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For some, a $35 Raspberry Pi, $20 keyboard/mouse combo and a $120 monitor may be enough, but not everyone does only the web/e-mail/light word processing combo. While ARM system-on-a-sticks are fast enough to offer basic functionality where optimized, they don't have the raw power to crunch through things such as file compression. Even if you bothered, it would take more energy to complete the task on an ARM system than it would on x86 at the same power usage. ARM miiiight have a chance if they start cramming 8 or 16 cores on a chip at high clock speeds, but then programs will need to be (re)written to take advantage of it. This is all, of course, completely ignoring backwards compatibility.

All that aside, there is some talk about (forgive the random article found with a quick Google) ARM-based servers and I would LOVE to try one, but I see some pretty big hurdles for it to overcome. Massive parallelism like this often runs in to issues addressing memory (and keeping latency down while doing so). I'd certainly be interested in seeing the results, but I don't think I'm ready to hold my breath on it. Massive parallelism also, like I've said above, needs the programs to be optimized for that. Single-threaded tasks would simply crawl.

For you, yes, your metaphorical $500 used Ford Taurus is overkill if all you really need to do is take a bicycle down to the co-op for groceries every few days, but most other people need to drop the kids off at school, haul that old, broken stereo to the recyclers, etc. Your bicycle won't cut it.

Personally, I'm considering a Raspberry Pi with Rasbian to replace my laptop which never leaves my desk. The laptop is mainly used for web and e-mail tasks and a replacing a 85-100 watt laptop with a 10-watt Pi certainly makes sense, but I'm only considering it since I know I won't need it to do anything extraordinary (and the geek factor, of course).

In summary, I don't doubt you one bit. I agree with you completely. I'm sure you'd be fine with an ARM-based system. Some other people probably will be too, just not everyone.

"How about just a flash drive with a capacitive finger print reader..."

How about we look at the history of fingerprint bio-locks on storage devices...

http://www.pcworld.com/article/136439/article.html

As you can see, Sony has, in the past, made the fingerprint scanner a security vulnerability by combining it with another security function that was not so secure. Unless the touchpad on the device under discussion can be manipulated with a stylus, it too can have a similar vulnerability and may actually be used to harvest fingerprints.

you do realize that every jailbreak is a successful "hack" right? hell, you used to be able to visit a website on your iDevice, click on a button and *presto*, instant pwnage. fanboi much?

http://www.pcworld.com/article/202335/iPhone_Jailbreaking_is_a_snap_thanks_to_New_Website.html

Give me PCs and emulators and go fuck yourself...

Right, because PC games never require always online connections, right?

At best they're Apple circa 2001, before the iPod. That's not a happy place. Dell already tried a music player in 2003 and it didn't go anywhere. Dell has been circling the drain since the .com crash, and its competitors have just been getting leaner and stronger the whole time.

I think he should read the TOS first and get a feel for the situation.

Why would he need to read their ToS to know if he can include a feature that imports an unencrypted text file?

It's not just any text file... Why it's a specially crafted .INI / .CONF formatted text file.

Who knows, I'm sure if I hired a patent attorney they could write up patent claims vague enough and using terms obscure enough that a patent clerk wouldn't find any relevant hits in the patent database, so there's really no reason to assume that the INI file format isn't pattented... but if it's not, then they can piss right off.

He's not re-distributing their files, so he's not infringing copyright. The name winapp2.ini is too generic to be a strong trademark, except maybe to Microsoft over Windows (tm).

I wouldn't worry about shit. In fact, I wouldn't have even acknowledged that I received a notice of any kind.

Protip: In the future if you want to incorporate a 3rd party's data format, implement a plugin system and API for importing the generic data to isolate the main application from the import functionality. Distribute the plugin that implements the import feature separately, it can download after install at the behest of the user. Defer all complaints about plugin functionality to the "owner" of the plugin -- A different entity than the one that holds the rights for the main application. I call that a firewall.

I suppose INI itself may be so generic as to not really qualify as supporting another program's data format, but even so it would be pretty simple to make a .INI translator program that simply search and replaced the [SECTION] tags with differently named tags, and distribute a converter that converts their format into your format prior to import. I really wish SCOTUS would do something about data formats: No one should be able to assert rights over something ilke .WAD, .JAR, .INI, CSV, XML ugh, Microsoft was sued over using XML.. So, I think the only way to achieve that is to say all file formats are public domain. Good luck with that.

Then again, IANAL. However, I've been through this shit several times. There's nothing you can actually do at all to avoid being sued. Anyone can sue for fucking anything, why worry about it? Oh No! A million people could sue me tomorrow! No problems folks, I'm incorporated. That would be the sixth time I close up shop and re-open the next day as a different corporate entity, I'm exceedingly efficient at it. Hell, get your own incorporation today, even if you're not going to run a business! Just pay your corporate dues and file your taxes, and you can sell them off for a decent profit to bigger corporations that need a few shell corps to do some dirty work under -- And on paper can be "In good standing since $INCORPORATION_DATE." Yep, brand now company buys an LLC shell to operate under and adopts its good standing credit, and incorporation date.

So, bottom line: Are you incorporated or operating as a 501c3 charity? If so, fuck em till you get sued, then fuck-em some more. Your code is open source, and you're protected by the corporate veil: Be Prepared to Reboot in case you have to "turn it off and on again". If there's no insulating imaginary person-hood in place, then get yourself that way ASAP, and get a damn lawyer. There's free "pro bono" advice to be had, esp. for non-profits, but Slashdot isn't the place to ask for it.

When it comes to 3G data T-Mobile is the fastest.It is only in 4G that Verizon is faster than most.

Their data plans are all unlimited with only the 4G part of it being throttled. For $50 you should be able to get a plan cheaper than Verizon, a phone that will work internationally and faster data speeds.

Or if you really want to save money and can live on Sprint network, Virgin and Boost both are approx $40.

So what's the difference between HP's $99 TouchPad Tablet Selling out in Retailer Fire Sale and Google's $99 Chromebook offer for teachers sells out in one day? A. Commenters didn't accuse HP of "a lazy publicity stunt." :-)

That have a similar free app that will disable the touchpad while typing in Windows called TouchpadPal.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2026236/phone-unlocking-ban-could-could-hit-you-in-the-wallet.html

PC World has the same press release, but with useless exterior pics of the pizzabox. It's captain-obvious that all 1U servers look pretty much the same outside. Guess those are good for a primary audience that finds servers exotic, but where's the article-relevant innards? And the drop case.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2026354/new-server-can-be-parachuted-into-war-zones.html

What might be interesting is why this problem of leaked phone numbers is not more widespread. To phrase it differently, why does google not recognize a phone number and perform some magic to make it link to a name. I would think because the traditionally extremely profitable and protective reverse lookup services have convinced them the ad revenue from said services would be more lucrative than any benefit the additional end user feature might provide. After all the phone book is public record, and given their agressive collection of personal information during their drive bys, they really care nothing about safety or privacy.

Did Google pay for the techdirt article? It pretty much bushes over anything negative and makes everything seem cheery and innocent on Google's part, as if they somehow graciously agreed to do this. In short, they had no choice, or things would have gotten very ugly for them.

Here's one that has a bit more detail rather than just blowing sunshine: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2023719/googles-ftc-antitrust-deal-top-takeaways-and-challenges.html

Regarding the anticompetitive behavior on the Search front...

One of the most concerning complaints leveled against Google was a claim from Yelp in late 2011. The local business review site said Google in 2010 began to use Yelp reviews in results for Google Local (also known as Places) without Yelp's permission.

When Yelp asked Google to stop using its reviews in Places, the search giant told Yelp that its reviews could be dropped only if Yelp agreed to be removed entirely from Google's web search index, according to a statement by Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman. Considering Google owns about 67 percent of the U.S. search market, according to metrics firm comScore, a request to be dropped from Google's search index is pretty close to dropping right off the face of the Web.

And on the Standards Essential Patents front...

Since nearly every major company has SEPs, technology companies usually agree to license their patents on “fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory” terms.

The problem was, instead of doing that, Google used its SEPs in court to seek injunctions against rival devices even if the competing manufacturers were willing to license Google's patents. Google has now promised the FTC it will not use its SEPs as litigation weapons, and that agreement could impact cases beyond Google's, according to Florian Mueller, a patent expert and blogger.

If Samsung doesn't withdraw its U.S. injunction request as well, its case could end up being hurt by the FTC's settlement with Google.

Google's hands are dirty on multiple fronts, and if they didn't do this, they would have face anti-competetive charges without a doubt. Do No Evil indeed...

"The bottom line is most companies have a strategic plan, and that can be a variety of different things. If you don't understand that I can't help you. (example) http://www.planware.org/strategicsample.htm...but then we have been through this. It even has a section marked Goals."

And Apple has no strategic plan?

"I posted the figures, Googles revenues are up and profits are up then its growing revenues *profitably* "

Not for the last quarter year over year.

"the fact is there is everything from tax breaks; "

They get "tax breaks" because you claim tax breaks on losses....again saying that you paid less taxes because one of your major divisions lost money is not "strategy"

"patents;"

How much are they making from patents? How much have they have stated they plan to make from patents"

"selling off STB business;"

They *recouped* some of the money they have already spent on MMI by selling the STB business. They didn't make money. On top of that, they assumed most of the liability from patent infringement claims by Tivo as part of the deal,''

" as well as using its bring its Nexus Line to Motorola its difficult to calculate...and you are not capable."

They never said that they would turn the Nexus line over to MMI. You really think they will recoup the $6.9 billion net for the cost of MMI (12.9 billion - 3 billion in cash that MMI had - 2.9 billion from selling the STB division) + all of the continued losses from operations and severance packages by selling Nexus devices?

No company makes any serious money from selling Android phones but Apple and Samsung.

"You have *never* mentioned *any* future business plans from Apple; show me them. I don't see it challenging Amazon; Google; Microsoft; Facebook anytime in the near future. In reality I see a cash rich business, with no idea what to do with it."

Apple is in the integrated hardware/software business. Apple no more needs a plan to "challenge" Amazon in the low margin retail business, Google in the (shrinking) search business, or Facebook in the (slightly) profitable social network business than it needs to challenge Exxon selling oil.

You mention as evidence that Apple's strategy is wrong based on stock price. Have you seen the stock price for Facebook since their IPO?

"; Sony is massively profitable...after buying out Ericsson (its compensating for its poor PC sales)."

No it isn't.

http://techcrunch.com/2012/08/23/sony-mobile-to-lay-off-off-1000-people-as-part-of-restructuring/

"I'm confused where is Google"

Google's phone business MMI is constantly losing money.

"Sony make a profit why is it not there :)."

No it doesn't -- see article above.

" Hell it doesn;t even include companies like Lenovo and ZTE."

Lenovo's *revenue* from cell phone was only 7% of it's total revenue. Overall it's profits is in the low millions. Why would you think they would be vastly profitable?

http://www.pcworld.com/article/260945/lenovos_profit_up_30_percent_mobile_business_unit_continues_to_grow.html

"I'm confused why again are you pointing to a link where Google is growing faster than Apple"

It's easy to be confused when facts don't back up your assertions.....

Apple's net profit grew 60% from 2011. Google's grew by 15%.

Apple's profit growth year over year 2012/2013:

Net profit FY 2011 - 25922
Net profit FY 2012 - 41733

60% growth

Google:

Net profit FY 2011 - 8505
Net profit FY 2012 - 9737

14% growth:

". I'm saying its pursuits of profits are damaging it long term...and that includes profitability,"

Based on what evidence? As you can see above, Apple's pr

Hmm. I wonder. What weapons are legal in Mexico?
http://www.examiner.com/article/mexicans-conspire-to-obtain-stinger-missile-and-other-weapons

http://www.caat.org.uk/resources/facts-figures/weapon-costs.php

http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&id=30738

http://www.pcworld.com/article/260415/google_creates_interactive_visual_about_small_arms_trade.html

http://www.algemeiner.com/2012/11/13/egyptian-daily-details-sinai-arms-trade/

http://www.keepandbeararms.com/newsarchives/XcNewsPlus.asp?cmd=view&articleid=2050

You might want to reconsider your assumptions.

you might try the open hardware laptop (if it actually appears)

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2020968/coming-soon-a-new-open-laptop-from-the-creator-of-chumby.html

A cert from BigNameInternetCompany costs next to nothing

In fact it costs nothing from StartSSL, like several commenters have pointed out, but people forget that the commercial x.509 PKI is for convenience, not security.

A self-signed cert is highly secure as long as you can verify through independent means that it is in fact the same cert installed on your server, and as long as the private key has not been compromised. In fact this is really the only way you can really get this level of security from even a commercial cert --- to verify independently that it is in fact the cert you think it is, and you have not been subject to a man-in-the-middle-attack.

It's not as though Google previously made any effort to verify the authenticity of those self-signed certs, or if accepting those self-signed certs as they did before would give their users anything but a false sense of security. Surely it is not a money issue for the "small guy". Commercial certs can be had, if not free from the one provider I already mentioned, for a very minimal price from many different providers, on the order of what the "small guy" is already paying for his domain registration. Why is it that the "small guy" always seems to choose the most expensive, heavily advertised vendors of some service or product and then proceed to complain about the price?

I have to agree (mostly) with Frosty here. No, the mainstream commercial PKI is not the most highly secure thing in the world, but you're trying to authenticate your server to a big commercial company---you need a commercial cert. And if you're trusting such a big commercial company as Google, then you may as well trust the whole commercial PKI, because you're extending your trust far and wide in either case, which there is nothing wrong with, as long as you be mindful of what you are entrusting to the "big boys."

The fact that this is an article tells how poorly thought out some of their design decisions are.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2012202/how-to-shut-down-windows-8.html

It's not difficult, but it's definitely not obvious or intuitive.

No, it's 20%. Windows Store takes only 20% of sales above $25K.

But the two stores are not equivalent, thus the "if they (Microsoft) were in their (Apple) position".

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2016514/windows-8-apps-store-cracks-20-000-most-of-them-free.html

"While 20,000 apps in an online store may seem paltry compared to the more than 700,000 apps in Apple's store and more than 600,000 apps in Google Play, for an upstart in the app trade like Microsoft, the milestone is significant.

Microsoft broke the 20,000 mark on Tuesday, according to Directions on Microsoft Windows app store watcher Wes Miller. Nearly 18,000, or 87 percent, of those apps are free, according to Miller."

The boneheaded decisions of Canonical, plus the existence of Mint Linux, have all but decimated the Ubuntu userbase. Yes, I know there must be some Ubuntu users out there still, but they're somewhere at the fringe of society: you know nobody in your circle of friends, colleagues, family or acquaintances who uses Ubuntu.

The geek's circle of friends must be smaller than most.

Dell Ubuntu Laptop Developer Speaks About Future Plans

Splashtop introduces remote Ubuntu to Android and iPhone

10 reasons to choose Ubuntu 12.10 over Windows 8

The point being that Ubuntu remains a remarkably successful distribution --- particularly in markets where Linux can seem all but invisible.

Really, you act like google is doing something bad, while pulling a false flag troll, and saying that google has done too much since they were doing search?

Then you mention BING, which is not something Microsoft was always doing, and yet trashtalk google?

this is the laziest troll I hvae ever seen, made more explicit with a title of "GPLfella".

MS has made non-secret deals with the NSA, CSI (who don't matter) and FBI. If you think MS has shame, you forget they've been doing this for 20 years. Why do we defend google? because they're fucking honest, and actually improve their products. Is MS? You tell me after shit like http://www.pcworld.com/article/2018707/microsofts-droidrage-twitter-campaign-backfires.html . Is Apple? You tell me when they're losing lawsuits that were basically patent extortion attempts all brought around by the rockstar consortium consisting of apple/ms/nokia (basically everyone not google).

So yeah, umm, let's act like google's the bad one here, and not even look at apple either? If they're together on this the question is if the patent warfare can be defused, not "omg google is evil", you lazy fucking troll.

What are you talking about? Of course it has a back button.

http://images.pcworld.com/images/article/2012/03/windows8biglist-11329785.jpg

See that thing in the upper left corner? That's a back button.

On identical hardware, Asus sells Ubuntu laptops for $38 less than the Windows 8 laptops: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2012095/two-new-asus-laptops-offer-an-ubuntu-linux-option.html So why can't Dell? I think the obvious answer is that Asus is not nearly as beholden to Microsoft as Dell.

Linux is "that hacker platform" while Windows is "what all businesses use".

Uh, sure. In 1993. It's 2012 .. a vast number of businesses use Linux. It put the commercial Unixes out of business. Entire cities use Linux, even on the desktop. We have highly successful distros like Ubuntu that do nothing but pander to the non-hacker.

The only safety involved is "this here is Microsoft country, and the Microsofties on the board want Microsoft. MICROSOFT!" If you're getting generous donations, you don't want to piss off your corporate overlords.

Darrell Issa strongly opposes net neutrality, with a Republican platform that supports some ironic thing called "internet freedom". Last year, Issa ripped into FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski at a Congressional hearing, accusing him of doing Obama's bidding regarding net neutrality (wtf?).

In short, Issa is a conservative Republican who has been on a mission to destroy net neutrality.

More like symantec/McAfee/Avira take away. Windows on it's own is fine. But combined with antivirus software, it's crap.Worse, you can't leave windows box without antivirus, so you're screwed

Or maybe the geek sees only what he wants to see.

Previous versions of Windows Defender have been strictly anti-spyware, while Microsoft offered a separate, standalone tool for broader antimalware protection called Security Essentials. In Windows 8, the two are merged together so Windows Defender is actually a more comprehensive antimalware tool.

Windows Defender is part of Windows 8, and it's enabled by default so you get protection right out of the box.

With Windows 8, Microsoft takes the SmartScreen protection --- which has been a very effective tool for guarding against malicious downloads when using Internet Explorer --- and extends it to the entire operating system. Now, SmartScreen will warn and protect you even if you're using an alternate browser, such as Firefox or Chrome, or just downloading a file across the network.

Windows 8 raises the bar for PC security

MSE has a reputation for being light weight and effective.

It is also perfectly clear from even this brief overview that the security analyst looking at the mass market PC does not view UEFI, secure boot, and the app store through the same prism as the geek.

Duckduckgo isn't a browser, it's a search engine. It doesn't just use Bing. It pulls from over 50 different sources for search results

From http://www.pcworld.com/article/245129/are_duckduckgos_bing_ties_a_problem_for_linux_mint_.html

It is true that DuckDuckGo bases its results in part on those from Bing, according to an explanation on its support center. DuckDuckGo actually draws its results from more than 50 sources, it says, including also Yahoo, BOSS, embed.ly, WolframAlpha, EntireWeb, Blekko, and its own crawler.

Bing doesn't get your information. Duckduckgo is an intermediary in the process and duckduckgo doesn't store your information.

It's time to take off that tinfoil hat and start wrapping the house instead.

The news is the Microsoft astroturfing trolls that have so flooded slashdot are not just on slashdot, they are everywhere.
Anyone that watches Oprah will believe anything, even that Microsoft products are worth buying.

Microsoft tends to spend its time and money in places where the grown-ups hang out.

The shortest answer is ''It's a digital notebook,'' but that just leads to the question, ''And why would I want a digital notebook?'' The better answer is that it's a powerful, versatile tool for organizing just about anything. It's the application you turn to for jotting down to-do lists, capturing notes during a presentation, or recording the random ideas that run through your head so you can refer to them later after your brain has erased all traces of the original thought. You can store, organize, and search text, audio, video, photos, and handwriting.

OneNote has been one of my favorite applications since Microsoft began bundling it with Microsoft Office. I like that it syncs my data through SkyDrive so my notes and information are available from just about anywhere. Microsoft has also developed native apps for the iPhone, iPad, Windows Phone, and Android devices--making OneNote one of the most accessible, cross-platform tools Microsoft has.

My single favorite feature of the new OneNote, though, is unique to OneNote MX--the Metro-ized app version of OneNote designed for Windows 8. Tapping the radial menu button opens a circle containing different formatting options. On some options an arrow is available that lets you dive deeper and access more options. At any point, you can click the back arrow in the center of the radial menu to go back to the previous menu.

The radial menu is brilliant. It is an innovative approach to working with information on a touchscreen mobile device, and I hope the radial menu is also a staple of the Office apps that come with Windows 8 RT, and/or that Microsoft extends the radial menu concept to the rest of the Office suite soon.

Microsoft OneNote MX Has a Secret Weapon

Are Radial Menus The Future Of Office?

If the disk activity is still high after login maybe you can start Windows 7's resource monitor to see what is accessing the disk.
See: http://www.pcworld.com/article/241677/how_to_use_resource_monitor.html

Maybe Steam is checking for updates on all your games or similar. Another thing to check is the event viewer - perhaps some service is failing, or worse you are having drive errors. Nowadays lots of software check for updates.

I've had the same Windows XP install for many years and it hasn't got noticeably slower.

FWIW high disk activity AFTER login is usually less to do with Windows and more to do with the applications that are installed. If you had the same sort of apps doing the same sort of thing on Linux you would have slowdowns too. Perhaps the slowdown would be less since Linux might be more efficient with scheduling IO, but there's still going to be more IO than if the apps weren't doing whatever they're doing.

What are the chances that this will simply be used to target anyone who uses the bandwidth they paid for?

Not to mention the lucrative $35 review fees involved. It's a win-win for Verizon.

Soon this will turn into highly desirable insurance -- i.e. "pay extra $10/month and we will protect you from lawsuits by not releasing your info". (or at least actually fight for you in court before releasing it)

Hardly fair to use a ranking from 7 years go. Even 2 years later, the same website ranked them #6 and I'm sure things have even changed in the past half decade

We got ourselves away from AT&T after we took a careful look at the actual speeds we were receiving. Bandwidth to AT&T's internal network is great, but getting anything from the world beyond is very, very slow. Further, there were inexplicable thirty second to ten minute downtimes frequently throughout the day. It's not surprising they're ranked #22 among US broadband ISPs.

The response from AT&T staff has been puzzling. When made aware of the problem, they shrugged it away. It was nearly impossible to get someone coherent (not a question of accent, but of ability to form language; intoxication was suspected in one case) on the phone. This and several other factors convinced us that AT&T intends to exit this market, and anyone who signs up for their service in the meantime is doomed.

[...] lets you play PSP Games with a touchscreen which was something PSP owners had wanted for years.

I've never heard anyone want this. Is this anything like all the people who wanted a non-UMD version of the PSP, and eventually got it in the PSPgo, which promptly fell flat on its face due to lack of actual interest?

Of course, I can always imagine an emulator being popular, if it plays copies of games (regardless of whether you consider this OK or not).

Mint is an end-user distribution targeted to the same public that uses Ubuntu. The main difference between them is the UI. Mint decided to keep the traditional UI, while Ubuntu chose to go to Unity,

Mint is on the lead since the beginning of 2012:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/246826/as_2012_dawns_mint_leads_the_list_of_top_linux_distros.html

And was in first place at least until August 2012:

http://www.zdnet.com/the-5-most-popular-linux-distributions-7000003183/

I've been using Linux Mint as a replacement for Ubuntu after Ubuntu tried to Mac-ify the UI.

I want a desktop Linux distro as a drop in replacement for Windows that I can use in situations where there is no requirement for Windows software. So I don't want to have to modify the UI to get it looking the same for people who have learned how to use a computer by rote memorisation on Windows. If I wanted to modify everything I'd be installing Debian or Gentoo.

Mint is an end-user distribution targeted to the same public that uses Ubuntu. The main difference between them is the UI. Mint decided to keep the traditional UI, while Ubuntu chose to go to Unity,

Mint is on the lead since the beginning of 2012:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/246826/as_2012_dawns_mint_leads_the_list_of_top_linux_distros.html

And was in first place at least until August 2012:

http://www.zdnet.com/the-5-most-popular-linux-distributions-7000003183/

I'm surprised 1TB drives are still even relevant; they've been available since 2007 - five years ago. Six years before that, in 2001, 100 GB drives were the latest thing. Go back another 5 years to 1996 and 2.5 GB was it! The 1990s, those were the days for PCs. Your $3000 PC was obsolete by the time you un-boxed it.

I'm surprised 1TB drives are still even relevant; they've been available since 2007 - five years ago. Six years before that, in 2001, 100 GB drives were the latest thing. Go back another 5 years to 1996 and 2.5 GB was it! The 1990s, those were the days for PCs. Your $3000 PC was obsolete by the time you un-boxed it.

Mitt Romney sponsors Obama's campaign victory.

Seems anti-antithetical for MS to host anything involving Linux... what's the catch?

Well as per this article Microsoft is offering Linux on its Azure platform, so its quite reasonable for a major vendor of Linux services to want to be part of a Linux conference (and I had to stop myself from laughing out loud when I wrote that)

Remember when MS said that machines shipping Windows w/ SecureBoot (UEFI) must NOT have the ability to disable secure boot, or add user defined keys?

I do.

Part of the controversy this time around stems from the revelation that the Microsoft's requirements for ARM-based Windows 8 devices include a mandatory Secure Boot feature, effectively locking down such devices and preventing them from booting non-Windows OSes.

Indeed. We need to also remember how bad things can be when you try to cut corners - Atari 400, Tandy CoCo, the original Commodore Pet, Timex / Sinclair.

Just sayin', but Android and iPhone have been there for long already. Android's got a nice advantage for OEMs over there because it allows installation of third party appstores (coughwithpiratedappsandprofitsgoingtooemscough). iOS jailbreaking is rather popular there as well

PCWorlds 13 Surface RT Alternatives http://www.pcworld.com/article/2012091/13-new-windows-machines-that-arent-surface-rt.html

DailyTech's "Microsoft Surface Review RoundUp" http://www.dailytech.com/Microsoft+Surface+Review+RoundUp/article29019.htm

No, what he's saying is that Chevy shouldn't be able to prevent you from installing a new engine in your '57 just because they no longer support the platform.

According to PC World, you can still continue to activate the software.

Yea, and according to my contract with Verizon, I have access to unlimited data, but we both know that's not really the case.

As for XP activation lasting beyond 2014, I'll believe it when I see it.

No, what he's saying is that Chevy shouldn't be able to prevent you from installing a new engine in your '57 just because they no longer support the platform.

According to PC World, you can still continue to activate the software. And enterprises use volume licenses that do not need activation. So I don't see the problem.

Blowing mod points...

First device in that space for this season is Sony's Tap 20:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2011644/sony-tap-20-review-a-windows-8-all-in-one-thats-also-a-humongous-tablet.html

20" 1600 x 900 pixel display.

William

The pirates are stealing from them (from the whole industry), so what's wrong with stealing a little from pirates?

Well, apart from the fact that it's not stealing, it's unlicensed copying, nothing.

I guess these pirates can see how it feels now.

Probably: great; I would be laughing like hell if I had done this and Netflix took my subtitles.

However, you are completely missing the point here. There are some of us who think it's okay to "pirate" and do so. There are others, like myself, that feel that unlicensed copying should be allowed in many more circumstances but don't feel like breaking the law. Until now there's been a third group which is benefitting from the laws, but was following them. Finally there's been group, such as congressmen's children, which are breaking the law because they can get away with it.

What we are seeing now is that in fact, there's no third group. The RIAA "pirates" music for their ads. The big media distribution firms demand adverts on other people's YouTube videos because of some real or false positive fair rights use of their material. The media distribution companies, like Netflix, are completely happy to "steal" material from anywhere they feel like. These people do things that, if you did them, would end you up in jail or paying hundreds of thousands of dollars of fines. They pay nothing and rarely even apologise.

This is all about the Amercan corporate royalty and their "Droit de Seigneur" with your ideas, privacy and creations. This is not news because the copying is immoral; it is news because, it's yet another slip of the front and makes it 100% clear that you too are plebs and the only thing wrong is letting you know it.

If they are keeping the Tegra3 and 2GB of memory, which I've read of before, the MS tablets have some advantages over the iPad3.

The Surface will only have a 1280x720 display, compared to the iPad's 2048x1536 – and the Surface actually has a *larger* screen. That's a huge difference, apparent at first glance – anyone with 20/20 eyesight can see the massive advantage of the iPad 3 over a low-DPI tablet. In contrast, the processor and RAM advantages of the Surface are buried in a spec sheet and will not even be noticed by most prospective buyers (who, remember, aren't all geeks and in many cases wouldn't know what Tegra 3 even meant.) Besides, who knows if some of that extra capacity is necessary just to run WinRT? There's no telling if it is as streamlined as Android and iOS – they may have had to throw hardware at it just to get it up to par.

Knowing scAmazon they will find a way to block that with a firmware update coupled with a block on their store, their ebooks included. Better to go with a Linux tablet such as one from Tizenas it is fully open and free as in freedom.

Knowing scAmazon they will find a way to block that with a firmware update coupled with a block on their store, their ebooks included. Better to go with a Linux tablet such as one from Tizenas it is fully open and free as in freedom.

Do you really think that the makers of an operating system which requires 3rd party AV to correct its own security shortcomings devised secure boot to protect users from malware?

Which OS do not require AV/antimalware type scanning software to protect userif targeted by malware? The single biggest malware epidemic in modern times in terms of percentage of user base infected (the way to measure user infection risk and infectability of a platform) was Mac OSX Flasback.

This hasn't happened on Linux, yet, but there is nothing magical about Linux vs OSX and Windows7/8 that prevents it. Versions of Flasback installed silently without user intervention on Unix-permission-based OSX. And Windows 8 btw. doesn't require 3rd party AV software as it is built in.