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Is your computer SWG ready?

Dr. Zaius

By Dr. Zaius
in Game discussion

Does your computer meet the SWG minimum specs?  

32 members have voted

  1. 1. Does your computer meet the SWG minimum specs?

    • Yes
      30
    • No
      1
    • I dont know what SWG stands for :(
      1

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J.K Luke Newbie

J.K Luke

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Hehe I know waffleman, is just that I'm gonna make another comp for my sis( she's crying to get one too ) so I have no choice but to assemble a new comp out of my old PC components :D

 

On the brighter side, it's a chance for me to get better rig ;)

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setsuko Newbie

setsuko

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Dr. Zaius: Europe has high speed internet. Or rather, nothern Europe. After all, Scandinavia and Japan are the areas with the highest average connection. Right now, only Finland beats Sweden when it comes to connections. And they have all those mosquitous, so I think it's all fair in the end.;)

 

But if I want to buy computer components online, yes, I find them cheaper than at pricewatch. Especially when shipment & service comes into the picture.

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setsuko Newbie

setsuko

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Zaius: well, no offence to anyone in here, but the north-western part of Europe is the traditional stronghold for technology. If you look at the statistics for patents in the world, Ireland, England, Norway, Sweden and Finland is way, way overrepresented, and even more so the last 200 years. Consider that a country with less people than some cities out there is responsible for such fundamental basics as the Tetra Pak, the dynamite, the separator and the milking machine, the propeller, the ball bearing, the zipper, the safety match, the turbo engine, and the adjustable spanner.

 

Most of the technology that created the internet came from Finland. Most of the technology that created the mobile phone came from Sweden. To little surprise, when Sweden and Finland clashed, Linux emerged. Ireland has an incredible internet boost right now. Sweden is second in the world when it comes to high speed connection, and only beated by... guess? Finland. The Unix scene is litterally packed full with scandinavians.

 

I don't know the reason. It can partly be because we have six hours of hell every year, called winter, when nothing happens. So you have spare time. It can be because people here has always needed to be inventive, since the climate is harsher. Many practical tools were invented by swedes. We have some of the very best schools in the world, and oh, university and college education is free (you actually get paid to go to university), so not only people with rich parents gets educated. While I was 16, I studied the math that one of my friends in the US (age 19) studied. And then, he had chosen math as an extra subject, while I hadn't. The education standard is higher, both in the meaning that we learn tougher things at a comparative age, and that people stay in school longer. Also, we emphasis science more (in that we separate the subjects chemistry, physics and biology at age 14, and everyone studies them), and the math we learn is really that much more advanced. Though, we are still dimwits when it comes to math compared to the old east-block countries, they beat us as easily as we beat the americans! If you doubt, check out the technological headquarters in the US, like MIT. Then see how many of the professors etc are not born in the US. After all, the entire Apollo program was made by germans and russians.

;)

 

Thing is, there is a bigger difference between north-western Europe and southern Europe than most americans understand. The cultures are fundamentally different, and based on totally different things. Everything from day rythm to attitudes towards sexuality and religious history is different. For instance, you'll have to find people age 55+ in sweden to find someone who doesn't speak english. While I had really big troubles in Spain to get by, since I only talk a bit french.

 

Why hasn't southern Europe gotten the same technological level as nothwestern Europe? Because southern Europe is poor. It is easy to forget, but the standards in Sweden way above the standards in Greece. While Sweden was really, really poor in the 1800's, it jumped on the industrial revolution really early, and became the worlds largest supplier of wood, and one of the largest when it came to iron ore. Also, we made a lot of the necessary inventions for the industrial revolution. Again, when the computer industry really started gaining momentum in the 1980's, again, the swedes were on the cutting edge, and as a result, we have a very well developed broadband crossing the country by now. While most of southern Europe (hell, you only have to look at France) is still clinging on to agriculture, especially small scale agriculture (i think about 3% of the swedes are directly involved in agriculture, while the number for France is about 20%). Scandinavia simply made cutting edge techology their way to get by, and I'm here to reap the harvest of it.

 

"im sure they are in the process of upgrading."

 

Thing is, they don't have the same reasons as we have. Simply put: if you make high technology your industry, you have to rule high technology to keep your position. The industry here in Sweden is very much instrumental in the development of the internet here, because every geek sitting in a basement with a T1 line coding linux is a future employee. In a country where a large part of the population is involved in agriculture, the geek in my example is not as much of a treasured asset. Also, Sweden is far from densely populated. We are used to create technology that spans the distances between the members (we have, for instance, one of the oldest post services). A country that is starved for communication is a good soil for internet technology. Also, swedes are traditional technology geeks. It's in our blood.

 

Actually, this is very important and interesting. For instance, one of the biggest speed bumps ahead of the EU is that northern and southern Europe is so different, especially when it comest to agriculture vs technology. Thing is, as it is now, northern Europe pays billions of euro to aid french farmers who has really small farms, and who eventually burns their crops anyway, to keep the prices up. And when EU is supposed to grow eastwards, the problem will grow larger, especially if Ukraine comes into the picture (Poland is bad enough). The situation can't be maintained, but at the same time, southern europeans don't want to loose the money from the richer north. And the north gets more and more annoyed at paying more to the EU than they get. As you see, it is a major issue.

 

And sadly, I can't write more about it for now. I have to go meet my sister. Hmm... this got long. It calls for a;

 

This rant® was brought to you by setsuko. No animals were harmed at the typing of this rant.

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UnfrozenCaveman Newbie

UnfrozenCaveman

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Thing is, there is a bigger difference between north-western Europe and southern Europe than most americans understand. The cultures are fundamentally different, and based on totally different things. Everything from day rythm to attitudes towards sexuality and religious history is different
And all it takes is to read the mythology of that culture and you'll see how different it is. As well, you'll see the similarity of the cultures that are close together and the difference with the ones that are seperated by miles and miles. Good post Set.
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setsuko Newbie

setsuko

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This is also true for a lot of countries in Europe, on an internal scale. Look at Italy, for instance; northern italy (especially around Turin and Milano), is one of the richer areas in Europe, while southern Italy in many ways can be compared to, say, Nicaragua. Northern Spain compared to southern Spain, the same.

 

If you want a very simple model, then you have a center of wealth about squarely in the middle of Germany, and then the longer you get from that middle, the poorer it gets. Not totally accurate, but it gives you a general idea. In Italy, Spain and France, it gets worse as you go south, while in England, Sweden and Finland, it gets worse as you go north

 

If you need a little more complicated a tool, then let me introduce: "the blue banana". It starts in London, and then trough Benelux, Paris, München, and ends in Milano. Within this "blue banana" you have the richest areas (no, I don't know what the name origins from!:)).

 

The main difference between Scandinavia and these regions, however, is that here, the state has more power. Which means that the wealth is better distributed. Meaning that most people afford to be interested in a good broadband connection. The classic model for this is a triangle: in one end, you have the state. The other, the family. And in the third, the market. Now, you learn a lot about a country by applying this test: if I get in trouble, who is there to take care of me? In southern Europe, it is traditionally the family. In the US and England, it's mostly the market, while in Scandinavia and Canada, it's the state. Now, since we have a system where the state is interested in our wellbeing, there's a few things that applies. What matters here is that we have both more responsibilites to the state, while we at the same time gets provided better. Let me explain:

 

In a country where the family is the main supporter of the individual, you are expected to learn the trade of your family. Because that is the education they can provide; a fisherman can't teach you math. Also, the family naturally don't have the resources to build a T1 cable.

 

In a country where the market is the main supporter of the individual, you are expected to learn just enough to start working, and thereby be able to consume. Higher education is only necessary for a selected few, and thereby education that is not directly linked to the company is not supported. Internet in these countries are something you consume; there is no need to attempt to provide it to people who can't afford it.

 

In a country where the state is the main supporter of the individual, the health of the state is based on well educated inhabitants. After all, the state is the people. Therefore, education as it's own goal is encouraged. Here you have an interest to provide fast connection to all of the people, since it encourages communication and free thinking. Also, the state doesn't have to earn money from it, unlike a company, so it can provide it without gaining money for it. After all, the future competence that a broad public education provide makes sure that the entire country makes profits in the future, while a company is only interested if it itself makes a profit from it.

 

This is mostly important when it comes to education: A familybased country have little need for education, because it's inhabitants are supposed to continue the family's trade. A marketbased country sees education as either something that must be useful for the company, or something that you afford by either being talented enough to get a scholarship, or by being rich enough. A statebased country needs to think about all levels of society, and therefor must promote all kinds of education. Education becomes a right, not something you must earn.

 

As you might notice, I think the last alternative is the better. You might argue with that, but at the end of the day, I'm the one sitting in a country with cheap broadband, so I guess I have a rather bulletproof case. ;)

 

Edit: now I'm about as off topic as it can get! :D

 

Actually, this affects all levels of society, it's almost absurd. It affects how the military works, how the police works, it affects wealth distribution. Yes, all three versions of society has a state, but it fills a different role. To quote Omali Ye****ela, the chairman of the African People's Socialist Party (referred to as the 'Malcolm X of the 21th century' :

 

"You have the emergence in human society

of this thing that's called the State

What is the State? The State is this organized bureaucracy

It is the police department. It is the Army, the Navy

It is the prison system, the courts, and what have you

This is the State -- it is a repressive organization

But the state -- and gee, well, you know,

you've got to have the police, cause..

if there were no police, look at what you'd be doing to yourselves!

You'd be killing each other if there were no police!

But the reality is..

the police become necessary in human society

only at that junction in human society

where it is split between those who have and those who ain't got"

 

EDIT2: appearantly, Lucasforums doesn't like people who's sirname is Y_e_s_h_i_t_e_l_a! :D

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DirtyWombat Newbie

DirtyWombat

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BTT:

 

Just got my new rig...

I'm going full tilt for *this* game...

 

Motherboard : Asus P4G8X Deluxe

Processor : Intel Pentium 4 2.8 Ghz 512K Cache 533Mhz Fsb

Memory : 2x512MB DDR 333 Mhz PC2700 (1.02 Gb Total)

Video Card : Geforce FX5800 128 Mb AGP 8x

Sound Card : Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2

 

 

I have my fingers crossed 'cause I want to squeeze as much out of my IG time as possible!:D

 

Wombat

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TheMaestro Newbie

TheMaestro

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As sad as it is...I am building a whole new computer just for Galaxies, RoN, Planetside and NWN...

 

...but most of my time will be devoted to SWG. And the release date at E3 is summer...which means anytime from June to August, but I'll take it! :)

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setsuko Newbie

setsuko

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Posted
Originally posted by Jackrabbit

Excellent post Set! Again, you make me fall to my knees and weep!

 

So, with your explanation of Family, Market and State, I’m guessing the US is Market? That would explain my 56k internet connection (and other things).

 

Yes, the US is the country today that is most tilted towards the market. Mind you, no country is entirely at the edge of the triangle. Think of it as a matrix, where the country is entered somewhere in the triangle.

 

One of the more important areas, though, is healthcare. Here, it is even more obvious how important it is to have the state as a main supporter; when something really bad happens, few families can easily afford a really expensive hospital bill (can range above 100 000 dollars, easily). And the market, well, if you are not important for the market, then the market is not interested in your survival. If you live in a country with no support from the state, your chances ends there. Which is true for the US, where a very large part of the population is too poor to afford a health insurance. Or even worse, if you have a chronical sickness or a mental disorder, you will not be allowed to get a health insurance.

 

For examply, one of my little brothers have Aspergers syndrome, a mild form of autism. Here, this means that the state provides him with extra teachers, and a psychologist once per week. Mind you, in the US, my parents would not be able to insure him (since no insurance company would grant it: it is a sure loss), and would therefore have to pay the wages of the extra teachers and psychologists. This would cost them more than 100 000 dollars each year, which they couldn't afford (both parents being teachers). Simply, my brother would have to go without treatment, severely worsening his syndrome, and most likely one of my parents would have to stop working and stay home to take care of him. So no, you neither have to be living in the gutter or having a child with multiple severe disorders to be disregarded by the market. Luckily, we live in Sweden, so we got the extra teachers for free. But thinking of how it could have been instead... well, it do scare me.

 

As a second example, one of my friends was hit by a swing when she was little, and several teeth were damaged. This meant that for several years, she had to go to the dentist once a month. To us, it wasn't a big deal. But her father used to joke about it, because he had worked as a lawyer in the US for many years, and he calculated how much it would cost them if the accident had happened in the US instead, and it was in the range of 200 000 dollars. Now, it was free. So no, even a freak accident can potentially mess up your entire future in a market-centered society.

 

Oh, but you pay less taxes and your gas is cheeper. If you think that's a fair deal, then good for you. But don't come and complain when you get a multiple disordered kid and you have to sell the house to afford a doctor...

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