Random rants
- Is the SOAP Stack an Embarrassing Failure? (Or should that be "Java's SOAP Stack" rather?) Axis 2, um, "leads the pack" in that regard. WS-* not complicated enough for you? Let's reinvent the app server wheel while we're at it too. If you have to do Web Services in Java, I recommend you check out Spring Web Services.
- Enabling Media Sharing in Vista doesn't unblock the Windows Firewall ports it uses. A while ago I got this to work with my Xbox 360 (though it was much slower and never worked with video compared to the free, 3rd party app TVersity). Then one day it decided to stop working. Turns out that Windows Firewall decided to block it for no apparent reason. This despite me re-enabling Media Sharing several times afterwards. @#$%! And this, kids, is why Apple is winning this round.
- Badly implemented Ajax is worse than no Ajax. We survived for many years without dynamic web pages but now everyone feels the need to Web 2.0-ify their online presence. Looking at you, Good Reads. Rendering badly in Firefox is not hip in this day and age
P.S. Don't you just hate it when they put footnotes at the end of a book?
Fresh Xbox 360 Blu-ray Rumors
Various news sites have been reporting on new information about a possible Blu-ray console from Microsoft. Quote from Tom's Hardware (my emphasis):
The PS3 had the ability to draw both gamers and audio/video enthusiast, and this was proving to be a major advantage over its XBOX rival. It is estimated that 85% of Blu-ray players in use are PS3s.
Many expected the death of HD-DVD would trigger a growth in Blu-ray hardware sales. However, to the dismay of the industry, acceptance and adoption of Blu-ray has been dismal.
In a previous post I speculated that it is unlikely for the Xbox to get a Blu-ray add-on. But the recent spike in PS3 sales might have convinced Microsoft to update their optical drives.
The trouble with Blu-ray right now is that it is still of marginal benefit to the majority of consumers out there, thus prices of both hardware and software (well, physical media really) will remain high for some time. The only serious buyers right now are the home theater enthusiasts and Microsoft will have to address quite a few issues to please this group of people.
The biggest issue with the current Xbox 360 in the context of home theater is the amount of noise generated. A transition to a newer chip fabrication process could do a lot to reduce the need for active cooling; a potential Blu-ray transport mechanism would also have to be quieter than the current DVD drives. Another issue I see with the HT crowd is the Xbox remote - it is nowhere near as slick as the Sony Blu-ray remote. And that's before we even consider the substantially bigger pull of the Sony brand when it comes to home electronics.
It remains to be seen whether the entire range will be updated or if only a high-end model will get the Blu-ray treatment. Xbox 360 games are released on regular DVD, so I suspect Microsoft will want to keep their price advantage at the low end and stick to DVD drives for the Arcade/Core consoles.
The big question, is are there enough HD afficionados out there who have been holding out for a Blu-ray Xbox that don't already have a PS3? (Or at least would be keen to trade their existing 360 for a Blu-ray model?)
Update: Taiwanese trade press reports on an updated 65nm Xbox GPU being manufactured on behalf of Microsoft. With last year's 65nm CPU revision, this should finally make the Xbox 360 a cooler (and hopefully quieter) beast.