> "The best game about CPU design that I can imagine" -- Zach Barth (SpaceChem, TIS-100).

Huge endorsement on the itch.io page

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Quoting: dodrianThe picture is of Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov [External Link], the quote refers to his work The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh [External Link].

So, any games that are about Russians, Opera, or Invisible Cities?

You might be on to something. So ... Rimsky-Korsakov taught Igor Stravinsky.
Stravinsky wrote 'The Rite of Spring'.
The word 'rite' is reminiscent of 'rime' (I mean, this is obvious, right?)
'Rime' brings to mind Coleridge's poem 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'.

Now, there's an album that features an adaptation of 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner', and that album has a pretty telling cover design ... See for yourselves:



That's right. Iron Maiden's 'Powerslave'. But what does that cover remind you of?

This, of course:



Yep, the upcoming Assassin's Creed is being ported to Linux. You heard it first here.

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Speaking about Linux beating Mac -- I'm a clueless git with no knowledge of the 'real world', but here's what I think:

Apple seems to have adopted the mobile handset model of forced obsolescence into their Mac line; I'm inclined to think that this will end up in a catastrophe for them. There was a time when Macs had outstanding longevity, and really good resale value; neither exist anymore, because in order to continue doing real work, while receiving the software updates you need, you have to use the latest OS, which, in turn, is compatible only with fairly recent hardware. So buying a Mac, and proprietary software on it, is making an open ended commitment to keep buying new Macs.

In the mobile sphere, companies can get away with this sort of lock-in, because the required investments are quite a bit lower, and what's at stake is nothing urgent -- like which media player, streaming softwre, etc., you have to use. Desktop machines where you *produce* your work can't be as disposable as mobile devices, however; and a lot more is at stake, in choosing to bind your fate to the offerings of one company.

As to elegance of 'user experience', intuitive UI design, stability, etc. (and recently, games), the Mac *no longer* offers a *significant* advantage over Linux. There was a time when it did offer the most refined experience; but I think we're catching up. I sure miss the silky smooth trackpad on my MacBook Pro -- but now, that advantage is outweighed by way more important considerations.

Also, mobile and webapps haven't reduced the multi-purpose desktop pc to irrelevance, as some people were predicting. Stupid little consumption devices, and software that runs on top of 50 layers of abstraction *can't* do that. I know that 'the year of the linux desktop' has become a silly 'meme', but I do think that once certain issues are ironed out, linux will emerge as the obviously most suitable system for multi-purpose, relatively open pcs.

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Quoting: NanobangIf Trump can be president, Linux can beat Mac.

I'm aware that the analogy operates on the notion of improbability -- nevertheless it's off by a fair bit.

How about this: If Trump can be president, then Microsoft can successfully carry out an EEE operation on Linux and destroy it from within.

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Quoting: tuubi

Quoting: wvstolzingThe C64 was never really a *good* gaming machine

:O You take that back right now or we can't be friends anymore!

I'm a huge C64 fan -- nevertheless, I think that there was only a handful of really good games on the platform.

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Quoting: elmapulspeaking of amiga:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/09/29/commodore-64-coming-back-c64-mini-released-next-year/ [External Link]

there is hope...

Is this the one that was on kickstarter last year? Unless they feature something like the 'SwinSID ultimate [External Link]', these C64 'revivals' amount to cute little casing designs, and nothing more.

The C64 was never really a *good* gaming machine -- its strongest assets were the SID chip, and the possibilities it harbored for homebrew tinkering. I've come to realize only recently that games on the NES had WAY better playability, compared to what we had on the C64. So if there's to be a C64 revival, it should be in terms of 6502 (6510) hacking -- something akin to the new BBC Micro, and not really gaming nostalgia.

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Quoting: GuestLove dat Atari aesthetic

Then you'd love this too:

View video on youtube.com

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I wonder what they can fit inside a chassis that's so thin.

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It doesn't look like Jim Sterling has made a video about this ... I find that surprising.

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I bought the lowest-tier Humble Bundle, because RIVE looks really interesting. Haven't played yet, though.

My skinthood is so pronounced these days, that I can't go any further. As a recommendation, however, check this out:

Dustforce DX on GOG at 90% off [External Link]

Dustforce is an absolute masterpiece, and they're giving it away at $0.99 on GOG right now.

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