And this is what happens when people don't own the hardware they buy. Instead, they get awful DRM'ed bullshit, with a monopolistic store 'owner' digitally forcing whatever they say on their fiefdom. The first computer I had access to had BASIC built in. Having control of a computer of what runs and not is an absolute basic right of ownership. And from these computers called "game consoles", you the purchaser have non…
The difference is that I know that I'm not buying a general purpose computer when I buy a console.
And I'm perfectly fine with that. It's an entertainment device. I have plenty of things that I can run my code on.
You can purchase a BASIC interpreter on the 3DS eShop. It's called SmileBASIC, and it's pretty full featured. http://smilebasic.com/en/ It doesn't make intuitive sense to me why a BASIC interpreter would be allowed, but not a Ruby interpreter. The difference is likely that Nintendo was never informed about the Ruby interpreter. While I wish everything was user-modifiable, I'm generally okay with game consoles being l…
A major issue (for me) with SmileBASIC is they removed (presumably at Nintendo's request) any way to export or import code except for their walled garden. Previous versions of SmileBASIC (for the regular DS, under the name Petite Computer) allowed one to (iirc) scan a QR code to input files. Someone has made a modem for SmileBASIC, but it's a lot of typing to get it loaded (presumably Nintendo would quickly pull it f…
The QR Codes were likely removed because they were cumbersome. I'm not convinced Nintendo was involved.
There's a Megaman clone for the DSi version which requires you to scan more than 100 (!) QR codes. That's not fun, and even as an edge case, it's not an experience you want anyone to have with your product. Better to push them to the central server.
Why is it reasonable to be given free reign to control what is run on their platform? this is why Apple gets away with anti-competitive practices like pulling apps that compete with newly released features, even though the apps weren't a problem before. These are truly walled gardens. Worse, these walled gardens are monopolies that can and are abused by large companies.
Continuity. Standards and limitations keep the platform usable which makes it valuable to all involved. For walled gardens to be successful, both consumers and developers must both buy into them. So, either people are painfully stupid or a managed platform has some appeal over free ones. Continuity, ease of use, various warranties/guarantees make walled gardens attractive. If consumers have free reign and brick their…
Windows and Mac OS are not walled gardens in this way, although both Apple and Microsoft have shown signs of wanting to make them more so. Despite Windows not being a walled garden it has better continuity than any platform Nintendo has ever made, and ironically not only for Windows (and DOS) software but for most Nintendo platforms too via emulators.
I follow him on Mastodon, where this all played out: https://ruby.social/@amirrajan His explanation: https://ruby.social/@amirrajan/101991299426077446 He did security checks: https://ruby.social/@amirrajan/101986725826245184
So wait, he did "an immense amount of pen testing", while at the same time this was something he snuck in at the last minute on a whim? Something doesn't add up here.
What about people who already bought it? Does it stay installed on their consoles? And if they uninstall it, can they download it again?
It's probably moot because I'd expect Nintendo to demand a patched version of the game with Ruby removed to replace the existing version for those who bought it even if Nintendo decides not to allow it up on the store again.
The fact that Nintendo were always like this does not mean it is okay. If there's anything wrong with this story it's how everyone seems to silently accept it is okay for a company to tell you what you can run on the hardware that you "buy" but not really own.
That's not the story at all. Rajan entered a voluntary agreement with Nintendo, through which his game would be distributed on their platform. He deliberately deceived them about the presence of a potentially security-critical feature, thereby breaching that agreement; Nintendo took the perfectly reasonable decision to remove his game from their platform. There is a perfectly reasonable debate to be had about bootloa…
I think that a legal fudge I would be satisfied with is where a manufacturer wants a branded store and some lock-in, that they nevertheless must allow secondary marketplaces, with the legal protection provided for both users and the original manufacturer that any secondary marketplaces can be contractually required to be clearly labelled as such.
A major issue (for me) with SmileBASIC is they removed (presumably at Nintendo's request) any way to export or import code except for their walled garden. Previous versions of SmileBASIC (for the regular DS, under the name Petite Computer) allowed one to (iirc) scan a QR code to input files. Someone has made a modem for SmileBASIC, but it's a lot of typing to get it loaded (presumably Nintendo would quickly pull it f…
The QR Codes were likely removed because they were cumbersome. I'm not convinced Nintendo was involved. There's a Megaman clone for the DSi version which requires you to scan more than 100 (!) QR codes. That's not fun, and even as an edge case, it's not an experience you want anyone to have with your product. Better to push them to the central server.
There's a chance Cubic Ninja has made Nintendo weary of QR codes in third party software.
I read every word of the post (including quotations) and watched every second of the video. I've played on a Switch (owned by someone else).
Can someone ELI5 what the issue is here or why there's any reason for remorse? Since it's a text adventure game, what's the difference between the game as allowed (text adventure) and the sandboxed bundled ruby? What's the difference between those 2 things? (A sandboxed ruby seems strictly equivalent to a text adventure game to me.) Not trying to be obtuse, just don't get it.