Comments on: The Soul of The Sims http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/02/20/the-soul-of-the-sims/ Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:54:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: smSophie http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/02/20/the-soul-of-the-sims/#comment-392765 smSophie Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:54:05 +0000 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1168#comment-392765 Billions of humen in the world do know about <a href="http://www.4submission.com" rel="nofollow">article submission</a> and best article submission services. It’s available to use this for a kind of perfect stuff like this topic. Billions of humen in the world do know about article submission and best article submission services. It’s available to use this for a kind of perfect stuff like this topic.

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]]> By: Don Hopkins http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/02/20/the-soul-of-the-sims/#comment-27306 Don Hopkins Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:52:53 +0000 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1168#comment-27306 Why PostScript? The first time I ported SimCity to Unix, I used the NeWS window system, which was a PostScript based window system designed by James Gosling (who later went on to design Java), which ran on Sun workstations. Since SimCity's user interface was written in PostScript, the map was scalable, and you could zoom in and out of the city to play the game at any scale, or close the window into a live animated icon. NeWS was like AJAX, excepted that it used PostScript for programming instead of JavaScript, and PostScript for drawing instead of DHTML/CSS, and PostScript for data representation instead of XML. In other words, it had all the advantages of AJAX, but was much more consistent because it wasn't a shotgun marriage of a bunch of different incompatible technologies that were not designed to work together, like AJAX's confusing jumble of JavaScript/DHTML/CSS/XML. The question I ask is: why are people writing AJAX user interfaces in several different languages at once, instead of just one, like PostScript? I did all that in 1991-1992. So don't let anyone tell you that AJAX is a new idea, nor that AJAX was actually designed as opposed to accidentally re-discovered, nor that Microsoft invented AJAX, nor that the NeXT or the Mac was the first system that drew PostScript on the screen. But the problem with the NeXT/Mac approach to "Display PostScript" is that it gives up all the "AJAXian" advantages of using PostScript for local interactivity, saving network bandwidth by sending code over the network, and creating efficient application specific network protocols. -Don http://www.DonHopkins.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeWS Why PostScript? The first time I ported SimCity to Unix, I used the NeWS window system, which was a PostScript based window system designed by James Gosling (who later went on to design Java), which ran on Sun workstations.

Since SimCity’s user interface was written in PostScript, the map was scalable, and you could zoom in and out of the city to play the game at any scale, or close the window into a live animated icon.

NeWS was like AJAX, excepted that it used PostScript for programming instead of JavaScript, and PostScript for drawing instead of DHTML/CSS, and PostScript for data representation instead of XML. In other words, it had all the advantages of AJAX, but was much more consistent because it wasn’t a shotgun marriage of a bunch of different incompatible technologies that were not designed to work together, like AJAX’s confusing jumble of JavaScript/DHTML/CSS/XML. The question I ask is: why are people writing AJAX user interfaces in several different languages at once, instead of just one, like PostScript?

I did all that in 1991-1992. So don’t let anyone tell you that AJAX is a new idea, nor that AJAX was actually designed as opposed to accidentally re-discovered, nor that Microsoft invented AJAX, nor that the NeXT or the Mac was the first system that drew PostScript on the screen.

But the problem with the NeXT/Mac approach to “Display PostScript” is that it gives up all the “AJAXian” advantages of using PostScript for local interactivity, saving network bandwidth by sending code over the network, and creating efficient application specific network protocols.

-Don

http://www.DonHopkins.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeWS

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]]> By: Meat Circus http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/02/20/the-soul-of-the-sims/#comment-26372 Meat Circus Thu, 21 Feb 2008 09:14:48 +0000 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1168#comment-26372 PostScript is a turing-complete language after all. I'm just not sure why the decision was taken to write it in PostScript in the first place. PostScript is a turing-complete language after all. I’m just not sure why the decision was taken to write it in PostScript in the first place.

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]]> By: Nick http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/02/20/the-soul-of-the-sims/#comment-26367 Nick Thu, 21 Feb 2008 07:58:52 +0000 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1168#comment-26367 "DUX Software contracted me (Don Hopkins) to port SimCity to Unix...The user interface was written in PostScript". A UI written in PostScript? Now THAT'S hardcore. “DUX Software contracted me (Don Hopkins) to port SimCity to Unix…The user interface was written in PostScript”.

A UI written in PostScript? Now THAT’S hardcore.

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]]> By: Janek http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/02/20/the-soul-of-the-sims/#comment-26338 Janek Wed, 20 Feb 2008 23:50:17 +0000 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1168#comment-26338 I like to think that in real life, Will Wright just sees scrolling Sims code. Sort of like the Matrix, but with less guns and more bedwetting. I like to think that in real life, Will Wright just sees scrolling Sims code.

Sort of like the Matrix, but with less guns and more bedwetting.

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]]> By: Sum0 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/02/20/the-soul-of-the-sims/#comment-26327 Sum0 Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:52:22 +0000 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1168#comment-26327 I love the little touch of "Motive[mBladder] = 90". You may have soiled the carpet, but at least you don't have a full bladder any more! I love the little touch of “Motive[mBladder] = 90″. You may have soiled the carpet, but at least you don’t have a full bladder any more!

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]]> By: Seniath http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/02/20/the-soul-of-the-sims/#comment-26325 Seniath Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:48:47 +0000 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1168#comment-26325 Oh steve is going to <i>love</i> this! Oh steve is going to love this!

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]]> By: Freelancepolice http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/02/20/the-soul-of-the-sims/#comment-26324 Freelancepolice Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:43:51 +0000 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1168#comment-26324 You've not lived till you've worked on a sims game You’ve not lived till you’ve worked on a sims game

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