Rantings

The Case Continues...

For the love of sanity, when will this Microsoft trial end? The other judge was so Anti-Microsoft that it wasn't even funny, but the new judge seems to be Pro-Microsoft. I thought judges were supposed to be impartial? I guess people bring their political views to the courtroom after all, eh?

Microsoft was found to be an illegal monopoly. Of that there is no debate. So what is all the fuss about? Why not just break them up into two or three smaller companies and let each of their stocks skyrocket so all of the people involved can get even richer than they are?

The states are asking for things that a lot of users have been asking for - the right to select which parts and pieces of the Windows operating system you want to install or remove from your system. How come we can remove Media Player in earlier versions but not now? How come XP's Media Player not only tracks all of your music and movie viewing but also takes over streaming media functions regardless of which player you specify should handle them inside the browser? How come they are trying to shove MSN messenger down your throat and don't let you uninstall Outlook Express of all things? Why can't Microsoft just cave in, make a few "token" adjustments to let people remove what they want and get it over with? They already dominate the OEM market, and it looks like that won't change at all as a result of this settlement. It also looks like they will continue to dominate the Office market, because they won't have any additional bundling restrictions imposed and Sun has decided to charge for Star Office 6. It's not like Microsoft is going to suffer from such a small adjustment, right?

Game Controllers Are Too Boring!

I was sitting down playing Comanche 4 the other day, a game I really, really like, and I realized that I was playing the game with the keyboard and mouse and not missing a beat. How did that happen? When did we move from these killer joysticks with 300 buttons and complicated configuration software to playing flight games with the keyboard and mouse? We need a resurgence in the game controller market. We need Gravis, Thrustmaster and Act Labs to keep on cranking out some innovative solutions! Light guns, joysticks, game pads, the works.

Sims: What's The Big Deal?

Somebody help me here. Why is the Sims the most popular PC game ever created? How come it isn't Quake or Doom? How come it isn't one of the founding games that started it all? Why is it this exercise in voyeurism known as The Sims Franchise? Is it not bad enough that Myst was the best seller before that? At least Myst had some redeeming qualities, such as incredible graphics and some pretty well done puzzles, but The Sims?

At least SimCity had some intelligence to it. SimCity 2000 was a pretty fun game to play, every now and then. In some ways it is like StarCraft, where you manage assets and try to ensure positive flow of goods so you can build more things and grow to dominate the map. Yeah, the only people you fight are city hall and angry, garbage throwing environmentalists who are mad because you put up another power plant, but the game had a rhythm and a goal.

But to micromanage people? Isn't that why people have kids, become teachers or enter into management? How sick is it that you have a follow-up called "Hot Date" where the goal is less than honorable? What is this world turning into? Are our lives so unfulfilling that we have to live vicariously through tiny computer controlled people?

It's a disservice to all hardcore gamers when a title like The Sims can outsell first person shooters like Doom and Quake. Come on people, slap yourselves on the forehead and get in it in gear! We have to show people what they are missing! Maybe it’s a conspiracy and the sheep are simply being guided to the trough that is easiest to eat from. Never forget: Soylent Green Is People.