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Topic Summary

Posted by: icemann
« on: Yesterday at 04:55:57 »

Firstly yes make a thread. Second, that looks very interesting. Visually looks like System Shock 1 mixed in with the Blade of Agony Wolfendoom mod for Doom 2. Have to check it out.
Posted by: fox
« on: 07. June 2024, 20:38:24 »

Edit:
The contents of this post, about new game "Sonar Shock", moved to a dedicated thread now.
Posted by: Nameless Voice
« on: 07. June 2024, 18:53:12 »

Not only games are important, also creative tools (like audio/video/photo editing applications) seem to be under-supported in Linux. Apple knew what they did, when they pushed the Mac onto the creative industry.

I think this also has to do with a lot of creatives / artists being locked into toxic ecosystems by big companies such as Adobe and Autodesk.  Everyone feels they are pushed into "industry standards" like Photoshop, despite some truly horrible anti-consumer practices and exorbitant subscription prices.

That's an area where I'd love to see more development in open-source alternatives, regardless of operating system.
Posted by: JDoran
« on: 07. June 2024, 16:51:33 »

...But the main problem is that many regular Win-users won't feel like they will gain anything in terms of actual functionality but still have to invest time and energy into the migration. If MS wouldn't erode personal freedom and privacy more and more, people wouldn't see much need for a change.

It's like being forced to move out of a comfortable apartment after decades because the new landlord started to read your mail and sneak into your apartment...

Exactly. Changing from Windows to Linux will be a difficult task for many people (even the drive designations are different, which will be a big problem for some people), and for others it won't so much be difficult as pointless as you're learning to use one OS (Linx) when you can already use a different OS (Windows) to the level that you like/need. Even today, many, many people just want to be able to use their PC (or laptop, or tablet, or phone, etc) with as little effort and potential confusion as possible, and they don't care in the slightest what the OS is, or it works, as long as it runs the programs and games that they want to use.

If Windows 10 could be used for the rest of my life (two, maybe three decades, probably), then I would stick with Win 10, and I don't doubt that the majority of PC users would say the same. People tend not to like change unless the change brings noticeable and existent improvements and benefits. Which Windows seldom does. I don't want Co-Pilot, or Recall, or anything else that MS is currently promising (that I know of).
Posted by: fox
« on: 07. June 2024, 14:31:22 »

Because, at the end of the day, the problem that keeps people away from using Linux generally isn't Linux itself, but rather that a lot of software and games don't run properly there.

This and force of habit. But the main problem is that many regular Win-users won't feel like they will gain anything in terms of actual functionality but still have to invest time and energy into the migration. If MS wouldn't erode personal freedom and privacy more and more, people wouldn't see much need for a change.

It's like being forced to move out of a comfortable apartment after decades because the new landlord started to read your mail and sneak into your apartment.

All together is almost like a vicious circle. You really do need some killer applications or something like Steam Deck to make Linux more attractive. Not only games are important, also creative tools (like audio/video/photo editing applications) seem to be under-supported in Linux. Apple knew what they did, when they pushed the Mac onto the creative industry.
Posted by: Nameless Voice
« on: 06. June 2024, 23:36:41 »

Valve are the closest one to doing something like this, because the Steam Deck has pushed a lot of companies to want to have Linux support for their games, and Wine Proton has helped a lot more Windows software to run on Linux.

That's probably been one of the biggest boosts for software support on Linux in years.

Because, at the end of the day, the problem that keeps people away from using Linux generally isn't Linux itself, but rather that a lot of software and games don't run properly there.
Posted by: voodoo47
« on: 06. June 2024, 19:09:46 »

Are there any trustworthy entities?
No.
fixed.
Posted by: fox
« on: 06. June 2024, 16:53:01 »

Are there any trustworthy big companies?
No.
Posted by: JDoran
« on: 06. June 2024, 15:07:07 »

Windows 11 is heavily detested by many people, and not undeservedly. I wish Google or another company with unlimited cash behind them would make a PC OS that ran all Windows stuff but without the bad Stuff that Windows has/does.

Actually, probably not Google. They aren't exactly strangers to selling off peoples' private data, from what I've read. Are there any trustworthy big companies?
Posted by: Nameless Voice
« on: 06. June 2024, 08:36:49 »

Not surprising, considering they keep forcing more unwanted features in each Windows version.
Posted by: icemann
« on: 06. June 2024, 04:22:23 »

Speaking of Windows. Turns out 70% of Windows users worldwide have stuck with Windows 10, not wanting to "upgrade" to 11.

Article:
Here
Posted by: JDoran
« on: 04. June 2024, 18:00:08 »

not going to tell you what to do or not to do, but a recommendation, that I can give.

Or you could bribe us! It doesn't even have to be money - if you can send me Karen Gillan's phone number then I won't mention politics here ever again  :)



Regarding dropping Windows, I've been reading about ReactOS (via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReactOS ), an open source, Windows compatible operating system. It does seem very interesting, but according to the Wikipedia page:

"ReactOS has been in development since 1996. As of April 2024, it is still considered feature-incomplete alpha software, and is therefore recommended by the developers only for evaluation and testing purposes.[11][12] However, many Windows applications are working, such as Adobe Reader 9.3, GIMP 2.6, and LibreOffice 5.4."

So of course it's very far from being the fully Windows compatible, open source (and totally free from Microsoft's controls) alternative to MS's invasive, resource stealing, every update is a guessing game in what it will break, modern Windows versions. Still an interesting thing to read about, and maybe in an alternative universe many of us are happily using ReactOS to run our Windows games and non-gaming software.

And in that great universe, I bet they are playing System Shock 3, Dishonored 3 (or 4),Prey 2 (the sequel to the 2017 Prey game), Half-Life 3, Portal 3, No One Lives Forever 3, Perfect Dark 2, Timesplitters 4, Bioshock 3 (or 4, or, if that universe is *really* great, then they have Bioshock 3 AND 4, and they still have Bioshock: Infinite, which kept all of the good stuff that was removed from our version of Infinite, and is a superb, ground-breaking genre-defining classic, instead of the very pretty but shallow disappointment of Bioshock: Infinite that we were given), and so on. And in that universe, Microsoft never bought (then ruined) Rare, Microsoft didn't break up Arkane Austin, and Microsoft would never think of anything as stupid or unwelcome to the users as Recall.

And in that universe, Duke Nukem Forever came out around 2001, and was really good. I bet they're playing the equally great Duke Nukem 8 by now.
Posted by: Nameless Voice
« on: 02. June 2024, 13:05:16 »

Eh, I am. I just don't talk about it here.

Anyway, regarding YouTube, there's an arms race between Google and the people who work on ad blockeres.
Generally forcibly flushing / re-updating your uBO lists should fix that.  the uBO team work fast.
Posted by: voodoo47
« on: 02. June 2024, 11:07:52 »

this is a place where we go to so we can escape RL garbage, I would presume. so lets do that, perhaps.

not going to tell you what to do or not to do, but a recommendation, that I can give.
Posted by: icemann
« on: 02. June 2024, 11:02:28 »

Is that a subtle hint that we should stay away from the subject of politics?  :thinking:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think what he meant was that we're all around the same level. No hard lefties or right aligned. More all somewhere around the middle. With the odd exception here and there.

OT: Anyone else notice Youtube has put back the "Ad blockers violate YouTube's Terms of Service" screens again? Annoying.
Posted by: Nameless Voice
« on: 01. June 2024, 20:02:20 »

If you want to use a Linux that acts a lot of like Windows, with a similar (but better in some ways) UI, then you should use Linux Mint.  Get the version with the Cinnamon desktop.

It's great for anything non-game-related.  I've been using it at work for years.

Sadly, Linux has issues with gaming, and especially with game development (still no proper launcher/installer/Marketplace for Unreal Engine on Linux), so I've never been able to use it full time for my own PC.
Posted by: JDoran
« on: 01. June 2024, 15:38:01 »

one of the things I really like about this forum is that there is pretty much no politics.

Is that a subtle hint that we should stay away from the subject of politics?  :thinking:

You are right though, political discussions often turn nasty, and never result in anyone involved changing their own viewpoints. So let's leave Trump and other political stuff out of this forum. Until SHOWDAN takes over the world, then politics will be a relevant subject here again.

Though not for long, if Microsoft created her. Then we'd have no worries, because SHODAN won't even be able to copy a file without blues-screening and allowing for a simple hack that would allow a white hat hacker to gain full access and control over the formerly evil A.I.
Posted by: JDoran
« on: 01. June 2024, 15:28:18 »

Regarding Linux, if nothing else, I might end up dual-booting Linux and Windows 10. I never play video games online, so if I keep Windows 10 offline, then I can play all of my Window games (and offline Windows programs) without problems, And for anything involving the internet, I can safely use Linux.

Or, given how unpopular Windows 11 is, then perhaps some talented Windows 10 users can come up with a safe and easy way to keep Windows 10 secure when Microsoft abandons it, so we can just stick with the lesser rubbish of the two Windows versions. And yes, I know that I used the word's 'secure' and 'Microsoft' in the same sentence.

Or I might bite the bullet and read up on how best to use a purely Linux solution. I don't even know which of the four zillion Linux versions to use yet, but no doubt some people have put together a few that mimic the Windows experience (minus the data-mining, updates that stop your hardware from working, and the way Windows seemingly alters it's own settings at random) to ease the user's migration from Windows to Linux. And yes, even at the most optimistic, there will still be some Windows programs that won't work well on Linux, but  I don't tend to use unusual programs, just a web browser (Brave, at the moment), office software (Libre Office is fine), a stack of third party programs that compensate for Windows' lack of decent functions, a relatively simple graphical editor, a music player, a video player, etc.

I doubt any of this stuff is lacking in the Linux world. As long as my games (most of which are not open source, of course) can be made to run under Linux (which is allegedly the case now), then moving to Linux should be very rewarding.
Posted by: voodoo47
« on: 01. June 2024, 15:14:03 »

one of the things I really like about this forum is that there is pretty much no politics.
Posted by: JDoran
« on: 01. June 2024, 14:53:20 »

I really can't see Trump spending even one minute in prison. He's a life-long criminal and conman, he's even been found guilty of rape, incited an insurrection, and stolen military nuclear secrets (and has probably sold/given US military secrets to enemies of the US, resulting in the deaths of many US agents abroad) yet he's still free and allowed to roam about as he wishes. The traitors who he incited to try to overthrow democracy are locked in prison, whilst Trump himself plays golf and lives in luxury.

Trump is just one more example, albeit a phenomenally overblown and unique example, of how the law treats people according to their wealth, power, and influence.
Posted by: fox
« on: 31. May 2024, 16:49:26 »

Black Lotus Labs (owned by Lumen Technologies, a Windstream-competitor): The Pumpkin Eclipse
Lumen Technologies’ Black Lotus Labs identified a destructive event, as over 600,000 small office/home office (SOHO) routers were taken offline belonging to a single internet service provider (ISP). The incident took place over a 72-hour period between October 25-27, rendered the infected devices permanently inoperable, and required a hardware-based replacement. Public scan data confirmed the sudden and precipitous removal of 49% of all modems from the impacted ISP’s autonomous system number (ASN) during this time period.

600.000 destroyed routers in 72h and the ISP in question, Windstream, isn't commenting on it - at all.
Posted by: fox
« on: 31. May 2024, 15:40:47 »

Trump found guilty on 34 counts of paying hush money to Stormy Daniels. Will he go to jail? My money is on a big no.
Or will he go to jail and get elected anyway? Now that would be something. I don't think that this will happen but apparently it would be possible according to US law.
Posted by: voodoo47
« on: 31. May 2024, 15:05:38 »

my general experience is that full switch to linux in nigh impossible, as there is always that one thing™ that just doesn't work.

Xubuntu on my secondary machine (a thin client converted by a few nonstandard parts, because why would I be running a normal computer if I can do something not intended by anyone), it does what I want it to do, all I had to do is rearrange the desktop panels to get windows-like functionality (start button bottom left, tray bottom right). didn't bother with skins, I don't mind it not looking like windows.

the thin client is tiny, completely silent and eats almost no juice, and I can switch between the computers just by pressing a button on my monitor. I don't mind doing this 'till kingdom come.
Posted by: JDoran
« on: 31. May 2024, 13:13:41 »

Another reason not to "upgrade" to Windows 11.

Since Windows 7 (by far the best Windows version, if you ask me) was dropped by MS in favour of Windows 8, I have always intended to see about changing to Linux. But laziness, age (I'm no longer as fascinated and keen to learn abut computers as I used to be), and the fact that I need to be very familiar with Windows (I work in I.T. support) have always kept me with Windows.

But Windows 11 might well the over-bloated, personal-data stealing, every software update threatens to knock out a different software function or hardware peripheral, "Your PC and laptop now belong to us [Microsoft], and not you", blending the line between malware and an operating system, anti-consumer Microsoft OS that makes me finally look into, and probably make the switch to, a good and not too technical version of a desktop Linus version.

If someone has put together a desktop version of Linux that functions like, and is controlled like, Windows, and makes running Windows games easy and reliable, then I'd be interested to hear of it. I have read that most Windows games can be made to run well on Linus now, but I can't remember where I read that, can anyone on here summarize the situation, please?
Posted by: icemann
« on: 31. May 2024, 08:03:23 »

Trump found guilty on 34 counts of paying hush money to Stormy Daniels. Will he go to jail? My money is on a big no.
Posted by: Join2
« on: 31. May 2024, 06:29:06 »

I've not played it but it can't be worse than Oblivion and Skyrim...can it? Those games are blandness personified. Blows my mind they're so popular. The content gets stale and you notice the mindless repetition FAST, balance gone to shit in no time at all, the only soul in the entire games come from Jeremy Soule.
Posted by: sarge945
« on: 28. May 2024, 14:28:07 »

Bethesda games are overall getting less unstable, which is good, but the overall quality of the rest of their work has absolutely plummeted.

Starfield was a total wet fart and I don't think Bethesda can recover from it.
Posted by: icemann
« on: 25. May 2024, 08:42:28 »

Couldn't possibly be used for ransomware style stuff. Right? Right?

Whoever came up with that stupendously idiotic idea has too much time on their hands. Another reason not to "upgrade" to Windows 11.
Posted by: ZylonBane
« on: 24. May 2024, 22:49:24 »

"Recall" is that you do to things that are defective.
Posted by: Nameless Voice
« on: 24. May 2024, 21:30:17 »

Giving Microsoft a complete history of everything you do on your computer? That couldn't possibly be abused for fraud, blackmail, or large-scale population suppression.
Posted by: fox
« on: 24. May 2024, 16:20:05 »

Switching to something Linux- or Unix-based is probably becoming unavoidable at some point in the very near future. Having some prior experience, I feel no enthusiasm for it whatsoever, no matter how usable it became. Sure has its pros but the days of me actually wanting to tinker and learn OS-related stuff are long gone. I just want it to do its job with minimum hassle and without betraying me.

Also: RIP Kabuso!
Posted by: voodoo47
« on: 24. May 2024, 15:46:34 »

eeeh I've already been using linux for everything but forums, games and Dark Engine modding. so, whatever?
Posted by: fox
« on: 24. May 2024, 15:20:58 »

Apparently MS is gradually introducing a "service" called 'Recall'. What it does is taking a screenshot of your screen every 5 seconds, store it, index it and make it searchable via MS's AI 'Copilot'.

Sounds like a great idea, right?!


Posted by: voodoo47
« on: 08. May 2024, 19:58:19 »

so I've watched a (new) FO4 playthrough for a bit;

-yes, all the annoyances are still there, Bethesda don't care
-people who just do not save are not exclusive to the SS2 environment
-the ability to continuously ignore all attempts of the game to teach the player how to work the mechanics is not rare

not getting into that anytime soon.
Posted by: icemann
« on: 04. May 2024, 05:02:39 »

Fallout 4 is a mixed bag. The combat is great, the world is quite large and there's heaps of content. On the other hand a lot of the RPG stuff was removed such as:
* Actual choices in conversations
* Stats and skills giving additional conversation options
* Skill System
* Ability to play how you want, and be the type of character that you want to be. Good, neutral or bad.

For a far superior Fallout experience I'd recommend New Vegas preferably with the 3 fan made expansions + Tale of Two Wastelands mod to combine the game with Fallout 3. Far better experience of the wasteland.
Plus lots more.
Posted by: fox
« on: 03. May 2024, 14:40:52 »

I don't remember FO4 being too buggy but of course it's a Bethesda game, so only relatively speaking. Most complaints I have heared were about it being too streamlined into shooter territory which is partially true but I still had lots of fun exploring it. To be honest, I might have enjoyed the action-oriented aspects of the gameplay more than with FO3 or NV because of it and I also enjoyed the less depressing, technically updated, look. The main story was weak as usual for the Bethesda FOs and compared to New Vegas but that came expected and is not really a problem for me, as there's enough good side stuff and environmental environmental storytelling to keep me interested.

I stayed away from Fallout 76 because people made fun of its buggy state (and the lack of NPCs) for quite a while but when I tried it a year or two ago, it seemed ok (relatively speaking again).

I ended up enjoying the first season of the new show too. The first two or three episodes are mostly for establishing the setting. They competently captured and recreated the tone of the Bethesda-FOs to a degree that positively surprised me although some of the characters and/or their actors really rubbed me the wrong way (like Maximus). Walton Goggins, on the other hand, is excellent. Once the story starts to unfold after those initial episodes, things start to get interesting on a less superficial (pun not intended) level, too. I'm happy to know that another season is in the works. Potentially the first show/movie based on a game franchise that I can really enjoy (although I have yet to watch The Last Of Us).

I'm not sure how appealing the Fallout-world really is to the broader mainstream audience but I guess the red scare / nuclear holocaust themes are striking a nerve these days. Maybe that specific combination with retro-scifi, fantasy and dark humor does too. The timing could be just right for this.
Posted by: Nameless Voice
« on: 03. May 2024, 14:04:18 »

I seriously doubt they've fixed the painfully awful writing.
Posted by: voodoo47
« on: 03. May 2024, 11:48:29 »

..and Fallout, Fallout everywhere. well, better than infected hooves, I suppose.

was thinking maybe I should give FO4 another whirl, but then remembered how I just got fed up with all the bugs and missing/broken mechanics, and all the mods that fixed the bugs and mechanics, only to introduce new bugs, so you would have to get more mods to fix those, and so on..

so I think I'm good - but I guess no harm in asking, did Bethesda fix anything in the last decade?
Posted by: voodoo47
« on: 18. March 2024, 23:21:28 »

..facebook today - here is all the AI generated porn that exists.
porn isn't good
I shouldn't have said that, I should not have said that..
Posted by: Nameless Voice
« on: 08. March 2024, 02:00:43 »

Wasn't that always the case?

I'm reminded of this old Monty Python song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8ANSnM-vRE
Posted by: icemann
« on: 08. March 2024, 01:51:21 »

... wait, are people seriously complaining that music is bad now because it's less acceptable to randomly hate on gay people?  That's a pretty weird criteria for sure.

I wasn't meaning that that made the music bad or good. More just was stating of how more sanitised what is played on the radio has become nowadays.
Posted by: voodoo47
« on: 07. March 2024, 18:28:51 »

Wow you are old.
yes. sometimes it feels like I'm knocking on heaven's door.

no need to apologize - not limited to AC/DC of course, that was just an example showing where approximately the bracket lies. also, game soundtracks.
Posted by: Join2
« on: 07. March 2024, 17:43:10 »

I wouldn't know, I think I'm good with finishing this ride listening to AC/DC.

Wow you are old.

I am not much a fan of hard rock I guess. I like rock and metal/heavy metal, but hard rock rarely sounds exceptional me. Good yes, but wow I could listen on repeat, no. AC/DC are ok. KiSS suck. Ozzy Osborne meh. Guns & Roses meh. Motorhead is quite badass though.

Sorry bro. Still, I'll take it over modern crap anyday and they made GREAT backing tracks to many classic american action movies.
Posted by: Nameless Voice
« on: 07. March 2024, 16:43:14 »

It'd odd, I hadn't even really noticed it - shops used to play music, but now they rarely do.  Can't think of any shops I've been in recently where I've heard music, other than the inescapable Christmas music around December.

I'm not a heavy shop person, the main shops I'd be going to be would be supermarkets to buy groceries, and they don't play music.
But also other shops I've been in don't generally play music, or if they do, it's very quiet.

Might be because you need a licence to play music in a public premises here, and I remember that was costly for a small business back in the day.

Pubs tend to have music (usually much too loud), but it's generally older stuff or traditional, rather than anything modern / popular.
Posted by: voodoo47
« on: 07. March 2024, 16:32:53 »

I wouldn't know, I think I'm good with finishing this ride listening to AC/DC.
Posted by: Join2
« on: 07. March 2024, 16:00:48 »

Lol how are you guys avoiding the radio? Never leave the basement? I am partialy joking but to me that seems like the only way to avoid it!

Retail stores? Radio. Someone else's car? Radio. Work? Depends on the establishment. Luckily, not for me. But I still can't escape the damn cursed airwaves.
Gym they play not the radio, but their own playlists which often contain pop music from a few years back, mumble rap, other worthless crap like super generic dance.

... wait, are people seriously complaining that music is bad now because it's less acceptable to randomly hate on gay people?  That's a pretty weird criteria for sure.

Who...said that?

Edit: oh icemann. Yeah I don't really want anti LGBT stuff on the radio. Don't want pro stuff either though. Dont want immodest sexual shit, period. If there exists pro, then I advocate for anti too. So there.
Posted by: Nameless Voice
« on: 07. March 2024, 15:56:21 »

I kind of want to steal this emoji     hackery.

Do people actually still listen to the radio?  I thought everyone just used music streaming services these days?


... wait, are people seriously complaining that music is bad now because it's less acceptable to randomly hate on gay people?  That's a pretty weird criteria for sure.
Posted by: Join2
« on: 07. March 2024, 15:54:31 »

Epilepsy warning for the video also.

Ear violation warning too. That's some excessive reverb on the vocals.
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