Throwing software engineers at the problem is not the solution. Longhorn is delayed because of ambitous plans, true, but that does not mean there are a lack of software engineers and an unwillingness to hire them. Projects of this scale have to be managed, divided and conquered, and most importantly planned. The Windows organization within Microsoft is large enough. You can't just throw more "jobs" at the problem. And, Microsoft is constantly hiring and has unfilled positions throughout the company they are trying to fill. You make it sound like they are outsourcing everything and hiring no one and that's why Longhorn is getting some features cut.
That image doesn't look very skinned to me. It appears the colors have changed, and perhaps some minor UI elements have changed, but I can't really tell. It really just looks like Longhorn with different colors to me. Perhaps the skin is just very similar and I'd have to compare side by side. I couldn't find any details on how and what they did in the article.
Sony's controllers aren't standard either. Just because Microsoft chose a design similar to USB doesn't mean they should use USB. The industry standard for consoles is to have proprietary components. Why not bitch that Sony didn't use USB controllers?
I don't know why some people are hostile to this. The articles are a bit skewed, but think of it in this way: Microsoft is providing a toolkit to modify their applications to do what the user wants them to do (in a limited case that applies to the one scenario that's a pain point now). How is that different than open source on a limited bases. If I spoke Romansh for example and wanted Linux in my language, I could do it. I get a copy of Linux, and translate it. Now I can do the same with Windows. Create an interface pack that people can use to make their English application Romansh for example. And this can open the door for more customization in the future. I see this as a good thing.
"In addition, Microsoft is making available an additional "client update" for customers on the Microsoft Download Center. This additional update does not contain new fixes or functionality, but is instead an additional offering of the update that provides an alternative for customers. More information on the client update is available in the Security Update Information section."
They re-issued the bulletin to upgrade the security rating to "critical" due to new information. See here:
"Subsequent to the release of this bulletin, it was determined that this vulnerability could also affect users who do not have the "Outlook Today" folder home page as their default home page in Outlook 2002. As a result, Microsoft has re-released this bulletin with a new severity rating of "critical" to reflect the expanded attack vector. The update released with the original version of this security bulletin is effective in protecting from the vulnerability and users who have applied the update or have installed Office XP Service Pack 3 do not need to take additional action. "
For professional users of graphics applications, I concede that the Tablet's stylus is not as applicable. For students taking notes in class, it's a far better form factor than having a full laptop and attached tablet. When the grandparent mentioned school, I assumed US University (possibly incorrectly I admit) where the "desks" in lecture halls will fit the tablet, but not laptop, leaving the student with a strange ergonomic layout at best. I know in Poland and most of Europe lecture halls have bigger, friendlier desks. Highschool is another ball of wax, which I didn't even consider part of the discussion.
The handwriting recognition functions on most models works OK, but it's not perfect, and is very prone to errors when you're writing fast. It just can't keep up with most peoples normal writing speed. Added to this fact that most college profs are notorious for testing the endurance of students wrists with the sheer speed at which they throw out information at you. You'll either end up with a garbled mess of notes at the end of class you have to decipher, or you miss half the lecture correcting your mistakes as you go.
I would recommend using Journal, which ships free with the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition or the very excellent OneNote (on which there are many deals so it's inexpensive). Notes are taken in your handwritting, with no slowdown from the recognizer. Handwriting to text indexing is done so that you can search through your handwritten notes.
And yes, the drawing figures aspect would give it an advantage over a normal laptop, but this is a seperate application on all the tablet PC's I've seen so far. In other words, if you want to suddenly copy down that NaCl diagram the biology prof just put up on the slide, you're going to have to tap somewhere else on the screen to switch to the drawing app, quickly draw your figure, then swap back to your text writing app. Do that about 10 times a lecture while the prof is getting all excited about what he's talking about and is moving to Lecture Warp 5.
In Journal and OneNote diagrams can be inserted inline. It's freeform. You can doodle where you want, write text where you want, and make nice diagrams where you want. Just like a notebook. If you wish, you can then copy paste the text to email (and have it recognized then), copy paste the diagrams elsewhere (say to email your prof. asking clarification on a specific part, etc). No switching back and forth.
Then there's what to do with it after the notetaking is done. The notetaking app can port into Word, and the drawing app can be saved as JPG's or whatever. So you either just have to study your notes on the tablet itself, swapping back and forth between apps, opening and closing various files for different days/weeks notes, or you have to work to combine both sources into one file and print them out.
Moot point; see previous points above.
It's here and usable. The biggest problem we face is educating users of the possible scenarios today and keeping them from making blanket statements like "reco is too slow; not good enough; I can type faster; I can use a pen." I use my Tablet every day to good purpose. I don't write my code on it. I don't write lengthy Word documents on it. I take notes in OneNote, copy paste text to emails, search my notebooks for a meeting three months ago, paste drawings into email, etc. Not to mention it's nice to use Visio with a pen.
Disclaimer: I work for Microsoft in their Tablet PC group
An external Wacom tablet connected to a laptop doesn't come close to the user experience of being able to flip the screen down and ink right on your diagram, note taking application, Photoshop image, or what have you. On your lap, in the classroom, meeting room, or stuck in coach behind a reclined seat.
You speak from experience? Tablets are far more than just "Handwriting" by which I take you to mean handwriting recognition. There are a lot more scenarios where ink fits better than typing. For example, taking notes in class. It's more intuitive, you can move diagrams around, add text (which is indexed in the background for running searches on your notes), annotate powerpoint slides as the lecturer goes through them (and again, search them), use programs like Photoshop or Visio more naturally, and more. People will never write as fast as they can type, so that's an unfair comparison. But doing diagrams in Word or using a touchpad in Visio is much slower than inking, and less natural. The only real point you make above is that they cost more, which is true, but to say they deliver nothing for the primium in price is to miss the real benefits of inking on a screen.
They are not touchscreens. They are not pressure sensitive. It would be difficult to determine the location of the stylus tip when the user is resting his hand on the screen as well. They have digitizers. The screens seem no worse than common LCDs, and I have used about six different models.
Point of Sale -- that's all
on
SCOoby Snacks
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· Score: 1
It is just me, or does it seem like most of their case studies are POS systems of the earlier 90s?
1) Someone starts signing up for porn, triggers email signup script 2) Get image from email signup 3) Display image on porn signup page 4) Validate response with email signup 5) If incorrect, go back to step 2 6) Profit!
The most important part about patching is that you have to do it. If something goes wrong, the vendor can blame you. You don't pay your virus scanner tax? Your fault. You don't pay for personal firewalling software? Again your fault. You don't apply that multi-megabyte security upgrade? Of course, it's your fault.
Yes, that's exactly how it works. In all sorts of markets. If SSH has a vulnerability, and you don't patch it and get compromised, it's *your* fault. If SQL server has a vulnerability, and you don't patch it and get compromised, it's *your* fault. If your car starts leaking oil, and you don't take it in for service and break down, it's *your* fault. The manufacturer can only provide the solution, the user must do his part too.
Sure, we can argue back and forth that different vedors make different quality products some with more vulnerabilities than others, but if it's a known problem and there is a patch available, the vendor has done his part.
I am not talking about vulnerabilites the vendor knew about but did nothing about. That's the vendors fault.
IWC watches are the most beautiful and mechanically stunning watches I've ever seen. Anyone serious about getting a watch that will last and makes a statement and is going to spend the $2k plus on a Rolex or something should check them out first. Not that they are cheaper, but they start at $1.2k I think going up to $250k.
The problem is the distribution channel. Joe Sixpack will probably buy his machine from Dell, or HP and it'll come preinstalled with Windows. What need does he have to install Linux to do the same things he already can do. He's not administering a server, or coding, he's playing games, reading email, and browsing the web. I must admit, despite Linux having advantages over XP, they are not in those areas. XP is pretty good at doing Joe Sixpack type things.
Re:Stuck with Windows?
on
PC Annoyances
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· Score: 1
Some of us work for a company writing software for Windows because that's the most profitable platform to write for these days. I *could* use Linux, but it would be more trouble than just learning to deal with the annoyances.
Give it two more weeks, and you will never really be watching "Live TV" anymore. That's the typical TiVo break in cycle (where the TiVo breaks you in to get used to not being chained anymore).
I feel that the best way to solve the current problem as we see it (inappropriate patents getting too much of a lifetime) is this:
1) Have a better peer review process to weed out patents which are obvious. Improve the prior art search. Perhaps allow interested parties to register as reviewers after some qualification process, perhaps by problem domain. Then select reviewers from the industry (some from that domain, some not) at random. That way each registered reviewer gets a few patents a year to check over.
2) Perhaps grant lifetime based on a vote of the reviewers?
Slashdot Mirror
Throwing software engineers at the problem is not the solution. Longhorn is delayed because of ambitous plans, true, but that does not mean there are a lack of software engineers and an unwillingness to hire them. Projects of this scale have to be managed, divided and conquered, and most importantly planned. The Windows organization within Microsoft is large enough. You can't just throw more "jobs" at the problem. And, Microsoft is constantly hiring and has unfilled positions throughout the company they are trying to fill. You make it sound like they are outsourcing everything and hiring no one and that's why Longhorn is getting some features cut.
That image doesn't look very skinned to me. It appears the colors have changed, and perhaps some minor UI elements have changed, but I can't really tell. It really just looks like Longhorn with different colors to me. Perhaps the skin is just very similar and I'd have to compare side by side. I couldn't find any details on how and what they did in the article.
Sony's controllers aren't standard either. Just because Microsoft chose a design similar to USB doesn't mean they should use USB. The industry standard for consoles is to have proprietary components. Why not bitch that Sony didn't use USB controllers?
I don't know why some people are hostile to this. The articles are a bit skewed, but think of it in this way: Microsoft is providing a toolkit to modify their applications to do what the user wants them to do (in a limited case that applies to the one scenario that's a pain point now). How is that different than open source on a limited bases. If I spoke Romansh for example and wanted Linux in my language, I could do it. I get a copy of Linux, and translate it. Now I can do the same with Windows. Create an interface pack that people can use to make their English application Romansh for example. And this can open the door for more customization in the future. I see this as a good thing.
Right! From the microsoft patch site:
"In addition, Microsoft is making available an additional "client update" for customers on the Microsoft Download Center. This additional update does not contain new fixes or functionality, but is instead an additional offering of the update that provides an alternative for customers. More information on the client update is available in the Security Update Information section."
They re-issued the bulletin to upgrade the security rating to "critical" due to new information. See here:
"Subsequent to the release of this bulletin, it was determined that this vulnerability could also affect users who do not have the "Outlook Today" folder home page as their default home page in Outlook 2002. As a result, Microsoft has re-released this bulletin with a new severity rating of "critical" to reflect the expanded attack vector. The update released with the original version of this security bulletin is effective in protecting from the vulnerability and users who have applied the update or have installed Office XP Service Pack 3 do not need to take additional action. "
There's always volume licensing. Or, as some people forget, over the phone activation.
What makes you think that during the years were there is no new release the Windows division generates no revenue?
If it's not, someone will create one.
For professional users of graphics applications, I concede that the Tablet's stylus is not as applicable. For students taking notes in class, it's a far better form factor than having a full laptop and attached tablet. When the grandparent mentioned school, I assumed US University (possibly incorrectly I admit) where the "desks" in lecture halls will fit the tablet, but not laptop, leaving the student with a strange ergonomic layout at best. I know in Poland and most of Europe lecture halls have bigger, friendlier desks. Highschool is another ball of wax, which I didn't even consider part of the discussion.
The handwriting recognition functions on most models works OK, but it's not perfect, and is very prone to errors when you're writing fast. It just can't keep up with most peoples normal writing speed. Added to this fact that most college profs are notorious for testing the endurance of students wrists with the sheer speed at which they throw out information at you. You'll either end up with a garbled mess of notes at the end of class you have to decipher, or you miss half the lecture correcting your mistakes as you go.
I would recommend using Journal, which ships free with the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition or the very excellent OneNote (on which there are many deals so it's inexpensive). Notes are taken in your handwritting, with no slowdown from the recognizer. Handwriting to text indexing is done so that you can search through your handwritten notes.
And yes, the drawing figures aspect would give it an advantage over a normal laptop, but this is a seperate application on all the tablet PC's I've seen so far. In other words, if you want to suddenly copy down that NaCl diagram the biology prof just put up on the slide, you're going to have to tap somewhere else on the screen to switch to the drawing app, quickly draw your figure, then swap back to your text writing app. Do that about 10 times a lecture while the prof is getting all excited about what he's talking about and is moving to Lecture Warp 5.
In Journal and OneNote diagrams can be inserted inline. It's freeform. You can doodle where you want, write text where you want, and make nice diagrams where you want. Just like a notebook. If you wish, you can then copy paste the text to email (and have it recognized then), copy paste the diagrams elsewhere (say to email your prof. asking clarification on a specific part, etc). No switching back and forth.
Then there's what to do with it after the notetaking is done. The notetaking app can port into Word, and the drawing app can be saved as JPG's or whatever. So you either just have to study your notes on the tablet itself, swapping back and forth between apps, opening and closing various files for different days/weeks notes, or you have to work to combine both sources into one file and print them out.
Moot point; see previous points above.
It's here and usable. The biggest problem we face is educating users of the possible scenarios today and keeping them from making blanket statements like "reco is too slow; not good enough; I can type faster; I can use a pen." I use my Tablet every day to good purpose. I don't write my code on it. I don't write lengthy Word documents on it. I take notes in OneNote, copy paste text to emails, search my notebooks for a meeting three months ago, paste drawings into email, etc. Not to mention it's nice to use Visio with a pen.
Disclaimer: I work for Microsoft in their Tablet PC group
An external Wacom tablet connected to a laptop doesn't come close to the user experience of being able to flip the screen down and ink right on your diagram, note taking application, Photoshop image, or what have you. On your lap, in the classroom, meeting room, or stuck in coach behind a reclined seat.
You speak from experience? Tablets are far more than just "Handwriting" by which I take you to mean handwriting recognition. There are a lot more scenarios where ink fits better than typing. For example, taking notes in class. It's more intuitive, you can move diagrams around, add text (which is indexed in the background for running searches on your notes), annotate powerpoint slides as the lecturer goes through them (and again, search them), use programs like Photoshop or Visio more naturally, and more. People will never write as fast as they can type, so that's an unfair comparison. But doing diagrams in Word or using a touchpad in Visio is much slower than inking, and less natural. The only real point you make above is that they cost more, which is true, but to say they deliver nothing for the primium in price is to miss the real benefits of inking on a screen.
They are not touchscreens. They are not pressure sensitive. It would be difficult to determine the location of the stylus tip when the user is resting his hand on the screen as well. They have digitizers. The screens seem no worse than common LCDs, and I have used about six different models.
It is just me, or does it seem like most of their case studies are POS systems of the earlier 90s?
Or you could do this:
1) Someone starts signing up for porn, triggers email signup script
2) Get image from email signup
3) Display image on porn signup page
4) Validate response with email signup
5) If incorrect, go back to step 2
6) Profit!
I'm guessing because it's a parody and in the Czech Republic.
The most important part about patching is that you have to do it. If something goes wrong, the vendor can blame you. You don't pay your virus scanner tax? Your fault. You don't pay for personal firewalling software? Again your fault. You don't apply that multi-megabyte security upgrade? Of course, it's your fault.
Yes, that's exactly how it works. In all sorts of markets. If SSH has a vulnerability, and you don't patch it and get compromised, it's *your* fault. If SQL server has a vulnerability, and you don't patch it and get compromised, it's *your* fault. If your car starts leaking oil, and you don't take it in for service and break down, it's *your* fault. The manufacturer can only provide the solution, the user must do his part too.
Sure, we can argue back and forth that different vedors make different quality products some with more vulnerabilities than others, but if it's a known problem and there is a patch available, the vendor has done his part.
I am not talking about vulnerabilites the vendor knew about but did nothing about. That's the vendors fault.
Somehow I don't really think the previous SFU price of $99 was really a problem when faced with re-coding even a small sized project.
IWC watches are the most beautiful and mechanically stunning watches I've ever seen. Anyone serious about getting a watch that will last and makes a statement and is going to spend the $2k plus on a Rolex or something should check them out first. Not that they are cheaper, but they start at $1.2k I think going up to $250k.
The problem is the distribution channel. Joe Sixpack will probably buy his machine from Dell, or HP and it'll come preinstalled with Windows. What need does he have to install Linux to do the same things he already can do. He's not administering a server, or coding, he's playing games, reading email, and browsing the web. I must admit, despite Linux having advantages over XP, they are not in those areas. XP is pretty good at doing Joe Sixpack type things.
Some of us work for a company writing software for Windows because that's the most profitable platform to write for these days. I *could* use Linux, but it would be more trouble than just learning to deal with the annoyances.
Give it two more weeks, and you will never really be watching "Live TV" anymore. That's the typical TiVo break in cycle (where the TiVo breaks you in to get used to not being chained anymore).
Like it or not, you must admit that Microsoft is a significant part of the software technology field. Proportionally, they recieve more press.
One hears more about the United States than Tuvalu, for example when discussing world-wide issues.
But Microsoft does not have a monopoly in the virtual PC market. They are not hindering other products, because they can just run natively.
I feel that the best way to solve the current problem as we see it (inappropriate patents getting too much of a lifetime) is this:
1) Have a better peer review process to weed out patents which are obvious. Improve the prior art search. Perhaps allow interested parties to register as reviewers after some qualification process, perhaps by problem domain. Then select reviewers from the industry (some from that domain, some not) at random. That way each registered reviewer gets a few patents a year to check over.
2) Perhaps grant lifetime based on a vote of the reviewers?