Why Windows Solitaire Eats So Much Time 261
An anonymous reader writes "This article suggests that Windows Solitaire may be the most-often played computer game. It's not so much an article about Solitaire, but rather an article about Windows and human nature and socialization. If you play FreeCell, there's a interesting paragraph about its inventor." Can Solitaire really eat up more hours than have been sacrificed to Tetris?
Re: Solitaire Variants ForTheWin! (Score:3, Informative)
Then you, sir, have never actually played the more obscure variants which have addressed this problem. The Victorians mastered the art, and created a whole spectrum from pure luck to 100% solvable.
Windows has included the now famous Klondike variant. However, if you're a skill maven, look up the Spider family of variants which were always my favorites. I think I even saw a Windows port somewhere too. (If not, it's a snap to program them.)
I'm ridin' spinners, they don't stop (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Screw Card Games! (Score:5, Informative)
-David
Re:Origins of Solitaire? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Screw Card Games! (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Perfect steps... (Score:3, Informative)
Another version of Solitaire that I play a lot of is TriPeaks [wikipedia.org]. An early version was shipped with the now ancient Windows Entertainment Pack [therhogue.com] and you can still grab a copy of the original game [therhogue.com] (near the bottom of the page or direct link [therhogue.com] and manual [therhogue.com]). It's a great break from normal (Klondike) Solitaire because you're trying to accumulate points and streaks instead of just beating a clock. It's also pretty pretty cool (and depressing
Obligatory (Score:3, Informative)
Re: Solitaire Variants ForTheWin! (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Can It? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:More truth than humor here. (Score:0, Informative)
Re:More truth than humor here. (Score:5, Informative)
I don't know why Windows still includes games, but I do know what Solitaire is awfully good for: education.
All the computer-illiterate people I've taught found Solitaire an invaluable aid in learning how to use the mouse.
While to us geeks, the mouse is a natural extenstion of the hand, computer newbies have a really hard time with it; instead of looking at the screen, they look at the mouse, and left and right click are higher math. With Solitaire, they get something unimportant, yet interesting to look and click at; the game absorbs them and they forget about the mouse in the hand. Minesweeper is also great, but for advanced newbies -- after they've learned the basics of mouse usage, they can achieve precision playing Minesweeper.
For that reason, I use similar games under Linux as well when introducing newbies to the computer. First learn how to use the keyboard and the mouse, then we can get on with some real work. I found there was no use in teaching people advanced concepts when they still lose their way on the input devices.
Kind of like teaching aphasiacs the finer points in grammar.
Try this... (Score:3, Informative)
Andy
Re:Can It? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:More truth than humor here. (Score:3, Informative)
All the computer-illiterate people I've taught found Solitaire an invaluable aid in learning how to use the mouse.