is going to "interfere with your
> > favorite toy".
>
> Tell that to the Gingerbread Man. :-)
I wish I understood this line, so I could comment on it, too.
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