Or RequestPolicy which is an easy-to-use plugin that shows you the sites the site you're currently browsing wants to contact. Once you've whitelisted the domains that are really part of the site (eg slashdot.com might have a few elements from slashdot.org) then you can leave the rest safely blocked. And unless you ever visit statcounter.com or similar, they'll never get to see your cookies.
except Microsoft (who'd have thought!) is embracing the 'app as a mini-browser' with Windows 8 and it's html+js GUI based model.
I know a few mobile apps are practically browsers - the data seems to be pulled from the server all the time (ie plenty of 'loading...' forms are shown).
except Microsoft does take them seriously.. So if the US government asked for data from your Azure cloud server, and that server happened to be located in a EU datacentre, then Microsoft would hand it over.
So regardless of what you think should happen, some homeland-patriot-nutcase-of-america will end up reading your stuff. Get used to it, or don't store your stuff with Microsoft (or any other US based company).
and what about the shrink-wrapped items from, say Sony that might contain a rootkit or a trojan? (has been known to happen, the master gets accidentally infected, and all copies are a nice surprise for the legitimate purchaser)
Effectively, you're saying you want to give up buying anything and go live in a cave drinking only pure rainwater that you distilled yourself. (hell, you can't even trust the food you buy from the stores nowadays!)
Seriously, the problem is with the crappy OS that treats data as if it was something to execute. The drive for 'usability' and 'integration' has obviously gotten screwed up along the way to the point where we're better off not having these features. That's not my idea of progress.
ok, but "back-end" doesn't have to mean a remote server (or cloud) system. It can be locally installed, the important distinction is keeping the GUI and the business logic separate, and not munged together like the worst 'monolithic' GUI apps Windows used to be famous for.
or.. as I think we should be thinking: if you want a GUI, make it web GUI but connect it to a back-end native server. Best of both worlds *and* you can hire someone cheap to write the web GUI who will actually enjoy doing it (the deluded fools:) )
they go to sleep, and wake up when its time to record something.
My lovely Topfield box does this quite happily, sends itself into a low-ish power (8W) state most of the time when its not being actively used. When it wakes up, it runs at 25W (apparently). However, even when running it will put the drive to sleep after a while, which can be slightly annoying when you click the button to view the recordings and it takes a couple of seconds to spin it up. I can live with that.
8W in standby can be further reduced by turning off the pass-through mode though, so its still not so bad.
I think the problem is that many of the cheapo PVRs don't do this kind of thing and run, even in standby, with a large power consumption.
I think you've being a little harsh, there isn't much in the way of hardware reviews for Linux so these guys doing them provides some service to the community.
And if they'd detected 10% decrease in power consumption, the article would be just as sensationalist, only this time considered good. I never knew about the kernel option, now I do.
every major version change breaks ABI compatibility.
which puts paid to the argument oft-repeated that "FF5 is just a security update", ie it is basically what we would would have called FF 4.1
The version numbering is stupid, decades of established practice with 3 version numbers thrown out. It would have been better if Mozilla had decided to scrap numbers altogether and started calling FF5 FF Panorama or Landscape or something. Or even FF2010 would have been fine, but FF5 is the worst choice as it just confuses everyone (who doesn't spend all their time reading/. of course:) ) while giving no benefit.
for all apps, I worked at a company (a few years back) that embraced the HTA technology MS touted. That was basically web client to back-end processes. It was sold for millions to banks and mortgage brokers and the like, and was scalable and fast. You can't describe it as a 'little meat' product.
I think the most likely candidates not to use this approach are the tiny ones where the overhead in developing a gui and a back-end process shows up, for all others its not a problem.
If you'd read TFA you'd realise that.NET is *not* pervasive throughout the core of Windows. WinDiv doesn't like.NET and the only windows app that is written in.NET (Windows Media Center) doesn't use the GUI bits anyway.
The big reason about running old systems is that they work, the bugs have been found and stomped on. now, sure there's always some churn in rewriting systems when they need to be rewritten due to massive changes in requirements, or too much evolving of the existing codebase having taken place, but that's an entirely different position than having to rewrite just because Microsoft says you have to. New tech always sucks, its in its nature. It takes a while for it to settle down, the 'features' to be found and updates applied to make it work properly. Or we'd obviously still be using.NET 1.0
the other issue about new tech sucking is that, as things stand today, it sucks because it will be too-quickly replaced. Why bother learning Java when.NET is coming out, why bother learning.NET/WPF when Win8 APIs are coming out. You might as well stick with the old reliable ways until you need the new.
Nobody sane wants to develop large applications in fucking native JS and HTML5
this is the bit I don't get. Nobody woudl write any system in HTML5+js. It would be the presentation layer only, and be accessed via nice, easy-to-use APIs that bring the barrier of GUI development down. The meat of the app would be written in C++ or C#.
The only reason I can think of that people think that HTML+js is the language to use for the entire system is because that's the way they code everything else - traditional Windows developers in other words, who create huge, bloated, monolithic desktop apps. the kind of guys who'd write everything in VB rather than write the GUI in one system and the rest of the business-layer code in another, more suitable one.
Microsoft knows people want much easier GUI development systems, that non-developers can write. So far that's HTML5+js, and perhaps that's what's scaring the.NET devs - they see their 'tech expert' position being undermined as it is opened up and made easier.
Why would I give up my managed environment and want to worry about de-constructors and managing resources
spoken like a true.NET weener. You *still* have to worry about resource management, only now you have to slap Dispose() and using calls all over the place and basically manage them manually.
Memory migth be cheap (but using all of it makes your app slow) but other resources are not, and those still have to be managed. GC doesn't do it for you. You should look into RAII and see what you're missing for "automatic" resource management.
Elop is an idiot because he certainly is favoring the interests of his former employer over the interests of his current one.
there you go, fixed that:)
The idea that going Android would have made Nokia into a 'me-too' re-branding phone company, but going with WP7 somehow makes them unique is an interesting concept. Unless Microsoft gives Nokia special privileges, whereupon they kill all the their other existing phone partners. Not that those partners will care too much, having sold so pathetically few WP7 phones.
Really? I thought it was still in beta. Well, I never.. who'd have thought it. Who'd have F****** told me, I didn't expect a release for ages.
In fact, this version number is pants, I've just decided. I have been indoctrinated to expect 4.1 release sometime soon, but now it's jumping to 5, I'm left thinking something's missing.
I understand FF5 is FF4.1, but still... it don't feel right.
true, and its only going to get worse untl the public, industry, judiciary and executive give a particular "finger gesture" to software patents, and especially broad ones like this.
except that he still is the 'man' behind Microsoft - even when Ballmer dropped a huge clanger, $8.5 billion sized clanger, Bill stepped in and said it was his idea, and that made things OK and saved Ballmer's ass.
Ballmer would make a funnier icon though, I'd vote for the 'developer' dance version.
Slashdot Mirror
Or RequestPolicy which is an easy-to-use plugin that shows you the sites the site you're currently browsing wants to contact. Once you've whitelisted the domains that are really part of the site (eg slashdot.com might have a few elements from slashdot.org) then you can leave the rest safely blocked. And unless you ever visit statcounter.com or similar, they'll never get to see your cookies.
he's describing the basic model of Windows - it's not quite ready now but it'll be great in the next version when yoyu've bought the upgrade.
Also, performance is ok, but in the next round of hardware refreshes, PCs will become powerful enough to run the software well.
well, you know what they say: "Make it work, Make it right, Make it fast".
except Microsoft (who'd have thought!) is embracing the 'app as a mini-browser' with Windows 8 and it's html+js GUI based model.
I know a few mobile apps are practically browsers - the data seems to be pulled from the server all the time (ie plenty of 'loading...' forms are shown).
well, lets hope so :)
except Microsoft does take them seriously.. So if the US government asked for data from your Azure cloud server, and that server happened to be located in a EU datacentre, then Microsoft would hand it over.
So regardless of what you think should happen, some homeland-patriot-nutcase-of-america will end up reading your stuff. Get used to it, or don't store your stuff with Microsoft (or any other US based company).
and what about the shrink-wrapped items from, say Sony that might contain a rootkit or a trojan? (has been known to happen, the master gets accidentally infected, and all copies are a nice surprise for the legitimate purchaser)
Effectively, you're saying you want to give up buying anything and go live in a cave drinking only pure rainwater that you distilled yourself. (hell, you can't even trust the food you buy from the stores nowadays!)
Seriously, the problem is with the crappy OS that treats data as if it was something to execute. The drive for 'usability' and 'integration' has obviously gotten screwed up along the way to the point where we're better off not having these features. That's not my idea of progress.
ok, but "back-end" doesn't have to mean a remote server (or cloud) system. It can be locally installed, the important distinction is keeping the GUI and the business logic separate, and not munged together like the worst 'monolithic' GUI apps Windows used to be famous for.
or.. as I think we should be thinking: if you want a GUI, make it web GUI but connect it to a back-end native server. Best of both worlds *and* you can hire someone cheap to write the web GUI who will actually enjoy doing it (the deluded fools :) )
they go to sleep, and wake up when its time to record something.
My lovely Topfield box does this quite happily, sends itself into a low-ish power (8W) state most of the time when its not being actively used. When it wakes up, it runs at 25W (apparently). However, even when running it will put the drive to sleep after a while, which can be slightly annoying when you click the button to view the recordings and it takes a couple of seconds to spin it up. I can live with that.
8W in standby can be further reduced by turning off the pass-through mode though, so its still not so bad.
I think the problem is that many of the cheapo PVRs don't do this kind of thing and run, even in standby, with a large power consumption.
I think you've being a little harsh, there isn't much in the way of hardware reviews for Linux so these guys doing them provides some service to the community.
And if they'd detected 10% decrease in power consumption, the article would be just as sensationalist, only this time considered good. I never knew about the kernel option, now I do.
ooch, that sounds like greed. If you pay for something, you don;t expect to be milked for more. What next? in-game adverts?
If the game was free, then there might be a case for in-game purchases.
every major version change breaks ABI compatibility.
which puts paid to the argument oft-repeated that "FF5 is just a security update", ie it is basically what we would would have called FF 4.1
The version numbering is stupid, decades of established practice with 3 version numbers thrown out. It would have been better if Mozilla had decided to scrap numbers altogether and started calling FF5 FF Panorama or Landscape or something. Or even FF2010 would have been fine, but FF5 is the worst choice as it just confuses everyone (who doesn't spend all their time reading /. of course :) ) while giving no benefit.
for all apps, I worked at a company (a few years back) that embraced the HTA technology MS touted. That was basically web client to back-end processes. It was sold for millions to banks and mortgage brokers and the like, and was scalable and fast. You can't describe it as a 'little meat' product.
I think the most likely candidates not to use this approach are the tiny ones where the overhead in developing a gui and a back-end process shows up, for all others its not a problem.
If you'd read TFA you'd realise that .NET is *not* pervasive throughout the core of Windows. WinDiv doesn't like .NET and the only windows app that is written in.NET (Windows Media Center) doesn't use the GUI bits anyway.
The big reason about running old systems is that they work, the bugs have been found and stomped on. now, sure there's always some churn in rewriting systems when they need to be rewritten due to massive changes in requirements, or too much evolving of the existing codebase having taken place, but that's an entirely different position than having to rewrite just because Microsoft says you have to. New tech always sucks, its in its nature. It takes a while for it to settle down, the 'features' to be found and updates applied to make it work properly. Or we'd obviously still be using .NET 1.0
the other issue about new tech sucking is that, as things stand today, it sucks because it will be too-quickly replaced. Why bother learning Java when .NET is coming out, why bother learning .NET/WPF when Win8 APIs are coming out. You might as well stick with the old reliable ways until you need the new.
Nobody sane wants to develop large applications in fucking native JS and HTML5
this is the bit I don't get. Nobody woudl write any system in HTML5+js. It would be the presentation layer only, and be accessed via nice, easy-to-use APIs that bring the barrier of GUI development down. The meat of the app would be written in C++ or C#.
The only reason I can think of that people think that HTML+js is the language to use for the entire system is because that's the way they code everything else - traditional Windows developers in other words, who create huge, bloated, monolithic desktop apps. the kind of guys who'd write everything in VB rather than write the GUI in one system and the rest of the business-layer code in another, more suitable one.
Microsoft knows people want much easier GUI development systems, that non-developers can write. So far that's HTML5+js, and perhaps that's what's scaring the .NET devs - they see their 'tech expert' position being undermined as it is opened up and made easier.
yeah, but C# is. I guess that 'promise not to fork it'' line already got broken :)
Why would I give up my managed environment and want to worry about de-constructors and managing resources
spoken like a true .NET weener. You *still* have to worry about resource management, only now you have to slap Dispose() and using calls all over the place and basically manage them manually.
Memory migth be cheap (but using all of it makes your app slow) but other resources are not, and those still have to be managed. GC doesn't do it for you. You should look into RAII and see what you're missing for "automatic" resource management.
Elop is an idiot because he certainly is favoring the interests of his former employer over the interests of his current one.
there you go, fixed that :)
The idea that going Android would have made Nokia into a 'me-too' re-branding phone company, but going with WP7 somehow makes them unique is an interesting concept. Unless Microsoft gives Nokia special privileges, whereupon they kill all the their other existing phone partners. Not that those partners will care too much, having sold so pathetically few WP7 phones.
Really? I thought it was still in beta. Well, I never.. who'd have thought it. Who'd have F****** told me, I didn't expect a release for ages.
In fact, this version number is pants, I've just decided. I have been indoctrinated to expect 4.1 release sometime soon, but now it's jumping to 5, I'm left thinking something's missing.
I understand FF5 is FF4.1, but still... it don't feel right.
true, and its only going to get worse untl the public, industry, judiciary and executive give a particular "finger gesture" to software patents, and especially broad ones like this.
*all* languages have such flawed features. The problem with the FQA is that is exaggerates them to the point of untruthfulness.
I wonder if someone would like to come up with a FQA for your favoured language, you know it can be done with the same level of inventiveness.
The only real killer app on the www these days for silverlight is video
that'll be why Youtube uses it, right? Perhaps its not so much a killer feature after all, could be that's why they're killing it off.
except that he still is the 'man' behind Microsoft - even when Ballmer dropped a huge clanger, $8.5 billion sized clanger, Bill stepped in and said it was his idea, and that made things OK and saved Ballmer's ass.
Ballmer would make a funnier icon though, I'd vote for the 'developer' dance version.
Has this ever happened to Perl, Python, PHP, or Ruby developers?.
YES!
Microsoft dropped support for both IronRuby and IronPython.
oh wait, that's not what you meant is it....