Video games got me thinking...
"Free to Play"
I absolutely despise "free to play" games. They take what is often a great game and purposely make it so tedious, boring and painful to "play" that people give their money, over and over again, to actually make it into a fun experience.
With a free to play game, you will either pay way more than the publisher could ever charge you in one payment, like Asphalt 7 with a total, everything-unlocked cost of almost $3500.
Or you'll just never stop paying, like in Dungeon Hunter, which charges real money for healing potions. Its one thing to charge real money for ultimate armor or some killer sword, but healing potions? Those are a basic necessity in an RPG like Dungeon Hunter.
Which brings me to the worst of the worst of the worst. A practice so appalling it would be laughably absurd if people didn't fall for it. I'm talking about when publishers take an existing game, maybe a gem of the 90s Sega Genesis & Super Nintendo era and think of ways to drain the fun and annoy you enough to make you pay every step of the way. Take a look at Dungeon Keeper. An awesome game by Bullfrog released in the late 90s that put you in charge of digging and designing a dungeon dangerous enough to fight off heroes. In the Bullfrog classic, it would take a couple minutes to dig out a large section of your dungeon. But then EA Games, easily the most nauseatingly greedy of game publishers, took this classic gem and pervertedly molested it into a soulless prostitute. In their new farce "Dungeon Keeper" it takes days, even weeks to dig your dungeon... unless, of course, you want to spend money. WTF! This game has been around forever! You can buy the whole, much better version for $6!
Unfortunately even paid games are starting to include many of these tactics. EA (nauseatingly greedy, remember?) incorporated microtransactions in Dead Space 3 and FIFA Ultimate Team so they could score a few more dollars from you after you already spent $40 - $60 on the game itself. Unlike Downloadable Content, which is more like an expansion pack, these microtransactions are usually $1 - $3 and unlock things like guns and better players.
On top of all this, you have games that also charge a subscription. I'm not necessarily opposed to a subscription system if its a reasonable charge. After all, those servers cost money to run and maintain. But the going rate seems to be around $15 a month. Considering Xbox Live is less than 9 dollars a month, and serves as a subscription for a huge assortment of games, $15 seems a little steep.
This brings me to my next topic, which I think is even a scarier one...
How Did This Happen?
Basically it was Apple's fault. But no, really... Lets think back to when the first iPhone came out. Up until then, the most advanced game you could hope to play on your phone was probably snake or brick breaker. So, when Apple released the app store people were understandably reluctant to spend any real amount of money for a game on their phone. This lead to many developers charging extremely low prices, even for A+ quality titles. Remember when virtually everything on the app store was $0.99?
Developers and publishers were not too pleased with the new app store economy. How could they ever hope to make a profit on a good game with high production costs if customers would only pay $0.99? So maybe us customers share some part of the blame...
Enter "the solution"... "free to play" games with in-game purchases.
Software Subscriptions
A few software companies are now selling subscriptions to their software. For example, if you'd like to use any of the Adobe Creative Suite applications, including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign or Dreamweaver, you used to be able to purchase that software and it would be yours for as long as you wanted to use it. Adobe offers upgrades every 2 years, but many non-professional and hobbyist users don't need the most cutting-edge features so they skip a version (or two) and upgrade every 4 (or 6) years to save money.
Not anymore! Adobe has found a way to put an end to those frugal customer's pesky money-saving habits. Now, if you want to use any of Adobe's programs, you are only able to do so via a monthly subscription. $20 a month to use a single app or $50 a month to use more than one. Stop paying and you will no longer be able to use the programs, so you're really just renting access to their applications. Also, since Adobe uses proprietary formats, it is likely you won't be able to access your projects, either.
Adobe isn't the only company moving in this direction. Microsoft offers a subscription model for Office as well. While a traditional version is still available (for now), I have to wonder how long this will be the case. Software subscriptions are lucrative money-making opportunities for these companies. By forcing consumers to follow their upgrade schedule and leaving them stranded and unable to open their work if they cancel their subscription, the software companies are ensuring long-term profit.
The Future...
What if we keep going down these paths? Is it so far-fetched to imagine a world in which the computer OS and all of "your" software consists of subscriptions? Along with your monthly ISP and cable TV bills you'll receive a software bill... OS - $40, Office - $25, Adobe - $70...
Perhaps software companies will mimic the tactics of free-to-play games and microtransactions. Your OS is "free-to-use" unless you want to create more than 5 folders, after that each additional folder is $3. Or a multimedia player that charges $1 to play any song not downloaded from its built-in store. Perhaps the web browser will provide an hour of free browsing a day, and after that you'll need to pay "a small fee"...
The Alternative
You might not think any of this could ever happen. But, if several years ago I told you that game publishers would soon make tons of money by taking 20 year old games, remove features and slow down the gameplay until they aren't playable and make you pay to get the features back and pay more to play at a normal pace, would you have believed me?
And yet, that is precisely what happened to Dungeon Keeper, Theme Park, and many other classic titles.
This scenario is another reason why Linux and open-source software is so important. Because Linux offers a huge collection of quality software for free, it provides a natural layer of protection against this type of corruption.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Choosing Linux, an Overview
Why Linux?
Deciding to switch to Linux can be a difficult decision. If you're using a PowerPC Mac with Mac OS, you've probably come to appreciate how easy your computer is to use... or how easy it was to use. But now virtually no software companies publish anything for PPC on Mac OS. You're stuck using old software and possibly an old web browser with security holes. To make things worse, you know your PowerPC machine still has tons of life left in it! This is what lead me to consider Linux.
Or, you could be considering purchasing a PowerPC machine. If you're comfortable with Linux, or learning Linux, buying a PowerPC machine could be a great option!
I tried Linux a few times in the past, and its come a long way. While there is still some tweaking you'll usually need to do, most things are easy to get up and running quickly.
Terminology
I remember being a little overwhelmed by all the Linux related terminology. Starting off, its most important to know the basic terms below.
Distribution: Most of the time, when people install Linux, they install it as piece of a distribution. Distributions package Linux with useful software to provide a complete Operating System. Distributions can have a specific focus. Some focus on education and package in lots of educational software. Others focus on gaming, audio/video production or simply running on low-end machines like netbooks. The distributions I overview are for general everyday use.
(Windows equivalent: Microsoft; Mac equivalent: Apple)
Desktop Environment: The desktop environment runs on top of Linux and provides the graphical interface. Modern desktop environments also incorporate an assortment of available applications. Popular desktop environments for Linux include GNOME, KDE and LXDE.
(Windows equivalent: Aero; Mac equivalent: Aqua)
Toolkit: Also called an Application Framework, a toolkit consists of libraries and tools to develop applications. The two most popular toolkits for Linux are GTK, which is used by GNOME; and QT, which is used by KDE. This is not as important today as it once was because KDE can run GTK applications and GNOME can run QT applications, but it was not always this way and there can be some aesthetic and user interface differences.
(Windows equivalent: Windows API; Mac equivalent: Quartz)
Choosing a Distribution
Several distributions support PPC either officially or through community support.
Debian: Debian is one of the most popular Linux distributions and the distribution I use myself. Additionally, many other Linux distributions, like Ubuntu, are based on Debian. Debian was one of the first Linux distributions and is extremely well organized, with a development team of about 1000 developers. PowerPC is an official Debian port, and they offer the best PowerPC support and stability, in my opinion. Debian is a supporter of completely free software and will not install anything by default that conflicts with the Debian Social Contract or the Debian Free Software Guidelines. This can cause some issues since this means you have to manually enable some drivers or firmware. This isn't difficult once you know your way around a bit, so I recommend Debian to anyone who already has a little knowledge of how Linux works.
Download link: https://www.debian.org/distrib/netinst
Linux MintPPC: Linux MintPPC is based off Linux Mint LXDE and Debian. If you are new to Linux, this is the distribution for you. Linux MintPPC is a good distribution to start with because most everything will just work right after installation. It includes some PowerPC-specific fixes and automatically installs tools and drivers you'll need that other distributions make you install or enable manually.
Download link: http://www.mintppc.org/content/installation-instructions-mintppc-11
Lubuntu: Lubuntu is a distribution based on Ubuntu but uses a different desktop environment, LXDE, whereas Ubuntu uses GNOME. Lubuntu for PowerPC is released for all of their LTS releases, which are released every 2 years and are supported for 3 years. Sometimes the software in Lubuntu's repositories is more current than Debian's, but Debian is more stable.
Download link: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Lubuntu/GetLubuntu/LTS
Ubuntu: Ubuntu is a popular Linux distribution. It is developed by Canonical and the Ubuntu community. Ubuntu for PowerPC is a community supported port, but not an official port. This means you can not pay Canonical for support, and the PPC port isn't available on all Ubuntu mirrors (it is available on the main servers). Additionally, Canonical wouldn't delay the release of a new Ubuntu version because there were unresolved PPC issues, so at times the PowerPC port may be released after the official ports. However, Canonical and the community still fix bugs when they are reported or found.
Download link: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PowerPCDownloads
Choosing a Desktop Environment
There are several desktop environments you can use on Linux. Some distributions allow you to choose what desktop environment you want to use, such as Debian. Other distributions are tied to a specific desktop environment, like Ubuntu. Depending on the distribution, you may be able to add or change the desktop environment after installation.
The most popular desktop environments are KDE and GNOME. LXDE is also popular, and provides a more lightweight but still customizable interface. All major desktop environments support PPC.
KDE: KDE consists of a desktop called KDE Plasma Workspaces and a wide variety of applications that cover everything from basic system utilities to a full office and graphic arts suite. KDE allows for customization of almost anything to meet individual needs and personal style. KDE is my personal favorite desktop environment. Its fast, visually appealing and offers the most comprehensive experience.
www.kde.org/
GNOME: The GNOME desktop environment consists of the GNOME Shell, which is the user interface, and GNOME Core Applications, which are mostly system utilities and basic applications. While the Core Applications group has only about 30 total applications, a large assortment of applications were designed to work well in the GNOME Shell. GNOME places emphasis on usability.
www.gnome.org/
LXDE: LXDE is a lightweight desktop environment with some system utilities. LXDE uses GTK but can also run QT applications. The LXDE desktop environment is quite basic by design to have low system requirements, but it can be customized to a great extent.
http://www.lxde.org/
Deciding to switch to Linux can be a difficult decision. If you're using a PowerPC Mac with Mac OS, you've probably come to appreciate how easy your computer is to use... or how easy it was to use. But now virtually no software companies publish anything for PPC on Mac OS. You're stuck using old software and possibly an old web browser with security holes. To make things worse, you know your PowerPC machine still has tons of life left in it! This is what lead me to consider Linux.
Or, you could be considering purchasing a PowerPC machine. If you're comfortable with Linux, or learning Linux, buying a PowerPC machine could be a great option!
I tried Linux a few times in the past, and its come a long way. While there is still some tweaking you'll usually need to do, most things are easy to get up and running quickly.
- PowerPC is well supported in the Linux community so you can use the same, up-to-date software as everyone else
- Up-to-date, more secure web browsers like Firefox are available
- Linux desktop environments are now just as functional as Mac OS or Windows so learning to use command prompt is really a choice (aside from possibly some command prompt work during setup)
- Linux distributions pioneered the concept of an "app store"; you get your software through repositories which is basically the same as an app store where everything is $0.00
- Linux allows you to customize virtually anything you want, you can change the look and functionality of your desktop drastically
- Linux can be fast and stable, even on PowerPC 74xx "G4" machines
Terminology
I remember being a little overwhelmed by all the Linux related terminology. Starting off, its most important to know the basic terms below.
Distribution: Most of the time, when people install Linux, they install it as piece of a distribution. Distributions package Linux with useful software to provide a complete Operating System. Distributions can have a specific focus. Some focus on education and package in lots of educational software. Others focus on gaming, audio/video production or simply running on low-end machines like netbooks. The distributions I overview are for general everyday use.
(Windows equivalent: Microsoft; Mac equivalent: Apple)
Desktop Environment: The desktop environment runs on top of Linux and provides the graphical interface. Modern desktop environments also incorporate an assortment of available applications. Popular desktop environments for Linux include GNOME, KDE and LXDE.
(Windows equivalent: Aero; Mac equivalent: Aqua)
Toolkit: Also called an Application Framework, a toolkit consists of libraries and tools to develop applications. The two most popular toolkits for Linux are GTK, which is used by GNOME; and QT, which is used by KDE. This is not as important today as it once was because KDE can run GTK applications and GNOME can run QT applications, but it was not always this way and there can be some aesthetic and user interface differences.
(Windows equivalent: Windows API; Mac equivalent: Quartz)
Choosing a Distribution
Several distributions support PPC either officially or through community support.
Debian: Debian is one of the most popular Linux distributions and the distribution I use myself. Additionally, many other Linux distributions, like Ubuntu, are based on Debian. Debian was one of the first Linux distributions and is extremely well organized, with a development team of about 1000 developers. PowerPC is an official Debian port, and they offer the best PowerPC support and stability, in my opinion. Debian is a supporter of completely free software and will not install anything by default that conflicts with the Debian Social Contract or the Debian Free Software Guidelines. This can cause some issues since this means you have to manually enable some drivers or firmware. This isn't difficult once you know your way around a bit, so I recommend Debian to anyone who already has a little knowledge of how Linux works.
Download link: https://www.debian.org/distrib/netinst
Linux MintPPC: Linux MintPPC is based off Linux Mint LXDE and Debian. If you are new to Linux, this is the distribution for you. Linux MintPPC is a good distribution to start with because most everything will just work right after installation. It includes some PowerPC-specific fixes and automatically installs tools and drivers you'll need that other distributions make you install or enable manually.
Download link: http://www.mintppc.org/content/installation-instructions-mintppc-11
Lubuntu: Lubuntu is a distribution based on Ubuntu but uses a different desktop environment, LXDE, whereas Ubuntu uses GNOME. Lubuntu for PowerPC is released for all of their LTS releases, which are released every 2 years and are supported for 3 years. Sometimes the software in Lubuntu's repositories is more current than Debian's, but Debian is more stable.
Download link: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Lubuntu/GetLubuntu/LTS
Ubuntu: Ubuntu is a popular Linux distribution. It is developed by Canonical and the Ubuntu community. Ubuntu for PowerPC is a community supported port, but not an official port. This means you can not pay Canonical for support, and the PPC port isn't available on all Ubuntu mirrors (it is available on the main servers). Additionally, Canonical wouldn't delay the release of a new Ubuntu version because there were unresolved PPC issues, so at times the PowerPC port may be released after the official ports. However, Canonical and the community still fix bugs when they are reported or found.
Download link: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PowerPCDownloads
Choosing a Desktop Environment
There are several desktop environments you can use on Linux. Some distributions allow you to choose what desktop environment you want to use, such as Debian. Other distributions are tied to a specific desktop environment, like Ubuntu. Depending on the distribution, you may be able to add or change the desktop environment after installation.
The most popular desktop environments are KDE and GNOME. LXDE is also popular, and provides a more lightweight but still customizable interface. All major desktop environments support PPC.
KDE: KDE consists of a desktop called KDE Plasma Workspaces and a wide variety of applications that cover everything from basic system utilities to a full office and graphic arts suite. KDE allows for customization of almost anything to meet individual needs and personal style. KDE is my personal favorite desktop environment. Its fast, visually appealing and offers the most comprehensive experience.
www.kde.org/
GNOME: The GNOME desktop environment consists of the GNOME Shell, which is the user interface, and GNOME Core Applications, which are mostly system utilities and basic applications. While the Core Applications group has only about 30 total applications, a large assortment of applications were designed to work well in the GNOME Shell. GNOME places emphasis on usability.
www.gnome.org/
LXDE: LXDE is a lightweight desktop environment with some system utilities. LXDE uses GTK but can also run QT applications. The LXDE desktop environment is quite basic by design to have low system requirements, but it can be customized to a great extent.
http://www.lxde.org/
Thursday, April 23, 2015
My Main System
Primary System
Power Mac 11,2
Central Processing
-2 dual-core, 64-bit PowerPC 970MP processors (4 total PPC64 cores)
-4 AltiVec processing units (1 per core)
-8 independent, double-precision math coprocessors (2 per core)
Memory - 8 GB
Video Card - Radeon RV710
Disks
-1 240 GB Mercury Electra Solid-State Drive
-1 1TB 7200 RPM HDD
External Expansion Ports
-USB 2.0
-IEEE 1394a
-IEEE 1394b
Power Mac 11,2
Central Processing
-2 dual-core, 64-bit PowerPC 970MP processors (4 total PPC64 cores)
-4 AltiVec processing units (1 per core)
-8 independent, double-precision math coprocessors (2 per core)
- Operating frequency: 2.5 Ghz
- Superscalar, superpiplined, parallel data structure - makes possible up to 860 total simultaneous in-flight instructions
- Prefetch, branch prediction and speculative instruction execution
- Simultaneous execution of up to 10 out-of-order operations per PPC64 core
- Dual, bidirectional FSB
Memory - 8 GB
Video Card - Radeon RV710
Disks
-1 240 GB Mercury Electra Solid-State Drive
-1 1TB 7200 RPM HDD
External Expansion Ports
-USB 2.0
-IEEE 1394a
-IEEE 1394b
About
PowerPC enthusiast? Maybe...
PPC an interesting, powerful architecture, with enough support from Linux to be completely usable as a primary platform. Its also unique enough to encourage my fondness for "tinkering". This blog is a collection of my experiences and thoughts regarding personal computing on the PowerPC architecture. Specifically, most of the information here applies to installing, configuring and using Linux and current PC hardware on Power Mac 11,2 systems. This is not a blog about Apple, though it does apply to the PPC machines manufactured by Apple (as well as IBM POWER Systems, and PPC computers by ACube Systems and A-Eon Technology).
Why Utopia? Because I like it.
PPC an interesting, powerful architecture, with enough support from Linux to be completely usable as a primary platform. Its also unique enough to encourage my fondness for "tinkering". This blog is a collection of my experiences and thoughts regarding personal computing on the PowerPC architecture. Specifically, most of the information here applies to installing, configuring and using Linux and current PC hardware on Power Mac 11,2 systems. This is not a blog about Apple, though it does apply to the PPC machines manufactured by Apple (as well as IBM POWER Systems, and PPC computers by ACube Systems and A-Eon Technology).
Why Utopia? Because I like it.
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