Hi Dark, Well, I don't know what else I can say that hasn't already been said a hundred times over. Clearly we have reached a point in the discussion where nothing I say or do will sway you from your opinion, and nothing you say will remotely change my mind either. So we will simply have to agree to disagree and leave it at that.
The problem seems to me is how you and I see things. You only look at this situation from the point of view of an end user who does not know or really care what technical issues are involved just as long as it works the way you want it too. I am a software engineer and know and care about the technical issues so am willing to accept that something can't be done or such an expectation is unrealistic given the circumstances. For example, you mentioned that XP supports old Dos games from twenty or more years ago. That is true but it is not just Windows XP that is required for this support. The 32-bit processors were designed to be backwards compatible with 16-bit software from twenty years or so ago. Now days the new processors from Intel and AMD will only support 32-bit and 64-bit applications meaning anything prior to the 32-bit era is defunked in terms of native applications. That does not mean, however, that you can not run Dos apps on Windows 8/. There is Dosbox which will run any 8-bit and 16-bit game or application in Windows 8. Microsoft does not need to add 16-bit support for older Dos apps because it already exists in a third-party application. The fact that Dosbox is not accessible is of no concern to Microsoft. It is only of concern to you and I because we are effected by the problem. If someone made an accessible Dos emulator I am certain your feelings would change because you could have your cake and eat it too in regards to backwards compatibility. Whatever the case it seems to me that our difference opinion has to do with our understanding of the technical issues involved. For you it is all about the benefits, the results, and please don't confuse you with the technical issues. For me I see things as a software engineer and while I obviously care about the benefits too I also understand why something can not be done or at least is not practical from a financial or technical point of view. I do not believe just because something can be done that is necessarily in Microsoft's best interests. Cheers! On 12/19/13, dark <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Tom. > > to be honest I don't agree with you about microsoft simply because of the > money involved. on xp I can run programs for dos written in qbasic, C and > goodness knows what from 20 years ago. That is a huge corpus of material. Up > > to xp microsoft had a care for all that legacy support which is why I can > download copies of even something like the dos version of hunt the wumpus > from 1978 and run it. > > You could write a program in basic and it'd be fine on xp today, just as was > > the original plan for Eamon deluxe. > > With post xp windows however microsoft are following a model of upgrade or > > else to both devs and users alike, and no, I don't accept the arguement > that microsoft couldn't include this support indeed the fact that they've > seen the light with respect to vb6 shows that they could and were just > being money grubbing with their phase out, (you yourself admit the price for > > all the vb net stuff). > > With games, well it's not just the case of running or not running so much as > > capabilities. A developer like Jim kitchin who has worked in vb6 for years, > > well what bennifits are there to him to running vb net other than the extra > > harrassment caused by microsoft and the need to buy new vb net tools. Also, > > would Jim Kitchin's games be any better for using vb net or another > programming language than using vb 6? ---- I don't kow, not being a > programmer but that is also a question which needs answering. > > Ultimately it comes down as I said to bennifits. Whichever way you cut the > cookie upgrading is a hassle, and a hassle which microsoft have only made > worse with their buggered up interface and lack of compatibility, a fact > which I'm glad to see they are at least recognizing with their including of > > vb6 support (I've heard lots of stories of things not working on windows 8 > so it's good that microsoft are finally seeing some sense at least). > > To your stand off question well to be honest as I said if microsoft had done > > a better job with windows 7 we wouldn't be having this conversation. Maybe > windows 8, maybe windows 9, maybe a future version will be better. I'm > confident enough myself that something better than xp will! come along in > the future which will make myself and others change, ---- but until then > well if people keep using xp and developers keep writing for it, what is so > > wrong with that? > > it's like laser disks and dvds. Back in the mid 1990's, I knew someone who > had bought a new laser disk system. He claimed the video and sound were > better, and all the technical bits were there and asked why I and other > still used video. > > We said we used video becuase there were still more good films on video to > watch than laserdisk, even though laserdisk was technically a better > format. > > Of course 10 or so years later, and dvd replaced video, and myself and > everyone else got to change our videos for dvds because there are now much > better and cheaper films available on dvd than video, and most things that > were originally video have been ported to dvd, ---- and laserdisk has fallen > > by the way side, however had we migrated to laserdisk just because it was > technically better we'd have not been any better off now. > > Beware the grue! > > Dark. > > > --- > Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] > If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to > [email protected]. > You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at > http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. > All messages are archived and can be searched and read at > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. > If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, > please send E-mail to [email protected]. > --- Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to [email protected]. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to [email protected].
