Posts by Luna Tick

Microsoft goes back to the drawing board – literally, with 28" tablet and hockey puck knob

o rly?

400 million people had chosen Windows 10 (no mention of those who didn’t), and said that in return the Creators Update would be available for free to everyone using the operating system

Oh how gracious of MS. Fock off you condescending prick.

Sage advice: Avoid the Windows 10 Anniversary Update – it knackers our accounting app

Re: "operating system updates end up disabling the framework"

"no there actually isn't"

Yes, there actually is, here why: Windows now for all intents and purposes removes the ability to control the updates. For most ordinary users what MS says, goes and as such we are getting quite limited in our ability to "keep things going" at our discretion.

For all the MS hate around the globe, Windows is not some play platform, it is the platform the world and especially the business world runs on, and MS built an empire based on that reality. With benefits come responsibilities and that of MS is to make sure that they don't break the world for no good reason.

I don't necessarily think that MS does a bad job of maintaining backwards compatibility, actually it is quite superb which is one of the main reason the world does run on Windows. But because of this, deprecation or compatibility-breaking of long-standing features or frameworks needs to be 1) extremely careful 2) well documented and properly communicated to the development community well in advance, and I'm not talking about some obscure KB article.

Microsoft: You liked Windows 10 so much, you'll get 2 more in 2017

Yea I don't have a problem with the desktop theme either. I actually do like it quite a bit, it's nice and fresh. If only it was uniform everywhere. Pipe-dream. The TIFKAM shit however is like a giant nasty pimple both visually and functionally.

Ford dumps Windows for QNX in new in-car entertainment unit

The MFT is not all bad. True, it's not very fluid or swift and but the resistive touchscreen in my Taurus is more of a problem than anything. But overall, it works for me pretty good. Not a big fan of the presented UI. Instead of blending in with the rest of the instruments and controls, looks like a gimmicky phone that's designed for constant interaction that only looks interesting in commercials and marketing materials.

What's a Chromebook good for? How about running PHOTOSHOP?

Re: Chromebooks, but not Linux?

I'm no longer a heavy PS user but I'd have to completely agree with this. Pro tools are for pros and the only reason the rest of us use them (or want to use them) is because they are so freaking good. Most of us don't need them and even more have no clue how to use it beyond a clone tool.

Over the years I've invested quite heavily in many photo and video editing tools, large portion of which was Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere etc. A lot goes into the hardware itself because it helps me make my professional work better. It costs money; it's worth it to me because I charge money for the things I do as well. It's only fair and it's a non-issue.

Technically there is nothing wrong with what Adobe is doing except that in doing so, they have to make the software work best for the environment. And the new environment is now not necessarily your environment. On one hand you don't have to maintain it, on the other you've no say on how to improve its performance or set it up to suit your needs. And by "suit your needs" I don't mean setting up the color scheme. But all is great because now Mr and Mrs Jones can shop their annoying cat pictures cheaply on a Chromebook. In Photoshop!

Point numero due is that Adobe is not doing this to help the professionals make better use of their software, rather to find a way to generate more recurring revenue for doing absolutely nothing at all. I freak out every time I have to use RDP for simple office applications, I can't imagine using streaming Adobe's products doing intricate graphics or video work. I want my pro tools to be built and optimized to be able to take advantage of my environment and the expensive hardware I got to run it on and with. All updates and upgrades until this whole f****ing cloud business came along were aimed at just that. Now all of the sudden an "update" seems like something that will set you back in every way imaginable. But it's cool, cause dood: cloud!

"But it's not for you doofus, it's for ordinary folk!" - no Photoshop et al was never for ordinary folk, it was very good and (because of that) quite if not very expensive. There are plenty of worthy alternatives for all those who don't need it.

In the Land of the Free, Home of the Brave ... you can legally carrier unlock your own phone

Not sure what all teh fuss is about

While a logical step, honestly this really makes little difference. Wooptie-freaking-do. I can now unlock my AT&T phone. To do what with, exactly? Oh, I can switch carriers! What carriers? The 4 pathetic incumbents we enjoy in this 2nd world country are completely incompatible with one another as far as today's usage of phones and mobile devices goes. This maybe makes sense in Europe where most everyone is on the same page, here...not so much.

Some years ago I purchased an unlocked phone. Cost me an arm and half my leg, but due to differences in operating frequencies it really could only (then) be used properly on T-Mobile. When after a while I'd decided to move to AT&T because T-Mobile's signal could only be found on Tuesdays on the corner of Jefferson and Main, then current $600 toy was as good as dead to me. So yea, the other arm and remaining half of the leg.

Judge frees nude TSA protester, citing free speech rights

Re: Fail

What nerve, I say you should...wait a minute, ahhh I see, you making a joke, right? Clever.

Or not, frankly. Make light of it if you will, I wish more people, including myself, had the balls to stand up to the establishment because those fuckers are getting out of control. I wish I was at the airport with him to applaud and be disgusted and offended by the unlawfulness of our government's acts and not with this man's genitalia. And having some plain ole ugly dude do it in protest, just adds to the validity of his point. Kudos to the judge for seeing things quite clear, too.

Being a skinny is much more unhealthy than being fat – new study

Whatever

Yet another study is right. Yawn.

Dixons and Best Buy start selling Google Chromebooks

Re: Hmmm

Haha, so funny I had the same problem. The big ole 32" Trinitron. The guy came in, opened it up, gave it a couple of good slaps around the tube and the TV worked for another 14 years w/o a hiccup. Something about SONY's mfg process leaving particles stuck to the walls and causing discharge mumbo jumbo tech speak. Weirdest damn repair I've ever seen.

Churlish gadget cusses those who use it

Meh, whatever. It could well be the flat, synthetic voice but I did not find it amusing, interesting, funny or otherwise. Now, if the phrases -- many of which are local to particular countries/areas/etc -- were properly "announced" in native, colorful fashion you'd have my interest.

"The Word Fuck" is funny and a total classic not because of what it says but because of who says it and how. This one: maybe good for a prepubescent giggle.

Climategate 2.0: Fresh trove of embarrassing emails

Whatever

At this juncture all I can say "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn".

I don't trust the politicians 'cause they're not to be trusted; I no longer trust the scientists because they're either owned by someone, have an agenda or they're not scientists at all; and I obviously don't trust the media because all they're concerned about is sensationalism and clever headlines which have little to do with the facts of the content.

So, whatever. Global Warming, Global Cooling, Climate Change; eat me. The Rock's been here for billions of years and we're here for a considerable (for species) chunk of time. I have maybe 40 years left on this planet and the future generations will cope, thrive or suffer just like those before them (yes I walked to school barefoot in the snow, uphill, both ways). Ice caps are melting, great it may open new opportunities for humanity. Massive death toll? Just as awesome, the damn place is seriously overcrowded anyways.

People were migrating from continent to continent in search of better life, I would have hoped that by now we could hop the planets in search of the same. And maybe by the time the Earth collapses we will. So, whatever. Climate Chane? Change is good.

Man nearly faints with relief as cops drop chopper charge

I was trying to imagine how the hell do you get a helicopter into a bar nevermind a blood-spattered one, and whether a "bar" could be some kind of codeword for an airport.

Microsoft to offer dual upgrade path for Windows 8

Sorry, try again

Win 7 really redefined stability for me. I don't remember the last time my machine crashed and it's a dev PC (ancient Pentium D to boot) with tons of questionable crap installed and slew of devices. I've had few "bad" installs building HTPC's for friends but I've always tracked those down to a hardware problem which once addressed fixed the problem 100%.

Chromebooks: the flop of 2011?

LOL, those things are still around?

I never really understood the point of them. I put Google's OS attempts on the same plane as Microsoft's search adventures. Too little, too late and way off the mark.

To me it's not even about the price, I wouldn't get one even if it was $50 'cause if that was so the hardware would be crap and useless. If you want to exist in Web realm, there's Android/Apple/soon Win8 tablets; pricier - sure, but they're neat and light and mostly right on as far as features/capabilities/utility. For professionals, I don't know anyone that uses their laptops simply to store documents; there's always one or two at least, "special" apps that they use for work.

And even Google's aspirations on creating a unified, maintenance free, up-to-date OS would fall flat eventually if Android is any indication of things to come. The fragmentation is horrendous so from the development standpoint it is a one big patch-happy cock-up. Similar to Linux; great idea, great dev base and all that but Jesus tap-dancing Christ, 2 million versions, distributions, compile-this, aptget-that and most just give up on that idea well before they get started.

And then, if you're hell bent on using Google Apps (really?) why not just get a lappy of your choice and use them. I bought my 11-yo a 10" Asus netbook for 350 bucks. The device is fantastic, does everything that she needs and then some, so why the hell would I spend 500 on a glorified web browser. And for that matter, why would I spend anything on a glorified web browser?

If Google did not already have the Android platform and the world was 100% covered with affordable, high-speed internet connectivity this thing could maybe (maybe) have some legs to stand on. As it is, it's redundant at best and just plain stupid more likely.

Crime-fighting Seattle superhero unmasked, fired

Why is he a tool? People bitch and moan "oh nobody ever does anything" but when someone does they call him a tool and charge with assault. Yes, this guys should definitely be fired from his job, I can't even think what he'll do to all those children; instill some damn courage I'd suspect. He should have just walked by home, closed his shutters and be like the rest of us decent folk: just complain that nothing is ever done.

US carrier smartphone sales slip

Moar moar moar

I bought my N1 circa 2 years ago and see absolutely no reason to get a new phone. Not for another year or two. I'd also bite my own balls off before I'd get a stupid carrier subsidized, branded, locked down phone. One i have works perfectly fine and was also too expensive to just discard for no good reason. All this obsession with ever growing numbers, who are they selling all that stuff to? Android market share grew very rapidly, it'd be idiotic to expect that to continue indefinitely and get all worked up because it's beginnig to taper off.

Old Napster guy’s fan letter to Spotify upstart

"But it also offered a voyeuristic rifling through other people’s linen drawers, something Spotify punters have objected to recently."

The difference being, back then one would go thru someone's drawers not knowing, nor sharing whose linens they were sniffing. It was about things you found, not where you found them, nor advertising to the world what it was.

Napster was fantastic. It let me find some of the most obscure things I used to listen to way back when and zero-in on "someone's" stash to find some amazing new things.

I haven't been "discovering" music for a while now. There are either too many strings attached; it's way too expensive; or things are laden with commercials which I loathe and categorically refuse to listen to anymore.

TomTom ties up traffic with Top Gear

While I'm with andy gibson on the novelty aspect, this is probably one voice I would totally not object to.

Apple cofounder Steve Jobs is dead at 56

RIP Mr. Jobs

I was never your customer, but I have always been your admirer.

Missile defence FAIL: US 'kill vehicle' space weapon flunks test

Huh?

Dungetit. You do a test to see if things work. If they don't you go back to the drawing board. How's that "embarrassing"?

Infocus X10 projector

@Peter Kay

When I decided I wanted to go the PJ route poor color reproduction, DLP rainbow or LCD screen-door effects were among my biggest worries. I couldn't (and still can't) afford a top of the line unit so it was either bottom of the crop or a ~36" LCD. I finally pulled the plug and got a 720p HD70 for a whopping $920 and ya know what, I couldn't be happier. Well I suppose I could actually as I'm sure a $5k PJ would have been even more awesome, with many more features. Would-have could-have should-have - fact is I don't have that big a coin to drop.

Ever since I got it set up my house is fairly often used for movie-nights and none of my friends or family ever complain. Of anything. I don't see any rainbows and no one else ever did, the colors may not be 100% true, but what is true anyway?

I would agree with you to the extent that HQ = money and if you were watching the likes of the X10 and some high priced, high quality unit side by side it would likely be a no-brainer verdict, but in the absence of that, the only question is do you like what you (can) have - I do. I certainly prefer it to a 50" plasma which is not only twice as expensive but in my case less than half picture size. So when my bulb finally gives up the ghost I may well go for the 1080p X10.

Dell's PCs to come with music

Huh?

"[...]it won’t do so on the XPS One or Inspiron Mini 9. It’s also refused to touch machines running Windows XP, Vista 64-bit or Linux - so it's 32-bit Vista only."

Refused to touch? What exactly does the (pre)installed OS have to do with putting 100 (DRM free no less) media tracks inside of a folder?

Movie giants sue RealNetworks over DVD copying software

lol

Cripple Fight!

GM shows off production electric car

WTF?

I may understand why they did it but this thing looks nothing like the Volt concept other than both being a car. Not from the front, nor the side, nor the roof line, maybe a tad from the rear.

Not necessarily the worst looking car but cool or hot it is definitely not. Bland, uninspiring and not worth the wait.