New Stuff

[r00tb33r]

Ok I'll bite then...

My everyday usage consists of the following:
Firefox (browser)
Pidgin (instant messager)
Gimp (graphics editor)
Abiword (word processor)
Mousepad (notepad clone)
Thunar (file manager)
Audacious (music player)
Xine (movie player)
...
All pure open source goodness. Running all that on former Vector Linux 5.8 on x86, last compiled kernel version 2.6.20.6, Fluxbox 1.00 window manager/environment on X.org 6.9.0 graphical server. Need I say more? Sure. This system has been used since January of 2007, with only a few minor updates.
Honestly I haven't had a Windows installation last half as long, and this thing has taken quite a bit of abuse.

[DaveW]

I see no point in open source for the sake of open source. If an open source program does it better, fair enough - but otherwise - why?

I use:
Windows Vista SP1 (OS)
Internet Explorer 8 (Web)
Windows Live Messenger (Messenger)
MS Office 2007 (Office stuff)
Adobe Master Suite CS4 (Graphics / Video / Compositing) + Photoshop CS (Usual graphics tool)
Windows Media Player (Music)
Windows Media Centre (TV/DVD)
VLC Media Player (Some videos)
Nero 9 (CD/DVD Burning)

Proud to say only 1 of those is 'open source'! Go capitalism.

[r00tb33r]

I see no point in open source for the sake of open source.

Well... I am able to fix many issues myself whenever they arise, something thats not always possible with proprietary software. I really am more comfortable this way, call me a control freak.
You would have to have a need for this in order to truly appreciate the ability to tailor a system to your very own priorities and needs.

[DaveW]

Alright, I get that. I just value intuitive interfaces, which those sort of programs lack. Majorly. GIMP, Open Office - both have primitive interfaces compared to Photoshop and Office 2007/8.

[Nameless Voice]

I see no point in open source for the sake of open source. If an open source program does it better, fair enough - but otherwise - why?

Alright, I get that. I just value intuitive interfaces, which those sort of programs lack. Majorly. GIMP, Open Office - both have primitive interfaces compared to Photoshop and Office 2007/8.

I agree with both of these points. I like open source software in theory, but if it can't do what I want then I won't use it.

Still, I use Pidgin on a regular basis, despite the fact that it doesn't support any of the protocols (especially MSN) particularly well and crashes all the time. I must be a massochist.

Notepad++ is surely the best simple text editor around, though.

[r00tb33r]

I see no point in open source for the sake of open source. If an open source program does it better, fair enough - but otherwise - why?

I use:
Windows Vista SP1 (OS)
Internet Explorer 8 (Web)
Windows Live Messenger (Messenger)
MS Office 2007 (Office stuff)
Adobe Master Suite CS4 (Graphics / Video / Compositing) + Photoshop CS (Usual graphics tool)
Windows Media Player (Music)
Windows Media Centre (TV/DVD)
VLC Media Player (Some videos)
Nero 9 (CD/DVD Burning)

Proud to say only 1 of those is 'open source'! Go capitalism.

Well, I was lucky enough to have to activate Windblows over the phone, and guess what? Its still not activated.
I tried twice with the machine and it sounded like
...
-"I can repeat or continue."
-"Continue."
-"Sorry I didn't get that"
-"Continue."
-"Sorry I didn't get that. Lets try this again... Block A...214332... If you would like me to repeat, say repeat or continue!"
-"Continue!"
-"Sorry I didn't get that."
-"Continue, you bitch!"
-"Lets try thi"
-"This is English bitch, C-O-N-T-I-N-U-E!"
-"Sorry I didn't get that... Please hold on while I transfer you to an agent"
...
After enduring as much with an Indian, he said he doesn't know why his code is invalid, even though I read it back to him the same way he told me, and told me to call their support about this giving me a number... Stupid prick didn't even transfer me, even though I told him to.
I gave the machine another shot... and gave up after it. 30 minutes of my life wasted.
...And installed my preactivated mini-XP image. So much for paying for Windblows.

[DaveW]

When I've had to activate it manually it's been an automated telephone system. I think when I bought my laptop I had to do it speaking to someone, but I had no trouble with that - it accepted the code and worked fine.

[r00tb33r]

When I've had to activate it manually it's been an automated telephone system. I think when I bought my laptop I had to do it speaking to someone, but I had no trouble with that - it accepted the code and worked fine.

Yeah it was the voice recognition system... It had no trouble recognizing any of the 36(!) numbers I read to it, including the word "yes", but the machine could not get "continue" right 5 times in a row, after which it transferred me to India, where this time I couldn't understand a word coming at me, needless to say that this time they refused to understand what I said.

I mentioned this for the sake of noting that free open source software does not cause this much aggravation.

[DaveW]

Weird, the one I used was a number entry system on the phone's keypad. Then it reads it out and you press 1 to repeat and then 2 to continue. No voice-recognition stuff.

And I'll admit one benefit of freeware software is that it lacks licenses. It really annoys me when companies beef up their license systems (CuBase still uses a stupid USB dongle, which causes legitimate users problems!) and inconvenience paying customers, when it's going to end up cracked anyway. They're never going to be able to stop people from pirating their software so just give up.

[Placebo]

I mean ...http://www.offtopicproductions.com/foru ... 166#p35166

It's was written in past tense, i don't see any present continous there.
That case is now exactly 4-5 years old, it was quickly then, replaced, and mx400 is up till now, safely sealed in a suitcase, never to endanger a PC ever. Closed.



As for open source. Well. there's just GIMP. Still I am an amateur and would love to get to know with the functions. I did some creations with it with a few of the functions, but that's because i knew what i wanted to do, and luckly used them in something.

[justanotherfan]

With Windows activation, just crack it. If you own it anyway and there's no american DMCA where you live, it's probably (and should be) legal. AntiWPA is in version 2.2 now. I think we've established on this forum that DRM is harmful, and the patch doesn't mean it's pirated; how many here haven't done CDPATH=C:\DEUSEX\ ? If I had to phone MS every few months and beg permission for a hardware upgrade or beg every time to reformat a copy of their broken Windows, I'd switch to something else.

I think there are benefits inherent to opensource that justify switching even if the free version is just slightly worse. There are some benefits like security and cost etc, but some of them are communistical ideals, or nonprofit charitable ones. For example, reaching a critical mass of opensource users, being able to give feedback to improve the software, having more users encourage or do more work. If it doesn't do what you need or is far too incomplete, then I don't see the point in switching, but being involved in projects can still be helpful. If you're an MS Office user, chiming in with the OpenOffice people every once in a while could help them and advance your own goals.

[eternalightwithin]

Back on topic. ANy progress? [-o<

[DaveW]

Very little. I'm struggling to find motivation for this project anymore - fairly obvious after so long working on it. Really annoying I haven't managed to find any talented texture artists to assist (well, in doing more than a few textures). I guess the problem of not being able to shove craploads of shaders and call it 'OMG NEXT-GEN GRAPHICS' isn't appealing to texture artists.

Plus I'm wanting to do other things in terms of graphics upgrades. I was thinking of remodelling all the Unreal weapons, for instance - but this project is just stuck at the back of my mind. It gets quite annoying sometimes.

[bjorn98009_91]

Noo, you can not let this mod die... The entire DX community depend on it (and on HDTP). It's unfortunate that you havn't been able to find a good texture artist, and if I could I would most certainly help out. Wasn't there guy that offered to help out earlier?

[justanotherfan]

That sucks. We all knew how difficult this was since HDTP didn't want to touch it. The work is important to a lot of people though, so do what you can if that's a motivator, but if there's a point where you doubt it'll continue, maybe make a v.1.0 available. Over 57% done, with many of the texture packages 100% completed, it'll still look awesome unfinished -- the NV screenshots certainly do.