Posts by Frobozz of Rassilon

ESA gives up on duff Russian Mars probe Phobos-Grunt

Know what I wish we had?

Wouldn't it be nice if we still had a Space Shuttle that could just go pick this thing up?

Russia could send some money the other way for a change, too.

Bill Gates strangled Microsoft's 'tablet for creatives'

The parts that make no sense...

1) Why can't Microsoft back two possible "tablet" designs? IMO, both approaches are excellent for different reasons... both have a market.

2) Bill was right... email, Office and other MS properties *should* have had some tie-ins with the Courier.

The part that doesn't make sense is that having Office represented was even in question in the first place! If Courier was built on Windows, there's no reason not to.. just do it right and Courier-like.

Otherwise I, and other long time Windows touch/ink users, would have set them alite with "WTF no Courier ink integration with OneNote?! And I can't scrawl out a rough Powerpoint, dragging images from a browser on the other screen? Really?!" public rants.

Don't cancel the Courier because the stock Office apps don't scale well to those screens... build better client experiences for those apps, and leverage Office 365 of course. It would be awesome.

For those that have played with Win8 preview on multiple screens, you could imagine how nicely Metro live tiles and apps would work on one screen while another app runs on the other.

Here's hoping the Courier eventually sees the light... all that great development, almost there. I know *so many people* who wanted one.

--

On a related topic... if I hear one more retard go on about how windows sucks for touch, etc...

I'd urge them to A) stick it, you know not whereof you speak and B) actually try a modern one out!

Not a cheap shitbox, mind you, but a powerful multitouch/ink device, that someone has actually taken a few minutes to optimize for touch! So much is possible just by tweaking Explorer, before talking about any of the excellent 3rd party interface helpers.

(no, I don't know why shitbox OEMs don't do it for you either, it's a travesty).

The experience way better than is commonly believed... which is shame, because the common belief comes from people who have only played with an un-optimized mal-performing shitbox once for 30 seconds in a Fry's and then tell everyone they know how excruciating it was.

This is most certainly exacerbated by iFans going in with a closed mind in the first place, and then spreading their venomous review with unparalleled vigor (as evidenced by other comments above). Even worse are those that never tried it themselves, but believe and repeat the opinion with the same vigor anyway.

iOS wouldn't be any fun on a shitbox either, would it?

- Frobozz

P.S.

I guess you have to kind of appreciate Windows/MS, its apps and its general place in your routine to get what I'm saying here. Appreciate does not necessarily mean love or hate - just knowing you only want to carry one non-phone device, you need Windows and you want it on a better type of device than a notebook/netbook or even a slate..

Mellanox uncloaks SwitchX network switch-hitter

Finally some progress.

See title.

Star Wars set for 3D rehash

Am I the only one that enjoys 3D?

It's amazing, every time there's a 3D story on any news site that allows comments, there is a flood of "3D is a waste of time" and "it gives me headaches" and "I don't like wearing glasses".

Crappy upconverts, crappy 3D movies in general (ones that would be crap in 2D as well) and the Phantom Menace sucking bag aside, I don't get why so many people trash the technology in general.

If you don't want to wear glasses AND don't want to sacrifice resolution and viewing angles, you'll be waiting a while. I say enjoy it with glasses now, and upgrade to an autostereoscopic display later when they suck LESS than glasses and don't cost as much as a new car.

IMHO, any inconveniences about glasses or any complaints about quality 3D movie/TV content are presently outweighed by the 2D->3D hardware upconverting of ALL your existing 2D stills and motion content, 3D live sports and video games (Xbox 360, PS3 and PC... they're all great).

Other apps, as well, really benefit from the upconvert... e.g. Google Earth, Microsoft Worldwide Telescope. Check out the exploding crab nebula in 3D and tell me it ain't some cool shiz.

I can't comment about headaches... that'd piss me off too. I guess I've been wearing LCD shutter glasses since the Sega Master System so my brain is wired for them now... I can wear glasses for a full workday and no worries.