I've linked them before but I have to do it again.

Also, I want this building to get made.

Gotta question for you all. I am trying to define the western computer rpg in my head by companies that currently (or used) make them. The obvious starters are

Interplay

Bioware

Bethesda

SSI

Mindcraft

The last one might really test your crpg chops. Anyhow, I want to extend the list. Got suggestions? Remember, western crpgs. No Square Enix.

Edit: adding and manipulating the list a little

Interplay -> Interplay/Black Isle (by suggestion of Frame_Dragger)

Blizzard (courtesy of polsci1503)

Obsidian (courtesy of AlmightyMax, interesting because their business is almost entirely based on Interplay's and Bethesda's products)

Wizards of the Coast (as much as I hate mentioning them)

Origin (courtesy of luc11044)

iTunes didn't mix well with Windows 7 once I changed some visual settings. It isn't a major issue. Simply plugging in my iPod does turn on iTunes now. I read some boards on this and a lot of people are making it out to be the end of the world: "Oh no! I have to click twice on an icon now!" Also, I had to deauthorize and authorize the computer again after some settings changes. Still, this doesn't seem like a major problem. I get the impression that the next update of iTunes will overcome these issues. Also, Oblivion seems slightly more unstable than before. That's hard to measure though. Don't really know if it's Windows, a corrupted file, the result of playing an Elder Scrolls game for a few more hours, or the mods I am currently using.

Noticed something nice though. By default, Windows asks before installing updates. It's like having a brutal blood-thirsty dictator who always wears soft fuzzy gloves. I noticed something else too. Windows now seems to come with Windows anytime upgrade which is mentioned in a number of places. Evidently, they really want me to upgrade to the very best Windows available. I don't really know what that means however. Finally, I still haven't even seen anything referencing IE, which I am just fine with. Perhaps M$ has come to accept that IE will never, ever go anywhere.

A friend of mine saw my commentary on installing windows and sent me a link to Penny Arcade. I know. I hardly have to link Penny Arcade in this forum but it seemed particularly fitting. Still, I am reserving judgement on Windows 7. I did find one bit of evil. It killed my boot-loader. It was an easy fix though. The linux install disk had a easy restore already built in. No having to reinstall Ubuntu.

So this is wierd. I installed Windows 7 and I have this odd feeling. It's almost like it made me a little bit happy. Is this the result of pathetically low expectations? Has my general dislike for Mac-bots disillusioned me such that I can put up with Windows? Has the lack of hardware support in linux (through no fault of it's own) finally gotten me? Or is it the feeling that finaly, the one operating system that really plays games well is finally catching on to what people want? It's a wierd feeling...

It is with great trepidation that I opened the little orange DVD box containing my disk of Windows 7. The disk was placed, as all Windows operating system disks, upside down to protect the data carrying portion. While I had already backed up all my files, I still felt worry as I placed the disk in the DVD player and pushed in the disk. Then I began installation. This took about an hour. Windows 7 evidently occupies about 3 Gig of hard-drive space. That seems awfully slim for an MS product. The machine had to restart several times. At various points, it seemed to have stalled. Then after all the tension, it restarted the last time and opened into windows.

At first glance, it seemed a changed machine. There are cool effects with the windows whereby you can see what's behind them (taken from linux but I don't complain about people mimicing good things). I first went for OpenOffice. Surely this MS operating system would have booted that freeware from my system. But no, it opened. OpenOffice continues to function just fine. I went through a checked my other freeware. GIMP, xterm, emacs, the list goes on. No issues found.

Alright, the free stuff you can just download again. Surely though, MS would find a way to ruin me with paid for software. It was time to go to itunes. Itunes, the essence of the enemy of Microsoft. The eternal thorn in their side. Itunes represents that internet dominance that MS could never get hold off. Certainly itunes would be destroyed. One double-click and I was thinking, here is where it will get me. Here is where I will curse Bill Gates' name. It opened. All my songs and videos were still there. Finally, I checked Steam. Would my Steam games remain? Would this computer, that I bought for gaming, have lost all the money I spent on games? No. They all work fine. Even my mods are still functioning fine. It even left Google Chrome alone.

This is not the Windows I know. It looks like the Windows I know, but it does not function like the Windows I know. It's suddenly being nice to me. It seems to respect my privacy and leaves my folders alone. It doesn't aggressively require me to use MS only software. Well, so far at least. I remain cautious, but at this point I can say, "well played, MS, well played."