Even though I'm a Windows user, it always gives me a wry smile when Linux users say what fun it is to observe all the Windows problems (virii, exploits, etc) from a safe distance.
Now, as an ex-Apple customer, now happily using an HTC Desire, I can say that it's great fun watching Apple implode, from a safe distance.
I don't wish them any ill-will. My preference would be for them to take an honesty pill, start treating their customers with some respect, and turn the whole sorry situation around. But they aren't doing that, so I'll toast marshmallows on the bonfire of Apple's reputation.
If it is correct that there is definitely a hardware fault with the 4G then:
1. Applie lied when they told their customers that it was a software issue causing inaccurate display of signal strength.
2. Apple intends to release a software update that will inaccurately display good signal strength when it is poor.
Apple has gone from the forgiveable error of releasing a faulty product, to the unforgivable sin of lying to their customers with, apparently, the intention of lying to them again.
Yep, took me a while to catch the Gaga bug, but in her case it's definitely a case of raw talent with some marketing sheen on top just to get her out there to the masses. She is most certainly not a 'manufactured' artist.
Disagree. I've used Shazam on iPhone and Android in all sorts of situations with random speakers, background noise, booming rooms with lots of echo, and it has a near-100% success rate.
It will usually identify the song even if you only play it a couple of seconds from a fading outro, and in that situation it's also picking up the opening bars of the next track, which still doesn't throw it off the scent.
The license fee is controversial. The only argument ever used to defend it is that it allows the BBC to make 'niche' programmes that couldn't be made by an advertising-funded broadcaster.
Money from the license fee should be used solely to produce content, whether that be TV and radio shows, or web sites. In my opinion the BBC shouldn't use the license fee for anything else.
It's also a bad idea to support proprietary formats/platforms such as the iPhone and Real audio/video. (I pay my license fee, but there is some BBC web content I can't view because it is only provided in Real format, and I refuse to harm my computer by installing any Real software.)
The BBC may argue that the money for the iPhone app isn't coming from the license fee. They may say that it comes from selling BBC shows abroad, or from adverts on BBC America. But none of the BBC's content would exist if it wasn't for the license fee, so all resulting revenue from overseas sales should be ploughed back in to making quality TV, radio and web sites for British citizens.
If a TV viewer in Britain doesn't pay their license fee then they can be fined heavily and, ultimately, sent to prison. In that light, license fee payers have a very strong right to demand that our money is used responsibly.
I used to write Windows software. Not commercially, just for fun.
I'm now working full-time on a game for the Android platform, and it's going well so I recently looked in to the possibility of writing it for Windows at some point in future.
I was astonished by the current price of Visual Studio. It was around £100 when I used it around 10 years ago, and now it's well over £500! Too much. Way, way too much.
If the time does come when I want to develop the game for Windows, I'll be using a non-Microsoft solution.
I've got an HTC Desire and it too has a problem with your ear pressing on-screen buttons during calls.
The screen can also be too sensitive to skin touches. So, for example, when the phone is in my jeans pocket, it responds to the skin of my thigh through the pocket lining. I've had to resort to the "drag your finger in a certain pattern" unlock mode to prevent the phone from making calls while it's in my pocket.
I was going to relate some of my bad tech support experiences, but I'll jump straight to this one:
The tower was making a lot of noise. I had researched the issue and discovered that badly-fitting card readers on certain Dell models (including mine) were causing vibration noise.
Called tech support, got through to a guy at an Indian call centre. Told him what the problem was, and that I knew why it was happening.
He wanted me to disconnect _everything_ from the motherboard, take the memory out, unplug every cable, etc. He said this was policy: They have to try plugging everything back in separately to diagnose what is making the noise.
Eventually I had to be bluntly honest and very carefully say: "I'm sorry, but throughout this call we haven't been able to understand each other because, with respect, you don't speak good English. I'm not comfortable with the idea of disconnecting everything because I don't believe you could explain to me how to re-conect everything."
And that was how Dell got out of helping another customer. Without me disconnecting every single component in my computer, they would class the noise fault as "unresolved" and wouldn't replace the card reader.
Dell's machines are pretty good. Most people who have had a Dell would recommend them to their friends and family. But people who have had to use Dell tech support will tell you the same thing: If you do buy a Dell, do so with the knowledge that you are effectively buying a computer without a warranty because you will never get any fault fixed.
Wow, reading that PLATO link has got me feeling all nostalgic, and sad that I wasn't a part of it. I was only 1-year-old. It sounds magical.
It also reminded me of how much I hate the locked-down mentality of certain modern computing companies. These companies only exist because of open systems and people tinkering, hacking, experimenting... and now they seek to deny those opportunities to new generations. Great shame.
Meanwhile my Android phone just had its first over-the-air system upgrade, losing some of my settings and clearing my entire 7-screen desktop.
Rather than Google worrying about remote app installs and remote app removals, what would be great is if basic things like minor system updates didn't practically reset the damn phone to factory defaults.
My good lady had a similar problem with her iPhone system update a few days ago -- it deleted all of her contacts.
Pretty rubbish technology we're dealing with here:-(
I wish religious people would just knock it off. I'm sick of the whole silly thing. Yes I know that the majority of relgiious people are private about it and don't try to force it on everyone else, but they're still part of the problem because they allow the nutters/leaders to get away with all the crazy things that they do.
If parents/schools stopped teaching religion to children, religious beliefs would die out within three generations. They're just hand-me-down myths and superstitions, orginally concocted by a minority intent on adjusting society to suit themselves.
As a species, surely we have better things to do with our time?
I don't want this. Not on Android. I specifically bought an Android phone to get away from the Apple control freakery. That was the only reason I wanted Android -- no big brother overseeing. Now I find that Google can throw a remote kill switch?
Do NOT want.
Yes I can see the argument that the app killing on this occasion was a Good Thing. But no, really it's a Bad Thing, because it represents the top of a slippery slope.
For phones: My girlfriend updated her iPhone 3GS to the new OS last night. I see that she now has a phone that still can't compare to my HTC Desire with Android 2.1. (2.2 upgrade due within 2 weeks)
For tablets: I don't want a locked-down tablet like the iPad. There are some sucky Android tablets out now, yes, but inevitably there will be some very good ones. And even if they aren't as pretty and slick as the iPad, they will be _better_ than the iPad because, whichever one I choose, it will be my device to do whatever I want with.
I'm surprised that anyone would currently think Android needs to catch up with iOS. Android is far ahead. It's just that a lot of Android devices lack the "shiny factor" of the iDevices.
...until Jobs retroactively amends the first-born T&Cs and full access becomes void after lil bubba's first tooth appears. Or 28 days, whichever is sooner.
You are also prohibited from producing any further children as your genetic information is now (C)Apple. That was also in the T&Cs. Not at the time you agreed to them, but it is now.
About a month ago I went to the Serif web site to read about their DrawPlus software. Since then, I'd estimate that around 25% of web sites I visit have an advert of some kind for DrawPlus.
Now, I assume this is cookie-related. But who baked the cookie? Maybe it was Serif. Maybe it was Google, because I used Google to search for DrawPlus. But it feels a little creepy when you look at a product once and then get nagged to buy it all the time.
Slashdot Mirror
http://www.eudora.com/email/features/moodwatch.html
Peppers!
Even though I'm a Windows user, it always gives me a wry smile when Linux users say what fun it is to observe all the Windows problems (virii, exploits, etc) from a safe distance.
Now, as an ex-Apple customer, now happily using an HTC Desire, I can say that it's great fun watching Apple implode, from a safe distance.
I don't wish them any ill-will. My preference would be for them to take an honesty pill, start treating their customers with some respect, and turn the whole sorry situation around. But they aren't doing that, so I'll toast marshmallows on the bonfire of Apple's reputation.
Something unpleasant about Apple is emerging:
If it is correct that there is definitely a hardware fault with the 4G then:
1. Applie lied when they told their customers that it was a software issue causing inaccurate display of signal strength.
2. Apple intends to release a software update that will inaccurately display good signal strength when it is poor.
Apple has gone from the forgiveable error of releasing a faulty product, to the unforgivable sin of lying to their customers with, apparently, the intention of lying to them again.
extern unsigned in elf_version( unsigned int __version );
Build error: unknown data type 'in' :-)
Yep, took me a while to catch the Gaga bug, but in her case it's definitely a case of raw talent with some marketing sheen on top just to get her out there to the masses. She is most certainly not a 'manufactured' artist.
Really? /me goes to check before cancelling download...
Disagree. I've used Shazam on iPhone and Android in all sorts of situations with random speakers, background noise, booming rooms with lots of echo, and it has a near-100% success rate.
It will usually identify the song even if you only play it a couple of seconds from a fading outro, and in that situation it's also picking up the opening bars of the next track, which still doesn't throw it off the scent.
No, Shazam is good.
Thank you. I didn't RTFA. As you say, nothing to do with the BBC, who are not developing iPhone apps.
Apologies to all for the wasted bytes.
The license fee is controversial. The only argument ever used to defend it is that it allows the BBC to make 'niche' programmes that couldn't be made by an advertising-funded broadcaster.
Money from the license fee should be used solely to produce content, whether that be TV and radio shows, or web sites. In my opinion the BBC shouldn't use the license fee for anything else.
It's also a bad idea to support proprietary formats/platforms such as the iPhone and Real audio/video. (I pay my license fee, but there is some BBC web content I can't view because it is only provided in Real format, and I refuse to harm my computer by installing any Real software.)
The BBC may argue that the money for the iPhone app isn't coming from the license fee. They may say that it comes from selling BBC shows abroad, or from adverts on BBC America. But none of the BBC's content would exist if it wasn't for the license fee, so all resulting revenue from overseas sales should be ploughed back in to making quality TV, radio and web sites for British citizens.
If a TV viewer in Britain doesn't pay their license fee then they can be fined heavily and, ultimately, sent to prison. In that light, license fee payers have a very strong right to demand that our money is used responsibly.
I used to write Windows software. Not commercially, just for fun.
I'm now working full-time on a game for the Android platform, and it's going well so I recently looked in to the possibility of writing it for Windows at some point in future.
I was astonished by the current price of Visual Studio. It was around £100 when I used it around 10 years ago, and now it's well over £500! Too much. Way, way too much.
If the time does come when I want to develop the game for Windows, I'll be using a non-Microsoft solution.
Power button gets pressed just by the phone being bumped around.
I've got an HTC Desire and it too has a problem with your ear pressing on-screen buttons during calls.
The screen can also be too sensitive to skin touches. So, for example, when the phone is in my jeans pocket, it responds to the skin of my thigh through the pocket lining. I've had to resort to the "drag your finger in a certain pattern" unlock mode to prevent the phone from making calls while it's in my pocket.
I've had a couple of Dells.
I was going to relate some of my bad tech support experiences, but I'll jump straight to this one:
The tower was making a lot of noise. I had researched the issue and discovered that badly-fitting card readers on certain Dell models (including mine) were causing vibration noise.
Called tech support, got through to a guy at an Indian call centre. Told him what the problem was, and that I knew why it was happening.
He wanted me to disconnect _everything_ from the motherboard, take the memory out, unplug every cable, etc. He said this was policy: They have to try plugging everything back in separately to diagnose what is making the noise.
Eventually I had to be bluntly honest and very carefully say: "I'm sorry, but throughout this call we haven't been able to understand each other because, with respect, you don't speak good English. I'm not comfortable with the idea of disconnecting everything because I don't believe you could explain to me how to re-conect everything."
And that was how Dell got out of helping another customer. Without me disconnecting every single component in my computer, they would class the noise fault as "unresolved" and wouldn't replace the card reader.
Dell's machines are pretty good. Most people who have had a Dell would recommend them to their friends and family. But people who have had to use Dell tech support will tell you the same thing: If you do buy a Dell, do so with the knowledge that you are effectively buying a computer without a warranty because you will never get any fault fixed.
Wow, reading that PLATO link has got me feeling all nostalgic, and sad that I wasn't a part of it. I was only 1-year-old. It sounds magical.
It also reminded me of how much I hate the locked-down mentality of certain modern computing companies. These companies only exist because of open systems and people tinkering, hacking, experimenting... and now they seek to deny those opportunities to new generations. Great shame.
Meanwhile my Android phone just had its first over-the-air system upgrade, losing some of my settings and clearing my entire 7-screen desktop.
Rather than Google worrying about remote app installs and remote app removals, what would be great is if basic things like minor system updates didn't practically reset the damn phone to factory defaults.
My good lady had a similar problem with her iPhone system update a few days ago -- it deleted all of her contacts.
Pretty rubbish technology we're dealing with here :-(
I wish religious people would just knock it off. I'm sick of the whole silly thing. Yes I know that the majority of relgiious people are private about it and don't try to force it on everyone else, but they're still part of the problem because they allow the nutters/leaders to get away with all the crazy things that they do.
If parents/schools stopped teaching religion to children, religious beliefs would die out within three generations. They're just hand-me-down myths and superstitions, orginally concocted by a minority intent on adjusting society to suit themselves.
As a species, surely we have better things to do with our time?
That would be exactly the correct way for them to handle the situation.
I don't want this. Not on Android. I specifically bought an Android phone to get away from the Apple control freakery. That was the only reason I wanted Android -- no big brother overseeing. Now I find that Google can throw a remote kill switch?
Do NOT want.
Yes I can see the argument that the app killing on this occasion was a Good Thing. But no, really it's a Bad Thing, because it represents the top of a slippery slope.
Hands off my phone please people who are not me!
As one of the readers of this web site, I am very interested in this story. Thus, it _is_ news.
You no like? No read.
"Android will be better next year!"
In my opinion Android is better _this_ year.
For phones: My girlfriend updated her iPhone 3GS to the new OS last night. I see that she now has a phone that still can't compare to my HTC Desire with Android 2.1. (2.2 upgrade due within 2 weeks)
For tablets: I don't want a locked-down tablet like the iPad. There are some sucky Android tablets out now, yes, but inevitably there will be some very good ones. And even if they aren't as pretty and slick as the iPad, they will be _better_ than the iPad because, whichever one I choose, it will be my device to do whatever I want with.
I'm surprised that anyone would currently think Android needs to catch up with iOS. Android is far ahead. It's just that a lot of Android devices lack the "shiny factor" of the iDevices.
...until Jobs retroactively amends the first-born T&Cs and full access becomes void after lil bubba's first tooth appears. Or 28 days, whichever is sooner.
You are also prohibited from producing any further children as your genetic information is now (C)Apple. That was also in the T&Cs. Not at the time you agreed to them, but it is now.
I believe these 'screenshots' are used as thumbnails for the Live Bookmarks feature.
About a month ago I went to the Serif web site to read about their DrawPlus software. Since then, I'd estimate that around 25% of web sites I visit have an advert of some kind for DrawPlus.
Now, I assume this is cookie-related. But who baked the cookie? Maybe it was Serif. Maybe it was Google, because I used Google to search for DrawPlus. But it feels a little creepy when you look at a product once and then get nagged to buy it all the time.
"a move which could see 800,000 workers lose their jobs"
Cool, mass unemployment. That'll help cut the suicide rate.