I know this isn't the main point of the article, but I don't think Google can really claim the largest deployment of Macs. I think Apple's own deployment must be far larger. Per the 2013 annual report, Apple had 80,300 full-time equivalent employees. Then consider the possibility that Apple may outsource a large portion of their customer service, tech support, sales, and other customer-facing (non-retail) workers. Those people might work in remote locations, but would have to be using Macs connected to Apple's corporate network. I think 120,000 Macs would be a conservative estimate for worldwide deployment covering HQ/corporate, Apple Retail, AppleCare, Apple Online Store, iTunes/App Store, plus the staff that serve niche markets like education, enterprise and public sector. So I'm afraid Google can't claim #1. However, I can't think of any other company that could even come close to Google's number, so they're probably secure in the #2 spot. Plus, this number says "Apple devices" so if you include mobile devices, Apple's own number would almost certainly surge past 200,000.
The difference HERE is the monthly savings. If you compare T-Mobile with AT&T for monthly services, you save about $60 at the high end (AT&T's high end plan). So even with $20 monthly installments, you save $40 a month. The 32GB phone is $749USD, so after 18 months, the phone is paid off and you save $60 a month for the last 6 months of the 2 years that would have been a contract with AT&T. By my math, that saves $1,080 over the 2 years.
Comcast Digital Voice is NOT a VoIP service. The voice service is delivered over a completely different frequency range than the internet service, and the cable modems with digital voice are actually two completely separate devices in one box and either service can operate without the other.
I don't know whether Comcast applies QoS to SIP packets sent over their internet connections by customers using Vonage, BroadVoice, or other VoIP services, but no such rules would affect their own voice services.
Need further evidence that they do not use VoIP? Consider that you can purchase voice service from Comcast without internet service. In such a case, the LEDs on the modem would indicate that there was no internet connection, while the phone line LED(s) would show a connection.
In some markets, Comcast offers higher speed tiers (specifically, upload speeds up to 2Mbps). In my Seattle market, that upgrade was $10/mo and there was no charge for the first three months of the upgrade. When I did that upgrade, my SIP calls became more reliable and people no longer told me they couldn't hear me at the other end of the call. (However, the internet speed has no effect on Comcast Digital Voice calls since they aren't sent over the internet connection.) If you use Vonage or another VoIP provider and have problems with call quality over Comcast internet, consider this upgrade. If they still offer the 3 free months, you can try it and see if it helps before you are actually charged for it.
Why is everyone comparing this with Windows?
on
Gimp 1.2.0 Released
·
· Score: 2
Having worked in software, hardware, networking, AND graphic design/layout for many years, I would like to ask one question of those of you who've submitted posts comparing gimp on linux with Photoshop on Windows. Do you know anyone that uses Photoshop on Windows? All the designers I know (myself included) would always use Mac OS (given the choice). While the gimp is a good option, a powerful program, it's not designed for Mac OS. Since professional printers want files submitted on HFS format disks, generated using the AdobePS driver on Mac OS (if this combination is possible), it just makes sense to do it that way. Unless you have personally experienced the headache of trying to create files in Gimp's native format, then export them to tiff, then ftp them to a Mac, then import them into Photoshop-native format, make any necessary corrections, and export them again to.eps (if you use PageMaker, not necessary for InDesign), you'll realize that it's just so much easier to make your file in photoshop and place it into a publication. When gimp makes it to the platform that a majority of graphic designers use (Mac OS), is stable, and has the support of Adobe programs, I would pay as much for it as I pay for Photoshop (which is a lot). I don't see that day coming any sooner than I see Microsoft throwing Windows away, shipping a $200 version of Linux to the OEMs, and porting all their software to Linux. The gimp does, have a distinct advantage over Photoshop in one regard: since thousands of people bootleg Photoshop every day, they have another option where they can give away as many copies as they like without breaking any agreemets!
A few months ago, Maximum Linux magazine had an issue mostly about browsers. It included a CD with every browser you could imagine from Netscape Communicator to Microsoft Internet Explorer (which they claimed would run if you could get WINE to run it). As I recall, the CD also included (probably an earlier version) of the AIM Beta for Linux. I don't think I installed it, but I'm almost sure it was there! I think this has been around a while, but AOL didn't publicize it until now.
Slashdot Mirror
I know this isn't the main point of the article, but I don't think Google can really claim the largest deployment of Macs. I think Apple's own deployment must be far larger. Per the 2013 annual report, Apple had 80,300 full-time equivalent employees. Then consider the possibility that Apple may outsource a large portion of their customer service, tech support, sales, and other customer-facing (non-retail) workers. Those people might work in remote locations, but would have to be using Macs connected to Apple's corporate network. I think 120,000 Macs would be a conservative estimate for worldwide deployment covering HQ/corporate, Apple Retail, AppleCare, Apple Online Store, iTunes/App Store, plus the staff that serve niche markets like education, enterprise and public sector. So I'm afraid Google can't claim #1. However, I can't think of any other company that could even come close to Google's number, so they're probably secure in the #2 spot. Plus, this number says "Apple devices" so if you include mobile devices, Apple's own number would almost certainly surge past 200,000.
The difference HERE is the monthly savings. If you compare T-Mobile with AT&T for monthly services, you save about $60 at the high end (AT&T's high end plan). So even with $20 monthly installments, you save $40 a month. The 32GB phone is $749USD, so after 18 months, the phone is paid off and you save $60 a month for the last 6 months of the 2 years that would have been a contract with AT&T. By my math, that saves $1,080 over the 2 years.
Comcast offers a voip product.
Sorry, Anonymous Coward, but you are misinformed.
Comcast Digital Voice is NOT a VoIP service. The voice service is delivered over a completely different frequency range than the internet service, and the cable modems with digital voice are actually two completely separate devices in one box and either service can operate without the other.
I don't know whether Comcast applies QoS to SIP packets sent over their internet connections by customers using Vonage, BroadVoice, or other VoIP services, but no such rules would affect their own voice services.
Need further evidence that they do not use VoIP? Consider that you can purchase voice service from Comcast without internet service. In such a case, the LEDs on the modem would indicate that there was no internet connection, while the phone line LED(s) would show a connection.
In some markets, Comcast offers higher speed tiers (specifically, upload speeds up to 2Mbps). In my Seattle market, that upgrade was $10/mo and there was no charge for the first three months of the upgrade. When I did that upgrade, my SIP calls became more reliable and people no longer told me they couldn't hear me at the other end of the call. (However, the internet speed has no effect on Comcast Digital Voice calls since they aren't sent over the internet connection.) If you use Vonage or another VoIP provider and have problems with call quality over Comcast internet, consider this upgrade. If they still offer the 3 free months, you can try it and see if it helps before you are actually charged for it.
Having worked in software, hardware, networking, AND graphic design/layout for many years, I would like to ask one question of those of you who've submitted posts comparing gimp on linux with Photoshop on Windows. Do you know anyone that uses Photoshop on Windows? All the designers I know (myself included) would always use Mac OS (given the choice). While the gimp is a good option, a powerful program, it's not designed for Mac OS. Since professional printers want files submitted on HFS format disks, generated using the AdobePS driver on Mac OS (if this combination is possible), it just makes sense to do it that way. Unless you have personally experienced the headache of trying to create files in Gimp's native format, then export them to tiff, then ftp them to a Mac, then import them into Photoshop-native format, make any necessary corrections, and export them again to .eps (if you use PageMaker, not necessary for InDesign), you'll realize that it's just so much easier to make your file in photoshop and place it into a publication. When gimp makes it to the platform that a majority of graphic designers use (Mac OS), is stable, and has the support of Adobe programs, I would pay as much for it as I pay for Photoshop (which is a lot). I don't see that day coming any sooner than I see Microsoft throwing Windows away, shipping a $200 version of Linux to the OEMs, and porting all their software to Linux. The gimp does, have a distinct advantage over Photoshop in one regard: since thousands of people bootleg Photoshop every day, they have another option where they can give away as many copies as they like without breaking any agreemets!
Happy holidays all.
Brandon
A few months ago, Maximum Linux magazine had an issue mostly about browsers. It included a CD with every browser you could imagine from Netscape Communicator to Microsoft Internet Explorer (which they claimed would run if you could get WINE to run it). As I recall, the CD also included (probably an earlier version) of the AIM Beta for Linux. I don't think I installed it, but I'm almost sure it was there! I think this has been around a while, but AOL didn't publicize it until now.