SpawnPoint

I start off by saying I can't stand Macs, but I do love my iPod Nano (except when iTunes randomly decides to wipe it and re-sync it from scratch) and I've been thinking of getting a video iPod too. I'll admit, I was interested getting an iPhone. Not the current first gen iPhone, since I expect it to suffer from the kinds of problems that most first gen tech hardware suffers from, but I was looking forward to see what the second gen iPhone would have to offer. I figured by the second generation Apple would have opened up a bit to make developing 3rd party apps easier, and that AT&T would stop requiring the additional data plan (thanks but no thanks, even I'm not quite that addicted to the internet!). But after the BS Apple has pulled in the past couple of weeks I have not only decided against a 2nd gen iPhone (unless it's free), I'm rethinking getting a 2nd iPod and considering disabling the firmware updater for the one I have.

Note to Steve Jobs: Pissing off your customers is a BAD IDEA.

For anyone who somehow missed what's going on with the iPhone, here's the short version. The iPhone is locked to AT&T, unless you hack either the hardware or firmware to unlock it. Also, the software is locked to prevent anyone from putting 3rd party applications on it unless they hack it. In both cases, doing anything with the phone that Apple has not explicitly approved automatically voids the warranty. Apple issued a statement prior to the iPhone firmware update that came out last week, which basically stated that the firmware update (which installs automatically unless you have manually changed the default settings in the phone and iTunes) would break hacked iPhones. When the firmware came out, people who had hacked the phone to either unlock it or install their own apps on it suddenly discovered that they owned a $500 paperweight, and that calls to Apple's support were answered with "it's your own fault for trying to do something we didn't say you were allowed to do".

Hey Steve, here's another note for you: If you sell me something, then sneak into my house to smash it because I decided I didn't get your permission to do something, you should consider yourself lucky if I don't sneak into your house to SHOVE IT UP YOUR A**!!!



I don't feel the least bit bad for the people who are crying about the iPhone price drop 2 months after they rushed out to be the first to own the latest gift from the church of Apple. If they were happy to wait in line and pay $500 in order to show how cool they were to own the latest status symbol, they don't get to whine when the price comes down and more people can afford it. It's the early-adopter-bragging-rights-tax, now quit your xxxxing.

I do, however, feel that anyone who's iPhone was bricked by the firmware update has every right to be pissed off. The iPhone was all hyped up about how much potential and power it has, but Apple then turns around and breaks the phones of anyone who tried to actually use some of that potential.

Who do they think they are, Microsoft?

Considering some of the problems I've run into in the past with trying to get CS:S to run under Linux (last try was with Ubuntu 6.06 several months ago), I was really surprised at how easy it was to get it installed and running this past weekend. Fortunately, this time I was starting off from a clean install and remembered to document everything I did so I would be able to backtrack if anything went wrong. Lucky for me, nothing went wrong.

The computer I'm using for a Linux machine is one that I alternately refer to as either the "Spare Parts Box" or "The Never-Ending Mod Project". It's made up almost entirely of leftover parts from upgrades to my main machine, and since I don't care how long or how often it's in pieces I can use it to experiment with ideas and techniques for case modding. It has a P4 2.4b processor, 512MB PC2700 RAM (soon to be upgraded to 1GB), an 80GB PATA hard drive, 128MB Nvidia 6800XT video card, DVD burner, and Asus P4PE motherboard. I've installed Ubuntu Linux 7.04 desktop edition, and the only changes I've made to the defaults so far were to install Automatix, which was used to install the current Nvidia Linux driver.

To get CS:S installed I needed to install WINE. To get the most current version I opened the command line and used the following two commands:

wget -q http://wine.budgetdedicated.com/apt/387EE263.gpg -O- | sudo apt-key add -

sudo wget http://wine.budgetdedicated.com/apt/sources.list.d/feisty.list -O /etc/apt/sources.list.d/winehq.list

Once WINE was installed I ran the initial configuration by typing:

winecfg

which brings up a Windows style configuration window. I looked through each of the configuration tabs, but left everything set at the defaults. When the window exited I had the following warning in my console:

error reads "fixme:msg:pack_message msg 14 (WM_ERASEBKGND) not supported yet"

I took a look though some Linux forums and saw that a lot of people seem to get this error the first time they run the configuration utility, but that simply running it again fixed the problem, so I ran wincfg again with no errors this time.

Once the initial configuration was done I opened the file explorer and selected to show hidden files, then went into the .wine/drive_c/windows/fonts folder in my Home folder and pasted in the Tahoma.ttf font I had copied from my Windows computer. (Steam uses this font, so you'll need to either download Tahoma from somewhere or copy it from the fonts folder of your own Windows computer (assuming you have one).

To install Steam I used the SteamInstaller.exe I had saved from a previous install (unfortunately, the SteamInstaller.msi that you currently get if you go to the Steam homepage to download Steam won't work, so you need the older .exe version) and typed in console:

wine SteamInstaller.exe

The Steam install went off without a hitch (w00t!) so I entered my username and password, went to the My Games tab, and selected to install CS:S. At this point I walked off for the rest of the night while it downloaded and installed the game. When I got up the next morning CS:S had finished installing and was ready to try out. The game launched without any problems, but when I tried to change the resolution from inside the game it froze up completely. I restarted, and this time when I started Steam I right clicked on CS:S and selected Properties, then Launch Options. For the Launch Options I entered:

-width 1280 -height 1024

I started the game again and this time there were no problems with the resolution. I picked a random server and played a few rounds to make sure everything was working.

It still isn't as easy as installing CS:S in Windows, but with Ubuntu 7.04 and the latest version of WINE, gaming under Linux is definitely getting a lot easier. :D

Since I posted about the inclusion of SecuROM in the BioShock installer last week, I figured I should post an update with some of the related news and what I've learned about it since then.

Originally SecuROM was set to allow you to activate BioShock on two separate computers, twice on each. That pretty much blew up right away when people were having problems connecting to the activation servers and then getting messages that they had already exceeded their maximum installs when they finally did manage to connect. There were also a lot of posts in the BioShock forums from angry gamers who frequently upgrade their computers and/or periodically wipe their hard drives and reinstall Windows. 2kGames has responded to this by updating SecuROM for what they call 5x5...5 installs on 5 computers before it throws a fit. They have also announced that they will be releasing a downloadable software tool to de-authorize a computer and free up that allotted install for another computer. So if you know you're going to be replacing your hard drive you'll be able to de-authorize the install on your current hard drive before re-installing the game on the new hard drive.

I'll definitely give them credit for the quick response to the problems and worries that people were posting about in their forums. It's good to see a gaming company taking such an active approach to gamer complaints. (note to Valve: Take a hint and add this move to your playbook. Gamers would spend a LOT less time pissed off if you had someone monitoring the Steam forums to find out how seriously some of the Steam updates have f-ed up the game!)

Now for the additional info I've found about SecuROM. From what I've been finding, it does not contain a rootkit. What Rootkit Revealer was finding, and what people were misunderstanding, was essentially a registry key with an ivalid character. What people who are claiming there is a rootkit don't understand is that Rootkit Revealer points out that registry key because an invalid character in a registry key may indicate the presence of a rootkit, not that there actually is one.

I'm still undecided on whether or not I would be willing to buy the game since they updated SecurROM rather than completely remove it. I think the next system I build will have two separate hard drives with separate Windows installs on them that I can select between at boot up (hmm...maybe a switch on the case to determine which drive is connected to the power supply....) and use one for programs I trust and the other other for programs that force me to install crapware like SecuROM.

So yesterday I finished downloading/installing the BioShock demo and played it. When I finished the demo I had 3 main thoughts kicking around in my head:

1) I need to get a bigger monitor...17" just isn't cutting it for me anymore...

2) I need to build a new system to power a new monitor at the resolution I want to run everything at...

3) I NEED to get this game!

Seriously, this was one of the rare instances where I've played a demo and been blown away by how cool the demo was and how much potential the game has. This game is pretty much the excuse I've been looking for to go nuts with my NewEgg card and build a new system from the ground up....


Then I found out that BioShock installs SecuROM, even if you just install the demo through Steam. Well, there went that idea...now I'm considering a complete reformat/Windows reinstall just to be certain that it is completely removed from my computer.

For those not familiar with it, SecuROM is a form of DRM that installs in the background, can cause serious conflicts with certain Microsoft Windows Tools, reportedly can cause conflicts with some other games, and is a serious pain to remove without screwing up Windows (it does not uninstall if you uninstall the game it was bundled with). They claim it does not contain a root kit, however there are several discussions in various forums questioning this which include screen shots of various root kit detection programs detecting portions of SecuROM. To me, this is just far to reminiscent of the Sony Root Kit fiasco....oh look, a little minor digging turns up the fact it's a Sony product. Gee, what a surprise!

Well, at least SecuROM isn't as bad as StarForce.........although that's kind of like saying "At least Avian Flu isn't as bad as Ebola"

Is it really that hard for players to just listen to what an admin tells them? I mean seriously, if an admin says over and over again "stop mic spamming", mutes several people because they refuse to stop, kicks a few people who immediately start mic spamming at the start of the next map, and temp bans a couple more who felt the need to be disrespectful, why would people keep mic spamming? Is it an attempt to see how far they can push the admin before getting banned? Is there some sort of short circuit in their brains that makes them think they are somehow exempt from the server rules?

It's not just mic spamming either. How many times does someone have to be told to watch the language before they figure out "gee, maybe I should either stop swearing or stop feeling the need to hold down the voice chat key every time I want to swear"? What about the people who can't grasp the concept of "No porn sprays", or the people on Gun Game who can't seem to comprehend what "Do not camp without a scout" means?

My personal favorites are the idiots who feel the need to try and argue about the rules while playing. "Oh, well that's stupid, this game is rated blah, blah, blah, blah, blah..." Here's a little secret for all the morons who fall into that category...NO ONE CARES IF YOU LIKE THE RULES OR NOT. Here's another little secret for you, in the world of online gaming there is one rule that trumps all others...He who pays for the server makes the rules, everyone else plays by the rules or finds somewhere else to play. End of Story. No matter how much you xxxx and moan about it not being fair or your ignorant claims about how we're violating your Freedom of Speech (try actually reading the 1st Amendment sometime, kthnx) it doesn't change the simple fact that the people who pay for the servers get to make the rules and it's the admin's job to enforce the rules (and that admins can loose their admin status for not enforcing the rules).

Personally I think that every multiplayer game should include some sort of IQ test in the installer. In order to install the game people would have to demonstrate the mental capacity to grasp simple concepts such as "when the admin tells you to stop doing something you should stop doing it." This would definitely make my life, and the life of every other admin, much easier.

...of course, then the game publishers would have to deal with all the parents who get pissed off when they are basically informed that their child is too stupid to be allowed to play a video game...

It's been a little over a month, but I'm finally back on the servers getting some fragging time in. The move into the new house was ridiculously easy thanks to all the people who showed up to help out...but it was all the annoying little things that made it take so long to get settled in and get my computers set up. I'm still not quite finished with everything, but I've got enough done that I can take some time most nights to play for a while and will finally be able to get back to work on some of the articles and projects that have been stuck on hold through the whole moving process.

Well I finally have Windows Vista Home Premium up and running on one of my computers. Yup, it really does look nice with all the eye candy turned on. And it was the fastest, easiest Windows install I've ever done (although that's not saying much).

Too bad those are about the only things it has going for it. I can honestly say that the past few days have made me want to yank out the hard drive I installed Vista on and go back to using XP until at least the first Vista service pack comes out. This is quite possibly the worst operating system I've ever used, and I am including Windows ME in that list.

The first thing it did after the install finished and I booted into Vista for the first time was to ask if I wanted to turn on Automatic Updates. Ok, no problems there, I did want to turn on Automatic Updates and just let it download and install the updates on its own. Then a window pops up warning me that I just selected to turn on Automatic Updates and asking me if I really wanted to do that. Well, actually it popped under the window I had open and the only indication there was something going on was a new tab appearing in the task bar. What, do they think I lied when I said I wanted to turn it on? Fine, click Yes and keep going. Oops, new warning window just popped up. Now Windows firewall is warning me that Automatic Updates is trying to connect to Microsoft and asking me if that is ok. Umm...what exactly would have been the point of turning on automatic updates if I didn't want it to actually connect and download the updates? Oh look, there are major security updates available. Gee, there's a shock. Updates download and go to install...and another warning pops up asking me if I want to allow this to happen. Are they serious? Are the geniuses at Microsoft going out of their way to train me as quickly as possible to completely ignore any and all security warnings that might pop up? Yes, I really do want to patch the gaping security holes that shipped with Vista, please just do it and stop asking over and over if I'm sure that's what I want to do. Updates install and...tell me to reboot. Well, so much for Microsoft's hype about how Vista won't need to constantly reboot to apply updates.

Alright, now that I've got it installed and updated it's time to start installing some of the programs that might make it useful. Let's start with Norton 2007. Pop in the CD and...yes, I want the CD to run...yes, I know it's an executable...yes I really do want to install it...yes, I want it to make changes to the system, NOW STOP ASKING IDIOTIC QUESTIONS!!! Finally, Norton is installed, now to update it. Hmmm...ok, for some reason IE7 won't allow me to download anything. Ah yes, those wonderful new security features they built into Vista where it's all or nothing. Did it never occur to them that there is something fundamentally wrong with the fact users would have to disable the built-in Vista security in order to update their security software? ::slams head against desk repeatedly after disabling IE7 security in order to make it usable::

Repeat the series of “do you know what you're doing?” and “are you really, really sure you want to do that?” pop-ups for every other program I installed, and for any patches or updates they needed to download. I've also learned that it will always pop up the warning window behind any other open windows, so if you don't notice the new tab in the task bar you'll end up sitting around forever for something to happen while Vista waits for you to find the hidden window and tell it that you really did want to install something and hadn't changed your mind after the first couple of times it made you confirm you wanted to install. By the time I finished installing just some of the programs I put on every system I build I was barely even glancing at the pop-ups before clicking “Yes”, which is something I should really know better than to do. Now if it took less than an hour for Vista to basically train me to ignore security warnings, how is this “security feature” supposed to help the vast majority of people who don't know better than to blindly click “Yes” every time a window pops up asking for permission? I am very quickly gaining an understanding of why so many people simply disable User Access Control. You would think that with so many good examples of how to handle this type of security ::cough, any version of Linux, cough:: they might have been able to make this a useful feature instead of a useless pain in the ass.

Once I was through the pain of installing some basic software it was time to start trying to actually use some of the programs. I figured I'd start off by restoring my iTunes library backup so I could grab the latest podcasts and charge up my iPod (I'll rant about that experience another time), so I popped in the DVD I had backed everything up to and let iTunes automatically restore the library. What should have been about the simplest thing possible (I mean seriously, how hard can it be to copy a bunch of MP3s from a DVD to the hard drive?) ended up becoming my first Vista crash. And it wasn't even a little crash. No, it crashed so badly I was forced to do a hard reboot. First a couple of those wonderful “warning, you are trying to perform a basic task! Are you sure you really, really want to do that?” windows popped up behind iTunes, followed by a complete screen freeze when I tried to actually select one. Fortunately the old 3-finger-salute still worked and I was able to open the task manager to try and see exactly what was frozen and try to kill it. Hmm...task manager is listed as not responding. Well isn't that special? Ok, another 3-finger-salute to Microsoft and I had a new task manager window open that was actually responding. I tried to force it to quit out of the one that had frozen and was greeted by a nice little window telling me that instead of killing the program like I had told it to, Vista was going to sit and analyze the problem while trying to find a solution. At this point I walked off, had a smoke, went and got a snack, and made a phone call. When I came back 20 minutes later Vista was still trying to figure out what had happened, and still hadn't closed out of the frozen task manager window. Fine, cancel trying to find a “solution” and just kill the window. Well it turns out that Vista apparently doesn't let you do that. You can let it spend a couple of days trying to figure out why it froze or ignore the frozen program (assuming it will still let you try to do other things) but the old fashioned “Just kill the damn program” option isn't there anymore. I decided to just walk away from it for a while and head over to Tubby3D's house to hang out for a couple of hours while Vista figure out how to close the unresponsive task manager window. Several hours later I came home and it was still trying to figure out how to close the task manager.

Well since Plan A (Control Alt Delete) didn't work it was time to go for the most common solution to a Microsoft problem...reboot. I brought up the menu and selected reboot and was brought to a very nice looking screen that let me know Vista was saving my personal settings and preparing to shut down. I decided I was just going to hop on my other computer and play CS:S for a while and give Vista another try in a little while. An hour later I came back to my laptop and saw that Vista was still saving my personal settings and preparing to shut down. Fortunately computer makers figured out how to deal with Windows problems like this a long time ago. All you have to do is hold down the power button for several seconds and do a hard reboot. Sure they warn you that this can result in Windows having “stability issues” after the forced reboot, but the way I see it is that at this point it can't really screw up Vista any more than Microsoft already has. I laughed when I was brought to the screen asking if I wanted to boot into safe mode, try to boot normally, or boot into the “last known good configuration”. Seeing as from what I could tell Vista hadn't had a “good configuration” yet, what would the “last known good configuration” be? Windows XP perhaps? I booted Vista normally, clicked through the warning screen that pops up every single time I boot up confirming that I really do want to use the Norton firewall instead of the piece of crap that is built into Vista, and was finally able to finish restoring my iTunes backup (after clicking through a couple of more popups to confirm that I really do want to do that). Once I was sure that had worked I closed out of iTunes and clicked on the AIM launcher and...waited. Then waited some more. Ok, try again. Wait some more. Try to launch something else. Wait some more. Open the task manager (which fortunately didn't crash this time) and try to close out of the non-responding programs. Walk off to go do something else for a while while Vista tries to figure out what to do, come back and see that it's still confused, and reboot again. I was actually shocked that it managed to reboot this time without me holding down the power button for a hard boot. I checked my email, chatted on AIM for a little while, then decided to shut down for the night before Vista could find another excuse to crash.

So that was my first couple of days trying to use Vista. I'll rant more about the problems I've had since then in another post. For now I'll just finish up by saying that so far Vista is quite possibly the single least stable operating system I have ever used. I understand now why I've been reading so many stories of people giving up, uninstalling it, and reinstalling XP. I only had to pay $6 shipping for my “upgrade” DVD and I feel like I got ripped off, I can't imagine how mad people who actually wasted money in a store to buy it must be.