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Lava89
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Post by Lava89 »

ScarletFlame wrote:
Nospike wrote: Windows 8 is by far not Microsoft's only major failure in the last 27 years. Windows ME anyone?
Don't forget Vista.
I honestly didn't think Vista was all that bad-- it ran great on my computer when I had it and actually played more games than 7 has allowed me to (I hate how they basically cut off 16-bit programs with 7).

Now it did come installed on the computer that I currently use and I think most people that had trouble with Vista were using the upgrade version from XP, so my experience might be different.

I certainly don't think it was as bad as ME and didn't take huge design missteps like they've done with Windows 8. I distinctly remember Windows ME being a complete train wreck on my older computer, of which previously ran great with Windows 3.1, 95 and 98.

Windows 7, XP and 98 are in the "A" camp for me, whereas I'd put Vista more in the "B" camp with 3.1 and 95. Then ME and 8 would be in the "F" camp. :dopekeen
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Post by RoboBlue »

How are you ranking those? Windows 3.1 was the stone age of Windows, did it really mess up the foundations set by earlier Windows versions that badly?
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Lava89
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Post by Lava89 »

I'm ranking them in terms of how intuitive the interface is and how stable I recall them running on my computer.

So for instance, ME had a good Win95-esque interface, but as I recall, it ran my first computer into the ground. Windows 8 runs better in comparison (in my experience at least), but I feel the tiles setup and in general how it tabs different programs to a huge 180 turn from what made OS' like XP and 7 so great. Now I have heard about people, and even know someone personally, who has run into a nasty "install loop" with Windows 8 so maybe I should rank it even lower than ME, on stability.

As for 3.1...I'm not sure why you're assuming that I thought it messed up Windows? The "B" camp is what I consider the 2nd best versions of Windows. I admit that ranking 3.1 is tough, because using its interface now can be tricky to get used to (especially without a Start menu) but when I used it before getting Win95 it seemed pretty intuitive. I also don't recall having any major issues in terms of performance. However with the advances of OS' like XP and 7 I still can't put it in the "A" camp.
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Post by Nospike »

Lava89 wrote:
ScarletFlame wrote:
Nospike wrote: Windows 8 is by far not Microsoft's only major failure in the last 27 years. Windows ME anyone?
Don't forget Vista.
I honestly didn't think Vista was all that bad-- it ran great on my computer when I had it and actually played more games than 7 has allowed me to (I hate how they basically cut off 16-bit programs with 7).

Now it did come installed on the computer that I currently use and I think most people that had trouble with Vista were using the upgrade version from XP, so my experience might be different.

I certainly don't think it was as bad as ME and didn't take huge design missteps like they've done with Windows 8. I distinctly remember Windows ME being a complete train wreck on my older computer, of which previously ran great with Windows 3.1, 95 and 98.

Windows 7, XP and 98 are in the "A" camp for me, whereas I'd put Vista more in the "B" camp with 3.1 and 95. Then ME and 8 would be in the "F" camp. :dopekeen
Vista wasn't horrible per se, it just didn't live up to the expectations. After all, Microsoft DID spend 6 years working on it. ME was, as you put it, truly a train wreck of an OS, barely usable even in your typical day-to-day scenario.

As for 8, everyone expected it to suck once the first screenshots and specs came out, and sadly it really did.
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Lava89
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Post by Lava89 »

I agree that after XP, having Vista be pretty much just a graphical upgrade to its predecessor was disappointing. Especially after how much Bill Gates was trying to sell how it would really revolutionize Windows as a whole (back when it was still called "Longhorn").

I also agree about Windows 8...first shots of the tile system already looked like bad news.
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Post by GoldenRishi »

Lava89 wrote:I agree that after XP, having Vista be pretty much just a graphical upgrade to its predecessor was disappointing. Especially after how much Bill Gates was trying to sell how it would really revolutionize Windows as a whole (back when it was still called "Longhorn").

I also agree about Windows 8...first shots of the tile system already looked like bad news.
Yeah, I think if anyone followed the pre-Vista discussion (I personally didn't), then they were in for a major disappointment. However, I agree. Personally, I don't think that Vista was a bad OS. Nothing like ME or Windows 8.

I think that people were thinking that Windows Vista was going to be Windows 7, just like people thought that Windows ME was going to be Windows XP. MS always screws up their first version of an OS, which to be fair isn't unexpected because of the huge range of platforms and consumer software that exists for Windows.

I am hoping that Windows 10 will be good, but given that Windows 8 is basically completely useless, I'm not sure what they're building upon. Even so, there's no reason for me personally to upgrade to Windows 10 right now. I'm going to let my current machine live it's life (and I think it's got probably another 3 years minimum before it'll really feel it's age, and I have the platform to upgrade my CPU and to OC my RAM/CPU, so I'll easily be able to have some longevity). And I'd rather not do another OS installation, that's just tedious.
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Post by Keening_Product »

Seeing as this really has become the Windows thread, despite the subject change, here's my 2c:

Vista was the big chance for Microsoft to ditch NTFS (albeit for WinFS, but oh well) and it didn't eventuate. Neither did the amazing promised 3D desktop interface, virtual folders as a default and many other features. I remember pouring over the details in APC (a computer mag in Australia) and being really excited.

There were quite a few big improvements though. UAC (though that only reached maturity with Win 7) and a bunch of other admin features, some smart folders, DX10 (or was it 11? I can't remember), baked-in 64-bit support (XP64 was a disaster, if I recall, though that was maybe because of drivers), improvements to driver management and other major backend improvements. Vista was an important stepping stone to Win 7, but it should have happened three years earlier with more stages.

By far Vista's biggest achievement was raising the minimum specs of computers. 512mb of RAM went from seeming huge to a quarter of the minimum overnight.
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Post by SupFanat »

If my assumption that the costs of making Commander Keen GPL and the costs of making my dream true (my dream is 24/7/365 timelapses of Munich from above) are equal is true, then I'll suggest you a deal:
- you help me implementing my dream as soon as possible
- I help you implementing your dream of free Commander Keen 1, 2 and 5 as well. (Sorry but I don't know any solution for Commander Keen 6)
If it works, you're my best friends and I'm your best friend. :)
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Lava89
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Post by Lava89 »

SupFanat, how would you propose we get the rights to the games? We would at least have to offer more than what they've been making on the trickle of sales to make it profitable for them.

However, I don't know if you can even buy the rights in the first place. Because Tom Hall can't even buy the rights, who was one of the original founders for id. So I don't see why they would allow us.

Unless we put up more money than he has been offering to Zenimax. But again since they always just tell him flat out "no", it makes me think its not a money issue. Which according to Tom Hall when he came on the forum a few years back....it isn't.

I'm not trying to dash your dream or anything-- I just think that these are realistic obstacles to consider but I am open to hearing about a feasible solution.
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Post by SupFanat »

Well, this deal fails because you think that it's impossible to purchase the rights. Then I need another deal to fulfill my dream. I'm willing to pay for my dream but I'm not sure if I can find enough money without credit.
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Lava89
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Post by Lava89 »

I never said it was impossible. Just highly improbable based on what limited info that I have...and most of said info is based on what Tom Hall has personally stated...so, I haven't actually tried to obtain the rights myself.

One thing I do know for sure is this, strictly based on basic economic law which most businesses would operate under: an offer to buy the rights needs to be more than the entire amount of revenue that they've been making off the games.
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Post by namida »

Lava89 wrote:I never said it was impossible. Just highly improbable based on what limited info that I have...and most of said info is based on what Tom Hall has personally stated...so, I haven't actually tried to obtain the rights myself.

One thing I do know for sure is this, strictly based on basic economic law which most businesses would operate under: an offer to buy the rights needs to be more than the entire amount of revenue that they've been making off the games.
So in other words... we should be encouraging people to pirate Keen?
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Lava89
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Post by Lava89 »

If not sure if serious or joking....

If serious: Nope!
If joking: yeah, sure!
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RoboBlue
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Post by RoboBlue »

Are they even available for purchase anymore? They were taken off of gog a while back.
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Post by Flaose »

Keens 1-5 have been available on Steam for a long time. Keen Dreams is also available now. They've never been sold on GOG.com though.
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