
Re: If I were King of the world.
In all probability, if Apple wins, it will be the death of the Android, and all alternatives to Apple products in the tablet and smart phone field.
221 publicly visible posts • joined 28 Jan 2010
It will be something trivial. Microsoft has just seen how successful Apple has been with law suits using generic patents, they are probably going to try to do the same! Both companies are seeing that the pro big business United States is NOT going to enforce any anti-trust laws against them, there will be no end of this kind of thing. Apple's generic patient can be used to shut down a toaster manufacturer (rectangle in shape with rounded corners and uses a slide to open). As these companies become more confident that their patent trolls will be successful, we could be eventually be living in a world where Microsoft will be the only thing you can use on your pc and Apple will be the only smart phone/tablet that you will be legally allowed to own.
Maybe they need to include a cloudy version of Xbox 360 with their new office. You can have access to all Xbox 360 games. So by providing games, Facebook, and Skype, you will have a happy but slightly unproductive workforce. There will be a lot of atta boys to the IT department of major corporations for providing these nice benefits to their employees.
I am sitting in a room with 10 pc's. Some are Gateways, some Dells, and one Sony. They all look about the same (rectangle shape) and do essentially the same function. Perhaps if I patent a box shaped device that functions like a computer, I could shut down every computer maker in the world. I wonder how many of Apple's millions(billions) went into the pockets of corrupt US politicians.
Personally, because of this, I will never allow an Apple product into my house!
First of all, if they have the intelligence to take Linux off of their computer, they would probably want to keep Linux on. Secondly, if they have the (big) bucks to afford a purchased copy of a Windows produce, they don't need a free computer period. Thirdly, Linux, in my opinion, is superior to Windows. Corporations know it.
Quick smacks might be part of the reason that this child is so angry. All hitting does is create anger. The US seems to be headed back to the days where small children were brutalized or even killed because of a bahaviorial problem. Funny, people instinctively know that if you beat a vicious dog, it will only make him more vicious, yet we sometimes advocate beating children who have behaviorial problems will solve those problem. Sure, if the kid was 12 years old, arrest him and make him serve time in 'juvy'. But that child is only 6. He needs intervention in his life by professionals, not beatings.
I am running 12.04 alpha on a VM. I really didn't like the Unity desktop so I immediately changed it to the Gnome. Although this version of Gnome is not as flexible as 2.x, it is useable. I am using this alpha version to get to know 12.04 before I put it on my server. It is really easy to change the desktop. As long as Ubuntu supports this easy change, I think that they will have a winner. When I first started using Linux,
(early Slack) I was using Unix at my work, so learning Linux wasn't as bad as it could have been. I didn't even use a desktop. I used programs like nn, rn, lynx, mail, tin, pine, to do my internet surfing. In short, although a desktop is nice, whether it is Unity Gnome, or for that matter KDE, Xfce or what ever, I can make it work for me. I do 99 percent of my server configuration using a Bash shell anyway. Ubuntu is still the easiest Linux that I have ever used and thats what counts with me. Instead of wasting hours of making an operating system work, I now spend my time using that operating system
The real problem comes from the fact that Microsoft now realizes that changing technology might make the desktop or laptop obsolete. When Ipad or Android tablets have the same power as a pc and docking stations are used which allow the tablet to use a regular keyboard and monitor and provide USB and other services, pc's will be history. So will mainline windows. Yes, X86 pc like units will exist for server farms and large enterprise solutions, the pc will be dead. When you can plug your portable IPAD or android into a docking station and it functions as a pc, why buy a large pc? In essence, the tablet will be the new pc of the future.
At first I hated 11-10. I put it on one of my machines one night and was discouraged by everything. Then the next day, I put it on a virtual machine and played with it a bit. I got it working the way I want. I put synaptic on it and changed to software sources a bit. I finally got my Debian packages to install. It is livable. On the other hand, the desk top is still as irritating as can be.
From an engineering standpoint, this who concept of a secure boot can be handled from a hardware change. If you have a switch ether on the motherboard or a jumper on a hard drive that when set, the mbr cannot be written. In the early 90's, motherboards had a bios switch which (in the bios setup there was on option of lot letting the Master Boot Record to be updated), when set would accomplish almost the same thing (like not letting malware update the mbr). I often was thwarted in installing an operating system when the words "an attempt to update the master boot record has been made" and I would ether have to go to the bios setup screen or answer a question "do you wish to proceed?". Some might complain that malware might reflash the bios, but a switch on the MB or disk drive would eliminate that worry.
Considering how MS, Apple and others have attacked Linux, and Andriod, it should be painfully obvious that MS is using this approach to totally control the user. MS does not want a repeat of their mobile phone falling off the map. If you are a Windows user, you might just ignore this, but you also might have a few problems installing Windows 9 on a computer with Windows 8.
The contrapositive is also true. If a motherboard does not use Microsofts secure boot, that mother board will not support windows. Something that a motherboard manufacturer does not want to happen. Folks wske it, look at who is behind this standard (apple, Microsoft, etc). It is an open war against Linux and the bad guys just might win if this standard is approved.
Instead of assuring only windows will be allowed to boot, why not lock up the boot sector with a switch that has to set. For the consumer who in smart enough to install a new operating system, setting that switch will be no real big deal. Unless this switch is set, it will be impossible to modify the boot record. Just a thought
Improving search methods belongs in an engineering lab where results can be objectively verified, not by using all of their customers to gather data for the commercial purpose of rating businesses. For the most part, the vast majority of Iphone users are not aware that this is occurring without their consent. I am sure that most Register readers are aware, but how many Iphone owners are there that don't read the Register?