While I think the example is too fake as to be too useful, let's take it. While we could read the code and say that one appears to achieve the job we want and the other doesn't; you don't know if the one that apparently does the job actually does the job until you put it into real-world use. You can't know it'll run with acceptable speed, edge-cases, etc. until you actually run the code in production!
If that code never goes into production with real customer use-cases, everything we say about its quality (on any metric) is 100% theoretical! We can try to replicate that environment, and we should, but until it's actually used, we can't truly know.
But that’s not my argument at all. I’m saying that quality is impossible to measure if 0 people use it. Once you go above 0, it can be measured and it’s not necessarily related to how many people use it.
But if it’s unused then how does one measure quality? We can write all the tests, look at architecture patterns, etc. but software truly is a case of “the proof of the pudding is in the eating.”
You’re still missing the point: software used by LITERALLY 0 PEOPLE cannot be useful. Whether it’s well written is completely irrelevant because it, by definition, is providing value to NOBODY.
OP didn’t say “little-used” software, they said “nobody,” and I think this was meant to be taken literally in this context. Software that has 0 users is of no use to anyone by definition.
It’s not meant to be taken literally, it’s just a comparison to point out that the return isn’t really very good considering the risks inherent in game development, especially the type of AAA games that Microsoft’s acquisitions put out there.
You do need to be somewhat in sync. Too early and you get Dreamcast effect where the customer isn’t ready for a new console. Too late and your customers bought the competition (I’ll call this the PS3 effect).
Nintendo get a pass because Switch is a very different console, closer to Game Boy.
I need to be clear that I’m not presenting Sharma as a saviour. Honestly, I don’t know if her decisions are correct or if Xbox can even be saved at this point.
You said it yourself, Xbox was being outsold 3:1 by PS5 which is still shocking numbers given the investment, and the fact that PS5 was having trouble selling units at the same rate as they’d been selling PS4s.
Just looking at Sharma’s history, she rejoined MS in 2024. Xbox was struggling long before that, so I don’t see how anyone can blame Sharma for the past 10 years…
I’ll be honest, I’m not reading your comments any more until you can provide sources that there’s actually an issue in the UK. I’ve done you the good grace of showing you my receipts so until I see some text that starts with https:// I’m ignoring you. I didn’t even bother to read your reply here because it’s a waste of my time.
"Ugly" is not part of planning regs. Local council planning regs cannot override statute and they don't deviate that much. You'd know this if you lived in the UK (which you don't).
> Which strongly implies both that there are cases when it's required anyway
I explained why you might need planning permission: because your planned work sits outside of building regs.
> there are cases when it would "materially affect the appearance of the building from outside"
Yes, those are things like "it's too big" or "it's a listed building." Instead of hand-waving about things you don't understand, put some fucking effort in and show these cases that are obviously reasonable but still being blocked.
A list of reasons air-conditioning might require planning permission. Are you telling me that you, Anthony, know more about building regs in the UK than:
* Residents of the UK who have to work with them when they want to building work on their home.
* Companies who work with building contractors in the UK.
You're completely misreading regulations. "Materially affect" does not cover things like "puts a unit outside" because otherwise putting a satellite does would "materially affect the appearance of the building from outside," yet millions of people get Sky TV.
> If planning permission for aircon was denied
Again, this is not part of the article because it literally says you don't need planning permission! There are regulations you must follow about the size and location but, as long as those are followed, you don't need planning permission. At most, you alert Building Control who will tell you the process and, as long as you follow it, they will sign it off.
For the avoidance of doubt: getting work signed off by your council's Building Control department is not planning permission. As long as your work follows the regulations, they will sign it off. Planning permission is ONLY needed if you want to do work outside of what building regs normally allow for residential properties.
> They wouldn't need to spin it like this if there weren't actually buildings where people want to install air conditioning and are prohibited from it
They wouldn't need to spin it like this if the media and their useful idiots like you didn't outright lie about what was actually happening.
In short: AC in the home is legal in the UK subject to following regulations, both national and local. Councils are generally happy to tell you how to comply, in my experience with building control.
While you’re correct, it still means that everyone alive had been bowling overarm for over 100 years and I doubt most players are studying the history of their sport beyond knowing its “founding myth.”
Commentators typically know more than players. But in any case, the article quite literally contradicts you. The New Zealand captain believed it to be illegal and the commentator said “you can’t do that,” implying he believed it to be illegal at first.
I disagree: players rarely know the rules in-depth. A great example is a YouTube video I watched where a Premier League and World Cup referee told the camera that most players didn’t know where they needed to be placed for kick off and that they needed to kick the ball forward. It was so bad that IFAB changed the rules to allow kick off to backpass because it was causing so much conflict at the start of football matches!
If that code never goes into production with real customer use-cases, everything we say about its quality (on any metric) is 100% theoretical! We can try to replicate that environment, and we should, but until it's actually used, we can't truly know.