POSITIVE opinions on the Mojang Acquisition

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Niels Henriksen

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Jul 29, 2019
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Actually I'm thinking more like monitoring reactor fuel levels and maybe a few alerts like 90% of storage space reached...reactor on fire. Smoking crater where base was... I was recently trying out ReactorCraft. :mad:

I have been planning that... but never done yet
 

Hambeau

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Jul 24, 2013
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Another thought for Microsoft...

They used to have a product called "Home Server", available first during the XP days and discontinued after Win7 was introduced. I was tester for the original product, which was created to provide a client-server environment for the home environment.

Originally bundled with lower-end hardware and sold for under $500, it was a "headless" server, requiring neither a monitor nor keyboard/mouse to run. Instead your "Admin" workstation used Remote Access to perform configuration and maintenance tasks. At one point you could buy an OEM copy for about $79. IIRC, up to 5 PCs could be connected and features included media sharing and automatic incremental nightly backups of all PCs left powered on. Another feature was automatic integration of any HDD storage into a raid 5-like single volume drive with redundancy and auto-repair/recovery.

Unfortunately, this server was intentionally designed not to be integrated into any other Active Directory network, although you could register a web domain with Microsoft to allow chosen family/individuals to share media and remotely check the server's operation.

Would you pay $79-$120 for such a software package (or $500 for a complete turn-key hardware system) that was also a private Minecraft server?

The next tier up on the server ladder is still available... Small Business server. As mentioned in the OP, it supports more users (25 or 50, IIRC) and adds services such as Exchange and SQL. It costs a bit more but can be integrated into an existing Active Directory domain, although not as a Controller or Backup Controller. I could see such a server set up to run Minecraft as part of whatever "Realms" becomes under MS, as described in the OP.

I also saw this yesterday, speculating on an xbox-free future, with focus returning to the PC market:

 

PODonnell

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Jul 29, 2019
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Another thought for Microsoft...

They used to have a product called "Home Server", available first during the XP days and discontinued after Win7 was introduced. I was tester for the original product, which was created to provide a client-server environment for the home environment.

Originally bundled with lower-end hardware and sold for under $500, it was a "headless" server, requiring neither a monitor nor keyboard/mouse to run. Instead your "Admin" workstation used Remote Access to perform configuration and maintenance tasks. At one point you could buy an OEM copy for about $79. IIRC, up to 5 PCs could be connected and features included media sharing and automatic incremental nightly backups of all PCs left powered on. Another feature was automatic integration of any HDD storage into a raid 5-like single volume drive with redundancy and auto-repair/recovery.

Unfortunately, this server was intentionally designed not to be integrated into any other Active Directory network, although you could register a web domain with Microsoft to allow chosen family/individuals to share media and remotely check the server's operation.

Would you pay $79-$120 for such a software package (or $500 for a complete turn-key hardware system) that was also a private Minecraft server?

The next tier up on the server ladder is still available... Small Business server. As mentioned in the OP, it supports more users (25 or 50, IIRC) and adds services such as Exchange and SQL. It costs a bit more but can be integrated into an existing Active Directory domain, although not as a Controller or Backup Controller. I could see such a server set up to run Minecraft as part of whatever "Realms" becomes under MS, as described in the OP.

I also saw this yesterday, speculating on an xbox-free future, with focus returning to the PC market:

As I understood the speaker he was theorizing that both consoles and Pc's where going to be abandoned in favor of portable devices. His theorem was that there will be a day when handheld performance will compete with console and PC performance......... I have a hard time putting a lot of stock in the commentators opinions in that regard.
 

Hambeau

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As I understood the speaker he was theorizing that both consoles and Pc's where going to be abandoned in favor of portable devices. His theorem was that there will be a day when handheld performance will compete with console and PC performance......... I have a hard time putting a lot of stock in the commentators opinions in that regard.

I don't put a lot of stock into it either... Having 30+ years of electronics experience I CAN accept that we may have phones somewhat capable of PC performance today, but in addition to all of the features currently being performed by phones you have to take into account what features they'll cram into phones between now and then, thus limiting performance capabilities somewhat.

Also, I'm not going to assume that all progress for PCs is ending... That is not and will not be the case.

However, it is a point of view and deserves to be seen.
 

PODonnell

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Jul 29, 2019
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I don't put a lot of stock into it either... Having 30+ years of electronics experience I CAN accept that we may have phones somewhat capable of PC performance today, but in addition to all of the features currently being performed by phones you have to take into account what features they'll cram into phones between now and then, thus limiting performance capabilities somewhat.

Also, I'm not going to assume that all progress for PCs is ending... That is not and will not be the case.

However, it is a point of view and deserves to be seen.
Yeah, I could perhaps see the phone being a "motherboard" that you drop into a docking station. In short the phone will contain a competitive proccessor that is an extreme power saving mode when handheld.

Then you smear some heat sink cream on the back of the case, and drop it in the base unit..... the base unit provides active cooling, bulk storage, graphics processing, and whatever other mainboard functions you couldn't cram into the phone....... But I don't get the impression that is what he's describing...... I'm also trying to imagine what kind of connector I'd use to connect such a phone to its docking station......
 

dothrom

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Jul 29, 2019
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Another thing to note is that people have been saying "PC Gaming is dead/dying" for the past decade. I'm pretty sure it's still alive. And as for mobile vs. desktop? I can't see how they'd ever be 'equal' short of perfected quantum computing we read about in some of the craziest science fiction. Sure mobile devices keep getting more powerful. So do desktops. By the time people can play say... Skyrim (with all the 3rd party renderer improvements) (or MC with 200+ mods and shaders) at the same level that a PC can today, PC's will probably have full VR at the same "DPI" as an Eyeball.
 
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Hambeau

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Another thing to note is that people have been saying "PC Gaming is dead/dying" for the past decade. I'm pretty sure it's still alive. And as for mobile vs. desktop? I can't see how they'd ever be 'equal' short of perfected quantum computing we read about in some of the craziest science fiction. Sure mobile devices keep getting more powerful. So do desktops. By the time people can play say... Skyrim (with all the 3rd party renderer improvements) (or MC with 200+ mods and shaders) at the same level that a PC can today, PC's will probably have full VR at the same "DPI" as an Eyeball.

Exactly. Also, if I'm going to have to be tied to a decent sized screen to see what I'm doing, then I want a completely dedicated system, not an argument when the wife wants to watch reality TV :D
 
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dothrom

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Exactly. Also, if I'm going to have to be tied to a decent sized screen to see what I'm doing, then I want a completely dedicated system, not an argument when the wife wants to watch reality TV :D
I think I can honestly say I've never watched an entire episode of any Reality show. And yes I'm smugly proud of that. :p
 

moltenbrain

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Jul 29, 2019
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I have a Home Server. It died a few months ago.

Microsoft has been all about the cloud for many years and I really think that's where they will go with Minecraft. Data would be stored in Azure and different clients could interact based on the capabilities of the host device. For example, a phone could have a pure chat client.
 

Hambeau

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Yeah, I could perhaps see the phone being a "motherboard" that you drop into a docking station. In short the phone will contain a competitive proccessor that is an extreme power saving mode when handheld.

Then you smear some heat sink cream on the back of the case, and drop it in the base unit..... the base unit provides active cooling, bulk storage, graphics processing, and whatever other mainboard functions you couldn't cram into the phone....... But I don't get the impression that is what he's describing...... I'm also trying to imagine what kind of connector I'd use to connect such a phone to its docking station......

Actually, I think in this scenario the "Docking Station" would contain all the important hardware, and the phone would act as your security authentication to get access to the server. The connection would probably be via the new USB type-c connector, where the cable is identical on both ends and you only need small adaptors for "legacy" devices.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2686...-deliver-displayport-audio-and-video-too.html
 

dothrom

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Unless of course it's a fruit device. It'll be different because they 'think different' :p
 

PODonnell

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Jul 29, 2019
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Actually, I think in this scenario the "Docking Station" would contain all the important hardware, and the phone would act as your security authentication to get access to the server. The connection would probably be via the new USB type-c connector, where the cable is identical on both ends and you only need small adaptors for "legacy" devices.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2686...-deliver-displayport-audio-and-video-too.html
That is quite a bit more logical a solution, but I can't see that being what the video was suggesting.
 

Hambeau

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That is quite a bit more logical a solution, but I can't see that being what the video was suggesting.

My conclusion is that the presenter isn't exactly a maven of high tech, but more of a journalist with latent editorial tendencies :D

For one thing, you could barbeque a steak using the heat generated by any currently conceivable phone-sized device with the capabilities he described, assuming a miracle heat-sink technology is developed to keep the semiconductors from becoming so much destabilized redstone. Oh, and if the battery lasts long enough.
 

Michael280

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Jul 29, 2019
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Another thought for Microsoft...

They used to have a product called "Home Server", available first during the XP days and discontinued after Win7 was introduced. I was tester for the original product, which was created to provide a client-server environment for the home environment.

Originally bundled with lower-end hardware and sold for under $500, it was a "headless" server, requiring neither a monitor nor keyboard/mouse to run. Instead your "Admin" workstation used Remote Access to perform configuration and maintenance tasks. At one point you could buy an OEM copy for about $79. IIRC, up to 5 PCs could be connected and features included media sharing and automatic incremental nightly backups of all PCs left powered on. Another feature was automatic integration of any HDD storage into a raid 5-like single volume drive with redundancy and auto-repair/recovery.

Unfortunately, this server was intentionally designed not to be integrated into any other Active Directory network, although you could register a web domain with Microsoft to allow chosen family/individuals to share media and remotely check the server's operation.

Would you pay $79-$120 for such a software package that was also a private Minecraft server?

Why when FreeNAS and unRaid offer the same for free? And even the dinky NAS/PVR boxes available at big box stores have Java console access for running a minecraft server on.

Originally bundled with lower-end hardware and sold for under $500, it was a "headless" server, requiring neither a monitor nor keyboard/mouse to run. Instead your "Admin" workstation used Remote Access to perform configuration and maintenance tasks.

You can buy or build those now days for under $300. Then just bundle it with one of the free software options...
 

PODonnell

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Jul 29, 2019
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My conclusion is that the presenter isn't exactly a maven of high tech, but more of a journalist with latent editorial tendencies :D

For one thing, you could barbeque a steak using the heat generated by any currently conceivable phone-sized device with the capabilities he described, assuming a miracle heat-sink technology is developed to keep the semiconductors from becoming so much destabilized redstone. Oh, and if the battery lasts long enough.
Yeah, hence my suggestion earlier...... I cannot imagine a "competitive" processor encased in a handheld device capable of dealing with anywhere near the heat generated. If you truly wanted the phone to be the "gaming" computer you'd have to add cooling and power supply in the base station with it's handheld functions being neutered.

I for one would call such a system a PC/console..... even if I could carry a portion of it in my pocket.

If they somehow beat the heat/power issues....... just imagine what they could do with a desktop unit.........
 

Hambeau

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Yeah, hence my suggestion earlier...... I cannot imagine a "competitive" processor encased in a handheld device capable of dealing with anywhere near the heat generated. If you truly wanted the phone to be the "gaming" computer you'd have to add cooling and power supply in the base station with it's handheld functions being neutered.

I for one would call such a system a PC/console..... even if I could carry a portion of it in my pocket.

If they somehow beat the heat/power issues....... just imagine what they could do with a desktop unit.........

The problem is how do you deal with the heat from the "mobile" device when you try to use it away from the dock? You know someone will try and then sue because of the 3rd degree burns...
 

Hambeau

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Why when FreeNAS and unRaid offer the same for free? And even the dinky NAS/PVR boxes available at big box stores have Java console access for running a minecraft server on.



You can buy or build those now days for under $300. Then just bundle it with one of the free software options...

Same hardware, components are cheaper today. As far as your free software, I've done the linux thing ever since the Yggdrasil CD distro in the mid 80's, running an Unreal Tournament server (with LOTS of mods) on Red Hat before they went corporate. Judging from some of the questions I've seen in the forums, many who might want to run a server at home may not feel (or be) competent to operate and/or maintain a linux box.

It doesn't matter if the hardware has Java console access... In my opinion MS will rewrite Minecraft in a language that doesn't have so many issues with garbage collection.
 

MrCervelo

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Jul 29, 2019
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Another thing to note is that people have been saying "PC Gaming is dead/dying" for the past decade. I'm pretty sure it's still alive. And as for mobile vs. desktop? I can't see how they'd ever be 'equal' short of perfected quantum computing we read about in some of the craziest science fiction. Sure mobile devices keep getting more powerful. So do desktops. By the time people can play say... Skyrim (with all the 3rd party renderer improvements) (or MC with 200+ mods and shaders) at the same level that a PC can today, PC's will probably have full VR at the same "DPI" as an Eyeball.

But, I've heard comments along the lines that the current generation of consoles will be the last that are sold as a unit that you run at home.

We are getting more connected, what if instead of the phone actually doing the work, it communicated with a cloud computing system somewhere and that did the heavy lifting? That's is where I've heard gaming consoles are moving towards. You basically have a dumb/smart terminal plugged into your TV, and all it does is interface between the TV, the controller and the cloud.

If technology like this comes to fruition, then your phone could be as powerful as a desktop computer (even more so), as it will have the heavy lifting done by a server remote. Yes, latency would become an issue, but with decent broadband, this should become less of a problem.