The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS • Hacker News Board

Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS

#211

Post by rrrrrrrrrrrryan » Tue, Oct 26, 2021, 10:23 PM UTC

ceejayoz wrote: post #64

dylan604 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was so disappointed after spending like 12 hours watching this film to it ending without telling the complete story. Never mind the Part 1 title card at the beginning. I just assumed they were going to expand upon the story not cut it into pieces. Then to find out that they didn't already green light the rest of the story being made. WTF? Who does this in today's movie universe? We get the full story approved to ma…

I fully expect it's greenlit, but not publicly so. They'll openly greenlight it when theater attendance drops off, after a couple of weeks, and ride the extra publicity.

This comment was remarkably prescient.

https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/26/22739098/dune-part-two-d...

Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS

#212

Post by squarefoot » Tue, Oct 26, 2021, 10:35 PM UTC

joeman1000 wrote: post #206

squarefoot wrote: post #196

"on an ancient beige mechanical keyboard" That is an IBM Model M, probably the best computer keyboard ever made; I wouldn't be surprised if besides the software it also played a role in helping to write the screenplay. That keyboard is simply an amazing piece of hardware; I have two, one is dated early 90s and carries a Lotus 1-2-3 v2.2 sticker on it, just to say...

I think there’s too much hype around the model M. I own one and find it too bulky and loud. It’s a gimmick. Also it has a PS/2 connector, so it’s a pain.

The hype is well deserved, it's a rock solid piece of hardware that lasts decades, something that is so rare today. I got my first one in the mid nineties and never had to do any maintenance aside normal cleaning, while the spare one I have lays unused since day one. Yes, it's loud, I agree that could be annoying in quiet office environments.

About the PS/2 connector, that is not a problem since USB adapters are very cheap, but there are also many projects around to replace the internal controller board with one that speaks directly USB, also some have been extended to implement some more buttons and program them to do stuff. A search for "model m controller" will return some interesting results.

Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS

#213

Post by weird-eye-issue » Tue, Oct 26, 2021, 11:55 PM UTC

Arrath wrote: post #127

weird-eye-issue wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On Android, DND still pops up notifications and stuff. Anyone know if there is any easy way to turn that off? I get so distracted and that certainly doesn't help

Airplane mode? Turn it off?

I think you misunderstood - I mean I just don't want notifications showing up on the screen when I'm using it. If I don't want to be distracted when I'm not using it then I just silence it and put it away from me obviously...

Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS

#214

Post by weird-eye-issue » Tue, Oct 26, 2021, 11:58 PM UTC

mFixman wrote: post #140

weird-eye-issue wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On Android, DND still pops up notifications and stuff. Anyone know if there is any easy way to turn that off? I get so distracted and that certainly doesn't help

Go to Do not Disturb -> Details -> Hide Notifications -> Hide All. This will prevent notifications from popping up and also not remove any existing notifiation from the notification bar. (I'm using Samsung; YMMV).

Awesome, thank you. I had no idea this was an option under DND. I tried turning off all notifications before and it seemed impossible

Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS

#215

Post by kgwxd » Wed, Oct 27, 2021, 1:37 AM UTC

handrous wrote: post #114

kgwxd wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think if you've read the book, it's a good watch. But the movie does very little character building, or maybe it tries to do too much of it too fast. Without the preset idea of what the characters are about, I could see how the movie might be a bit flat.

There are lots of little bits of subtle characterization and character-arc work in it to pick up on, though some of them require some connecting-the-dots and lateral thinking. Which, in a way, lets you, the viewer, play the role of a Dune character, picking out little hints and signs and extracting meaning. This isn't to defend the movie if people find that this doesn't work for them (it may, indeed, be a failed effo…

I noticed the subtle bits but, personally, I doubt I would have been able to notice them in the first place, let alone extract much meaning from them, without being primed by the book.

Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS

#216

Post by h0l0cube » Wed, Oct 27, 2021, 2:09 AM UTC

cmrdporcupine wrote: post #189

h0l0cube wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh right, never contemplated such a thing to exist.. but there it is in Google. I wonder if worries about electronic media becoming unreadable over time are overstated

Don't worry about your worries being wrong-worries, because your worries are real-worries. Those USB floppy drives have about a 1 in 3 chance of actually working. There's last I looked only one manufacturer left and no real quality control on them. I bought a $30ish at one point and it simply just doesn't read floppies. Not sure it even showed up in the USB device tree. And that's 3.5". I can't imagine how to solve t…

Yikes, my worries were understated. I suppose there's a bunch of special components that they don't even manufacture anymore. Tbf, $30 is a bit too low. If I was serious about archiving or accessing old documents and wanted a reliable floppy drive, it's something I'd pay ~$300 for.. depending on the value of what was being recovered, someone might even pay $3000 for a specialist to recover it.

Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS

#217

Post by arronax » Wed, Oct 27, 2021, 9:51 AM UTC

CarelessExpert wrote: post #105

causi wrote: post #4

There's something to be said for the focused nature of older technology. If you were to set me the task of writing something long-form, and told me the faster and better I did it the more I would be rewarded, I'd be doomed with a modern laptop or a smartphone. My favorite writing tool is, frankly, an IBM TransNote from 2001.

Eh, you can get that distraction-free experience with modern technology if you want it. When I want to focus on writing, I have a Vim setup that gives me a screen with a cursor. I run that full screen, turn off notifications and whatnot, and get to it. And when I'm done I can go back to using my modern technology to do everything else I want with the content, whether it's formatting/typesetting, sharing, etc. There's…

I co-authored a (technical) book entirely in vim.

The problem for me was that distraction was still one alt+tab away. Ultimately, what worked for me best was writing in very boring and rather inconvenient conditions. Waiting at a car wash, or in a car shop worked best.

Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS

#218

Post by simonh » Wed, Oct 27, 2021, 10:58 AM UTC

MikusR wrote: post #172

danpalmer wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's almost like it's set in a desert.

It's set in many places. Water planets, interiors, dreams. And all of that is Brown/gray/bland.

To be clear, I'm a convert. Light brown forever!

Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS

#219

Post by Shorel » Wed, Oct 27, 2021, 1:15 PM UTC

throw0101a wrote: post #197

tkuraku wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe that's why he can't finish the series...

The Expanse has finished an entire nine-book series in the time since the last A Song of Ice and Fire was published.

This is probably because of the benefits of collaborative writing.

No procrastination possible when you have that level of engagement.

GRRM is alone and bored.

Re: The ‘Dune’ Screenplay Was Written in Movie Master on MS-DOS

#220

Post by slackfan » Wed, Oct 27, 2021, 1:49 PM UTC

stuff4ben wrote: post #195

slackfan wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Regarding autocorrect: Maybe not outsourcing your literacy to a machine might have something to do with retaining the capacity to write.

Because you've never made a mistake when typing? Associating auto-correct to literacy is as stupid as it comes. Maybe come up with a better argument next time?

Idle speculation is not an argument. Maybe don't be so aggressive next time?