Remember "Speedball"? You probably don't.
[Then again, this being Usenet and that most of us
are old fogies, maybe you do]
Speedball was a sci-fi action/sports game released in the late 80s
developed by the Bitmap Brothers. Although it came to DOS computers,
it was most popular on Amiga (it also saw ports to the 8-bit consoles
of the time). It got a sequel a few years later, but after that the
franchise languished. IIRC, there were a couple of HD remakes in the
early 2000s but other than that? Nothing.
It just got a brand new remake released to Steam today.
It actually looks quite good, for what it is. The game itself is an
odd futuristic mix of American football, basketball and soccer (e.g.
real football ;-), and is more action-game than sports title. I'll
admit, I don't actually _care_ for the game, but a part of me is
intrigued by the release. Partly because of its history, partly
because it seems a stealth release (by Rebellion Games, of all people)
and partly because if I _were_ going to play a sports title, it
probably would be this one.
Anyway, if you're one of the oddballs who remembers the original,
maybe take a look.
Remember "Speedball"?
It just got a brand new remake released to Steam today.
Anyway, if you're one of the oddballs who remembers the original,
maybe take a look.
Remember "Speedball"? You probably don't.--
[Then again, this being Usenet and that most of us
are old fogies, maybe you do]
Speedball was a sci-fi action/sports game released in the late 80s
developed by the Bitmap Brothers. Although it came to DOS computers,
it was most popular on Amiga (it also saw ports to the 8-bit consoles
of the time). It got a sequel a few years later, but after that the
franchise languished. IIRC, there were a couple of HD remakes in the
early 2000s but other than that? Nothing.
It just got a brand new remake released to Steam today.
It actually looks quite good, for what it is. The game itself is an
odd futuristic mix of American football, basketball and soccer (e.g.
real football ;-), and is more action-game than sports title. I'll
admit, I don't actually _care_ for the game, but a part of me is
intrigued by the release. Partly because of its history, partly
because it seems a stealth release (by Rebellion Games, of all people)
and partly because if I _were_ going to play a sports title, it
probably would be this one.
Anyway, if you're one of the oddballs who remembers the original,
maybe take a look.
Remember "Speedball"? You probably don't.
[Then again, this being Usenet and that most of us
are old fogies, maybe you do]
On 2024-10-29, Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
Remember "Speedball"? You probably don't.
[Then again, this being Usenet and that most of us
are old fogies, maybe you do]
I remember Speedball, I loved it, probably because it was one of the few games I had on Amiga. My parents were never happy buying games so most
of what I had was demo disks.
So of course I played it a lot. One day my father wanted to take it to
work to swap with another Amiga owner. I warned him not to take the disc
on the pot lines, those massively magnetic pots would wipe the magnetic discs.
Remember "Speedball"? You probably don't.
On 2024-10-29, Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
Remember "Speedball"? You probably don't.
[Then again, this being Usenet and that most of us
are old fogies, maybe you do]
I remember Speedball, I loved it, probably because it was one of the few games I had on Amiga. My parents were never happy buying games so most
of what I had was demo disks.
So of course I played it a lot. One day my father wanted to take it to
work to swap with another Amiga owner. I warned him not to take the disc
on the pot lines, those massively magnetic pots would wipe the magnetic discs.
Of course he didn't listen and the discs were useless. Spent the rest of
my Amiga owning life, playing demos.
But now I can relive being 12 again!
On 29 Oct 2024 at 17:16:41 CET, "Spalls Hurgenson" <spallshurgenson@gmail.com>
wrote:
Remember "Speedball"? You probably don't.
Yes! I played it on my Amiga!
It always looked good, but they went for a full remake.
Alright.
On 2024-10-31, Geeknix <usenet@apple.geeknix135.net> wrote:
On 2024-10-29, Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
Remember "Speedball"? You probably don't.
[Then again, this being Usenet and that most of us
are old fogies, maybe you do]
I remember Speedball, I loved it, probably because it was one of the few
games I had on Amiga. My parents were never happy buying games so most
of what I had was demo disks.
So of course I played it a lot. One day my father wanted to take it to
work to swap with another Amiga owner. I warned him not to take the disc
on the pot lines, those massively magnetic pots would wipe the magnetic
discs.
I just re-read my message, pot lines is nothing to do with whacky bacci,
he worked in an aluminium smelter plant with high mechanism.
On 29 Oct 2024 at 17:16:41 CET, "Spalls Hurgenson" <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> >wrote:
Remember "Speedball"? You probably don't.
Yes! I played it on my Amiga!
On 31/10/2024 23:00, Geeknix wrote:
On 2024-10-29, Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
Remember "Speedball"? You probably don't.
    [Then again, this being Usenet and that most of us
     are old fogies, maybe you do]
I remember Speedball, I loved it, probably because it was one of the few
games I had on Amiga. My parents were never happy buying games so most
of what I had was demo disks.
So of course I played it a lot. One day my father wanted to take it to
work to swap with another Amiga owner. I warned him not to take the disc
on the pot lines, those massively magnetic pots would wipe the magnetic
discs.
Of course he didn't listen and the discs were useless. Spent the rest of
my Amiga owning life, playing demos.
But now I can relive being 12 again!
Where I used to work someone decided the best way to store the back-up
tapes was to use their metal backs to 'stick' them to the back of the
inside of the safe which was magnetic!
On 29/10/2024 16:16, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
Remember "Speedball"? You probably don't.
    [Then again, this being Usenet and that most of us
     are old fogies, maybe you do]
Speedball was a sci-fi action/sports game released in the late 80s
developed by the Bitmap Brothers. Although it came to DOS computers,
it was most popular on Amiga (it also saw ports to the 8-bit consoles
of the time). It got a sequel a few years later, but after that the
franchise languished. IIRC, there were a couple of HD remakes in the
early 2000s but other than that? Nothing.
It just got a brand new remake released to Steam today.
It actually looks quite good, for what it is. The game itself is an
odd futuristic mix of American football, basketball and soccer (e.g.
real football ;-), and is more action-game than sports title. I'll
admit, I don't actually _care_ for the game, but a part of me is
intrigued by the release. Partly because of its history, partly
because it seems a stealth release (by Rebellion Games, of all people)
and partly because if I _were_ going to play a sports title, it
probably would be this one.
Anyway, if you're one of the oddballs who remembers the original,
maybe take a look.
That was one of my favourite games on the Atari ST and it really did
have the feel of actually playing in the arcade. The Bitmap Brothers
also did Xenon which I put down as one of the best top scrolling
shooters and still entirely enjoyable now.
I might pick up Speedball as it sounds great for getting a bit more use
out of my Steam controller.
On 11/1/2024 4:41 AM, JAB wrote:
On 31/10/2024 23:00, Geeknix wrote:
On 2024-10-29, Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
Remember "Speedball"? You probably don't.
[Then again, this being Usenet and that most of us
are old fogies, maybe you do]
I remember Speedball, I loved it, probably because it was one of the few >>> games I had on Amiga. My parents were never happy buying games so most
of what I had was demo disks.
So of course I played it a lot. One day my father wanted to take it to
work to swap with another Amiga owner. I warned him not to take the disc >>> on the pot lines, those massively magnetic pots would wipe the magnetic
discs.
Of course he didn't listen and the discs were useless. Spent the rest of >>> my Amiga owning life, playing demos.
But now I can relive being 12 again!
Where I used to work someone decided the best way to store the back-up
tapes was to use their metal backs to 'stick' them to the back of the
inside of the safe which was magnetic!
A real world tech support call from the days of floppies and no hard
drives. Manager reports that he is always losing each day's work, it >wouldn't be on the floppy when he put it in the computer the next day.
IT tries for days to figure out what the problem is without success.
Finally one of the techies literally spends an entire day watching the >manager work, trying to see what is causing the problem. He finally >discovers the cause when at the very end of the day the manager removes
the floppy and sticks it to the side of his filing cabinet with a magnet.
*rimshot*
Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> looked up from reading the
entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs
say:
On 11/1/2024 4:41 AM, JAB wrote:
On 31/10/2024 23:00, Geeknix wrote:
On 2024-10-29, Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
Remember "Speedball"? You probably don't.
    [Then again, this being Usenet and that most of us
     are old fogies, maybe you do]
I remember Speedball, I loved it, probably because it was one of the few >>>> games I had on Amiga. My parents were never happy buying games so most >>>> of what I had was demo disks.
So of course I played it a lot. One day my father wanted to take it to >>>> work to swap with another Amiga owner. I warned him not to take the disc >>>> on the pot lines, those massively magnetic pots would wipe the magnetic >>>> discs.
Of course he didn't listen and the discs were useless. Spent the rest of >>>> my Amiga owning life, playing demos.
But now I can relive being 12 again!
Where I used to work someone decided the best way to store the back-up
tapes was to use their metal backs to 'stick' them to the back of the
inside of the safe which was magnetic!
A real world tech support call from the days of floppies and no hard
drives. Manager reports that he is always losing each day's work, it
wouldn't be on the floppy when he put it in the computer the next day.
IT tries for days to figure out what the problem is without success.
Finally one of the techies literally spends an entire day watching the
manager work, trying to see what is causing the problem. He finally
discovers the cause when at the very end of the day the manager removes
the floppy and sticks it to the side of his filing cabinet with a magnet.
*rimshot*
um yeah, I see you and raise you a manager who stuck the failing backup floppies to the side of the computer with a magnet
You can't make this shit up.
Oooo. Okay. From my days programming and tech support for 911
Dispatch Systems. Not a tech support call I had to handle but one
passed on to new programmers. Client calls, reports their system is
down. All the screens are blank, no response to anything they try to
input. The person calling is the head of that city/county's IT
department. On call tech tells them to go to the main server's terminal
and tell him what it says. Caller says he's already there but can't see >anything. Asked why. Caller says the room has no lights, they are in
the middle of a power outage. Wants to know how to bring the system
back up until the power comes back. :D
On Sat, 2 Nov 2024 18:05:57 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
Oooo. Okay. From my days programming and tech support for 911
Dispatch Systems. Not a tech support call I had to handle but one
passed on to new programmers. Client calls, reports their system is
down. All the screens are blank, no response to anything they try to
input. The person calling is the head of that city/county's IT
department. On call tech tells them to go to the main server's terminal
and tell him what it says. Caller says he's already there but can't see
anything. Asked why. Caller says the room has no lights, they are in
the middle of a power outage. Wants to know how to bring the system
back up until the power comes back. :D
Why do I suddenly imagine the client hunched over a stationary
bicycle, pedaling furiously to generate electricity while DT chants
over the phone, "Faster! Faster!"?
I never had such fun experiences. It was always the usual nonsense;
program crashes with error (but never bother to read what the error
message said), or problems caused by malware, or dead hardware.
Usually the worst was when the user fucked himself (who needs c:\windows\system32 anyway?) but it was all pretty ordinary in its
stupidity.
Although I did get blamed for somehow not making it so the software
would still run on computers could resist having hot coffee spilled
all over them.
I never had such fun experiences. It was always the usual nonsense;
program crashes with error (but never bother to read what the error
message said), or problems caused by malware, or dead hardware.
Usually the worst was when the user fucked himself (who needs >c:\windows\system32 anyway?) but it was all pretty ordinary in its
stupidity.
On Sun, 03 Nov 2024 10:39:13 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
I never had such fun experiences. It was always the usual nonsense;
program crashes with error (but never bother to read what the error
message said), or problems caused by malware, or dead hardware.
Usually the worst was when the user fucked himself (who needs
c:\windows\system32 anyway?) but it was all pretty ordinary in its
stupidity.
I think my most memorable support experience was a woman in accounting
(or was it HR?) who was complaining that her column of numbers, from a database import, wasn't summing in Excel. I banged my head against the
wall for 10-15 minutes trying the usual stuff until it occured to me to
ask her to click the column header and check the "Format..." dialogue.
Sure enough, the entire column was formatted as "text." (*facepalm*)
YOU CAN'T SUM STRINGS.
To this day, I don't know if it was the import software or PEBKAC.
My boss said, "I never would have thought of that."
I think my most memorable support experience was a woman in accounting
(or was it HR?) who was complaining that her column of numbers, from a >database import, wasn't summing in Excel. I banged my head against the
wall for 10-15 minutes trying the usual stuff until it occured to me to
ask her to click the column header and check the "Format..." dialogue.
Sure enough, the entire column was formatted as "text." (*facepalm*)
On 11/3/2024 2:33 PM, Zaghadka wrote:
On Sun, 03 Nov 2024 10:39:13 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,When in doubt its PEBKAC. That said Excel can be very difficult to use >sometimes. It simply has too _much_ functionality, it can do so many
Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
I never had such fun experiences. It was always the usual nonsense;
program crashes with error (but never bother to read what the error
message said), or problems caused by malware, or dead hardware.
Usually the worst was when the user fucked himself (who needs
c:\windows\system32 anyway?) but it was all pretty ordinary in its
stupidity.
I think my most memorable support experience was a woman in accounting
(or was it HR?) who was complaining that her column of numbers, from a
database import, wasn't summing in Excel. I banged my head against the
wall for 10-15 minutes trying the usual stuff until it occured to me to
ask her to click the column header and check the "Format..." dialogue.
Sure enough, the entire column was formatted as "text." (*facepalm*)
YOU CAN'T SUM STRINGS.
To this day, I don't know if it was the import software or PEBKAC.
My boss said, "I never would have thought of that."
things that 99.9% of users would never even think of using let alone >actually try. So sometimes it makes it difficult to use the simple
everyday functions.
But if you really want to bitch about tech support, I just got one
word for you. But be prepared: it's a very, very scary word.
PRINTERS.
But if you really want to bitch about tech support, I just got one
word for you. But be prepared: it's a very, very scary word.
PRINTERS.
On Sun, 3 Nov 2024 16:27:15 -0800, Dimensional Traveler
<dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
On 11/3/2024 2:33 PM, Zaghadka wrote:
On Sun, 03 Nov 2024 10:39:13 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,When in doubt its PEBKAC. That said Excel can be very difficult to use >>sometimes. It simply has too _much_ functionality, it can do so many >>things that 99.9% of users would never even think of using let alone >>actually try. So sometimes it makes it difficult to use the simple >>everyday functions.
Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
I never had such fun experiences. It was always the usual nonsense;
program crashes with error (but never bother to read what the error
message said), or problems caused by malware, or dead hardware.
Usually the worst was when the user fucked himself (who needs
c:\windows\system32 anyway?) but it was all pretty ordinary in its
stupidity.
I think my most memorable support experience was a woman in accounting
(or was it HR?) who was complaining that her column of numbers, from a
database import, wasn't summing in Excel. I banged my head against the
wall for 10-15 minutes trying the usual stuff until it occured to me
to ask her to click the column header and check the "Format..."
dialogue. Sure enough, the entire column was formatted as "text."
(*facepalm*)
YOU CAN'T SUM STRINGS.
To this day, I don't know if it was the import software or PEBKAC.
My boss said, "I never would have thought of that."
It's not just that it has so much functionality, it's that Microsoft
made it so easy (comparatively) to use that even a high-school intern
can create a script that (mostly) does what it needs to. And then those hacked-together scripts -after years of use- suddenly become essential business logic.
[It's sort of the business equivalent of XKCD's dependency
meme (https://xkcd.com/2347/) except nobody actually maintains the
project or even has any idea its there. And there are a lot more of
them than the one]
Eventually, one of these scripts breaks and nobody has any idea how the
data it output was created (because nobody remembers the script, or
whose Excel spreadsheet runs it) and when you do find it, nobody knows exactly what it's doing or why.
And that's even before you get into the fact that waaaaay too many
business "databases" are just oversized lists in Excel...
But if you really want to bitch about tech support, I just got one word
for you. But be prepared: it's a very, very scary word.
PRINTERS.
On Mon, 04 Nov 2024 10:34:44 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
On Sun, 3 Nov 2024 16:27:15 -0800, Dimensional Traveler
<dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
On 11/3/2024 2:33 PM, Zaghadka wrote:
On Sun, 03 Nov 2024 10:39:13 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,When in doubt its PEBKAC. That said Excel can be very difficult to use >>>sometimes. It simply has too _much_ functionality, it can do so many >>>things that 99.9% of users would never even think of using let alone >>>actually try. So sometimes it makes it difficult to use the simple >>>everyday functions.
Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
I never had such fun experiences. It was always the usual nonsense;
program crashes with error (but never bother to read what the error
message said), or problems caused by malware, or dead hardware.
Usually the worst was when the user fucked himself (who needs
c:\windows\system32 anyway?) but it was all pretty ordinary in its
stupidity.
I think my most memorable support experience was a woman in accounting >>>> (or was it HR?) who was complaining that her column of numbers, from a >>>> database import, wasn't summing in Excel. I banged my head against the >>>> wall for 10-15 minutes trying the usual stuff until it occured to me
to ask her to click the column header and check the "Format..."
dialogue. Sure enough, the entire column was formatted as "text."
(*facepalm*)
YOU CAN'T SUM STRINGS.
To this day, I don't know if it was the import software or PEBKAC.
My boss said, "I never would have thought of that."
It's not just that it has so much functionality, it's that Microsoft
made it so easy (comparatively) to use that even a high-school intern
can create a script that (mostly) does what it needs to. And then those
hacked-together scripts -after years of use- suddenly become essential
business logic.
[It's sort of the business equivalent of XKCD's dependency
meme (https://xkcd.com/2347/) except nobody actually maintains the
project or even has any idea its there. And there are a lot more of
them than the one]
Eventually, one of these scripts breaks and nobody has any idea how the
data it output was created (because nobody remembers the script, or
whose Excel spreadsheet runs it) and when you do find it, nobody knows
exactly what it's doing or why.
And that's even before you get into the fact that waaaaay too many
business "databases" are just oversized lists in Excel...
But if you really want to bitch about tech support, I just got one word
for you. But be prepared: it's a very, very scary word.
PRINTERS.
Aaaah! Halloween is over! ;)
Seriously, though -- that's mainly a Windows problem. Printing
is fairly pain-free on Linux and Apple, thanks to CUPS. Just check
the compatibility matrix, and make sure you have a printer that announces >itself with Bonjour/Avahi/Zeroconf/Aloha/whatever it's called now.
Scanners, now. That can be challenging. I bought a wifi scanner
without first checking for SANE support, and discovered I can only
scan from it with USB. (Not _that_ big a deal because it replaces
another USB scanner, but I was hoping for the wifi.)
And all that before you get into the OEM shenanigins, like DRM on ink >cartridges, or forcing you to buy a whole new tray of cartridges if
you're just out of black, or nonsense like HP's attempt at ink
subscription plans.
On Tue, 5 Nov 2024 09:32:10 -0000 (UTC), vallor <vallor@cultnix.org>
wrote:
On Mon, 04 Nov 2024 10:34:44 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
On Sun, 3 Nov 2024 16:27:15 -0800, Dimensional Traveler
<dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
On 11/3/2024 2:33 PM, Zaghadka wrote:
On Sun, 03 Nov 2024 10:39:13 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action, >>>>> Spalls Hurgenson wrote:When in doubt its PEBKAC. That said Excel can be very difficult to use >>>> sometimes. It simply has too _much_ functionality, it can do so many
I never had such fun experiences. It was always the usual nonsense; >>>>>> program crashes with error (but never bother to read what the error >>>>>> message said), or problems caused by malware, or dead hardware.
Usually the worst was when the user fucked himself (who needs
c:\windows\system32 anyway?) but it was all pretty ordinary in its >>>>>> stupidity.
I think my most memorable support experience was a woman in accounting >>>>> (or was it HR?) who was complaining that her column of numbers, from a >>>>> database import, wasn't summing in Excel. I banged my head against the >>>>> wall for 10-15 minutes trying the usual stuff until it occured to me >>>>> to ask her to click the column header and check the "Format..."
dialogue. Sure enough, the entire column was formatted as "text."
(*facepalm*)
YOU CAN'T SUM STRINGS.
To this day, I don't know if it was the import software or PEBKAC.
My boss said, "I never would have thought of that."
things that 99.9% of users would never even think of using let alone
actually try. So sometimes it makes it difficult to use the simple
everyday functions.
It's not just that it has so much functionality, it's that Microsoft
made it so easy (comparatively) to use that even a high-school intern
can create a script that (mostly) does what it needs to. And then those
hacked-together scripts -after years of use- suddenly become essential
business logic.
[It's sort of the business equivalent of XKCD's dependency
meme (https://xkcd.com/2347/) except nobody actually maintains the >>> project or even has any idea its there. And there are a lot more of >>> them than the one]
Eventually, one of these scripts breaks and nobody has any idea how the
data it output was created (because nobody remembers the script, or
whose Excel spreadsheet runs it) and when you do find it, nobody knows
exactly what it's doing or why.
And that's even before you get into the fact that waaaaay too many
business "databases" are just oversized lists in Excel...
But if you really want to bitch about tech support, I just got one word
for you. But be prepared: it's a very, very scary word.
PRINTERS.
Aaaah! Halloween is over! ;)
Seriously, though -- that's mainly a Windows problem. Printing
is fairly pain-free on Linux and Apple, thanks to CUPS. Just check
the compatibility matrix, and make sure you have a printer that announces
itself with Bonjour/Avahi/Zeroconf/Aloha/whatever it's called now.
It's not just Windows. Modern printer hardware is absolute shit.
They're cheaply made and all those thin-plastic bits can break just
looking at it.
But I think even blaming Windows isn't entirely fair. The default
drivers that come with Windows are usually fine. It's when you install
the bullshit OEM drivers (you know, the ones that now weigh in at
gigabytes) that you really start seeing problems. Of course, these
drivers are almost always Windows-only, so Windows gets the blame.
And all that before you get into the OEM shenanigins, like DRM on ink cartridges, or forcing you to buy a whole new tray of cartridges if
you're just out of black, or nonsense like HP's attempt at ink
subscription plans.
Scanners, now. That can be challenging. I bought a wifi scanner
without first checking for SANE support, and discovered I can only
scan from it with USB. (Not _that_ big a deal because it replaces
another USB scanner, but I was hoping for the wifi.)
Too many printers these days -especially to SOHO customers- are multi-function scanner/printer/fax machines, so often you'll have the
fun of printers and scanner problems all in one machine!
On Tue, 05 Nov 2024 10:53:29 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
And all that before you get into the OEM shenanigins, like DRM on ink
cartridges, or forcing you to buy a whole new tray of cartridges if
you're just out of black, or nonsense like HP's attempt at ink
subscription plans.
Buy a Brother. Anything. Problem solved.
On 11/5/2024 10:25 AM, Zaghadka wrote:
On Tue, 05 Nov 2024 10:53:29 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
And all that before you get into the OEM shenanigins, like DRM on ink
cartridges, or forcing you to buy a whole new tray of cartridges if
you're just out of black, or nonsense like HP's attempt at ink
subscription plans.
Buy a Brother. Anything. Problem solved.
Older brother or younger brother? :P
On 11/5/2024 7:53 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
On Tue, 5 Nov 2024 09:32:10 -0000 (UTC), vallor <vallor@cultnix.org>
wrote:
On Mon, 04 Nov 2024 10:34:44 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
On Sun, 3 Nov 2024 16:27:15 -0800, Dimensional Traveler
<dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
On 11/3/2024 2:33 PM, Zaghadka wrote:
On Sun, 03 Nov 2024 10:39:13 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action, >>>>> Spalls Hurgenson wrote:When in doubt its PEBKAC. That said Excel can be very difficult to use >>>> sometimes. It simply has too _much_ functionality, it can do so many >>>> things that 99.9% of users would never even think of using let alone >>>> actually try. So sometimes it makes it difficult to use the simple
I never had such fun experiences. It was always the usual nonsense; >>>>>> program crashes with error (but never bother to read what the error >>>>>> message said), or problems caused by malware, or dead hardware.
Usually the worst was when the user fucked himself (who needs
c:\windows\system32 anyway?) but it was all pretty ordinary in its >>>>>> stupidity.
I think my most memorable support experience was a woman in accounting >>>>> (or was it HR?) who was complaining that her column of numbers, from a >>>>> database import, wasn't summing in Excel. I banged my head against the >>>>> wall for 10-15 minutes trying the usual stuff until it occured to me >>>>> to ask her to click the column header and check the "Format..."
dialogue. Sure enough, the entire column was formatted as "text."
(*facepalm*)
YOU CAN'T SUM STRINGS.
To this day, I don't know if it was the import software or PEBKAC. >>>>>
My boss said, "I never would have thought of that."
everyday functions.
It's not just that it has so much functionality, it's that Microsoft
made it so easy (comparatively) to use that even a high-school intern
can create a script that (mostly) does what it needs to. And then those >>> hacked-together scripts -after years of use- suddenly become essential >>> business logic.
[It's sort of the business equivalent of XKCD's dependency
meme (https://xkcd.com/2347/) except nobody actually maintains the >>> project or even has any idea its there. And there are a lot more of >>> them than the one]
Eventually, one of these scripts breaks and nobody has any idea how the >>> data it output was created (because nobody remembers the script, or
whose Excel spreadsheet runs it) and when you do find it, nobody knows >>> exactly what it's doing or why.
And that's even before you get into the fact that waaaaay too many
business "databases" are just oversized lists in Excel...
But if you really want to bitch about tech support, I just got one word >>> for you. But be prepared: it's a very, very scary word.
PRINTERS.
Aaaah! Halloween is over! ;)
Seriously, though -- that's mainly a Windows problem. Printing
is fairly pain-free on Linux and Apple, thanks to CUPS. Just check
the compatibility matrix, and make sure you have a printer that announces >> itself with Bonjour/Avahi/Zeroconf/Aloha/whatever it's called now.
It's not just Windows. Modern printer hardware is absolute shit.
They're cheaply made and all those thin-plastic bits can break just
looking at it.
But I think even blaming Windows isn't entirely fair. The default
drivers that come with Windows are usually fine. It's when you install
the bullshit OEM drivers (you know, the ones that now weigh in at gigabytes) that you really start seeing problems. Of course, these
drivers are almost always Windows-only, so Windows gets the blame.
And all that before you get into the OEM shenanigins, like DRM on ink cartridges, or forcing you to buy a whole new tray of cartridges if
you're just out of black, or nonsense like HP's attempt at ink
subscription plans.
Scanners, now. That can be challenging. I bought a wifi scanner
without first checking for SANE support, and discovered I can only
scan from it with USB. (Not _that_ big a deal because it replaces
another USB scanner, but I was hoping for the wifi.)
Too many printers these days -especially to SOHO customers- are multi-function scanner/printer/fax machines, so often you'll have the
fun of printers and scanner problems all in one machine!
Oh, you do NOT want me to get into all the functions our office
"copiers" have. Scanner/printer/fax is just the _start_.
On Tue, 05 Nov 2024 10:53:29 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
And all that before you get into the OEM shenanigins, like DRM on ink
cartridges, or forcing you to buy a whole new tray of cartridges if
you're just out of black, or nonsense like HP's attempt at ink
subscription plans.
Buy a Brother. Anything. Problem solved.
On 11/5/2024 10:25 AM, Zaghadka wrote:
On Tue, 05 Nov 2024 10:53:29 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
And all that before you get into the OEM shenanigins, like DRM on ink
cartridges, or forcing you to buy a whole new tray of cartridges if
you're just out of black, or nonsense like HP's attempt at ink
subscription plans.
Buy a Brother. Anything. Problem solved.
Unfortunately I have a hell of a time getting my brother laser printer
to work. I've got an HP that works fine, but it wants to install a
extra software to 'keep you safe from non-genuine cartridges' now.
Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
On 11/5/2024 10:25 AM, Zaghadka wrote:
On Tue, 05 Nov 2024 10:53:29 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,Older brother or younger brother? :P
Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
And all that before you get into the OEM shenanigins, like DRM on ink
cartridges, or forcing you to buy a whole new tray of cartridges if
you're just out of black, or nonsense like HP's attempt at ink
subscription plans.
Buy a Brother. Anything. Problem solved.
Ink or laser brother? ;)
Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
On 11/5/2024 7:53 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
On Tue, 5 Nov 2024 09:32:10 -0000 (UTC), vallor <vallor@cultnix.org>Oh, you do NOT want me to get into all the functions our office
wrote:
On Mon, 04 Nov 2024 10:34:44 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
On Sun, 3 Nov 2024 16:27:15 -0800, Dimensional Traveler
<dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
On 11/3/2024 2:33 PM, Zaghadka wrote:
On Sun, 03 Nov 2024 10:39:13 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action, >>>>>>> Spalls Hurgenson wrote:When in doubt its PEBKAC. That said Excel can be very difficult to use >>>>>> sometimes. It simply has too _much_ functionality, it can do so many >>>>>> things that 99.9% of users would never even think of using let alone >>>>>> actually try. So sometimes it makes it difficult to use the simple >>>>>> everyday functions.
I never had such fun experiences. It was always the usual nonsense; >>>>>>>> program crashes with error (but never bother to read what the error >>>>>>>> message said), or problems caused by malware, or dead hardware. >>>>>>>> Usually the worst was when the user fucked himself (who needs
c:\windows\system32 anyway?) but it was all pretty ordinary in its >>>>>>>> stupidity.
I think my most memorable support experience was a woman in accounting >>>>>>> (or was it HR?) who was complaining that her column of numbers, from a >>>>>>> database import, wasn't summing in Excel. I banged my head against the >>>>>>> wall for 10-15 minutes trying the usual stuff until it occured to me >>>>>>> to ask her to click the column header and check the "Format..."
dialogue. Sure enough, the entire column was formatted as "text." >>>>>>> (*facepalm*)
YOU CAN'T SUM STRINGS.
To this day, I don't know if it was the import software or PEBKAC. >>>>>>>
My boss said, "I never would have thought of that."
It's not just that it has so much functionality, it's that Microsoft >>>>> made it so easy (comparatively) to use that even a high-school intern >>>>> can create a script that (mostly) does what it needs to. And then those >>>>> hacked-together scripts -after years of use- suddenly become essential >>>>> business logic.
[It's sort of the business equivalent of XKCD's dependency
meme (https://xkcd.com/2347/) except nobody actually maintains the >>>>> project or even has any idea its there. And there are a lot more of
them than the one]
Eventually, one of these scripts breaks and nobody has any idea how the >>>>> data it output was created (because nobody remembers the script, or
whose Excel spreadsheet runs it) and when you do find it, nobody knows >>>>> exactly what it's doing or why.
And that's even before you get into the fact that waaaaay too many
business "databases" are just oversized lists in Excel...
But if you really want to bitch about tech support, I just got one word >>>>> for you. But be prepared: it's a very, very scary word.
PRINTERS.
Aaaah! Halloween is over! ;)
Seriously, though -- that's mainly a Windows problem. Printing
is fairly pain-free on Linux and Apple, thanks to CUPS. Just check
the compatibility matrix, and make sure you have a printer that announces >>>> itself with Bonjour/Avahi/Zeroconf/Aloha/whatever it's called now.
It's not just Windows. Modern printer hardware is absolute shit.
They're cheaply made and all those thin-plastic bits can break just
looking at it.
But I think even blaming Windows isn't entirely fair. The default
drivers that come with Windows are usually fine. It's when you install
the bullshit OEM drivers (you know, the ones that now weigh in at
gigabytes) that you really start seeing problems. Of course, these
drivers are almost always Windows-only, so Windows gets the blame.
And all that before you get into the OEM shenanigins, like DRM on ink
cartridges, or forcing you to buy a whole new tray of cartridges if
you're just out of black, or nonsense like HP's attempt at ink
subscription plans.
Scanners, now. That can be challenging. I bought a wifi scanner
without first checking for SANE support, and discovered I can only
scan from it with USB. (Not _that_ big a deal because it replaces
another USB scanner, but I was hoping for the wifi.)
Too many printers these days -especially to SOHO customers- are
multi-function scanner/printer/fax machines, so often you'll have the
fun of printers and scanner problems all in one machine!
"copiers" have. Scanner/printer/fax is just the _start_.
It's annoying to have multiple devices though! Yes, still need fax. :(
On 11/5/2024 10:25 AM, Zaghadka wrote:
On Tue, 05 Nov 2024 10:53:29 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
And all that before you get into the OEM shenanigins, like DRM on ink
cartridges, or forcing you to buy a whole new tray of cartridges if
you're just out of black, or nonsense like HP's attempt at ink
subscription plans.
Buy a Brother. Anything. Problem solved.
Unfortunately I have a hell of a time getting my brother laser printer
to work. I've got an HP that works fine, but it wants to install a
extra software to 'keep you safe from non-genuine cartridges' now.
On 11/5/2024 6:41 PM, Ant wrote:
It's annoying to have multiple devices though! Yes, still need fax. :(
Its annoying to have to go thru four layers of menus just to make a copy
of a single 8.5x11" page.
On 11/5/2024 6:41 PM, Ant wrote:
Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
On 11/5/2024 10:25 AM, Zaghadka wrote:
On Tue, 05 Nov 2024 10:53:29 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,Older brother or younger brother? :P
Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
And all that before you get into the OEM shenanigins, like DRM on ink >>>> cartridges, or forcing you to buy a whole new tray of cartridges if
you're just out of black, or nonsense like HP's attempt at ink
subscription plans.
Buy a Brother. Anything. Problem solved.
Ink or laser brother? ;)
Either one can blind you.
Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
On 11/5/2024 6:41 PM, Ant wrote:
Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
On 11/5/2024 10:25 AM, Zaghadka wrote:
On Tue, 05 Nov 2024 10:53:29 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,Older brother or younger brother? :P
Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
And all that before you get into the OEM shenanigins, like DRM on ink >> >>>> cartridges, or forcing you to buy a whole new tray of cartridges if
you're just out of black, or nonsense like HP's attempt at ink
subscription plans.
Buy a Brother. Anything. Problem solved.
Ink or laser brother? ;)
Either one can blind you.
Blind?!
On 10/30/2024 2:33 AM, JAB wrote:
On 29/10/2024 16:16, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
Remember "Speedball"? You probably don't.
    [Then again, this being Usenet and that most of us
     are old fogies, maybe you do]
Speedball was a sci-fi action/sports game released in the late 80s
developed by the Bitmap Brothers. Although it came to DOS computers,
it was most popular on Amiga (it also saw ports to the 8-bit consoles
of the time). It got a sequel a few years later, but after that the
franchise languished. IIRC, there were a couple of HD remakes in the
early 2000s but other than that? Nothing.
It just got a brand new remake released to Steam today.
It actually looks quite good, for what it is. The game itself is an
odd futuristic mix of American football, basketball and soccer (e.g.
real football ;-), and is more action-game than sports title. I'll
admit, I don't actually _care_ for the game, but a part of me is
intrigued by the release. Partly because of its history, partly
because it seems a stealth release (by Rebellion Games, of all people)
and partly because if I _were_ going to play a sports title, it
probably would be this one.
Anyway, if you're one of the oddballs who remembers the original,
maybe take a look.
That was one of my favourite games on the Atari ST and it really did
have the feel of actually playing in the arcade. The Bitmap Brothers
also did Xenon which I put down as one of the best top scrolling
shooters and still entirely enjoyable now.
I might pick up Speedball as it sounds great for getting a bit more
use out of my Steam controller.
Oh yeah, I remember this game quite well! Just like you I played it in
the arcade on occasion and had it on the ST as well.
Added to my wishlist!
On 02/11/2024 05:13, Justisaur wrote:
On 10/30/2024 2:33 AM, JAB wrote:
On 29/10/2024 16:16, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
Remember "Speedball"? You probably don't.
I can't say I remember playing it in the arcades but by then my visits
to them where in decline. I did play Xenon when I visited the computer >museum in Cambridge though!
On 02/11/2024 05:13, Justisaur wrote:
On 10/30/2024 2:33 AM, JAB wrote:
On 29/10/2024 16:16, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
Remember "Speedball"? You probably don't.
    [Then again, this being Usenet and that most of us
     are old fogies, maybe you do]
Speedball was a sci-fi action/sports game released in the late 80s
developed by the Bitmap Brothers. Although it came to DOS computers,
it was most popular on Amiga (it also saw ports to the 8-bit consoles
of the time). It got a sequel a few years later, but after that the
franchise languished. IIRC, there were a couple of HD remakes in the
early 2000s but other than that? Nothing.
It just got a brand new remake released to Steam today.
It actually looks quite good, for what it is. The game itself is an
odd futuristic mix of American football, basketball and soccer (e.g.
real football ;-), and is more action-game than sports title. I'll
admit, I don't actually _care_ for the game, but a part of me is
intrigued by the release. Partly because of its history, partly
because it seems a stealth release (by Rebellion Games, of all people) >>>> and partly because if I _were_ going to play a sports title, it
probably would be this one.
Anyway, if you're one of the oddballs who remembers the original,
maybe take a look.
That was one of my favourite games on the Atari ST and it really did
have the feel of actually playing in the arcade. The Bitmap Brothers
also did Xenon which I put down as one of the best top scrolling
shooters and still entirely enjoyable now.
I might pick up Speedball as it sounds great for getting a bit more
use out of my Steam controller.
Oh yeah, I remember this game quite well! Just like you I played it in
the arcade on occasion and had it on the ST as well.
Added to my wishlist!
I can't say I remember playing it in the arcades but by then my visits
to them where in decline. I did play Xenon when I visited the computer museum in Cambridge though!
On Sun, 10 Nov 2024 11:59:58 +0000, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
On 02/11/2024 05:13, Justisaur wrote:
On 10/30/2024 2:33 AM, JAB wrote:
On 29/10/2024 16:16, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
Remember "Speedball"? You probably don't.
I can't say I remember playing it in the arcades but by then my visits
to them where in decline. I did play Xenon when I visited the computer
museum in Cambridge though!
The Bitmap Brothers had a string of hits, mostly on the Amiga and
Atari ST. They were more successful in Europe, where the 8-bits
reigned supreme while IBM/PC compatibles, Apple and consoles were
second fiddle. "Speedball" (1 and 2), "Gods", "Cadaver", "Xenon" (1 &
2), "Chaos Engine" (a.k.a. Soldier of Fortune), "Steel Soldiers" and
"Z" were all extremely well-reviewed games.
The Bitmap Brothers had a string of hits, mostly on the Amiga and
Atari ST. They were more successful in Europe, where the 8-bits
reigned supreme while IBM/PC compatibles, Apple and consoles were
second fiddle. "Speedball" (1 and 2), "Gods", "Cadaver", "Xenon" (1 &
2), "Chaos Engine" (a.k.a. Soldier of Fortune), "Steel Soldiers" and
"Z" were all extremely well-reviewed games.
On 11/10/2024 7:21 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
On Sun, 10 Nov 2024 11:59:58 +0000, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
On 02/11/2024 05:13, Justisaur wrote:
On 10/30/2024 2:33 AM, JAB wrote:
On 29/10/2024 16:16, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
Remember "Speedball"? You probably don't.
I can't say I remember playing it in the arcades but by then my visits
to them where in decline. I did play Xenon when I visited the computer
museum in Cambridge though!
The Bitmap Brothers had a string of hits, mostly on the Amiga and
Atari ST. They were more successful in Europe, where the 8-bits
reigned supreme while IBM/PC compatibles, Apple and consoles were
second fiddle. "Speedball" (1 and 2), "Gods", "Cadaver", "Xenon" (1 &
2), "Chaos Engine" (a.k.a. Soldier of Fortune), "Steel Soldiers" and
"Z" were all extremely well-reviewed games.
Gods was a favorite of mine on the ST. One of my favorite platformers, which few I even liked.
Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:
The Bitmap Brothers had a string of hits, mostly on the Amiga and
Atari ST. They were more successful in Europe, where the 8-bits
reigned supreme while IBM/PC compatibles, Apple and consoles were
second fiddle. "Speedball" (1 and 2), "Gods", "Cadaver", "Xenon" (1 &
2), "Chaos Engine" (a.k.a. Soldier of Fortune), "Steel Soldiers" and
"Z" were all extremely well-reviewed games.
Oh, I remember Z, fondly. Pretty simplistic for a 1996 RTS when C&C had
come out the previous year. In the tougher maps of Z you figured out
pretty quick what unfair advantage of the computer you needed to remove
first and if you managed that, the rest was just mop-up. Pretty hectic
mop-up but still. Also some minor innovation on the genre, perhaps, like
a smarter vehicle driver actually driving smarter.
Gameplay was a lot faster paced than C&C. In fact, I think C&C had
similar level of hectic action in C&C 3 in 2007.
Justisaur <justisaur@gmail.com> wrote:
Gods was a favorite of mine on the ST. One of my favorite platformers,
which few I even liked.
It had a rad theme song!
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