Posts by Tyrion 142 publicly visible posts • joined 6 Nov 2012
>> Patent claims do not prevent people from using something, they are to prevent Google from stealing something
How can "people" use something if all the devices that implement it are banned by M$' patent extortion scheme?
Software patents are absurd. A developer can't create a program these days that doesn't violate one of M$' or Apple's patents. That's how broad and vague they all are.
Their government granted monopolies on decade old, every day and obvious things in technology are not being enforced. That's the sound of the world's smallest violin playing for you..
On a brighter note, M$' software, devices, and services are being used by less people every day. Perhaps we'll be rid of this mafia organisation and patent troll in due course.
@ AC 1st July 2013 10:32 GMT
>> A whole lot of the MoD is running on XP - because it's certified secure.
I haven't laughed so hard in a while. Windows and secure? Used like that in the same sentence is an oxymoron. There are zero day exploits exposed every month, and are being actively used in the wild. It's a dream come true for chinese and american government sponsored hacker teams, not to mention malware writers.
As far as government procurement goes, when the MOD spends £20 for a single lightbulb, it's decidedly unsurprising that it picked a solution that's the most expensive, insecure, and vendor locked as possible. Though I'm sure the procurement team is enjoying their bribes, sorry, ahem.. gifts from Microsoft.
Many people are making excuses like - it's the economy, lack of touch screen devices, or that the market has suddenly become mature and everyone already has a PC. What a crock of shit. There's only one explanation for a 12% drop ( a record ) in PC sales in Q1 and that's the monstrosity that is Windows 8.
However unlike many others, I hope Microsoft does continue down this path of fail, because then we might see more mainstream PC makers preinstalling GNU/Linux distros, and that's great for everyone. A PC monopoly like Micro$haft Windows hurts the entire industry.
There's a reason politicians are reproving companies like Google in the media rather than fixing the source of the problem, which is of course the tax laws, and that's because most companies do the same thing. If the tax law exploits were fixed, many of companies that politicians have relationships with would lose money. Therefore we have this strange situation where a media PR war is being waged, yet all the while nothing is done to fix the exploits that companies are using to avoid paying taxes.
Charities and shell companies, and dividends seem to be a popular way to avoid paying tax. What does the government do about them? Absolutely nothing, because they also benefit from the same loopholes. Only the ordinary working class suffer because they can't evade PAYE.
>> Market share was tanking before the 'burning platforms' memo. Everyone was going iPhone, Android or Blackberry by the end of 2010
That's partly true. Symbian is/was an outdated OS, however, Nokia's partners (carriers/networks) only really abandoned Symbian when Elop made that idiotic statement. Nokia should have had the tenacity to stick with the Meego platform, rather than jumping ship to a dead on arrival like Windows Phone. In fact, had Nokia concurrently developed Meego while also adopting Android (and perhaps WP as well), it would be in a far better position today. Instead it put all its eggs in the Microsoft basket. A disastrous move, and one that will likely end up killing it. But then again, that could of been the Stephen 'The Trojan Horse' Elop's and Microsoft's plan from the beginning.
I've heard that the return rates are very high with Windows Phones, including the Lumia line. Not only that but Nokia only shifted 400k in North America where the margins are the highest. So in order for Nokia to shift that number of Lumia's, it's offering massive massive discounts just to shift the stock.
The Asha 'feature phone pretending to be a smart phone' line will likely sell much better than WP8.
>> He's very good...
...at all that literature stuff.
But is he really? If his depth of knowledge of literature is on par with his technical knowledge then I have serious doubts. To the uninitiated he perhaps seems to know what he's talking about, or when it's scripted for him, but in reality, he could just be BSing all of us, mixing half truths. I know very little about literature except for some of the greek and roman classics and a few modern novella's, so I can't judge if what he says is the true.
>>Er, C# isn't locked down.
The standard is controlled by Microsoft. That alone is cause for concern. Then there are the patents, which Microsoft could use to attack anyone using the language ala FAT. If there's one thing that Microsoft's FAT/exFAT/ActiveSync patents have shown us, it's that if they're allowed to establish a monopoly in any area, they'll go around suing and extorting everyone. That's the reason I'll never use Microsoft's development tools.
>>It's ECMA certified and the specs are published there.
So is OOXML, and we all know how much of a clusterfuck that is. ECMA is the first place Microsoft runs when it wants to "legitimise" a product. It's quite meaningless. Microsoft still controls the specs, patents, and everything surrounding dotnet and c#. I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.
>>Also, all the VS "Express" kits are fairly light, not to mention free.
The express version is just as slow and bloated as the full version. If you like the eyecandy and distractions of the ribbon toolbar, then go right ahead, but I prefer to do real development. Even Microsoft's own developers don't use it. That's testifies to its uselessness.
And let's not forget that the express kit, while it may be free, doesn't support Xamarin plugins, in fact, I don't think it supports plugins at all. For that, you'll need to buy the full version. That's all going to set you back a pretty penny.
Personally, I'd rather save that money and use it to make a better app/game that isn't reliant third parties. I can make great Android apps/games using free operating systems and free development tools, so why pay for them?
Exactly. And who wants to be tied to Microsoft's proprietary and locked down languages when there are so many better alternatives like Python, Java, etc. I can even write in C/C++ on Android if I wish with NDK, so there's no way in hell I'm going to use Microsoft's or its ugly cousin Mono's crappy development tools.
And don't even get me started on Visual Studio. That's the most bloated POS I've ever used. I'll stick to Screen/Vim/GCC/GDB/Autotools/ANT thanks very much. If I'm forced to use an IDE, I'd rather use something streamlined like Geany.
And rightly so, for any graphical interface, and even non-graphical interfaces make use of the concept of Windows to represent objects. Ncurses for instance uses it, and it can run on a raw tty.
I remember no so long ago, Microsoft had to pay off Lindows, who at the time was contesting the name, for fear it might lose the trademark. Not only is it extremely generic, but it also applies to pretty much any desktop/GUI.
There are definitely MS shills / fanboys on the reg. You only have to look at all the downvoting that goes on. Most simply don't comment, they just sign up for an account then go around downvoting anything not pro-micro$oft. I've seen it first hand, hell I've even had one or two admit to it. It's sad really.
This whole investigation is laughable. Nobody's being forced to use Google, and unlike Windows and IE which are foisted upon anyone who buys an OEM PC. Simply being the better product isn't justification for anticompetitive sanctions, especially not when it's being lobbied for by Microsoft, the biggest anticompetitive company to ever exist! The EU should be investigating Microsoft's continued bundling and intertwining of IE to Windoze. Now that's anticompetitive.
Oh, and if the ICOMP name sounds familiar, take a look here:
http://www.bigboardnews.com/2012/03/04/microsoft-pays-big-money-smear-google-european-parliament/
The original article at falkvinge.net seems to be down.
It's a familiar name because ICOMP has been bad mouthing Google (at the behest of its corporate master Microsoft) for a long time, trying to initiate antitrust sanctions. Clearly Microsoft can't compete fairly so it runs to governments for help. Of course no one would take Microsoft seriously if it cried antitrust, so it uses proxies to do its dirty work for it. Unfortunately, the EU has fallen for this conspicuous ploy.
Its desktop monopoly is crumbling, every attempt to get a foothold in the mobile market has failed spectacularly, and the enterprise's stuck on decade old software and refuses to downgrade to Microsoft's latest tragedy. All in all, things are looking bright in the computer industry for the first time in years. We have the Pi, GNU/Linux's meteoric rise, Chrome OS, Android, and slew of other FOSS initiatives progressing nicely.
Wow! the shills and Micro$oft apologists are out in force today lol. No doubt the reg saw a sudden influx of accounts, and a set of corresponding downvotes for this comment thread.
As far as Windows is concerned, it's dead. The desktop OS monopolist gravy train has reached the end of its tracks, and there's no way to reverse course. And you know what, it couldn't come sooner for me. I hope the OEM's dump Microsoft en masse and switch to GNU/Linux.
Except that you don't need to save documents in Microsoft proprietary formats these days. Recent versions of Microsoft Office can open ODF files, as can Google Docs, Libre Office, Lotus Notes, and pretty much any office software worth its weight in salt. You see, you're stuck in the old formats paradigm where everything has to be sent in Microsoft Office formats. It's simply not the case anymore. And now when Microsoft Office improperly handles ODF, you redirect your vitriol at them. It's a win-win, you still get to complain, and ODF becomes the defacto Office suite file format ;)
I think it's more a case of severe and persistent envy of companies like Google, Apple, and Amazon who lead the market instead of following it like Microsoft does with its "Me too" inferior products.
1. Bing is a poor man's imitation of Google.
2. Surface is Microsoft trying to emulate Apple's hardware business model, and Google's Nexus line. It's not working of course, because everyone hates metro and that fugly fisher price tile UI.
3. Windows 8's walled garden approach is Microsoft copying Apple's iOS.
I know Microsoft's demise has been predicted for years, but I honestly think this time it might be right. It's like they really are trying as hard as they can to self destruct. It certainly makes for entertaining viewing, and I have to say, it couldn't happen to a nicer company :)
Fourthed, I spent a small fortune on CRTS around then, yet when a fine is issued, it's gobbled up by the EU bureaucracy instead of going to the people who deserve to be compensated.
Regardless, this is just the tip of the iceberg, as these price fixing cartels are everywhere. So much for a free market. Capitalism = monopolies, oligopolies, and cartels, and we the consumer are the ones that always get shafted. I sometimes wonder if it's possible to dream up a more nightmarish and dystopian world than we already inhabit.
--It depends on what you need it for. Make a couple of buttons or some lolzcat images, sure, But there is absolutely no replacement for photoshop for professional work--
I use GIMP and Inkscape for my business. I can assure you they are more than capable of creating professional content on par with Photoshop.
--It can handle a bunch of 10k images at the same time, and there are some amazing tools like healing brush, smart layers, fx layers etc. And then there's the gpu acceleration.--
Nothing that can't be done in the GIMP with the right plugins and the latest versions. In fact, gpu acceleration was added to the GIMP back in 2.8 RC 1 ;)
--1 Photoshop--
I prefer GIMP and Inkscape. They are amazing software packages, and free to boot.
--2 Indesign--
GLabels and LibreOffice is sufficient for my needs, but then again, I don't do desktop publishing.
--3 iTunes--
Any old music manager will do. Linux has hundreds of them. I'm strictly a mpd/ncmpc man myself. GtkPod manages my Nano well enough.
--Yes there are things that do similar jobs, but IMHO not quite up to what I require for these jobs.--
Can't stand Adobe software myself. I go out of my way to avoid it.
Dell has always been anti-Linux. I remember when they first launched models with Ubuntu preinstalled after the idea storm thingy, and their UK flat out refused to sell me one. I then proceeded to ring up and try to buy one only to be told they only sell Windows PC's, yeah that's Dell for you.
I'm waiting for the day when Dell ends up destroying itself because of its addiction to Windows and all things Microsoft. So carry on Dell, keep pushing Windows until your sales drop through the floor. I'll be on the sidelines laughing my arse off.
As far as value for money goes, I can build a top end desktop machine with some of the best components for less than £600. Buying from OEM's means getting ripped off. It's far cheaper and you'll get much better components if you build one yourself.
-- That's because it is called "climate change" not global warming. Some areas warm, some don't.Look at our crazy floods in the UK can you really say that "all is well". --
You speak as if there had never been floods or droughts in the history of the Earth. Entire civilisations have been wiped out by them in the past. Some experts say a drought brought about the end of the Egyptian Pharaohs/empire. And flooding is an annual occurrence on the Nile.
In the UK though, we simply don't invest in the infrastructure to cope with adverse conditions. Hell, a few leaves on a railway track can cause widespread disruption here. If we'd invest in better drainage and flood prevention, there'd be no problem. But once again, government is penny pinching on essentials, then once the damage is done, it decides to act. Which is inevitably more expensive (subsidising the insurance industry).
Low res screen, virtually no apps, and not compatible with existing Windows apps, high price, poor UI ( Metro or what ever they're calling it these days ), no desktop apps are allowed so direct x86 -> ARM ports (recompilation) is out. That means a complete rewrite for the new RT API. Good luck convincing software devs to do that Ballmer.
GNU/Linux and FOSS can save companies a fortune. The problem is that many of the IT staff and people making the decisions have built their careers on Microsoft software so naturally they fear obsolescence, and are intransigent towards change of the status quo. I've seen it first hand.
Things are slowly changing though. Having governments dictating free software policies from the very top forces staff on the ground to change their attitudes or go look for a new job. I'm optimistic that this government-led change will affect private industry procurement policy too.
You can get a sweet Raspberry PI setup for as little as £60-80 including usb hub, micro usb wifi dongle, case, and wireless keyboard with built-in touch pad (mouse). I know because I just bought one (the new 512mb model). It's an amazing little device, and more than powerful enough for classrooms.
Can you imagine how much money schools would save if they bought these things in bulk for every class room? No more extortionate Microsoft licensing costs. No more paying £1k for a PC and software. Hell, I'd install them for free if only to rid the education system of the Microsoft disease.
I think we've had just about enough of Microsoft and its proprietary software monopolising our schools, and consequently, our children's minds for the past two decades. It's time to inject FOSS and open platforms into our education system and finally be rid of the wintel disease that's currently infecting it.
Raspberry PI, GNU/Linux, OpenDocument formats, and Libre Office need to be put into schools ASAP to solve the windows rot. Let's get our kids learning a real OS, one that can be tinkered with, and where software programming tools are aplenty (GCC, GDB, VIM).
It's only the same (60fps) if you have vsync on, but that's besides the point. A higher fps on GNU/Linux indicates that the pipeline is more efficient, and consequently, the stresses on the hardware are lower, even if it's vsync'd to the screen's refresh rate. Personally, I'd prefer to increase the longevity of my computer as much as possible, so bring on the fps ;)
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