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In lugnet.robotics, martin@mediax.com writes:
> 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.
I set Followup-To: lugnet.off-topic.geek on this post...
> 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.
No matter how good M$S@H may turn out to be, it will still be powered by M$
and not by LEGO, if the press release is accurate.
BTW: http://news.excite.com/news/r/010109/17/tech-priceline-microsoft
> > > 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.
QuickTime doesn't suck. Unfortunately, being owned and controlled by Apple,
Inc., it's not a real standard either.
I'd be much happier if LEGO had chosen an MPEG format instead of jumping
in bed with M$.
http://www.cselt.it/mpeg/
> > > 3) LEGO writes games for the Xbox.
> > Xbox is M$. Ptui.
> Again, meaningless and pointless advocacy wanking. "Because it's
> microsoft, it must be bad!" Or are you just opposed to M$ morally?
Who said the Xbox was bad? I said the Xbox was M$, and I spit on it.
Morality is a large part of it, yes.
I'm very disappointed by this press release because I can only conclude that
LEGO is no longer a moral company.
> I run windows where it makes the most sense. I run openbsd where I need
> stability and security. I'm not blind to the possibility that an M$ OS
> may be the best fit for a job.
Like talking to other M$ boxes/networks or interacting with M$-embraced and
extended protocols?
> > > * BFD, as far as I'm concerned. There's no mention of it being an
> > > exclusive deal either, so they will in all probability continue to write
> > > it for home computers as well. They may even write for other platforms
> > > like the PS2.
> > And MacOS and Linux?
> Not supporting MacOS and Linux (or in fact any Unix) is different from
> the present how?
All possible hope now squashed.
> And would be beneficial how?
For those who run MacOS/Linux/Unix who don't buy into M$.
> 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.
Ouch, don't remind me. :-)
> 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.
I've got a P100 Win95 system that I keep around for various legacy stuff. I
use it as little as possible. It doesn't run any of the LEGO software because
it's too slow and too old. I could downgrade it to Win98 or Win2K and then
the LEGO software should run, but I'm certainly not that desperate.
And I would never poison my Linux box with a Windows partition on it, much
less shut down Linux or fire up an emulator to run a LEGO app on Windows.
I test web stuff under MSIE under Win98 under VirtualPC on an iMac DV --
that's not too painful.
> 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.
Just because they support Windows doesn't mean they have to sell their soul
to the devil.
(Or does it?)
> 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.
And what do you think the chances of that happening are?
> 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.
Ah, see what wonderful things the LEGO/M$ relationship will bring to the
community?
> 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.
I totally agree, and I hope that happens soon.
> > > 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?
Very few companies _ruin_ their networks using Unix.
> > > 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.
The text below is in the public domain (it's no longer copyrighted). Enjoy.
--Todd
THE GINGERBREAD MAN
Once upon a time there was a little old woman and a little old man, and
they lived all alone in a little old house. They hadn't any little girls
or any little boys, at all. So one day, the little old woman made a boy
out of gingerbread; she made him a chocolate jacket, and put cinnamon
seeds in it for buttons; his eyes were made of fine, fat currants; his
mouth was made of rose-colored sugar; and he had a gay little cap of
orange sugar-candy. When the little old woman had rolled him out, and
dressed him up, and pinched his gingerbread shoes into shape, she put him
in a pan; then she put the pan in the oven and shut the door; and she
thought, "Now I shall have a little boy of my own."
When it was time for the Gingerbread Boy to be done she opened the oven
door and pulled out the pan. Out jumped the little Gingerbread Boy on to
the floor, and away he ran, out of the door and down the street! The
little old woman and the little old man ran after him as fast as they
could, but he just laughed, and shouted,--
"Run! run! as fast as you can!
"You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"
And they couldn't catch him.
The little Gingerbread Boy ran on and on, until he came to a cow, by the
roadside. "Stop, little Gingerbread Boy," said the cow; "I want to eat
you." The little Gingerbread Boy laughed, and said,--
"I have run away from a little old woman,
"And a little old man,
"And I can run away from you, I can!"
And, as the cow chased him, he looked over his shoulder and cried,--
"Run! run! as fast as you can!
"You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"
And the cow couldn't catch him.
The little Gingerbread Boy ran on, and on, and on, till he came to a
horse, in the pasture. "Please stop, little Gingerbread Boy," said the
horse, "you look very good to eat." But the little Gingerbread Boy
laughed out loud. "Oho! oho!" he said,--
"I have run away from a little old woman,
"A little old man,
"A cow,
"And I can run away from you, I can!"
And, as the horse chased him, he looked over his shoulder and cried,--
"Run! run! as fast as you can!
"You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"
And the horse couldn't catch him.
By and by the little Gingerbread Boy came to a barn full of threshers.
When the threshers smelled the Gingerbread Boy, they tried to pick him up,
and said, "Don't run so fast, little Gingerbread Boy; you look very good
to eat." But the little Gingerbread Boy ran harder than ever, and as he
ran he cried out,--
"I have run away from a little old woman,
"A little old man,
"A cow,
"A horse,
"And I can run away from you, I can!"
And when he found that he was ahead of the threshers, he turned and
shouted back to them,--
"Run! run! as fast as you can!
"You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"
And the threshers couldn't catch him.
Then the little Gingerbread Boy ran faster than ever. He ran and ran
until he came to a field full of mowers. When the mowers saw how fine he
looked, they ran after him, calling out, "Wait a bit! wait a bit, little
Gingerbread Boy, we wish to eat you!" But the little Gingerbread Boy
laughed harder than ever, and ran like the wind. "Oho! oho!" he said,--
"I have run away from a little old woman,
"A little old man,
"A cow,
"A horse,
"A barn full of threshers,
"And I can run away from you, I can!"
And when he found that he was ahead of the mowers, he turned and shouted
back to them,--
"Run! run! as fast as you can!
"You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"
And the mowers couldn't catch him.
By this time the little Gingerbread Boy was so proud that he didn't think
anybody could catch him. Pretty soon he saw a fox coming across a field.
The fox looked at him and began to run. But the little Gingerbread Boy
shouted across to him, "You can't catch me!" The fox began to run faster,
and the little Gingerbread Boy ran faster, and as he ran he chuckled,--
"I have run away from a little old woman,
"A little old man,
"A cow,
"A horse,
"A barn full of threshers,
"A field full of mowers,
"And I can run away from you, I can!
"Run! run! as fast as you can!
"You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"
"Why," said the fox, "I would not catch you if I could. I would not think
of disturbing you."
Just then, the little Gingerbread Boy came to a river. He could not swim
across, and he wanted to keep running away from the cow and the horse and
the people.
"Jump on my tail, and I will take you across," said the fox.
So the little Gingerbread Boy jumped on the fox's tail, and the fox swam
into the river. When he was a little way from shore he turned his head,
and said, "You are too heavy on my tail, little Gingerbread Boy, I fear I
shall let you get wet; jump on my back."
The little Gingerbread Boy jumped on his back.
A little farther out, the fox said, "I am afraid the water will cover you,
there; jump on my shoulder."
The little Gingerbread Boy jumped on his shoulder.
In the middle of the stream the fox said, "Oh, dear! little Gingerbread
Boy, my shoulder is sinking; jump on my nose, and I can hold you out of
water."
So the little Gingerbread Boy jumped on his nose.
The minute the fox got on shore he threw back his head, and gave a snap!
"Dear me!" said the little Gingerbread Boy, "I am a quarter gone!" The
next minute he said, "Why, I am half gone!" The next minute he said, "My
goodness gracious, I am three quarters gone!"
And after that, the little Gingerbread Boy never said anything more at
all.
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Microsoft and LEGO Company Announce a Shared Doom
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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. (...) One word: Expedia. This is a microsoft site that kicks absolute ass. (...) I thought that's what mpeg (...) (24 years ago, 12-Jan-01, to lugnet.robotics)
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