With 450 users a month Twitter still has more employees than users. Expect more layoffs.
Posts by Slions
40 publicly visible posts • joined 20 Oct 2012
Meta confirms decentralized Twitter rival in the works
Project Union: Microsoft releases Windows App SDK 1.0, developers try to puzzle it out
Tuesday 8th February 2022 08:48 GMT
At last a smart move
Win32 APIs with modern UI is what we needed all along. It's basically the logical evolution of WPF and you can optionally get package and permission support for better store integration I suppose.
Even though none of that makes much sense when looking at it from afar it's actually quite a natural evolution.
Win32 and WinForm
WPF and XAML
UWP XAML modern UI, package and permissions
WinUI has goodness from all of the above
Microsoft app development is just a very slow moving behemoth and you've got to wonder what's taking them so long to execute. I guess that's the price of success and backward compatibility.
As of writing C# WinUi is basic but usable. Multiple windows works as far as I can tell. Use CsWin32 for your native calls, you will need a lot of them for doing even basic things like changing the application icon. However XAML UI designer is one or two years away apparently, which will be annoying if you are designing complex UI. For basic apps it's fine though.
Microsoft brings Jenny, Aria, and more interface tweaks to new Windows 11 Insider build
Santa's sack is bulging with browsers: Vivaldi 5.0 arrives full of festive cheer
Windows Subsystem for Android: What's the point?
Thursday 2nd December 2021 09:15 GMT
Why no Windows 10?
I'm the developer of a little known open source Android web browser named Fulguris and I would love to get WSA for Windows 10 so that I could use it on desktop. To me that's the only interresting feature on Windows 11, everything else looks more like regressions. Which brings me to my next point. In the context of global warming it's ambarassing to see a megacorp like MS applying arbitrary hardware limitations to Windows 11 and withholding such features from Windows 10. Those cheap tricks to get people to upgrade and consume more material resources ought to be banned.
MS please, bring WSA to Windows 10.
Planet Computers has really let things slide: Firm's third real-keyboard gizmo boasts 5G, Android 10, Linux support
The BlackBerry in your junk drawer is now a collectors' item: TCL says no more new keyboard-clad phones
Tuesday 4th February 2020 02:30 GMT
Looking for Qwerty? Go FxTec Pro1
Looks like I'm one of the lucky few owning a Pro1 from that FxTec London startup. I can tell you guys that product is most impressive for a startup's first release. Go for it, it's well worth it if you are a Qwerty junky.
Hopefully they will resume production once the virus scare has passed.
Back to school with El Reg - how about a chunky Lenovo for the student in your life?
Want an ethical smartphone? Fairphone 3 is on the way – but tiny market share suggests few care
Microsoft Chrom... Edge hits beta as new browser prepped for biz testing
It's official. Microsoft pushes Google over the Edge, shifts browser to Chromium engine
Sunday 16th December 2018 00:31 GMT
Edge today can play DAZN smoothly
Vivaldi and Chrome, both chromium based, have some bad micro suttering when playing DAZN streams. I wonder how am I gonna watch my football once Edge joins the suttering crowed. The one good thing about Edge is that it's optimized for Windows. Now they want to take that away to make it multiplatform. Not such a good idea. I ought to try DAZN on IE.
Planet Computers straps proper phone to its next Psion scion, Cosmo
At last! Vivaldi lets you kill looping GIFs
Sunday 13th August 2017 15:36 GMT
Re: 200 tabs
On my screen the vertical tab bar fits 36 tabs per screen and right now I have 5 screens worth of tabs so I'm getting close to 200 already and that's on a new Windows 10 installation from 10 days ago.
I usually try to keep tabs from a same web site or topic grouped together so I can easily switch between them as needed. Sometimes I do loose a tab or two but eyeballing tab icons and titles quickly finds them again. I mostly rely on tab icons when scrolling through 200 tabs.
I'm not using Vilvadi Tab Stack but it's been a while since I gave it a try.
Vivaldi tab preview is sometimes useful to check if that's indeed the tab you are looking for.
At some point I decide it's time to get things back under control and sort through them closing the ones I don't need anymore before going on another tab opening rampage.
Don't ask, I like it messy.
Friday 11th August 2017 17:11 GMT
Re: how's the browser?
I'm using it as my main browser with Firefox now being my second choice.
I like the vertical tab bar which I use in Firefox too.
Last I checked Chrome did not offer vertical tab bar and no plug-in would do a good job at it either.
I usually have around 200 tabs opened and it copes well with that.
Not using any adblock or VPN.
It still has some quirks though, like some unfortunate default shortcuts, which you can fix yourself thankfully, or the fact that you can't disable middle mouse button auto-scroll but I guess those are only issues from the point of view of a Thinkpad Trackpoint user.
Being able to customise tab double click actions and stuff like that would be nice too. I did try to get those issues addressed through the forums, without luck so far.
Windows 10 Creators Update general rollout begins with a privacy dialogue
Wednesday 12th April 2017 07:38 GMT
Updated a couple of custom built machines, turned off all snooping options from the privacy screen.
First impression, it seems it's not happily using an insane amount of CPU cycles for telemetry or other mischief.
On earlier version of Windows 10 one of those machine could not come back from sleep without crashing, it seems that got fixed somehow. It would also wake from hibernate for no apparent reason. That too seems to be fixed.
Happy customer here.
Up close with the 'New Psion' Gemini: Specs, pics, and genesis of this QWERTY pocketbook
Tuesday 28th February 2017 08:29 GMT
I would have backed that project already if it was more like a Nokia E7 or Nokia N950.
Basically the screen facing the other way so that the device can be used as a smartphone when closed.
Then again with such a large battery it would not be practical I guess. That would be a different device altogether. I've noticed a few other people making the same observation. Another solution would the dual screen design on the Nokia E95 and other communicators. Right now the Gemini is neither a smartphone nor a laptop, it truly is a PDA.
As it is, I'm still hesitating...
Microsoft joins battery-saving browser bandwagon with Edge claims
Microsoft rolls out first 'major update' to Windows 10
Friday 13th November 2015 00:52 GMT
Windows 10 works just fine
Got it setup since August on three machines, some quite exotic, and it's been working great so far. Two are upgrades from 7 and 8.1 and one is a new installation following SSD crash - bloody OCZ Vertex 2, that's just the second one giving up on me. You still get the odd bug - see above post - but all in all it's been a really smooth experience for me. I never could get used to Windows 8 without proper start menu but 10 really brings the best of both 7 and 8 together.
Looking forward for that upgrade.
Also running a couple of Linux servers. They are working fine too.
Who wants a classic ThinkPad with whizzy new hardware? Lenovo would just love to know
Free Windows 10 upgrades from Microsoft will FLATTEN PC sales
Windows 10 build 10041: 99 bugs on the wall, fix a bug, add a feature, 114 bugs on the wall
You'll NEVER guess who has bought I Taught Taylor Swift How To Give Head dot-com
Now Samsung's spying smart TVs insert ADS in YOUR OWN movies
Sonic BOOM: 10 blast-tastic soundbars
Sunday 14th December 2014 10:46 GMT
I was looking to upgrade my 13 years old Yamaha stereo HiFi to 5.1 surround. Tried a Teufel Cubycon® 2 Digital HD. Their DecoderStation 7 emitted an annoying high pitch noise so I had it replaced, same issue, sent the whole kit back. Went to the local Mediamarkt where I first found out about Sonos and their product range. At first I was not impressed and thought that's just the new fashionable gadget. After some research I ended up getting PLAYBAR, SUB and PLAY:3s. It's an awesome set of networked speakers.
One thing though I wish the PLAYBAR could drive a pair of front left and right speakers too. It does a descent job as it is but as mentioned in earlier comments the sound bar form factor and proximity of left and right speakers is somewhat limiting.
Vanished blog posts? Enterprise gaps? Welcome to Windows 10
HTC One M8: Reg man takes spin in Alfa Romeo of smartphone world
Thursday 10th April 2014 13:02 GMT
Screen flicker
I liked that HTC One M8 so I thought I'll try it out in a shop. That's where I noticed that terrible screen flicker. It's very noticeable when inputing text on a white background.
There is no way I depart with €700 for a flickering screen. I find it hard to believe they actually ship phones with such bugs. It's a shame cause otherwise it looks like a really good device.
+1 for making an IR remote more expensive than Logitech's.
-1 for still not supporting landscape in Home and AppList.
Microsoft: Surface is DEAD. Long live the Surface 2!
Thursday 26th September 2013 14:37 GMT
Not that bad
We got a few of those Asus VivoTab Smart in the office and they are actually not that bad. Admittedly I mostly used the classic desktop and VisualStudio. Though I'm sure some of the Modern UI apps are probably worth it. That Market application looked great anyway. You also need a few accessories to actually be able to use it properly. The stand/cover, a pen for when you are pissed off trying to use desktop apps with your fat fingers, a keyboard to actually do some productive work, a mate screen protector in case you get fed up looking at yourself in that glossy screen, and a sleeve (ISY).
Been travelling lately with one of those and a brand new ThinkPad Compact Bluetooth keyboard, that worked quite well for me. Good battery life, really small and light package so you can easily put it in your backpack.
Did not notice many people actually working with Android tabs and iPads on the move while I actually managed to be productive with that setup, though full HD would have been better obviously. You also very much need a small table to actually get it to stand, on your knees it won't work. Thankfully most planes and trains have that even in economy class, except maybe Heathrow Express but thankfully it is express.
The detached keyboard is actually quite good, makes me wonder if buying a laptop is worth it. I quite like working with the tablet on the table and the keyboard on my knees. Though I guess laptop would be the same just without the need for the table.
Anyway Surface Pro 2 and the likes look quite promising. It just does not make much sense to compare it with iPads and Android tabs.
Firefox OS: Go away fanbois, fandroids - you wouldn't understand
Nokia puts Symbian out to pasture ... why not release it into the wild?
Saturday 20th October 2012 21:07 GMT
Open Source Symbian: Symaptic
I think it's fair to assume most of the kernel is the same as two/three years ago when it was still available as open source. Trouble is there was very little interest from the community then why would there be more now? Is there any branch of Open Source Symbian being developed or at least used out there?
The only one I know of is mine: http://symaptic.com
Am I the only surviving Symbian developer?
Biting the hand that feeds IT
