inah - Slashdot User

Submission + - Multiplayer Zork (icculus.org) 1

Submitted by netfunk on Wednesday August 18, 2021 @01:15PM

netfunk writes: I took Zork 1 and made it into a multiplayer game! You can try it yourself by telnetting to multizork.icculus.org with some friends. Telnet seemed appropriate for a game from 1980, at least until I can figure out how to efficiently send everyone a 300 baud modem. A detailed technical explanation about hacking the Z-Machine to make this work is over here and source code is, of course, available. Enjoy, and don't get eaten by a grue!

10% Tax On Custom Software, $100M Tax Cut For Microsoft 305

Posted by Soulskill on Friday March 26, 2010 @03:14PM from the since-they're-so-strapped dept.

reifman writes "Last week, the Washington State House of Representatives passed a bill which would impose a 10% tax on custom software while all but eliminating a $100 million yearly tax obligation that some say Microsoft is wrongfully avoiding by routing large chunks of business through an office in Nevada. 'I believe we've got an issue of justice and fairness here,' said Rep. Maralyn Chase. 'Most of the custom software purveyors are small businesses. It's a question for me of how we fairly distribute the tax burden.' 'It means that a 5 person team of entrepreneurs building a cool custom software suite, or a group of system integrators, would face a 10% tax on their services while keeping the exact same project in-house would not be taxed,' wrote Rep. Reuven Carlyle. 'It would be a massive blow to the entrepreneurial community in our state.' The bill won't become law until the House and Senate work out how best to raise another $300 million in taxes. A sales tax increase on consumers is also being considered."

Ryan Gordon Wants To Bring Universal Binaries To Linux 487

Posted by timothy on Sunday October 25, 2009 @08:12AM from the grossly-obese-binaries dept.

wisesifu writes "One of the interesting features of Mac OS X is its 'universal binaries' feature that allows a single binary file to run natively on both PowerPC and Intel x86 platforms. While this comes at a cost of a larger binary file, it's convenient on the end-user and on software vendors for distributing their applications. While Linux has lacked such support for fat binaries, Ryan Gordon has decided this should be changed."

Stallman Says Pirate Party Hurts Free Software 546

Posted by kdawson on Friday July 24, 2009 @03:15PM from the arrr-not-so-fast dept.

bonch writes "Richard Stallman has written an article on the GNU Web site describing the effect the Swedish Pirate Party's platform would have on the free software movement. While he supports general changes to copyright law, he makes a point that many anti-copyright proponents don't realize — the GPL itself is a copyright license that relies on copyright law to protect access to source code. According to Stallman, the Pirate Party's proposal of a five-year limit on copyright would remove the freedom users have to gain access to source code by eventually allowing its inclusion in proprietary products. Stallman suggests requiring proprietary software to also release its code within five years to even the balance of power."

Comment Re:IF, just, IF (Score 1) 129

by netfunk on Saturday September 15, 2007 @02:19AM (#20613681) Attached to: Valve Looking to Port Games to Linux?

I hardly think Valve is a timid animal

...this is the company that allegedly canceled a completed Mac OS 9 version of the original Half-Life, you know.

--ryan.

Comment Drupal Optimization == oxymoron (Score 0, Troll) 112

by inah on Wednesday June 06, 2007 @03:22PM (#19415093) Attached to: Pro Drupal Development

Drupal is designed so terribly, the entire book could be devoted on optimization, and it would not be enough.

now, the Woodrow Wilson PTA for Podunk, Middle of nowhere might be served fine by Drupal. if your group needs this application to grow, run away. some of the SQL queries are hair raising-ly terrible.

i'm seeing a sad trend among non-profits taking a real shine to Drupal, due to low upfront costs. unfortunately, what they don't know is that long term scaling is pretty out of the question for Drupal. you will end up rewriting 90% of the code to get it usable. and don't get me started on upgrading or even creating forms in Drupal.

having personally used Drupal 4 and 5, i hope the rest of you will stay away and never need to read this book.

If Next-Gen Is Too Pricey Go Retro 109

Posted by Zonk on Wednesday December 13, 2006 @01:47AM from the so-forward-it-is-backwards dept.

Via RetroGaming with Racketboy, a story in the San Francisco Chronicle suggesting that you go retro if the new consoles are too expensive. They single out the (still excellent) Sega Dreamcast console as the best buy for your money vs. enjoyment. The folks at SF Gate also mention several other older games and consoles that will allow modern gamers their fun without breaking the bank. From the article: "Scenario 4: I'm poorer than any of the characters from 'Angela's Ashes' but not quite as poor as Jim Braddock's family when the heat got shut off in 'Cinderella Man.' (I pulled this newspaper out of the recycling bin at BART.): You've presented a challenge, but not an impossible one. I saw a copy of the PC game Grim Fandango, a complete masterpiece that most people never played, for $6 on eBay. Since it came out in 1998, you can probably find an abandoned computer on the curb that will play it. You'll be experiencing about 98.5 percent of the fun that the Getty heir who bought the PS3 is having, at about 1 percent of the price. "

PlayStation 3 Gets Software Update On Launch Day 27

Posted by Zonk on Thursday November 09, 2006 @03:21PM from the patching-to-play dept.

narramissic writes "Just as the long-awaited PlayStation 3 games consoles go on sale in Japan this Saturday, Sony will also be offering the first software update. The firmware update, offered as a free download, adds support for the PlayStation Network online service." From the article: "In late November the company also plans to offer a firmware update for its PlayStation Portable (PSP) games device. The update will bump the firmware to version 3.0 and add PlayStation Network support. With the new firmware in both devices the PSP will be able to access contents stored on the PlayStation 3 via a wireless LAN connection using a system Sony has dubbed 'Remote Play.' It will also make it possible to purchase and download PSP games content."

Slashdot Top Deals