On Friday Patrick, my 13-year-old son, moved in to spend most of the summer with Maryam and me. His first question to me when his mom dropped him off was “dad, do you have an unused copy of Windows XP?”
I was pretty sure I had a copy. After all, when I left Microsoft I bought a bunch of stuff including a couple copies of XP “just in case.” (Microsoft employees get to buy software for far less than retail).
But I thought the request was weird. Why? Well, he has a cool MacBookPro and already has Vista running on it with both Parallels and Bootcamp. I figured he just wanted to collect OS’s to brag to his friends when he got back to school in the fall. “You think you had a great summer? Well I have four OS’s running on my Mac” Or something like that.
Anyway, when we got home he went through my stash of old crusty software and found an unopened box of XP. I remember he was very happy. Gave me a look like “finally there’s a reason my dad was cool for working at Microsoft.”
But I still didn’t understand why all this instant love was coming my way.
Snap forward to last night. We met a bunch of geeks at the Ritz for some fun times and a spectacular sunset. Eventually we ended up at the house to watch a movie and Patrick pulled out his MacBookPro.
Someone asked him why he was running Windows XP on it. They thought that was weird. I was just proud that maybe my Microsoft evangelism was finally having some effect on my son. I think he went Mac just to spite me and be rebellious. Heck, if that’s the state of teenage rebellion today I’m down with it.
Anyway, it just demonstrated how clueless I really was. His answer:
The latest patch of World of Warcraft that came out a few weeks ago took the framerate on OSX down to 10 frames a second in battle and 15 out of battle.
On Windows XP the framerate is 60 frames a second. He said about running WoW on XP: “it’s a whole new WoW now.”
I just asked Patrick, what about Vista? “Vista didn’t really work very well.” He says that Vista has better framerates than OSX, but gets unconnected a lot so wasn’t very playable.
So, I guess if you want the best WoW on your Mac, you gotta find an old copy of XP.
And, yes, I am now the coolest dad in the neighborhood again. Whew!
Happy Father’s Day!
PS: he’s been playing since February and is on level 48 and moving up fast. Watch out Joi Ito and Liz Lawley (they both are level 70’ers and have been playing a lot longer)!
UPDATE: James Au is reporting that World of Warcraft player numbers are going down. Maybe partly because of this issue?
Scobleizer 
Really cool story Scoble, here’s another:
http://men.msn.com/articlemh.aspx?cp-documentid=4980595
What My Father Means To Me
An emotional tribute to an incredible and inspirational Dad, from his equally incredible and inspirational son.
By Richard Hoyt Jr., Men’s Health
My name is Richard E. Hoyt Jr., and I have cerebral palsy. I cannot speak or walk. To write this story, I’m using a computer with special software. When I move my head slightly, the cursor moves across an alphabet. When it gets to the letter I want, I press a switch at the side of my head.
I am half of Team Hoyt. We are a father-and-son team, and we compete in marathons and triathlons around the world. Our goal is to educate people about how the disabled can lead normal lives. We started racing in 1979. My high school was having a road race to raise money for a lacrosse player who was paralyzed in an accident. I wanted to show this athlete that life can go on, so I asked my dad if he would push me. My wheelchair was not built for racing, but Dad managed to push me the entire 5 miles. We came in next to last, but in the photos of us crossing the finish line, I was smiling from ear to ear!
When we got home, I used my computer to tell Dad, “When I’m running, I feel like my disability disappears!” So we joined a running club, had a special running chair built, and entered our first official race. Many of the athletes didn’t want us to participate, but the executive director of the event gave us permission. Soon we were running three races a weekend, and we even did our first double event a 3-mile run and a half-mile swim.
Dad held me by the back of the neck and did the sidestroke for the entire swim. We wanted to run in the Boston Marathon, but we were not allowed to enter because we had not done a qualifying run. So in late 1980, we competed in the Marine Corps Marathon, in Washington, D.C., finishing in 2 hours, 45 minutes. That qualified us for Boston!
A few years later, after a road race in Falmouth, Massachusetts, a man came up to my dad and said, “You are quite an athlete. You should consider a triathlon.” Dad said, “Sure, as long as I can do it with Rick.” The man just walked away. The next year, the same man said the same thing. Again, Dad said he’d do it, but only with me. This time the man said, “Okay, let’s figure out what special equipment you’ll need.”
So on Father’s Day in 1985, we competed in our first triathlon. It included a 10-mile run, during which Dad pushed me; a 1-mile swim, during which Dad pulled me in a life raft with a rope tied around his chest; and a 50-mile bike ride, during which he towed me in a cart behind him. We finished next to last, but we both loved it. Soon after, we did our first Ironman Triathlon. We’ve now competed in more than 950 races, including 25 Boston Marathons and six Ironmans. During every event, I feel like my disability has disappeared.
People often ask me, “What would you do if you were not disabled?” When I was first asked, I said I’d probably play baseball or hockey. But when I thought about it some more, I realized that I’d tell my father to sit down in my wheelchair so I could push him. If it weren’t for him, I’d probably be living in a home for people with disabilities. He is not just my arms and legs. He’s my inspiration, the person who allows me to live my life to the fullest and inspire others to do the same.
Happy Father’s Day, Dad. And thank you.
To learn more about Team Hoyt, visit their web site at http://www.teamhoyt.com/index.html
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Really cool story Scoble, here’s another:
http://men.msn.com/articlemh.aspx?cp-documentid=4980595
What My Father Means To Me
An emotional tribute to an incredible and inspirational Dad, from his equally incredible and inspirational son.
By Richard Hoyt Jr., Men’s Health
My name is Richard E. Hoyt Jr., and I have cerebral palsy. I cannot speak or walk. To write this story, I’m using a computer with special software. When I move my head slightly, the cursor moves across an alphabet. When it gets to the letter I want, I press a switch at the side of my head.
I am half of Team Hoyt. We are a father-and-son team, and we compete in marathons and triathlons around the world. Our goal is to educate people about how the disabled can lead normal lives. We started racing in 1979. My high school was having a road race to raise money for a lacrosse player who was paralyzed in an accident. I wanted to show this athlete that life can go on, so I asked my dad if he would push me. My wheelchair was not built for racing, but Dad managed to push me the entire 5 miles. We came in next to last, but in the photos of us crossing the finish line, I was smiling from ear to ear!
When we got home, I used my computer to tell Dad, “When I’m running, I feel like my disability disappears!” So we joined a running club, had a special running chair built, and entered our first official race. Many of the athletes didn’t want us to participate, but the executive director of the event gave us permission. Soon we were running three races a weekend, and we even did our first double event a 3-mile run and a half-mile swim.
Dad held me by the back of the neck and did the sidestroke for the entire swim. We wanted to run in the Boston Marathon, but we were not allowed to enter because we had not done a qualifying run. So in late 1980, we competed in the Marine Corps Marathon, in Washington, D.C., finishing in 2 hours, 45 minutes. That qualified us for Boston!
A few years later, after a road race in Falmouth, Massachusetts, a man came up to my dad and said, “You are quite an athlete. You should consider a triathlon.” Dad said, “Sure, as long as I can do it with Rick.” The man just walked away. The next year, the same man said the same thing. Again, Dad said he’d do it, but only with me. This time the man said, “Okay, let’s figure out what special equipment you’ll need.”
So on Father’s Day in 1985, we competed in our first triathlon. It included a 10-mile run, during which Dad pushed me; a 1-mile swim, during which Dad pulled me in a life raft with a rope tied around his chest; and a 50-mile bike ride, during which he towed me in a cart behind him. We finished next to last, but we both loved it. Soon after, we did our first Ironman Triathlon. We’ve now competed in more than 950 races, including 25 Boston Marathons and six Ironmans. During every event, I feel like my disability has disappeared.
People often ask me, “What would you do if you were not disabled?” When I was first asked, I said I’d probably play baseball or hockey. But when I thought about it some more, I realized that I’d tell my father to sit down in my wheelchair so I could push him. If it weren’t for him, I’d probably be living in a home for people with disabilities. He is not just my arms and legs. He’s my inspiration, the person who allows me to live my life to the fullest and inspire others to do the same.
Happy Father’s Day, Dad. And thank you.
To learn more about Team Hoyt, visit their web site at http://www.teamhoyt.com/index.html
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Wonderful story!
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Wonderful story!
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Come on, Robert, do you really think that only the Mac freaks are playing World of Warcraft? Market share of Vista is also still a couple op percent, and it is expensive, so not likely for gamers. The world is still on XP. So if numbers of lplayers are going down significantly, it is not because of OSX patches or Vista problems. Perhaps the reason is that fighting is boring…
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Come on, Robert, do you really think that only the Mac freaks are playing World of Warcraft? Market share of Vista is also still a couple op percent, and it is expensive, so not likely for gamers. The world is still on XP. So if numbers of lplayers are going down significantly, it is not because of OSX patches or Vista problems. Perhaps the reason is that fighting is boring…
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I think like me a lot of casual players reached level 70 then realised that they would have to play 50+ hours a week to get any of the items you need to progress any further and decided that it wasnt worth it.
I will wait until the next major lump of content gets added then play again.
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I think like me a lot of casual players reached level 70 then realised that they would have to play 50+ hours a week to get any of the items you need to progress any further and decided that it wasnt worth it.
I will wait until the next major lump of content gets added then play again.
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I usually just lurk here, but . . .
You’re eligible to join the Microsoft Alumni Association. You can still get ‘softie prices at the company store. Great for software and MS Press books.
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I usually just lurk here, but . . .
You’re eligible to join the Microsoft Alumni Association. You can still get ‘softie prices at the company store. Great for software and MS Press books.
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Thank you for those men(and women) who have been inspired by their fathers, and for those fathers who are inspiring their sons (and daughters). Fun to play the games but more fun when the whole family is involved in some way. Bless all the fathers and future fathers who take the time to spend with their children.
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Thank you for those men(and women) who have been inspired by their fathers, and for those fathers who are inspiring their sons (and daughters). Fun to play the games but more fun when the whole family is involved in some way. Bless all the fathers and future fathers who take the time to spend with their children.
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Tons of veteran WoW players I know are leaving for one reason, and it isn’t framerates on OSX:
http://www.lotro.com/
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Tons of veteran WoW players I know are leaving for one reason, and it isn’t framerates on OSX:
http://www.lotro.com/
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You need to hire some Chinese gold farmers…
The Life of the Chinese Gold Farmer
How the world of online gaming spawned a multimillion-dollar shadow economy measured in virtual coins, 80-hour workweeks and very real money.
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You need to hire some Chinese gold farmers…
The Life of the Chinese Gold Farmer
How the world of online gaming spawned a multimillion-dollar shadow economy measured in virtual coins, 80-hour workweeks and very real money.
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I used to play WoW, but framerates wouldn’t be the reason to leave – I mean, thats just a temporal issue, they’ll patch it back.
No, I left, because of boredom, and because I have a full time job and just started full time university as well 🙂
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I used to play WoW, but framerates wouldn’t be the reason to leave – I mean, thats just a temporal issue, they’ll patch it back.
No, I left, because of boredom, and because I have a full time job and just started full time university as well 🙂
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Sounds like your son is keeping it casual too, good on him 🙂
I had been playing for the better part of two years when I quit – People don’t remember that you cleared Karazhan, or Serpentshrine, or Tempest Keep, or whatever instance first on a server, 5 years from now.
Somehow I think the younguns of today have it figured out more than us oldies though, we’re more prone to the addiction I think 😛
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Sounds like your son is keeping it casual too, good on him 🙂
I had been playing for the better part of two years when I quit – People don’t remember that you cleared Karazhan, or Serpentshrine, or Tempest Keep, or whatever instance first on a server, 5 years from now.
Somehow I think the younguns of today have it figured out more than us oldies though, we’re more prone to the addiction I think 😛
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I have installed the vista, cool.
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I have installed the vista, cool.
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Cool story! But I’ve never played WoW. 🙂
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Cool story! But I’ve never played WoW. 🙂
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Robert Gaming on the PC is getting lame anyway….
Get your son am Xbox Live account…..much better experience…
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Robert Gaming on the PC is getting lame anyway….
Get your son am Xbox Live account…..much better experience…
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