I believe they are talking about the software which is already in active development and should in a more useable state next year. If you have a nexus device you could install the developer preview today.
The edge was an attempt to make a phone specifically meant to run this software with great hardware and massive internal storage.
Personally I'd recommend FDroid with Cyanogen Mod. It's an open source repository of android apps. Theres lot's of trustworthy 3rd party repositories you can add to it, and you could even make your own.
Many popular proprietary android apps also offer direct apk downloads from their website. It's actually easier than you might think to survive on android without a google account and google play.
China builds a new coal powerplant every week but I'm ruining the environment because I don't ride my bike to work? It makes me wonder if the motivation for these "anti-carbon" scare tactics is to preserve the steady flow of grant money.
Warning: it's not very good. In fact, I found my phone was orders of magnitude more useful running CyanogenMod.
Assuming the edge sparks development of Ubuntu touch, you'll still be able to install it on your old android phones... so why tie up $800 into a phone that doesn't even exist yet, built for a platform that isn't even close to mature? Also, when exactly did it become ok for these for-profit companies to start exploiting crowd sourcing. I feel like that should be reserved for independent start-ups.
I won't host any of my data, or the data of the companies and individuals I consult and work for, with any company in the United States, and it will take much more than an "irate letter" to gain my trust back.
Server Core is unfortunately pretty useless. Nearly everything of importance needs to be done using a remote server manager GUI, or MMC snap-ins on a desktop which, in my experience, are both slow and buggy. There's also not a snap-in for everything. For example: networking. Doing anything beyond setting the IP address for a network adapter (ie. disabling ipv6) has to all be done in the registry, and basic functionality like creating a PPTP connectoid is simply impossible.
There's many other basic server tasks you can't perform like installing exchange, even though 2010 can be entirely managed from powershell.
In short, Windows is entirely dependent on the GUI.
Exactly this. I think this propaganda campaign has started to confuse itself. The fragmentation in Android has always been due to the various manufacturers creating their own "brands" of android that re-arrange the user interface so that app creators have to make a Samsung version, an HTC version, a stock google version, etc. The differences between the versions are largely trivial and cosmetic but they still exist, and therefore require testing and certification on each platform. It's a pain, but not a huge one.
I don't understand how this fragmentation argument got confused to the newer versions of an operating system not being exactly 100% backwards and frontwards compatible with all older versions. You could apply the same criticism to literally every hardware and software platform ever created.
Microsoft's big reorganization has begun. Rumors had persisted for weeks that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was planning a massive, once-in-a-lifetime reorganization of the company he's been ruining for quite some time.
I run a network that is primarily windows servers (AD, DFS, Exchange, PPTP, etc) and I use a Latitude E6230 docked to 2 external monitors running Ubuntu 12.10 with the unity desktop. I'm the senior sysadmin here and I can do my entire job (more efficiently than on a Win7 desktop I might add) using the hybrid touch/desktop unity interface in Ubuntu.
So I see what MS was trying to do, and it is possible, they just failed. I think the key is to make the desktop and touch versions similar... not identical.
A quick look at the specs show that it's twice as heavy as the TF300T, nearly 3 times the cubic volume, and doesn't transform into a convenient tablet form for things like couch browsing.
Simply re-stating your point in different ways while ignoring mine is not a good way to have an argument. This will be my last response.
The aspire one 722 is the same bulky-ulgy-going-to-be-virus-ridden-and-god-awful-slow type of device she was trying to get away from. I don't know where you got a new one for $230 as they are on amazon for around $420 (the same price we paid for the transformer). Also, I don't typically like to purchase things blind so it would have to be available through a local retailer so I could try it out. A quick look at the specs show that it's twice as heavy as the TF300T, nearly 3 times the cubic volume, and doesn't transform into a convenient tablet form for things like couch browsing.
I appreciate your humble criticism, but I think I'll stick with my recommendation.
My girlfriend recently decided to trade in her old boat anchor of a laptop for a new device. Her budget wasn't high (around $500). She came to me for advice and I had an extraordinarily difficult time finding an affordable, light, and fast x86 device. She also wanted a keyboard and trackpad so we ended up settling on an Asus Transformer TF300T. She couldn't be happier. It can do all the things she's interested in doing (facebook, email, pinterest, skype, etc), its fast, easy to use, and fits in her purse.
I think this is going to be the story going forward for the casual home user. Why buy a bulky laptop or expensive ultrabook? A tablet transformer has a more convenient form factor at all times, and content consumption operating systems like Android are more friendly to the end user.
I don't see high end gaming or content creation devices going this way any time soon, but the days of the casual home use desktop are coming to an end.
Interesting. I watched several demo videos and it seems like a good product.
You seem to be well versed in this. Do you know of any organisations running completely without windows, successfully? For example: a linux domain controller and an assortment of *nix workstations duplicating the functionality of comparable windows domain?
That's interesting. I actually didn't know this. Still a moot point since none of my GPO stuff applies which is half the reason to have a domain in the first place. Interesting none-the-less.
My thoughts exactly. How are worse hangovers supposed to stop alcoholics? AFAIK, prolonged alcohol abuse already can create this enzyme breaking down problem giving alcohol abusers worse hangovers anyways.
This exactly. I wouldn't dream of deploying anything but MS Office to my users. If I did, I'd probably end up in the looney bin cradling my own legs, rocking back and forth, and muttering "compatible... why isn't it compatible?".
MS Office, as well as other critical windows only software, is one of the main things keeping about 20-30% of my IT budget going to Microsoft. If I could add an iPad or macbook to the domain and install outlook on it I'd have a lot of users demanding to work that way; no doubt.
The Gates era of Microsoft was always smart targeting the enterprise user and locking them in by creating IT community partnerships through resellers and the MS partner program. This is why Windows is still ubiquitous in the office. Balmer's retarded... but he's not that retarded.
When considering running a home server there's many more important issues to consider than marginal savings on the power bill vs. hosting monthly charges.
1) Dynamic addressing. This can be overcome with dynamic DNS but requires you to have a bit more sophisticated networking knowledge and equipment.
2) Port blocking. Many ISP's block incoming connections on common ports (usually 1-1024) as both a security measure and as a way of enforcing businesses don't run with residential internet packages.
3) Upstream speeds. Most residential internet packages are geared towards content consumption and therefore have asynchronous connections heavily geared towards download speeds which are relatively useless for hosting content.
4) Disaster recovery. It's difficult to match the disaster recovery of a typical VPS provider in your house. Are you going to have a virtual cluster for hardware failover, dual controller SAN storage and offsite replication? I doubt it.
I'd say the bottom line is: don't try to host anything important at home. Buck up and pay for a service from someone who knows what they are doing.
It's all about apps. Windows phone 8 works well, and I'm sure the Z10 does too, but there's no apps. I demo'd an ATIV S recently and the device was fine but no swype keyboard, google maps, NES/SNES emulator, banking apps, google talk, teamviewer, webex, torrent software, upnp player/server, games, etc, etc. So why would I switch from android to a less functional device?
It's a bit of a conundrum these folks who were late to the party are in. They need a large user base to generate developer interest, while also needing developer interest to generate a large user base. And early reviews of BB10 seem to be demonstrating this exact scenario again (no google maps? really RIM? really?).
The next ground breaking feature for smart phones is going to be Google Now. With the competition still struggling to catch up on core functionality and app support I'm predicting a very healthy future of market domination for Android.
The win8 phones that I've seen are terrible. They are buggy, have weird behaviour, and a ghost town of an app store. My assumption is that BB10 devices will at least share the latter of those problems and I'm tempted to recommend android, but it might be worth it to wait and see.
I'd go the certification path. Going to university or college for IT isn't a terrible idea, but in my experience it's not necessary and probably a waste of money. I've had many co-workers that come out of university and college programs that don't know anything, or worse, memorized how to do something in one particular controlled environment and think they know everything.
IT is about experience, confidence, and skill. If you already think you have good troubleshooting skills then you're well on your way. I'd get some core certifications like CompTIA A+, and CCENT and then look for an entry level job. Consulting companies that provide helpdesk support or managed services for small/medium businesses are a great start. From there you'll build contacts, start to specialize, they'll pay to get your more certs, and before you know it you'll be a lazy sysadmin on someones payroll.
If you've ever used P2P services for, well... anything, you know they are slow and unreliable. Whether it's DNS, VPN, file transfers, or a form of currency. Yet they keep coming out with new useless ways to implement this technology into a service no one will use. I don't get it.
Free market romanticism is hard to swallow when the "market" is dominated by a few large players.
My rationale is, if they want to maintain control of their device, then I shouldn't have to take the responsibility of owning it. They provide their property for my use on their network, and I give it back when my contract is completed... I'll even pay for any wear and tear they determine with their assessment. If it's my property I should be able to do what I like with it.
Ok so my idea of fair doesnt align with theirs? Go somewhere else right? Where? There's only 3 providers in my area and they form ideological cartels on issues like these, because they can. Move to the little guy? He doesn't exist.
The traditional ideals of free markets don't work in the telecom sector because:
a) the core infrastructure is still privatized
b) the capital required to compete in these complex industries is too high
We'd need to appropriate the core infrastructure into the public domain, contract maintenance and expansion, and lease access to any ma and pop startup that wants it. Only then will your free market ideals apply.
Slashdot Mirror
I believe they are talking about the software which is already in active development and should in a more useable state next year. If you have a nexus device you could install the developer preview today.
The edge was an attempt to make a phone specifically meant to run this software with great hardware and massive internal storage.
You can still use android. You just have to use an AOSP implementation without Google Apps. This is the beauty of open source.
Personally I'd recommend FDroid with Cyanogen Mod. It's an open source repository of android apps. Theres lot's of trustworthy 3rd party repositories you can add to it, and you could even make your own.
Many popular proprietary android apps also offer direct apk downloads from their website. It's actually easier than you might think to survive on android without a google account and google play.
I wish I had modpoints for this. Well said.
China builds a new coal powerplant every week but I'm ruining the environment because I don't ride my bike to work? It makes me wonder if the motivation for these "anti-carbon" scare tactics is to preserve the steady flow of grant money.
Want a phone that runs Ubuntu today? Go buy a Nexus 4 for $300, and install the Ubuntu Touch Developer Preview .
Warning: it's not very good. In fact, I found my phone was orders of magnitude more useful running CyanogenMod.
Assuming the edge sparks development of Ubuntu touch, you'll still be able to install it on your old android phones... so why tie up $800 into a phone that doesn't even exist yet, built for a platform that isn't even close to mature? Also, when exactly did it become ok for these for-profit companies to start exploiting crowd sourcing. I feel like that should be reserved for independent start-ups.
I won't host any of my data, or the data of the companies and individuals I consult and work for, with any company in the United States, and it will take much more than an "irate letter" to gain my trust back.
Server Core is unfortunately pretty useless. Nearly everything of importance needs to be done using a remote server manager GUI, or MMC snap-ins on a desktop which, in my experience, are both slow and buggy. There's also not a snap-in for everything. For example: networking. Doing anything beyond setting the IP address for a network adapter (ie. disabling ipv6) has to all be done in the registry, and basic functionality like creating a PPTP connectoid is simply impossible.
There's many other basic server tasks you can't perform like installing exchange, even though 2010 can be entirely managed from powershell.
In short, Windows is entirely dependent on the GUI.
Exactly this. I think this propaganda campaign has started to confuse itself. The fragmentation in Android has always been due to the various manufacturers creating their own "brands" of android that re-arrange the user interface so that app creators have to make a Samsung version, an HTC version, a stock google version, etc. The differences between the versions are largely trivial and cosmetic but they still exist, and therefore require testing and certification on each platform. It's a pain, but not a huge one.
I don't understand how this fragmentation argument got confused to the newer versions of an operating system not being exactly 100% backwards and frontwards compatible with all older versions. You could apply the same criticism to literally every hardware and software platform ever created.
Microsoft's big reorganization has begun. Rumors had persisted for weeks that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was planning a massive, once-in-a-lifetime reorganization of the company he's been ruining for quite some time.
People apparently have nothing better to complain about.
I run a network that is primarily windows servers (AD, DFS, Exchange, PPTP, etc) and I use a Latitude E6230 docked to 2 external monitors running Ubuntu 12.10 with the unity desktop. I'm the senior sysadmin here and I can do my entire job (more efficiently than on a Win7 desktop I might add) using the hybrid touch/desktop unity interface in Ubuntu.
So I see what MS was trying to do, and it is possible, they just failed. I think the key is to make the desktop and touch versions similar... not identical.
A quick look at the specs show that it's twice as heavy as the TF300T, nearly 3 times the cubic volume, and doesn't transform into a convenient tablet form for things like couch browsing.
Simply re-stating your point in different ways while ignoring mine is not a good way to have an argument. This will be my last response.
The aspire one 722 is the same bulky-ulgy-going-to-be-virus-ridden-and-god-awful-slow type of device she was trying to get away from. I don't know where you got a new one for $230 as they are on amazon for around $420 (the same price we paid for the transformer). Also, I don't typically like to purchase things blind so it would have to be available through a local retailer so I could try it out.
A quick look at the specs show that it's twice as heavy as the TF300T, nearly 3 times the cubic volume, and doesn't transform into a convenient tablet form for things like couch browsing.
I appreciate your humble criticism, but I think I'll stick with my recommendation.
My girlfriend recently decided to trade in her old boat anchor of a laptop for a new device. Her budget wasn't high (around $500). She came to me for advice and I had an extraordinarily difficult time finding an affordable, light, and fast x86 device. She also wanted a keyboard and trackpad so we ended up settling on an Asus Transformer TF300T. She couldn't be happier. It can do all the things she's interested in doing (facebook, email, pinterest, skype, etc), its fast, easy to use, and fits in her purse.
I think this is going to be the story going forward for the casual home user. Why buy a bulky laptop or expensive ultrabook? A tablet transformer has a more convenient form factor at all times, and content consumption operating systems like Android are more friendly to the end user.
I don't see high end gaming or content creation devices going this way any time soon, but the days of the casual home use desktop are coming to an end.
Interesting. I watched several demo videos and it seems like a good product.
You seem to be well versed in this. Do you know of any organisations running completely without windows, successfully? For example: a linux domain controller and an assortment of *nix workstations duplicating the functionality of comparable windows domain?
That's interesting. I actually didn't know this. Still a moot point since none of my GPO stuff applies which is half the reason to have a domain in the first place. Interesting none-the-less.
My thoughts exactly. How are worse hangovers supposed to stop alcoholics? AFAIK, prolonged alcohol abuse already can create this enzyme breaking down problem giving alcohol abusers worse hangovers anyways.
This exactly. I wouldn't dream of deploying anything but MS Office to my users. If I did, I'd probably end up in the looney bin cradling my own legs, rocking back and forth, and muttering "compatible... why isn't it compatible?".
MS Office, as well as other critical windows only software, is one of the main things keeping about 20-30% of my IT budget going to Microsoft. If I could add an iPad or macbook to the domain and install outlook on it I'd have a lot of users demanding to work that way; no doubt.
The Gates era of Microsoft was always smart targeting the enterprise user and locking them in by creating IT community partnerships through resellers and the MS partner program. This is why Windows is still ubiquitous in the office. Balmer's retarded... but he's not that retarded.
When considering running a home server there's many more important issues to consider than marginal savings on the power bill vs. hosting monthly charges.
1) Dynamic addressing. This can be overcome with dynamic DNS but requires you to have a bit more sophisticated networking knowledge and equipment.
2) Port blocking. Many ISP's block incoming connections on common ports (usually 1-1024) as both a security measure and as a way of enforcing businesses don't run with residential internet packages.
3) Upstream speeds. Most residential internet packages are geared towards content consumption and therefore have asynchronous connections heavily geared towards download speeds which are relatively useless for hosting content.
4) Disaster recovery. It's difficult to match the disaster recovery of a typical VPS provider in your house. Are you going to have a virtual cluster for hardware failover, dual controller SAN storage and offsite replication? I doubt it.
I'd say the bottom line is: don't try to host anything important at home. Buck up and pay for a service from someone who knows what they are doing.
Does it have CM10 support?
Android is, however, in a good position to take over.
I'm not trying to be a dick or anything, but is there any hiding room available under that rock? It's bright out here.
http://www.tech-thoughts.net/2012/12/smartphone-market-share-trends-by-country.html#.UQrnUh3C3VY
It's all about apps. Windows phone 8 works well, and I'm sure the Z10 does too, but there's no apps. I demo'd an ATIV S recently and the device was fine but no swype keyboard, google maps, NES/SNES emulator, banking apps, google talk, teamviewer, webex, torrent software, upnp player/server, games, etc, etc. So why would I switch from android to a less functional device?
It's a bit of a conundrum these folks who were late to the party are in. They need a large user base to generate developer interest, while also needing developer interest to generate a large user base. And early reviews of BB10 seem to be demonstrating this exact scenario again (no google maps? really RIM? really?).
The next ground breaking feature for smart phones is going to be Google Now. With the competition still struggling to catch up on core functionality and app support I'm predicting a very healthy future of market domination for Android.
The win8 phones that I've seen are terrible. They are buggy, have weird behaviour, and a ghost town of an app store. My assumption is that BB10 devices will at least share the latter of those problems and I'm tempted to recommend android, but it might be worth it to wait and see.
I'd go the certification path. Going to university or college for IT isn't a terrible idea, but in my experience it's not necessary and probably a waste of money. I've had many co-workers that come out of university and college programs that don't know anything, or worse, memorized how to do something in one particular controlled environment and think they know everything.
IT is about experience, confidence, and skill. If you already think you have good troubleshooting skills then you're well on your way. I'd get some core certifications like CompTIA A+, and CCENT and then look for an entry level job. Consulting companies that provide helpdesk support or managed services for small/medium businesses are a great start. From there you'll build contacts, start to specialize, they'll pay to get your more certs, and before you know it you'll be a lazy sysadmin on someones payroll.
If you've ever used P2P services for, well... anything, you know they are slow and unreliable. Whether it's DNS, VPN, file transfers, or a form of currency. Yet they keep coming out with new useless ways to implement this technology into a service no one will use. I don't get it.
Free market romanticism is hard to swallow when the "market" is dominated by a few large players.
My rationale is, if they want to maintain control of their device, then I shouldn't have to take the responsibility of owning it. They provide their property for my use on their network, and I give it back when my contract is completed... I'll even pay for any wear and tear they determine with their assessment. If it's my property I should be able to do what I like with it.
Ok so my idea of fair doesnt align with theirs? Go somewhere else right? Where? There's only 3 providers in my area and they form ideological cartels on issues like these, because they can. Move to the little guy? He doesn't exist.
The traditional ideals of free markets don't work in the telecom sector because:
a) the core infrastructure is still privatized
b) the capital required to compete in these complex industries is too high
We'd need to appropriate the core infrastructure into the public domain, contract maintenance and expansion, and lease access to any ma and pop startup that wants it. Only then will your free market ideals apply.