Comment Re:Me brain hurts (Score 1) 301
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
I've run several pointless calculations, conversions, wiki-searches for no reason other than to answer a pointless query
How many?
Comment Re:Great Series (Score 1) 243
It's interesting, funny, and insightful!
You'd think an educational book would be aiming for "informative"...
Submission + - Pixels or Polygons? Why 2D still beats 3D (gamersglobal.com) 5
Joerg Langer writes: "GamersGlobal has posted a special on the evolution of computer game graphics. Ten years ago, most genres, notably Adventure, Strategy, RPG and Action-Adventure games were typically 2D, often using an "isometric" (bird's eye) view. Today they are based, with few exceptions, on a 3D engine. 2D (or pixel based) games are clearly following the Elves of the Third Age into obscurity. Why should anyone still bother with 2D?
Because 3D isn't the best solution for all games. Polygon based games may be less beautiful and more difficult for the player to navigate. 3D games are more difficult to produce. This is one of the main reasons that NextGen video games are more expensive than previous generations. Most importantly, 3D graphics — and the never-ending technical progress they symbolize — might be limiting the development of computer games as an art form.
You'll read four arguments and counterarguments why 2D can still beat 3D graphics, and also citations from game developers Cliff Bleszinski, Richard Garriott and Koji Igarashi on the subject."
Submission + - Antivirus: A waste of 50% of your HD throughput? (codinghorror.com)
dwalsh writes: Are we wasting our (Windows) computers performance on a placebo? Jeff Atwood seems to think so:
"The performance cost of virus scanning (lose 50% of disk performance, plus some percent of CPU speed) does not justify the benefit of a 33% detection rate and marginal protection."
"Ask yourself this: why don't Mac users run anti-virus software? Why don't UNIX users run anti-virus software? Because they don't need to. They don't run as administrators."
The article is a criticism of AV as a blacklist approach, that mostly protects against last months viruses. How many Slashdot Windows users rely solely on a firewall, a decent web browser, and good common sense (like Momma used to make it) when it comes to attachments?
"The performance cost of virus scanning (lose 50% of disk performance, plus some percent of CPU speed) does not justify the benefit of a 33% detection rate and marginal protection."
"Ask yourself this: why don't Mac users run anti-virus software? Why don't UNIX users run anti-virus software? Because they don't need to. They don't run as administrators."
The article is a criticism of AV as a blacklist approach, that mostly protects against last months viruses. How many Slashdot Windows users rely solely on a firewall, a decent web browser, and good common sense (like Momma used to make it) when it comes to attachments?
