Maine: The state of computer illiteracy.

Discussion in 'General Chat' started by Exfoliate, Sep 15, 2005.

  1. Exfoliate

    Exfoliate Geek Trainee

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    My friend just called me today and we got talking about computers and technology. He said he heard about this breaking new revolution that will change the way we live! The following is in his words, I am not expounding on anything he said either: "I read in an article that they're now adding to the computer code so it will now be 10, 01, 012! I'm really excited about this as the gaming will become amazing now. There will be...let me see...over a googolplex more options for computer now with this extra bit of code!"
    Then he went on talking about how much better the XBOX-360 was than anything else, (I didn't even bother to point out SLI and crossfire). After that his major complaint about the Nintendo GameCube was the graphics looked...'small'.
    Holy crap, now this is a very good friend of mine but he's considered one of the more tech savvy people around here. The future of Maine's computer inclined population is looking very grim here. The boy makes up everything to impress me, he's fine when he sticks to things he knows but that made me cringe so much I sprained a muscle. And to think this is some pretty breaking news to some people who know even less than he does about the industry. Most people in my school would eat that right up.
     
  2. Big B

    Big B HWF Godfather

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    That would be quite a feat to change computer code like that since it's based on binary, and a trinary system. He's talking about changing one of the most basic parts of computing, which involves what amounts to a bunch of on/off switches in code AND in the hardware.

    I heard that the Russians tried a trinary system, but ultimately failed because there was yes/no/maybe, and the maybe turned into yes. I'm not sure if this is true...

    True, consoles are getting better, but, you only have so much you can do with them. For the upgrader, there's not much in the way of that. For the game designer, having a single set of hardware to design for simplifies things tremendously. Still, the Xbox 360 isn't out yet, and you have Xbox, PS3, etc. fanboys that think their console is the best. Of course, everytime a new console comes out, the same argument comes out how it'll own the PC...I'm still waiting.
     
  3. Anti-Trend

    Anti-Trend Nonconformist Geek

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    C'mon B, everbody knows that Cell PPCs 0wn on x86's for gaming! Oh, wait, they're only about 50% as fast as a current middle-grade AMD64? :rolleyes:
     
  4. Exfoliate

    Exfoliate Geek Trainee

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    I will never understand that, 50%? 7+ years of development for half the punch of a common place mid range chip? What would have been wrong with tweaking a 3000+ for instance? Rights to it I guess seems like such a shame.
     
  5. Anti-Trend

    Anti-Trend Nonconformist Geek

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    I'm sure they kick out an impressive amount of BogoMips, but real-world performance is a different matter.
     
  6. ninja fetus

    ninja fetus I'm a thugged out gangsta

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  7. Anti-Trend

    Anti-Trend Nonconformist Geek

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    Good Lord man, that's one of the worst things I've ever seen!
     
  8. Addis

    Addis The King

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    Another thing that annoys me. n00bs who think they know about computers and flaunt their inaccurate thoughts.
     
  9. Matt555

    Matt555 iMod

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    heh yeah, now i dont an awful lot but know more than most of the 'techy' people, if anyone in my year at school has a proeblem, they come to me, if i cant help them they think they're screwed, but they dont realise there are many many people who know a hell of a lot more than me.
    My friend and I were having a conversation about SLI today (he's good with computers...) and someone came in on the comversation and tried to act like he knew something, well me and my friend just sat there and tried not to laugh when he was talking, what a complete idiot...i dont have anything against people who dont know a lot about computers, hell we all have to start somewhere, but when you try and talk way above your head you do sound like a complete idiot
     
  10. Big B

    Big B HWF Godfather

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    That's definitely bad. Now, granted the naming convention for PCIe is still one of the dumbest moves I've seen as far as user confusion goes, but still...if the thing doesn't fit, you'd think he'd take that sucker back for a refund...

    Oh, well, I had someone argue with me here that the Voodoo 3 was the best video card ever and that it trumped the GeForce 2 line. That guy was annoying...

    I don't think that consoles are necessarily better than a PC to the extent that certain games, IMO, are better off on a console. Take fighting games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. That's not something you want to have a full keyboard for. On the flip-side, any FPS tends to be better suited to the PC because of the control offered by the keyboard. Halo has come awfully close to making a solid FPS for the console, but that seems to be the exception, not the rule.
     
  11. Anti-Trend

    Anti-Trend Nonconformist Geek

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    Hahaha, nevermind that the Voodoo3 (aka "Banshee") couldn't display true color properly and didn't even support a full OpenGL instruction set. :p And the tiny issue that nVidia actually bought out 3DFX and employs many of their top engineers.
    I thought Halo was teh sux0r (yes, I know, I'll probably be lynched for saying that). Felt like a console game, not an FPS. Even if it did, it's the gayest FPS I've ever played. I suppose console kiddies have never experienced a 'real' FPS, so Halo opened up a whole new world to them?

    -AT
     
  12. Exfoliate

    Exfoliate Geek Trainee

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    I second that! that has to be the most painful image I've seen in a great while. I'm just hoping it's an elaborate hoax with a good photoshop job and intentionally uninformed writing. Otherwise he probably just bought the most expensive card he could find (it's almost surprising he didn't go with a quadro or something then). It's funny yet gives me a horrible knot in my stomach at the same time.

    As for the better playability with fighters on the console it's not so much the controller coming into it's own as I could play those with a keyboard or buy my own controller for the PC but it's the fact that there are about 10 fighers out there for the PC that boils my noodle.
     
  13. Matt555

    Matt555 iMod

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    yeah that is one of those images that makes you laugh but you really just cant believe it and it it does make you feel weird. You just want to get the guy who did it and shake him to try and get it into his head he just did one of the most stupid things...
    I showed the link to my friend (the one who's good with computers, not the one who tried to sound good and couldnt..) and he just didnt say anything...when he did he was like..."why would somebody do that...who in their right mind would cut a £350 graphics card"
    I mean if you didnt know then you might do it, but still surely he would have asked around before cutting an expensive top of the line graphics card...
     
  14. zRoCkIsAdDiCtInG

    zRoCkIsAdDiCtInG HWF Guitar Freak

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    LMFAO HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA

    loser just lost 500$

    still LMFAO
     
  15. Exfoliate

    Exfoliate Geek Trainee

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    It's got to be a hoax, I can't imagine anyone being that dim. And posting their uber incompitence on the web, bragging "I am a sniffling n00b!" Nobody would do that...I hope.
     
  16. pelvis_3

    pelvis_3 HWF Member For Life

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  17. ninja fetus

    ninja fetus I'm a thugged out gangsta

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    It's no hoax, it was from a real message board
     
  18. Exfoliate

    Exfoliate Geek Trainee

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    have you read the replies? And look at his pics, it wouldn't be that hard to PhotoShop that. If he had a close up I'd buy it but not with what I've seen. Plus as people said on the board he's taking loosing a $500 piece of hardware way too well, and no friend who can build a computer would be dim enough to advise such a practice. Either way it's good for a painful laugh.
     
  19. Addis

    Addis The King

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    Only 2 things are infinite. The universe and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the former. Albert Einstein
     
  20. Nic

    Nic Sleepy Head

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