VS System Update: Jeff Donais

PhotobucketJeff Donais says, we had a solid year for 2006, with high-quality products. Vs. System is consistently the 3rd or 4th best-selling TCG in the world, which is no easy task. My prediction is that we’re in this slot to stay—getting higher than this is not realistic, and we won’t get too much lower. However, Vs. System in 2006 wasn’t as strong as in 2005 or 2004. It’s clear that we need to focus on getting new people to play the game in order to build a strong future for Vs. System and avoid the natural attrition that any TCG encounters. In addition to recruiting new players, we need to keep developing the best sets and programs possible to keep our current loyal players excited about Vs. System. Read more.

Marvel Team-Up Preview: Big Leagues

PhotobucketAdam Prosak says, attack up the curve with a character and play an ATK pump. Bash down the curve with another, and play an ATK pump when your opponent plays a DEF pump. Cause breakthrough with your last attacker by playing even more ATK pumps. Vs. System revolves around combat. Given that you’re reading this article, you probably either enjoy Vs. or are a crazed fan of yours truly (or my mom). I’ll just assume you’ve played Vs. System before today, which means combat is not a foreign concept to you (Mom, Vs. revolves around combat—just thought I would let you know). If you’re going to be in combat, it sure would be nice to have the numbers always work in your favor. In other words, you’d like for your character to always stun the opponent’s character; hence, ATK pumps are good. Read more.

Preventing Unwanted Access to Your API

Photobucket - Video and Image HostingCal Evans says, so you’ve written a cool new Web API and you’ve written l33t JavaScript to call it from your page. The problem is, anybody who views your source can see how you call your new toy and use it for their own nefarious purposes. Granted, sometimes this is what you want but there are times when you want to keep your toys to yourself. For those times, here is a quick trick you can implement that will help thwart most evil doers. It should be noted that this technique, like many security measures, is not foolproof, it can be circumnavigated by the determined. It should be used as part of a multi-faceted security strategy. Read more.

Fatherly Advice To New Programmers

Photobucket - Video and Image HostingChuck Jazdzewski says, it looks like none of my children will become programmers. Instead of letting my fatherly advice to my new programmer son or daughter go to waste, I am going to inflict it on you. If you are newly embarking on the journey that is becoming a programmer, here is advice your father would tell you if he were a programmer. These are things I had to learn the hard way. Read more.

Interview with Matteo Riondato, FreeSBIE

Photobucket - Video and Image HostingDistroWatch.com says, FreeSBIE, the first-ever live CD based on FreeBSD, is a project that delivers a complete, desktop-oriented operating system that one can boot and use without installation, even on a computer which doesn’t have a functional hard disk. The project made its first official release, version 1.0, in February 2004, which was followed by an updated version 1.1 some eight months later. The development of the promised 2.0 release took much longer than expected, with the final release finally appearing on the project’s download mirrors in January 2007. Read more.

FreeBSD 6.2: Polished, More Stable

Photobucket - Video and Image HostingSean Michael Kerner says, FreeBSD 6.2, one of the most popular (define) versions of the free BSD Unix operating system, is out with new features and updates. It plugs holes and, in addition to the usual route of installing directly to a hard drive this time around, offers a LiveCD that can be used to rescue a broken system. Developers on the free version of the BSD Unix operating system hope it will help build momentum for what is arguably the most popular BSD variant in use. “While FreeBSD 6.2 includes stability enhancements and bug fixes, there are definitely some additions that current and new users will be excited about,” FreeBSD contributor Matt Olander told internetnews.com. Olander is also the CTO of iXsystems, a privately held San Jose, Calif.-based enterprise hardware solution provider. The company recently acquired the PC-BSD project, which is also based on FreeBSD. Read more.