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[Microsoft] have made vivid and vast improvements to the Linux kernel and software stack.

I know they contributed drivers for their Hyper-V product, but it appears that was required after a GPL infringement and hardly seems "vast" or "vivid".

What other improvements have they made?

http://www.zdnet.com/microsofts-skype-for-windows-8-to-launch-october-26-7000006145/

" preinstalled on "the top 12 Windows OEMs' machines,""

I suspect ...it runs much faster than win7 on lower end hardware really means it boots faster, since Win8 doesn't routinely boot at all - just reloads a pre-booted memory image. Still, that probably makes it feel like it runs faster, since the main 'slowness' of Windows is that it seems to be ready to work when it really hasn't finished booting.

No, Windows 8 also run faster and uses less memory while doing so. Text rendering has become hw accelerated, more 2d rendering hw accelerated, DirectX and video rendering performance enhanced and general "creative" rendering has vastly improved:

http://www.zdnet.com/windows-8-vs-windows-7-benchmarked_p2-7000002671/

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/10/gentlemen-start-your-benches-measuring-windows-8s-performance/

http://www.askvg.com/comparison-between-windows-7-and-windows-8-memory-management-system/

from http://www.dailytech.com/Windows+8+is+Using+Less+Memory+Than+Windows+7/article22986.htm :

[Windows 8]has 124 MB (~20 percent) more "Available Memory" on his 1 GB notebook -- the Windows 7 minimum memory requirement.

Chromebooks are a total fail. They sold about as much as the Kin.

http://www.zdnet.com/chromebook-looks-like-another-googleflop-4010024772/

Skype doesn't come pre-installed, so you had to volitionally install it from the store.

Nope, that's not true.

"Skype for Windows 8 will be in the Windows Store on October 26, the day Windows 8 and its ARM-based sibling, Windows RT, are generally available. Skype for Windows 8 also will be preinstalled on "the top 12 Windows OEMs' machines," Skype officials said."

http://www.zdnet.com/microsofts-skype-for-windows-8-to-launch-october-26-7000006145/

You must be talking about these atoms that were accidently leaked.

They are not that much faster. But Intel claims in the leaked documents they use half the power and double the cores of a the current Atoms. Bare in mind, the newer chipsets are not compatible with Windows 7. I tried submitted that a month ago on this compatibility issue and some moderator put the story down as flamebait ugh.

Intel has no desire to backport the directx11.1 drivers to Windows 7 due to WDDM1.2 which is why IE 10 is not available for Windows 7 as of right now without some hacks.

That might change in the future. If I owned any Intel stock I would be selling it right now or shorting it if I am evil enough. ARM is kicking their ass and Android and IOS shall overtake it by the end of year! By 2016 there will be 4 times as many tablets and phones as PCs and ARM will be the new CPU king. Intel is trying to do whatever it can to survive FAST and perhaps they are making this as small as penny and doing the soldiering so more phone and tablet users pick it.

AMD is more screwed unfortunately. They are about to go bankrupt and are trying to get into the ARM business with qualcomm with radeon graphics in an APU. I think they plan to leave the PC market entirely and focus on low power ARM servers and tablets. The exception maybe their graphics cards for gamers which still sell well.

I have a feeling Apple will probably buy them out in the end as they want control of their own components and could have their own x86 and graphics for their macs and other products. No need to waste money paying other companies.

Go read a book.

perhaps you should. i can't think of a hard sci-fi book that doesn't brush on artificial intelligence, and i can think of many that have it as a main theme.

what separates us from animals? the ability to think abstractly. the ability to conceive of potentially harmful situations and avoid them.
we're not limited to thinking about what you can observe. many of the greatest thinkers of our time have postulated on AI,

e.g,
http://www.zdnet.com/news/stephen-hawking-humans-will-fall-behind-ai/116616

he should really just go read a book though, right?

I doubt Apple feels any desire to go after 'Android'... that is really more of a fanboy fantasy thing then a company plan.

There's a bit more than just "fanboy fantasy".

I think you're mistaken about error rates. It probably depends a lot on the environment and external factors, but I haven't had a single error in about 6 months.

Although this article seems to have some contradictions, overall Google's data shows that really good memory still has more errors than you would suspect. Here you can see more raw data.

Even using the best numbers from manufacturers, 32GB of RAM will have a bit error every 3 years. With the wide range listed on that page, you don't even have to get close to the worst numbers to get errors every couple of weeks. Those errors may not result in a major problem, or they could happen inside something like an MP3 file, where the error just gets converted to silence for a millisecond, so they could go completely undetected.

And, there's always anecdotal evidence. As for mine, I only see one correctable error in 60GB of total RAM (15x4GB) in the past year.

It also seems contradictory to overclock a system with ECC, because overclocking reduces the safety margins in the CPU.

Not with current Intel CPUs, and some of the AMDs. 25% overclock is almost child's play, and as long as you can keep the temperature reasonable, 50% isn't out of the question with no risk at all. This is assuming all you change is the multiplier. If you start messing around with the base clock, that can cause subtle yet serious instability. But, kicking up the multiplier of only the CPU doesn't change RAM access at all. Since most RAM also has a lot of unused performance, as long as you use stock settings for it, you're not going to get any instability there.

Crutchy finally admitted it. It's also no secret it gets exploited weekly.

You see it in the news constantly. So many examples I can't even BEGIN to put them all together & reply quickly in fact, lol...

(E.G.-> I have a SMALL partial list of them only spanning roughly 150++ of them in fact... as "examples thereof" & everyone SEES THEM ANYHOW on sites like this!)

---

As to "the world's servers" (since Linux has roughly a 50/50 split share of that in the Fortune 100-500)?

I post data from 2011-2012!

Data that shows your days of 'security-by-obscurity' are OVER on servers, just as it is on smartphones, troll: (as is the outrageous "FUD" of "linux = secure, windows != secure" you heard here on /. for ages):

2012:

New Linux Rootkit Emerges:

https://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/new-linux-rootkit-emerges-112012

"A new Linux rootkit has emerged and researchers who have analyzed its code and operation say that the malware appears to be a custom-written tool designed to inject iframes into Web sites and drive traffic to malicious sites for drive-by download attacks. The rootkit is designed specifically for 64-bit Linux systems."

---

'FIRST ever' Linux, Mac OS X-only password sniffing virus spotted:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/08/29/linux_mac_trojan/

---

Medicaid hack update: 500,000 records and 280,000 SSNs stolen:

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/medicaid-hack-update-500000-records-and-280000-ssns-stolen/11444

So, what's dts.utah.gov running everyone?

LINUX (and yes, it got HACKED) -> http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph?site=dts.utah.gov

What's health.utah.gov running too??

YOU GUESSED IT: LINUX AGAIN -> http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph?site=health.utah.gov

* Ah, yes - see the YEARS OF /. "BS" FUD is CRUMBLING AROUND THE PENGUINS EARS HERE & 2012's starting out just like 2011 did below!

===

2011:

KERNEL.ORG COMPROMISED - The Cracking of Kernel.org: (that's VERY bad - do you trust it now?)

http://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/08/31/2321232/Kernelorg-Compromised

---

Linux.com pwned in fresh round of cyber break-ins:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/09/12/more_linux_sites_down/

---

Mysql.com Hacked, Made To Serve Malware:

http://it.slashdot.org/story/11/09/26/2218238/mysqlcom-hacked-made-to-serve-malware

What's that site running? You guessed it - Linux -> http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph?site=mysql.com

---

London Stock Exchange serving malware:

http://slashdot.org/submission/1484548/London-Stock-Exchange-Web-Site-Serving-Malware

(I mean hey - NOT ONLY DID LINUX FALL FLAT ON ITS FACE less than a few minutes into the job http://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/02/19/0147232/London-Stock-Exchange-Price-Errors-Emerged-At-Linux-Launch, & crash not only ONCE, but TWICE there? You see "Linux 'fine security'" in motion @ the LSE to

Beware of installing MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Update 2.0.

The MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Update 2.0 was offered for 2012 models. However, there continue to be reports of issues with the update. Worse, late last week, Apple pulled the support page about the update as well as the download link.

Some users report issues with video memory as well as with Keychain operation.

On the VMware Fusion Blog, a post warned that the update may cause virtual machines to stop working when a 3D application is run.

http://www.zdnet.com/beware-of-installing-macbook-air-and-macbook-pro-update-2-0-7000007820/

meanwhile somewhere in redmoon, a chair flies through the air.

IN THE NEWS

AT&T Launches Microsoft Office 365 for Midsize Businesses

EPA Subscribing To Microsoft's Office 365 Cloud Apps For 25,000 Employees

HP, Microsoft Office 365 Modernize Department of Veteran Affairs [600,000 Employees]

Announcing Office 365 for Government: A US Government Community Cloud

Microsoft Office for iOS, Android to have Office 365 subscription tie-in: Report

2012:

New Linux Rootkit Emerges:

https://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/new-linux-rootkit-emerges-112012

"A new Linux rootkit has emerged and researchers who have analyzed its code and operation say that the malware appears to be a custom-written tool designed to inject iframes into Web sites and drive traffic to malicious sites for drive-by download attacks. The rootkit is designed specifically for 64-bit Linux systems."

---

'FIRST ever' Linux, Mac OS X-only password sniffing virus spotted:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/08/29/linux_mac_trojan/

---

Medicaid hack update: 500,000 records and 280,000 SSNs stolen:

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/medicaid-hack-update-500000-records-and-280000-ssns-stolen/11444

So, what's dts.utah.gov running everyone?

LINUX (and yes, it got HACKED) -> http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph?site=dts.utah.gov

What's health.utah.gov running too??

YOU GUESSED IT: LINUX AGAIN -> http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph?site=health.utah.gov

* Ah, yes - see the YEARS OF /. "BS" FUD is CRUMBLING AROUND THE PENGUINS EARS HERE & 2012's starting out just like 2011 did below!

===

2011:

KERNEL.ORG COMPROMISED - The Cracking of Kernel.org: (that's VERY bad - do you trust it now?)

http://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/08/31/2321232/Kernelorg-Compromised

---

Linux.com pwned in fresh round of cyber break-ins:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/09/12/more_linux_sites_down/

---

Mysql.com Hacked, Made To Serve Malware:

http://it.slashdot.org/story/11/09/26/2218238/mysqlcom-hacked-made-to-serve-malware

What's that site running? You guessed it - Linux -> http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph?site=mysql.com

---

London Stock Exchange serving malware:

http://slashdot.org/submission/1484548/London-Stock-Exchange-Web-Site-Serving-Malware

(I mean hey - NOT ONLY DID LINUX FALL FLAT ON ITS FACE less than a few minutes into the job http://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/02/19/0147232/London-Stock-Exchange-Price-Errors-Emerged-At-Linux-Launch, & crash not only ONCE, but TWICE there? You see "Linux 'fine security'" in motion @ the LSE too!)

---

DUQU ROOTKIT/BOTNET BEING SERVED FROM LINUX SERVERS:

http://it.slashdot.org/story/11/11/30/1610228/duqu-attackers-managed-to-wipe-cc-servers

---

Linux Foundation, Linux.com Sites Down To Fix Security Breach:

http://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/09/11/1325212/linux-foundation-linuxcom-sites-down-to-fix-security-breach

---

Linux's showing in CA's breached recently too? Ok: (very, Very, VERY BAD for ecommerce, online shopping, banking, etc./et al)

2012:

New Linux Rootkit Emerges:

https://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/new-linux-rootkit-emerges-112012

"A new Linux rootkit has emerged and researchers who have analyzed its code and operation say that the malware appears to be a custom-written tool designed to inject iframes into Web sites and drive traffic to malicious sites for drive-by download attacks. The rootkit is designed specifically for 64-bit Linux systems."

---

'FIRST ever' Linux, Mac OS X-only password sniffing virus spotted:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/08/29/linux_mac_trojan/

---

Medicaid hack update: 500,000 records and 280,000 SSNs stolen:

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/medicaid-hack-update-500000-records-and-280000-ssns-stolen/11444

So, what's dts.utah.gov running everyone?

LINUX (and yes, it got HACKED) -> http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph?site=dts.utah.gov

What's health.utah.gov running too??

YOU GUESSED IT: LINUX AGAIN -> http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph?site=health.utah.gov

* Ah, yes - see the YEARS OF /. "BS" FUD is CRUMBLING AROUND THE PENGUINS EARS HERE & 2012's starting out just like 2011 did below!

===

2011:

KERNEL.ORG COMPROMISED - The Cracking of Kernel.org: (that's VERY bad - do you trust it now?)

http://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/08/31/2321232/Kernelorg-Compromised

---

Linux.com pwned in fresh round of cyber break-ins:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/09/12/more_linux_sites_down/

---

Mysql.com Hacked, Made To Serve Malware:

http://it.slashdot.org/story/11/09/26/2218238/mysqlcom-hacked-made-to-serve-malware

What's that site running? You guessed it - Linux -> http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph?site=mysql.com

---

London Stock Exchange serving malware:

http://slashdot.org/submission/1484548/London-Stock-Exchange-Web-Site-Serving-Malware

(I mean hey - NOT ONLY DID LINUX FALL FLAT ON ITS FACE less than a few minutes into the job http://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/02/19/0147232/London-Stock-Exchange-Price-Errors-Emerged-At-Linux-Launch, & crash not only ONCE, but TWICE there? You see "Linux 'fine security'" in motion @ the LSE too!)

---

DUQU ROOTKIT/BOTNET BEING SERVED FROM LINUX SERVERS:

http://it.slashdot.org/story/11/11/30/1610228/duqu-attackers-managed-to-wipe-cc-servers

---

Linux Foundation, Linux.com Sites Down To Fix Security Breach:

http://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/09/11/1325212/linux-foundation-linuxcom-sites-down-to-fix-security-breach

---

Linux's showing in CA's breached recently too? Ok: (very, Very, VERY BAD for ecommerce, online shopping, banking, etc./et al)

2012:

New Linux Rootkit Emerges:

https://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/new-linux-rootkit-emerges-112012

"A new Linux rootkit has emerged and researchers who have analyzed its code and operation say that the malware appears to be a custom-written tool designed to inject iframes into Web sites and drive traffic to malicious sites for drive-by download attacks. The rootkit is designed specifically for 64-bit Linux systems."

---

'FIRST ever' Linux, Mac OS X-only password sniffing virus spotted:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/08/29/linux_mac_trojan/

---

Medicaid hack update: 500,000 records and 280,000 SSNs stolen:

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/medicaid-hack-update-500000-records-and-280000-ssns-stolen/11444

So, what's dts.utah.gov running everyone?

LINUX (and yes, it got HACKED) -> http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph?site=dts.utah.gov

What's health.utah.gov running too??

YOU GUESSED IT: LINUX AGAIN -> http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph?site=health.utah.gov

* Ah, yes - see the YEARS OF /. "BS" FUD is CRUMBLING AROUND THE PENGUINS EARS HERE & 2012's starting out just like 2011 did below!

===

2011:

KERNEL.ORG COMPROMISED - The Cracking of Kernel.org: (that's VERY bad - do you trust it now?)

http://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/08/31/2321232/Kernelorg-Compromised

---

Linux.com pwned in fresh round of cyber break-ins:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/09/12/more_linux_sites_down/

---

Mysql.com Hacked, Made To Serve Malware:

http://it.slashdot.org/story/11/09/26/2218238/mysqlcom-hacked-made-to-serve-malware

What's that site running? You guessed it - Linux -> http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph?site=mysql.com

---

London Stock Exchange serving malware:

http://slashdot.org/submission/1484548/London-Stock-Exchange-Web-Site-Serving-Malware

(I mean hey - NOT ONLY DID LINUX FALL FLAT ON ITS FACE less than a few minutes into the job http://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/02/19/0147232/London-Stock-Exchange-Price-Errors-Emerged-At-Linux-Launch, & crash not only ONCE, but TWICE there? You see "Linux 'fine security'" in motion @ the LSE too!)

---

DUQU ROOTKIT/BOTNET BEING SERVED FROM LINUX SERVERS:

http://it.slashdot.org/story/11/11/30/1610228/duqu-attackers-managed-to-wipe-cc-servers

---

Linux Foundation, Linux.com Sites Down To Fix Security Breach:

http://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/09/11/1325212/linux-foundation-linuxcom-sites-down-to-fix-security-breach

---

Linux's showing in CA's breached recently too? Ok: (very, Very, VERY BAD for ecommerce, online shopping, banking, etc./et al)

Try and provide falsification conditions for your statement. What would it take for you to feel that Google genuinely isn't evil?

Are fraud and deception proof enough that they are?

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/August/11-dag-1078.html

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704240004575084851798366446.html

http://www.zdnet.com/google-fined-for-obstructing-us-street-view-probe-4010025882/

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2402531,00.asp

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2011/03/google.shtm

2012:

New Linux Rootkit Emerges:

https://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/new-linux-rootkit-emerges-112012

"A new Linux rootkit has emerged and researchers who have analyzed its code and operation say that the malware appears to be a custom-written tool designed to inject iframes into Web sites and drive traffic to malicious sites for drive-by download attacks. The rootkit is designed specifically for 64-bit Linux systems."

---

'FIRST ever' Linux, Mac OS X-only password sniffing virus spotted:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/08/29/linux_mac_trojan/

---

Medicaid hack update: 500,000 records and 280,000 SSNs stolen:

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/medicaid-hack-update-500000-records-and-280000-ssns-stolen/11444

So, what's dts.utah.gov running everyone?

LINUX (and yes, it got HACKED) -> http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph?site=dts.utah.gov

What's health.utah.gov running too??

YOU GUESSED IT: LINUX AGAIN -> http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph?site=health.utah.gov

* Ah, yes - see the YEARS OF /. "BS" FUD is CRUMBLING AROUND THE PENGUINS EARS HERE & 2012's starting out just like 2011 did below!

===

2011:

KERNEL.ORG COMPROMISED - The Cracking of Kernel.org: (that's VERY bad - do you trust it now?)

http://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/08/31/2321232/Kernelorg-Compromised

---

Linux.com pwned in fresh round of cyber break-ins:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/09/12/more_linux_sites_down/

---

Mysql.com Hacked, Made To Serve Malware:

http://it.slashdot.org/story/11/09/26/2218238/mysqlcom-hacked-made-to-serve-malware

What's that site running? You guessed it - Linux -> http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph?site=mysql.com

---

London Stock Exchange serving malware:

http://slashdot.org/submission/1484548/London-Stock-Exchange-Web-Site-Serving-Malware

(I mean hey - NOT ONLY DID LINUX FALL FLAT ON ITS FACE less than a few minutes into the job http://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/02/19/0147232/London-Stock-Exchange-Price-Errors-Emerged-At-Linux-Launch, & crash not only ONCE, but TWICE there? You see "Linux 'fine security'" in motion @ the LSE too!)

---

DUQU ROOTKIT/BOTNET BEING SERVED FROM LINUX SERVERS:

http://it.slashdot.org/story/11/11/30/1610228/duqu-attackers-managed-to-wipe-cc-servers

---

Linux Foundation, Linux.com Sites Down To Fix Security Breach:

http://linux.slashdot.org/story/11/09/11/1325212/linux-foundation-linuxcom-sites-down-to-fix-security-breach

---

Linux's showing in CA's breached recently too? Ok: (very, Very, VERY BAD for ecommerce, online shopping, banking, etc./et al)

trollololol

Not a troll, just a comment that is more a history reference, in a world where its been impossible to buy a PC without an OS for years http://www.zdnet.com/top-five-pc-manufacturers-fail-naked-pc-test-3039286228/ this is an article describing how difficult it was in 2007. The truth is Microsoft created the [propaganda] term "Naked PC" for "its dramatic value and as a means for creating the impression that it is evil to sell computers without operating systems because they might be used for so-called software piracy" http://www.linfo.org/naked_pc.html

It is very hard, according to the experts. Clicking the desktop tile totally misses the point!

It truly is the worst UI ever made. It is not logical, practical, or offers any advantage. It hinders productivity and requires the user to learn new reflexes and do more to accomplish the same tasks. THe search ruins multitasking ability in the brain as it forces the brain to switch hemispheres in crtical thinking! You have to use the mouse now for instant search because something like p-o-w-e-r will offer you catagories instead of fucking just showing you the control panel power options! ... I could go on and on.

I had a link (lost it) I think from WIndows fan boy site Neowin where Sinsosky made the decision to remove the start menu on puprose to force users to get used to Metro so they can sell more tablets and phones. Not because it offered any advantage and Balmer had to approve it. MY GOD.

So they tell us what to do.

Here is an idea (car analogy)? Why doesn't Honda just take out the Drivers seat and steering wheels of its cars with that of their motorcycles? No gas or brake pedals. Just an uncomfortable seat and handle bars that function just like their motorcycles! That way they can sell more etc. Now it is a poor car and a poor motorcycle.

So you learned the inefficient reflexes and UI for Metro. Good for you. I will stick with Windows 7 thank you very much. It works and is designed for productivity.

...about the "year of Linux desktop" never happening because it that has already happened, if you look at things from different perspectives.

There is a case to be made that this past year, 2012, is the "year of Linux on the desktop" in a sense. When you factor in mobile devices, in this past quarter, Android computing devices shipped in higher numbers than Windows computing devices (NT-kernel based and otherwise) INCLUDING THE TRADITIONAL PC. So, when you set your phone or tablet on a desk at least, Linux has finally triumphed. One thing is for sure--if it isn't the year of the Linux DESKTOP it is certainly the year of Linux PERSONAL COMPUTING.

Some might say the desktop was conquered by Linux much earlier. When a user sits at a desktop how long is it before that user opens a browser and uses Google to search or Facebook to, well, waste time I guess. Sure, most of those desktops booted into Windows by a large measure, but it was a mere shell--a runtime container for the web app that is Google or Facebook, and both would not be possible without Linux. So at a differnt level, Linux is already master of the desktop.

Still think that the above arguments are valid, and think that a Linux Desktop is nothing less than a full sized PC on a desk that boots into a Linux OS and hndles the full software stack? Well then maybe that is a cause not worth fighting for. Something is pretty evident here: It would be wrong for Linux advocates to dwell excessively on "the desktop". Though "the desktop" will never disappear completely it is clearly a mature, stagnant segment of the global computing ecosystem that is only going to become less dominant over time. As such, conquering the desktop is not the path to conquering the computing world. It might be important to you, but you are not a normal computer user. Indeed, very few slashdotters are. I am certainly not a normal computer user that is for sure. Your comments very much reveal that"

I've been using Linux full time for 5 years (since the Windows Vista calamity) and it wasn't until Ubuntu ruined their distro with Unity that I had to hop to another one

To me it looks like you are a "power user"--comfortable with computers enough but don't cope well with change. My guess is that you were satisfied with WinXP but circumstances forced you onto Vista (your old PC was too outdated to run the more contemporary bloatware, or broke down, etc and you needed a new machine, and they all came with Vista by then). There was definitely a time for many where it was acually easier to obtain and install Linux than get a legal downgrade to XP so you were motivated to go to Ubuntu. Then Ubunti changed (or got "ruined" for you), and so you picked the most conservative one out there--Debian--in an effort to resist change. But you don't have the stomach to use any "unstable" packages to support more recent hardware so you went to the next mode conservative community distro. I do see the pattern here.

There are distros and desktops out there for you. You could go back to Debian--I would suggest "testing" though (don't be scared of the name--by Debian's standards "testing" is more stable than an LTS release of Ubuntu). I can already tell you would NOT like GNOME 3--even if it was brilliant it is too different from that win95 era design pattern for you--so be sure to use XFCE and you will be right at home. Apart from that Linux Mint is another good OS--and Cinnamon or MATE are old-school enough in their design to work for the "traditionalists" among us. I like them anyways...

The puzzling thing is that you spout off all these old problems--can't get metworking going, cant get sound going, can't get video going blah blah. These are not the challenged they were 5 years ago, and even 5 years ago they were not such huge problems aside from wireless and bleeding-edge video chipsets. These days it isn't a challenge to find Linux-friendly ha

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/windows-7-to-scale-to-256-processors/1687

APK

P.S.=> A good deal of you guys are overlooking the fact that services operate in the background as well as minimized apps also, adding to your thread count.

So you know - The OS' own kernelmode process scheduling subsystem will *try* to "saturate" any core that isn't though, first... but, when it's nearing that, the OS will start sending out parent OR child threads to other cores as necessary!

For instance, I have almost 180 threads going here, and that's due to programs I wrote that run backgrounded minimized as iconized tray apps, or python minimized to taskbar, as well as those services and usermode stuff I wrote too...

It all really depends on what it is you are doing - even if I am a coder, I am still just a user, just a different kind is all... & if the apps are say, multiuser? It gets worse, since that makes thread counts sail upwards too... as well as memory usage!

...apk

sounds more like it's targeting Acer/Aliyun. Which isn't the kind of fragmentation most people think of but is the kind Google doesn't like.

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.

And was in first place at least until August 2012

Stephen Vaughan-Nichols of ZD Net went on to say:

Well even though I like (the) relatively new Unity interface, a lot of other people really don't. I think that mostly it's because while Unity is great for new users who aren't especially computer savvy, a lot of Linux professionals find it gets in the way -- and, of course, experienced old Linux hands are exactly the kind of people who visit DistroWatch.

That said, Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth thinks the operating system will see 20 million new PCs sold with Ubuntu in 2012, and that's not counting people who install it. Those people will also largely be new computer users. If Ubuntu can get most of the new users coming to Linux, I think they'll be happy even if they're no longer as popular with old-guard Linux desktop users.

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

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/

They've already pulled weird 3S thing with new iPad. They don't call it iPad 3 and iPad 4 officially, so you may call it that as well.

Your definition of "full-fledged new version" is rather strained, because "new processor" and "new camera" is more or less all that's different between them. Before the "post-PC world" such a "new version" entailed opening cover and replacing a part, in post-PC world it means you can reinvigorate falling sales and distract people from competition by making a big noise about slightly upgraded device.

Google use Ubuntu internally (with a few packages added, a few packages taken away).

that's trivially disprovable if you actually try using one for the minute or so that it takes to enable sideloading

I was under the impression that sideloading using a developer certificate would disable itself after a month, and Microsoft had ways to detect "fraudulent use of a developer license" as a sideloading method. What other method of sideloading were you talking about? The one that involves buying a 100-seat sideloading license for $3000?

Samsung is the biggest investment competitor to Intel in the chip market, right? [ http://tinyurl.com/samsungintel ] What does Apple need Intel for, give the guys at Samsung a call. What could go wrong?

Apple and Samsung are getting along so well these days... I'm sure the thought to buy chips from Samsung crossed a few minds at Apple.... NOT!

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/07/net-us-apple-samsung-supply-idUSBRE88603A20120907

http://www.zdnet.com/samsung-to-stop-providing-lcds-to-apple-7000006182/

Never underestimate the power of *cheap*!

Android is as cheap as it ever going to be ($zero.) Is MS going to pay OEMs for using their Win8?

Windows RT is going to cost an estimated $85 per copy to your average OEM. A Windows 8 Professional license on x86 will be considerably more. [link]

I can buy a whole tablet now for $99 or even less, and - imagine that - the hardware is included in the price!

Google can release Android for free because it is not the product, it's the grease in the data mining machine that Google runs. The daily bread does not come from Android OEMs, it comes from billions of ad clicks and other services. But MS cannot do that, they are a software house and they can't give their software away. As result they will not be able to compete. I cannot imagine why they even entered this market - this is a race to the bottom, and the software is already comfortably sitting at that bottom.

If I were MS I would be porting MS own products to Android and iOS. That's where MS's wares are viable. MS Office for Android - the true office - would be a killer application. Days of Windows are numbered, and while Windows will bring many more millions of dollars in revenue, its end is visible. Tablets are running on free software already. What's the point of even going there?

How many developers could there be in only a few hours? http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-delivers-windows-phone-8-software-development-kit-7000006631/

It's a misunderstanding/intentional mis-reading of the actual announcement. What he means to say is that the only way to install Metro apps will be through the app store; you can't just get them from websites and install them. Microsoft themselves announced this over a year ago, as referenced here http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/windows-8-app-store-will-be-the-only-source-of-metro-apps/14873.

As far as I can tell, non-metro apps (that is, regular old programs) will still be available by whatever means you prefer.

Good luck finding a laptop that doesn't have Windows installed on it.

Well gee, that one wasn't too hard. /sarcasm
Try this one. If that list is a little too complicated to follow, then try ZDnet's top five vendors (desktop a& laptop) from last year.
And of course you can always take pride from the DIY route.
Seriously, do you even care about sticking it to the man? It just seems to me like you're just being lazy.

... the decline in rare earth supply will cause companies to innovate, and they'll find ways to not use rare earths. Like... well.... like this Hitachi motor without rare earth metals: http://www.zdnet.com/hitachi-introduces-motor-without-rare-earth-2062304468/

http://www.zdnet.com/writing-business-apps-for-microsofts-windows-8-developers-weigh-in-7000003241/

I'll get this in before the hundreds of "omg don't want" posts. Windows 8 is significantly different from previous versions, not just for the interface which takes some initial getting used to (although many, predictably, end up warming to it - http://www.zdnet.com/dont-hate-windows-8-7000006297/).

Nope, this Windows is the first release that presumes/pre-empts that you, the user, will do your computing across multiple devices and that you don't want to have to worry about your data & user experience being tied to any one device.

Want to see it in action? Log into Win8 with an MS account on any machine - your apps, data, settings, everything will magically appear (assuming you've allowed it) even if the machine has never heard of you before (and again, assuming this isn't locked down). Load Office 2013 - again, your files & data appear as if you created them on that very machine, all completely seamlessly. All the apps & social integration stuff also follows you wherever you go - the idea being you wouldn't know you were on a new/different device - again all seamlessly streamed from whatever sources of social networking you have setup. That's huge; it effectively eliminates the concept of local file-systems for user data. Everything is transparently in the cloud and just works, as it should be. This is the first Windows to be built from day 0 on this basis.

Now, for people that don't like metro because they don't have touch? The answer is simple - don't use metro-style apps if you don't like them. Your old desktop works just as well (although it doesn't have the same level of cloud syncing) and all the apps you had on Win7 will work just the same way. If a killer game/app comes out in metro-style, guess what, you have the option to run that too. It would be like Mac OS users being able to natively load iOS apps if they wanted - the choice to be able to is good.

Not to mention the benefits for developers having a single & consistent API set to target every form-factor from multi-CPU gaming monster to WinRT/ARM tablet, and that's before we mention WP8 being as it is the same kernel. That's a benefit for users too; pick up any modern MS powered device from Xbox to tablet to desktop PC and the user will be in a familiar UI.

Also, keyboard shortcuts make up for any lack of touch. WinKey + X brings up the power-user menu; WinKey + C brings up the right-swipe bar; there's absolutely loads to help mouse/keyboard users feel at home, but there is a learning curve and from what I've seen from feedback, this is the most objectionable thing. People don't like change; bears have also been know to take dumps in the woods, life goes on.

Are you happy on Win7? Good for you; if you are on Win7 & have no other devices or intention of sharing data on anything but your trusty desktop, then frankly the benefits of Win8 are lesser.. There's a new & vastly improved task manager; Win8 is faster in almost all metrics, and there are some nice desktop GUI enhancements that you'd likely appreciate, however the face of IT is changing to one where it will be rare to have just the one computer, and Windows 8 has that front & center of the design.

One day your average IT worker will find the idea of saving personal data directly to a device actually most amusing I suspect, and the shift in thinking has already started.

There you go; that's my take on the best of Win8. I don't expect many here to appreciate it as I do but there's some real benefits in Win8, despite that being an unpopular opinion in the group-think echo chamber that Slashdot can be sometimes. Now lets return to the flaming.

First mention of patent exhaustion I've seen in this thread at my threshold.

I believe what happened was Apple bought Qualcomm's chipset to implement wireless and Samsung had an agreement with Qualcomm regarding the licensing of those chips. Samsung basically changed the agreement so that Apple was not properly licensed like every other company which used those chips.

Broadcom broke down and released open-source drivers for Linux back in Sept. of 2010. See LWN. They then joined the Linux Foundation in early 2011 (reference).

Their reputation for being open-source-hostile is well-deserved, but not entirely up-to-date. I can understand why people continue to avoid them, but it may not be strictly necessary any more. I haven't researched how well their open-source drivers work, because I haven't needed to in the brief period of time that it's been an option, so that may or may not be a factor as well.

Fine... Innovate. That is good. But how do we decide when an "innovation" is good or bad. If Microsoft would agree to support Windows 7 (older style) next to Windows 8 (the "innovation) and let the market decide which one won, then I would say you have a point. But, Microsoft is going to try to phase out Windows 7 (like they did to Windows XP) even if people prefer Windows 7 (and XP) over Windows 8. Innovation is good when you can choose whether to use that innovation and let it live or die on its merits. It sucks when it is forced on you (regardless of whether it is good or bad).

Lets put that phasing out in a bit of perspective.

Microsoft is falling just short of sainthood with their approach to phasing out XP which is 11 years old. I haven't seen or heard any plans to phase out W7 anytime soon, another 7+ years maybe. It makes sense to me that corps (any...all) will eventually stop supporting older versions of thier stuff.

Disclaimer: I'm not a MS fanboi, in fact I use primarily use windows (XP and 7) for gaming. The "sun" in my account name is derived from Sun Microsystems (no jokes, please), for which I spent most of my 20+ years in IT using and supporting.

It was supposed to remove load from the CPU, but every benchmark showed it added CPU load.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/just-how-much-extra-system-resources-does-vista-aero-ui-take/107

Got something capable of reading NFC tags? Get an NFC tag and program it to turn bluetooth off and on like a switch without having to manually do it?

Are you sure that's safer? http://www.zdnet.com/exploit-beamed-via-nfc-to-hack-samsung-galaxy-s3-android-4-0-4-7000004510/

Phone/Tablet can't read NFC tags - why would you even consider purchasing them?

Because I have no NFC tags to read?

http://www.zdnet.com/office-2013-on-windows-rt-business-as-usual-7000003594/

Don't forget that the Office license is only a student one. You need to spend more money if you want to use it to do office work. Blankenberg and most reviews never mention this fact.
"What this means is users who purchase Office 365 ProPlus, Office 65 Small Business Premium, Office Midsize Business or Office 365 Enterprise -- i.e., one of the "New Office" deliverables coming in November; Office Standard/Professional Plus 2013; or have a volume licensing contract with Microsoft with commercial-use license coverage are able to use Office Home & Student 2013 RT devices at work with no problem."
http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-office-for-windows-rt-how-to-move-to-a-commercial-use-license-7000005893/

I'm not trying to troll here, but the fact is that NFC was largely busted almost before it came off the shelf

NFC itself is fine, all the published attacks have been against the infrastructure that makes use of it.

http://www.zdnet.com/exploit-beamed-via-nfc-to-hack-samsung-galaxy-s3-android-4-0-4-7000004510/

Wrong again - it seems XNA apps will work on WP8 in a 'legacy' mode.

Source

If you look at the article

http://www.zdnet.com/xna-support-for-windows-phone-8-is-it-there-or-isnt-it-7000001971/

"Managed apps are characteristically written with a XAML page or XNA Framework surface as the app interface, and Visual Basic or C# as the coding language. Existing Windows Phone apps that were written using these techniques are fully compatible with Windows Phone 8 Developer Preview. Game developers who prefer to write managed code still have XNA as an option."

Seems like a resounding yes, doesn't it? But according to developers who've read through the full SDK documentation and files said it's not quite that simple.

XNA is running in "quirks mode" with Windows Phone 8 said some developers. Those who write new games and other Windows Phone apps using XNA will be able to target Windows Phone 7.x devices, but will not be able to target Windows Phone 8-specific programming interfaces. In other words, you can write an app using XNA that will run on Windows Phone 8 because Windows Phone 7.X apps will be able to run on Windows Phone 8. But you cannot write a Windows Phone 8-specific app using XNA, developers said.

Chris Walsh, a Windows Phone developer of "Walshied" phone fame, explained the situation via Twitter this way: "XNA apps are run in a isolated mode, don't get access to new (WP8) features, but get full use of the hardware."

XNA apps will not run

Wrong again - it seems XNA apps will work on WP8 in a 'legacy' mode.

Source

Even better, from Microsoft directly:

today’s Windows Phone applications and games will run on the next major version of Windows Phone

You are a dick; in future please try googling for something before spouting off. Even the UK has a petaflop for weather. http://www.zdnet.com/met-office-buys-ibm-petaflop-supercomputer-3039457156/

It's a little more actively blocked than that:

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/facebook-blocks-google-chrome-extension-for-exporting-friends/1935

The value that facebook and twitter bring to the advertising table is the network graph of user relationships. They actively block Google from getting this information, and as a result, the information Google has on the network relationships from its Google+ product is better information in terms of better representing the connectivity between people, and therefore social relevance.

If Facebook and Twitter quit blocking the connectivity information, then it's likely the rankings would be Facebook -> Twitter -> Google+, when comparing those networks bulk of data.

The real issue is that they feared people taking the network information, and exporting their information to other networks; be aware that the blocking Facebook does is also effective against Twitter importing network information from Facebook as well.

If the graph data were portable, then graph data hosting would be a commodity, and the user value proposition would exist only in the ability to utilize that graph data on behalf of the user. The advertising is a value proposition for the effective use of graph data by advertisers, not the users about whom the data has been collected.

What this means in reality is that these services generally perceive themselves as having little value beyond their network connectivity graphs, and that they are strongly fighting against the commoditization of the graph data because of this.

Effectively, they are admitting that users get little value from this data from the data hosting provider, that can't just as easily be obtained elsewhere - and probably better at the elsewhere, since as long as the data is proprietary, the hosting company can concentrate on the needs of advertisers rather than users, which is where their revenue base lies.

Windows 8 is far more powerful than windows 7, and runs twice as fast.

According to who? All the benchmarks I've seen indicate that Windows 8 actually runs the same as Windows 7, or sometimes even slower. It boots faster, but then again, that's hardly terribly important unless you boot your machine a dozen times a day.

See e.g. http://www.zdnet.com/windows-8-vs-windows-7-benchmarked-7000002671/

It is also much harder to pirate, and this point more than anything else has the Linux crowd in a panic.

Why would they panic over that? What relevance does that have to Linux or why would Linux-users care?

Linux will have to find a way to work under Windows 8 from here on, since it wont be able to rely on Windows 7 being readily available anymore.

Huh? Linux doesn't use Windows for anything, so why would this have any relevancy either?

Linux may seem like a good alternative to Office

Linux is an OS, Office is an application. The proper comparison would be e.g. LibreOffice vs. Office.

It still needs the drivers and software services in order to run, and in most cases - that happens WITHOUT a valid windows licence.

I have no idea where you've gotten that idea. Linux doesn't use Windows, Linux doesn't use Windows-drivers, Linux doesn't use Windows-services, and Linux works just fine on a computer without Windows on it at all.

Anyone that supports the continuation of Windows 7 in place of Windows 8 surely has a hidden agenda .. and you will surely be caught out.

Atleast in my case the agenda is simple: Windows 8 doesn't do anything that I can't already do with Windows 7 and therefore I can just keep using Windows 7 and save the money.

with Android you have the source code and support for almost all available hardware; You are allowed to change the interface and a number of companies have already done son. Also you are allowed to add any applications you want of your own. This makes it impossible to differentiate your phone from other ones

With Windows; there is a small set of limited standard hardware; There is no support for proper cameras which is why PureView had to be crippled to work on it. The interface is controlled by Microsoft and is pretty much the same commodity system on all phones. The apps are forced to a secondary role by Microsoft controlled "hubs" which limit the possibilities for presenting data. All of this adds up to an operating system where Nokia has excellent opportunities to differentiate.

Based on their inability to differentiate using Android, Nokia were wise to go with Microsoft, where not only will they have to compete with the same much cheaper "Korean and Chinese manufacturers" (who seem to be actually getting MS backing to release ahead of Nokia) but they will also have to compete with Microsoft a company which sees its self as devices company.

' Really; that's basically what you are saying. Astounding.