If he took research product, he's fucked. Then the only question is how critical that product was to the rift as a working system. For example, if they find evidence that he took data regarding synchronizing two displays with exactly the same timing, and not just what he knew in his head? That could be crucial enough to the Rift as a product that Zenimax could get a huge payout.

But on the flipside, how many geniuses have we all known that were absolutely idiotic in regards to business, or other human beings, or the law, or hygiene, or any number of things? Just because someone is a certified genius doesn't mean they can't be a moron in some other aspect of life. And maybe Carmack just doesn't grok the fact you don't take work from one employer to another. It's not like he had a lot of employers in his life, either.

If there's no single email involving Zenimax IP regarding VR or honestly anything else, he might be okay. But let's be real here. Those emails will be LOADED with stuff he shouldn't have taken with him. Not unless his company email was there only to arrange birthday parties for staff.

If Zenimax can show he took data with him the day he left, that's probably all the smoking gun that's necessary. Why would he do that if he wasn't going to use it in some form? He had one job when he left id, and that was to get out the door as cleanly and with as little appearance of impropriety as possible. He doesn't appear to have pulled that off.

Nope, with comics it's pretty straightforward. The company owns the characters when it comes to DC and Marvel. Standard work for hire. However, DC and Marvel have both gotten much better about giving creators credit and royalties after they've created something. Create a character that breaks out and anchors a billion dollar franchise? You're going to get paid nicely. But, you have no say in what gets done with that character, who writes it, how many times they die and return, etc. But, you get a check.

I suspect that what Zenimax is talking about isn't limited to code, but also is likely including R&D resources like latency research and rendering schemes to reduce the negative reactions people can have to VR. (Complete wild-ass guess on my part) Really, the only thing Carmack was entitled to when he walked out the door - barring any kind of written agreement to other effect - was the knowledge in his head.

Carmack's brilliant, but I suspect he fucked up and took a shortcut possibly with the mindset "Well, I remember all this anyhow so it's not like I don't *know* it, this just makes it easier to share!"

Actually, with Zenimax talking about him taking actual data from Zenimax servers, you're right. This isn't about a contract dispute. It's about corporate espionage and theft, which is actually a much harder fight to win if you're just pissed off at an ex-employee. And if he took a single file from Zenimax-owned hardware, or a single piece of paper from his desk and his contract did not *specifically* say "You can take any IP regarding VR with you." he's committed IP theft. The only question is to what degree, and Zenimax seems to think that it was important enough to be worth the whole company (at least, before the inevitable negotiation for a settlement).

But interestingly, Zenimax doesn't seem to be positioning themselves for a quick settlement. They're aiming very, very high. This isn't true patent troll behavior, it's not even jilted lover behavior. This is "We got fucking robbed." behavior. They claim they have evidence that he took files on his way out the door, and then tried to cover it up by destroying said evidence. This is a very, very ugly accusation to make. It's the kind of thing you hold back in reserve in order to try and push for a settlement if you're willing to accept STFU money. They didn't hold back.

If he had it in writing, this wouldn't be a lawsuit. Zenimax wouldn't make the very specific claims that they've made now, unless they felt like they had pretty rock solid evidence. When you're dealing with a more "he said, she said" legal tiff, the plaintiffs usually use language that gives the defendant an out. "We believe" or "It appears" or "we suspect" and "may" would show up in the accusations. That way, the defendant has an easier time publicity-wise saying "Whoops, someone goofed. Here's some money."

In this case, Zenimax is being very, very specific and has been from the start. They say Carmack took files from Zenimax owned systems and that is the *biggest* no-no in the book. It's entirely likely that Zenimax knew he was collaborating with Oculus and was fine with it, but that they didn't want anything Carmack did while working for them to *officially* become Oculus IP. And then, Carmack not only leaves, but if he took things *with* him, that's a pretty severe case of IP theft. Even if none of that code actually got directly used in Oculus products, if it was used as a basis for any component required by Oculus that Carmack had a hand in generating while he was at Zenimax, he's fucked himself.

The only way for Carmack to have done things cleanly was to have absolutely no possible hint that he would have done what Zenimax is claiming he did so he could claim that he used knowledge in his head but *not* anything produced while working for Zenimax beyond that. And if Zenimax is telling the truth, he fucked up that *one* job.

If there are three open pumps in a row, and the one at the far end is the one with diesel? Tough shit, I'm taking it. Why? Because it's more efficient for everyone involved if there's a straight on drive up, drive straight out arrangement based on time of arrival. I'm not taking my time and wasting it on checking out every available pump so I can avoid the one with the green handle.

In the last year, I've run across *so* many people posting on sites like Ars Technica, The-Kinja-Formerly-Known-As-Gawker and other places where every single post was either an attack on Clinton or a pro-Russian promotional. It's just mindboggling that this is happening. I always took the whole "There are paid shills all over the place." viewpoint as being rather paranoid, and in most cases I still do. But this? I swear, this has me worried about just how many Americans really have turned off their brains and just follow the herd they think they're in, if they can be led around on a leash by Putin's troll army.

Apple's only real competition is itself, and comparisons to Windows PCs are always going to be incredibly flawed because of that fact. The reasons why a person would choose macOS/OSX over Windows are pretty straightforward.

1. It's not Windows
2. It runs Final Cut/Garageband/iMovie/Photos/SomeOtherOSXOnlySoftware
3. I want to have what the cool kids have.

Lots of people choose reason #1 or reason #3, many users might choose #2. But none of these reasons can be logically countered by Windows based machines. If you do so little on your computer that OSX or Windows doesn't even matter at all, then you probably don't need application software and should just buy a Chromebook and call it done.

Your viewpoint made sense a few years ago, but Mac ownership and use has evolved. OSX/macOS has several advantages for security, including lack of commonality and the unix base code and security structure. However, it's an increasingly visible and profitable potential target for malware because people who have Apple hardware are a bit more likely to actually have money.

And don't forget, if you're running a system that doesn't get attacked because it's got a low market share? That is *still* some form of effective, if accidental and more fragile, security. Evading 95% of the threats in circulation just by choosing equipment that isn't vulnerable is a benefit. No, it doesn't mean you should get sloppy, but it's peace of mind.

Personally, macOS/OSX just bugs the hell out of me for some reason and gives me a headache every time I launch Finder, so I stick with Windows and don't download things like an idiot.

So ZaReason is Yet Another Clevo Resller, it appears. You say they thoroughly test builds, but c'mon. Clevo hardware is pretty much fucking reference parts to begin with. Oh, and battery life ranges from "Acceptable in a budget machine." to "You're only gonna unplug to move it across the room, right?"

All that said, I have a Sager branded model from 2011 that was an absolute beast for performance at the time I bought it, and still runs well today if you don't care about battery life.

It's always funny to read anecdotal evidence like yours, because the experience is just so absolutely terrible that if it were somehow endemic to the entire platform there would be literal torches and pitchforks involved.

That said, unless you specifically bought an HP machine in the absolute top tier of the product lineup you're comparing a Camry to a Cadillac (Not the best analogy considering that Cadillac makes terrible SUVs these days) and Windows hardware tends to top out at the midrange for Apple's overpriced gear in the vast majority of cases.

And on top of all those things, it's also used to try and ensure that people get paid for the work they do writing software, making movies and other media. Did TFA even mention that at all?

These are all as obvious as my subject line.