I've been running Kubuntu as my primary desktop since December, 2006, and I've loved it. Hell, my mom and uncle run Kubuntu, as well. Yeah, I'm the family tech support, but they rarely need help. Kubuntu has just been that smooth.

Whenever people claim that Linux will never be mainstream on the desktop, I laugh. What those people don't seem to realize is that, just because no one has made a "Linux for the layman" doesn't mean no one ever will. Android is Linux, and it's about as user-friendly as you can get. It can be done. Someone can take Linux and create a version that is accessible and easy enough for the non-tech people to use. Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it's a waste of time or a "foolish dream."

Stardock already wrote up a Gamer's Bill of Rights. Then they promptly broke their own set of rules, so they had to rewrite them.

In the original draft, they forbade releasing an update to a game that removed compatibility for previously supported platforms. Then they released version 2.0 of Galactic Civilizations II. That patch could only be downloaded via Impulse, which uses .NET and is thus unable to run on Windows 98, which was one of the platforms GalCiv2 supported. So, oops. Shortly afterward they rewrote their GBoR to more or less remove that rule.

Thing is, even though Stardock wrote up these rules, they're in no position to force any other company to adhere to them. No one is. Not unless all the platform owners (including Valve and EA, for Steam and Origin respectively) get together and lay down a set of rules for being allowed on their platform/service. Or you try and get a law put in place or something. But the ESA would probably fight a law like that, anyway.

Because I run Linux, I like Linux, and I want to play games on Linux. Does there have to be a more complex answer than that?

But it is possible. The march of technology will continue to make things cheaper, smaller, and more efficient. It may take decades, but science and technology will no doubt reach the point where it's possible to fabricate resources. Things that used to be finite could one day be created in massive resource manufacturing plants.

And forget genetically modified, we may one day have atomically modified food and materials.

Not unless they're paying users for posting popular pirated content like Megaupload was.

Paying pirates for pirating stuff is illegal, and it left MU without the excuse of "We didn't know." At least the other sites, as long as they don't reward pirates, can claim they're doing all they can to keep the site clean.

The story also says that Megaupload paid users for getting large numbers of hits with their files. And what files get large numbers of hits? Not free indie games or personally shared files, that's for sure.

They were essentially paying pirates for generating traffic. Oh, I'm sure they executed DMCA takedowns on less popular files just to show they were doing good, but I doubt they would bring the hammer down on anything that was bringing in hits and thus ad revenue. Especially since they were going so far as paying people who brought in those hits.

From the article:

I think once you start paying people to post pirated content you can no longer claim innocence or ignorance. Granted, they weren't explicitly paying for pirated content, but they were rewarding people for posting popular content, most of which is pirated. So that essentially sends the message of "Want money? Post pirated stuff!" Because people probably won't come in droves to download an indie game you developed, but they will swarm for the latest release from a popular artist.

If you're going to reward people, you need to make sure you're not rewarding, and thus encouraging, illegal activity. In my opinion, the Megaupload staff was completely in the wrong. I wouldn't be saying this if they hadn't rewarded pirates for bringing in large numbers of hits. They brought it upon themselves.

First, to the story poster, the Sony that made the rootkit isn't the same Sony that makes the PS3. Sony Music made the rootkit, and Sony Computer Entertainment makes the PS3. Yes, same parent company, but two very different divisions. Also, SCE doesn't make Sony computers. Just because the name Sony is common doesn't mean it's the same division, or even the same company. Each division can have vastly different philosophies. So comparing SCE to Sony Music or Sony Computers (whatever the exact company names are) makes for a flawed argument.

Anyway, to me, this story and a number of replies to it smack of open source elitism. You know that's why Windows and Mac users don't much care for us Linux users, right? Open source isn't the be all end all solution to everything. Yeah, I use Kubuntu Linux (Jaunty, to be exact), and I have since December 2006. I'm quite happy with Linux. But I know that open source can't do every single thing perfectly. I use the closed source NVIDIA graphics driver, because the open source version isn't up to par. I use Adobe Flash Player, because Gnash can't hold a candle to the official product (not yet at least; I tried Gnash on Homestarrunner.com and Weebl's Stuff, and the video was much slower than the audio, causing a huge syncing issue). At one point I used the Adobe Acrobat Reader, because the KDE PDF viewers at the time couldn't support editing PDF forms and emailing the results (functionality of a more recent version of Acrobat).

Sony removing Linux support from the PS3 Slim isn't the end of the world. You can still install Linux on the pre-Slim units. My 60 Gig PS3 (now with a new 120 Gig HD) still has the Install Other OS option. I don't use it, because it would be redundant, seeing as how my computer and PS3 are in the same room. But I still have the option. It isn't like the feature is being removed from every PS3 in existence. Besides, I don't understand why someone needs Linux on their PS3 and their PC at the same time. Sure, I can understand the curiosity factor. But I don't see what other functionality you need that the PS3 doesn't have to begin with, or that you can't easily get on your PC.