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Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
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Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
Innovation, patents, science, technology and world-changing contributions.
Pioneers, champions, Negro Leagues, records, activism and excellence.
Meet the people whose lives, choices and achievements shaped the journey.
Black towns, communities, institutions and places where history happened.
Moments that changed communities, movements, institutions and the nation.
Katherine Johnson’s mathematical calculations helped guide some of America’s most important early space missions while she confronted the racial and gender barriers faced by Black women in twentieth-century America.
MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
| Impulse | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Games displayed on the Impulse client's storefront | |
| Developer | GameStop |
| Release | June 17, 2008[1] |
| Stable release | 4.04.825 (August 2, 2012) [±] |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows |
| Type | Content delivery |
| License | Proprietary (Freeware) |
| Website | www |
Impulse was a digital distribution and multiplayer platform. Originally developed by Stardock to succeed Stardock Central, it was purchased by GameStop in March 2011,[2][3] and was subsequently rebranded as GameStop PC Downloads, with the client being renamed GameStop App.[4] The client was discontinued in April 2014.
Impulse facilitated the purchase, download and updating of software.[1] The platform also provided blogging, friends-list, chat, game matchmaking, achievements and ranking to certain games.
Impulse helped users purchase and download software. Purchases were tied to an account on GameStop's servers, and could be downloaded from anywhere that allowed the use of the Impulse client.
Impulse provided a storefront that supports localized currencies, territory restrictions and a process for refunds. Publishers and developers that once used the Impulse storefront include Activision,[5] Atari,[6] Ubisoft,[5] Epic Games, THQ, AVG, Iolo Technologies, Gas Powered Games, Hothead Games, Ironclad Games, Popcap Games, and Meridian4.
Impulse allowed users to install, update (when desired) and uninstall the software tied to a user's account. Users who purchased Impulse-supported games at retail stores could download the client and install previously purchased software on their computers without the original disc after registration of the game.
Impulse was able to create archives of purchased software to be stored on a backup medium, allowing users to revert to an older version if the latest version is not up to expectations.
Game developers could make API calls and query information from the Impulse community infrastructure using Impulse::Reactor, a software library which provides DRM/copy protection, achievements, accounts, friends lists, chat, multiplayer lobbies, and cloud storage.[2]
Impulse, used for delivering patches, was criticised for causing the decline in availability of standalone patches.[citation needed] While it provided convenient and smaller updates for internet-connected users, users without availability of internet access face no other option to update their game via standalone patches. The only other way to update a game was to install Impulse on another connected computer, get an updated copy of the software or game before transferring it to an archive medium where it can be restored to the unconnected computer. However, the process was not feasible for people with limited access on public or corporate computers. The availability of these patches in the event that the company goes out of business is uncertain.
Impulse did not support the resale of games.[7] The product was transferable only when a user bought a second copy for another person, via the support system.
Re-sales were possible with Game Object Obfuscation, or GOO for short. GOO is GameStop's client-free DRM solution which allows neutrality between competing digital stores.[8]
Stardock attracted criticism[citation needed] in September 2009 when its desktop organizer Fences 0.99 was bundled with Impulse (requiring Internet Explorer 7 and Microsoft .NET) without notification on the product description or download page. Fences had previously been available as a stand-alone product. Stardock later informed customers of the additional software requirements on the Fences website.
Impulse was launched on June 17, 2008[1] as a successor to Stardock Central (launched in 2001). While Steam is the largest and most well-known digital distribution platform since its launch in 2002, it was only in 2004 that ecommerce was added.
In March 2011, GameStop announced their intent to purchase Impulse, as well as Spawn Labs.[3] GameStop president Tony Bartel said these acquisitions would "provide a customer-friendly and publisher-friendly way" to deliver "gaming in many locations and on many devices."[2] The purchase was completed on May 2, 2011.
As of April 24, 2014, GameStop officially discontinued the Impulse Client and web store. The Impulse Client was replaced by the GameStop PC Downloads App, which allows users to download content purchased prior to the discontinuation of Impulse. New digital PC game purchases are made through the GameStop.com store.
Support for legacy Impulse/GameStop App game downloads was handled for some time through Game Stop Guest Care.[9] However, as of Feb 2019, no support content related to Impulse, the GameStop App, the PC platform is available through this portal. The term "GameStop App" now refers to an unrelated phone app.[10]
GameStop currently does not provide any way to download games purchased through Impulse or the GameStop (PC) App.
Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
Impulse was a digital distribution and multiplayer platform. Originally developed by Stardock to succeed Stardock Central, it was purchased by GameStop in March 2011, and was subsequently rebranded as GameStop PC Downloads, with the client being renamed GameStop App. The client was discontinued in April 2014. Impulse facilitated the purchase, download and updating of software. The platform also provided blogging, friends-list, chat, game matchmaking, achievements and ranking to certain games.
Imagine was the name of a cutting-edge 3D modeling and ray tracing program, originally for the Amiga computer and later also for MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows. It was created by Impulse, Inc. It used the .iob extension for its objects. Imagine was a derivative of the software TurboSilver, which was also for the Amiga and written by Impulse. CAD-Technologies continued the distribution of the Amiga version. Starting with version 5.1, new updates were available for free for current customers as part of the Amiga Constant Upgrade Program (ACUP) up until presumed Imagine 6.0 release.
Impulse Tracker is a multi-track music tracker (music sequencer). Originally released in 1995 by Jeffrey Lim as freeware with commercial extensions, it was one of the last tracker programs for the DOS platform. In 2014, on its 20th anniversary, Impulse Tracker became open-source software and the source code was released.
Impulse C is a high-level programming language used in software/hardware codesign. It is a subset of the C programming language combined with a C-compatible function library supporting parallel programming, in particular for programming of applications targeting FPGA devices. It is developed by Impulse Accelerated Technologies of Kirkland, Washington.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →The Greenwood District.
