However, as time goes by, people use more and more data on their mobile devices. All of which requires additional investment or incentivising customers to lower their data usage.
A few years ago, average data usage on one of the UK's mobile networks was c. 2GB per month. This year, average data usage on the same network is c. 4GB per month. I have an unlimited (genuinely unlimited) plan with the same network and my average monthly usage has gone from 2GB to 15GB in the same period of time.
So, in spite of prices going up, we are probably actually seeing a decrease in the cost per unit used.
The iPad Pro is designed as a competitor for the Surface. In case you missed the keynote, there was a large proportion of the time taken up by Microsoft and Adobe demonstrations showing how iPad Pro can be used in a business environment.
As a productivity device, iPad Pro will probably fail. I missed the announcement that it now works properly (i.e. supports screen/application sharing) with business tools like WebEx and Lync. I can't dock it and use a multiple monitor setup. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
If I was looking for a consumer device, the sure. I'd probably choose an iPad for consumption. But for business use, it is nowhere near being a serious competitor for the Surface Pro.
Suing a company under the Computer Misuse Act would require a private prosecution under criminal law and would probably cost a lot of money. You would also have to prove 'beyond all reasonable doubt'.
You would certainly be able to file a claim, alleging a tort (England/Wales) or delict (Scotland), which would be decided on the balance of probabilities.
(IANAL but I did work for one for a couple of years).
Smartwatches are mostly still just status symbols masquerading as over-engineered solutions looking for a problem.
I have a Pebble (original). I've had many comments about it being a cool gadget or how they've never seen someone pay for their coffee with their watch before, but definitely nothing that would make me even think of it as somewhat of a status symbol. It's just the modern day equivalent of the Casio watch.
There is a real problem with mobile browsing right now. Many websites employ fullscreen adverts with an [x] button which is tricky to hit properly with the fingers. There is also the problem of redirects, whereby the browser is hijacked and redirected via an advertising system to a URL which opens an AppStore link (usually one of these freemium games). It's all really annoying and not at all a pleasant experience.
Now, if someone can make a blocker which gets rid of those pesky EU cookie warnings which appear on all websites, it would be even better.
Sure it is. I think OS X updates are actually free now, but remember that these are updates to be installed on top of an existing OS X installation. You pay a premium for Apple computers compared to similarly spec'd non-Apple computers and this makes up for the "free" OS.
Linux is usually free for consumers who don't need a support package. There is an argument that it requires more time to set up and get working properly, but I don't know how true this is these days.
Considering the number of people who choose to buy a computer with Windows installed, clearly a significant number of people feel that the added value is worth the cost.
Ireland needed to ask the question via a referendum, as their constitution (which requires a referendum to modify) defines marriage as between a man and woman.
A unilateral edict by the Government of the day would not have been sufficient.
Considering the guy has been convicted of "unlawful duplication", it sounds like Goldman Sachs did not distribute the software in question. They are therefore entitled to incorporate GPL'd code into their software without making the rest of their code public.
You should try some different types instead of allowing your experience with one particular model to define your outlook on smartphones.
Looking at my current smartphone for example, I can:-
- Make phone calls which go via the cellular network or wifi depending on where I am - Send picture messages to people from any country without having to pay extortionate messaging charges - Take quick, spur of the moment, photos or videos of situations which arise when I didn't take my DSLR with me - Surf the web anywhere without having to carry a big tower case and monitor - Receive and respond to emails which might require a timely response (e.g. time limited offers) - Listen to music from a wide variety of sources - Interact with social media from anywhere
And I can do all of these things, and more, without having to carry a suitcase with 10-15 different devices.
That's precisely his point. If you were a rich person, you would have access to investment vehicles with a larger return than 2%, and access to credit lines at lower rates.
The old fashioned menu UI is hardly efficient and intuitive. For a start, it doesn't allow in-line changes to things such as cell formatting or easy selection of graph/table design options.
And as for why some settings are under a completely unintuitive menu name, I have no idea.
The internet simply changes the impulse buying method.
Instead of catalogues and shelves full of impulse buy items, we now have recommended purchases which other users bought, the ability to buy things without even taking out your debit/credit card and flash sales.
FUD? Perhaps they saw what happened to the Snapchat users who used a third party client which uploaded their photos to their own server and are acting now to ensure users only use the official version.
I remember the joys of Microsoft Office 2003 (and earlier).
It was great being able to select Paste Special from the Edit Menu and painstakingly selecting the options I wanted. It was so much more intuitive than clicking on the arrow under the paste and quickly selecting the appropriate option.
Or how it was easier to go into the formatting box when all you wanted to do was to increase or decrease the number of decimal places, compared to the modern way of simply using the correct button on the home tab.
If you had never used Office prior to 2003, would you instinctively know where to find the option to hide gridlines in Excel? Or that the option to group and outline was under the Data Menu and not the View Menu? I think not.
If you feel that the ribbon UI is a "click and hope funfest", perhaps you need to spend more time using Microsoft Office and learning where things are. It took me a few weeks back in 2010 and now I fly through the ribbons far quicker than I could hope to find the correct menu.
Hardware-wise, the Apple trackpads are superior to ones designed to work with PCs. However, the Apple trackpads are limited to two fingered use on non-Apple operating systems through the use of crippled drivers and therefore something like a Logitech T650 is far superior when using a non-Apple OS.
I dislike it and refuse to install it on my PC. It's bloated and not user friendly. It clearly epitomises Apple's philosophy of making the user do things Apple's way. It's well overdue for a rethink and I expect to see that come soon.
With regards to iOS, it is on the cusp of greatness. It has some very nice features, it's user interface is fluid and easy to use and the design works well.
However, they need to take some time to make everything work well together and make the OS and apps more integrated.
For example:
- If users want to access my music stored in Dropbox or Google Drive or even a samba share, facilitate a method of saving that into the music library. - Let users backup photos to Dropbox or Onedrive in the background as with iCloud backup. It's a real waste of time having to keep the app open and the screen unlocked. - Similarly, let users sync music and videos in third party apps which permit it. Like Spotify and Plex. - Third party app defaults would be pretty cool. Like being able to select Chrome or Gmail as default apps. - Allow a bit more customisation such as changing control centre quick options.
It's really frustrating as Apple could come out with the best features in the world, but as long as they impose these arbitrary restrictions, iOS will always feel hamstrung.
I think a bad launch is probably irreversible. I didn't pre-order the game but planned to buy it on my next payday after release; I ended up not doing so.
If they patch it up and fix the bugs (and it gets good reviews), I'll buy it pre-owned and the money will go to the retailer/person selling the game.
Slashdot Mirror
However, as time goes by, people use more and more data on their mobile devices. All of which requires additional investment or incentivising customers to lower their data usage.
A few years ago, average data usage on one of the UK's mobile networks was c. 2GB per month. This year, average data usage on the same network is c. 4GB per month. I have an unlimited (genuinely unlimited) plan with the same network and my average monthly usage has gone from 2GB to 15GB in the same period of time.
So, in spite of prices going up, we are probably actually seeing a decrease in the cost per unit used.
The iPad Pro is designed as a competitor for the Surface. In case you missed the keynote, there was a large proportion of the time taken up by Microsoft and Adobe demonstrations showing how iPad Pro can be used in a business environment.
As a productivity device, iPad Pro will probably fail. I missed the announcement that it now works properly (i.e. supports screen/application sharing) with business tools like WebEx and Lync. I can't dock it and use a multiple monitor setup. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
If I was looking for a consumer device, the sure. I'd probably choose an iPad for consumption. But for business use, it is nowhere near being a serious competitor for the Surface Pro.
Suing a company under the Computer Misuse Act would require a private prosecution under criminal law and would probably cost a lot of money. You would also have to prove 'beyond all reasonable doubt'.
You would certainly be able to file a claim, alleging a tort (England/Wales) or delict (Scotland), which would be decided on the balance of probabilities.
(IANAL but I did work for one for a couple of years).
Smartwatches are mostly still just status symbols masquerading as over-engineered solutions looking for a problem.
I have a Pebble (original). I've had many comments about it being a cool gadget or how they've never seen someone pay for their coffee with their watch before, but definitely nothing that would make me even think of it as somewhat of a status symbol. It's just the modern day equivalent of the Casio watch.
Those foreign agents really did a great job with Kennedy and Reagan.
Yep. Android for x86, or indeed any other version that someone wishes to build for the Mac hardware.
A client of mine consistently insisted on installing various "antivirus" packages such as Zonealarm or Panda Internet Security despite my warnings.
This invariably caused issues with various internet and network services he wished to use.
I read that too, but re-reading it I think s/he started off with 8GB RAM and has now moved to 16GB.
There is a real problem with mobile browsing right now. Many websites employ fullscreen adverts with an [x] button which is tricky to hit properly with the fingers. There is also the problem of redirects, whereby the browser is hijacked and redirected via an advertising system to a URL which opens an AppStore link (usually one of these freemium games). It's all really annoying and not at all a pleasant experience.
Now, if someone can make a blocker which gets rid of those pesky EU cookie warnings which appear on all websites, it would be even better.
Interoperability isn't difficult. Overcoming the commercial resistance to interoperability is; and that's not a technical issue.
Sure it is. I think OS X updates are actually free now, but remember that these are updates to be installed on top of an existing OS X installation. You pay a premium for Apple computers compared to similarly spec'd non-Apple computers and this makes up for the "free" OS.
Linux is usually free for consumers who don't need a support package. There is an argument that it requires more time to set up and get working properly, but I don't know how true this is these days.
Considering the number of people who choose to buy a computer with Windows installed, clearly a significant number of people feel that the added value is worth the cost.
Ireland needed to ask the question via a referendum, as their constitution (which requires a referendum to modify) defines marriage as between a man and woman.
A unilateral edict by the Government of the day would not have been sufficient.
Considering the guy has been convicted of "unlawful duplication", it sounds like Goldman Sachs did not distribute the software in question. They are therefore entitled to incorporate GPL'd code into their software without making the rest of their code public.
You should try some different types instead of allowing your experience with one particular model to define your outlook on smartphones.
Looking at my current smartphone for example, I can:-
- Make phone calls which go via the cellular network or wifi depending on where I am
- Send picture messages to people from any country without having to pay extortionate messaging charges
- Take quick, spur of the moment, photos or videos of situations which arise when I didn't take my DSLR with me
- Surf the web anywhere without having to carry a big tower case and monitor
- Receive and respond to emails which might require a timely response (e.g. time limited offers)
- Listen to music from a wide variety of sources
- Interact with social media from anywhere
And I can do all of these things, and more, without having to carry a suitcase with 10-15 different devices.
That's precisely his point. If you were a rich person, you would have access to investment vehicles with a larger return than 2%, and access to credit lines at lower rates.
The best solution to union meddling concerning the split shifts is to employ half of the drivers in the morning and the other half in the evening.
No more split shifts and half the pay. Hooray for unions?
The old fashioned menu UI is hardly efficient and intuitive. For a start, it doesn't allow in-line changes to things such as cell formatting or easy selection of graph/table design options.
And as for why some settings are under a completely unintuitive menu name, I have no idea.
However, that's my opinion. Yours differs. :)
The internet simply changes the impulse buying method.
Instead of catalogues and shelves full of impulse buy items, we now have recommended purchases which other users bought, the ability to buy things without even taking out your debit/credit card and flash sales.
FUD? Perhaps they saw what happened to the Snapchat users who used a third party client which uploaded their photos to their own server and are acting now to ensure users only use the official version.
I remember the joys of Microsoft Office 2003 (and earlier).
It was great being able to select Paste Special from the Edit Menu and painstakingly selecting the options I wanted. It was so much more intuitive than clicking on the arrow under the paste and quickly selecting the appropriate option.
Or how it was easier to go into the formatting box when all you wanted to do was to increase or decrease the number of decimal places, compared to the modern way of simply using the correct button on the home tab.
If you had never used Office prior to 2003, would you instinctively know where to find the option to hide gridlines in Excel? Or that the option to group and outline was under the Data Menu and not the View Menu? I think not.
If you feel that the ribbon UI is a "click and hope funfest", perhaps you need to spend more time using Microsoft Office and learning where things are. It took me a few weeks back in 2010 and now I fly through the ribbons far quicker than I could hope to find the correct menu.
Computers and the internet are the important things in life...
Hardware-wise, the Apple trackpads are superior to ones designed to work with PCs. However, the Apple trackpads are limited to two fingered use on non-Apple operating systems through the use of crippled drivers and therefore something like a Logitech T650 is far superior when using a non-Apple OS.
First of all, iTunes.
I dislike it and refuse to install it on my PC. It's bloated and not user friendly. It clearly epitomises Apple's philosophy of making the user do things Apple's way. It's well overdue for a rethink and I expect to see that come soon.
With regards to iOS, it is on the cusp of greatness. It has some very nice features, it's user interface is fluid and easy to use and the design works well.
However, they need to take some time to make everything work well together and make the OS and apps more integrated.
For example:
- If users want to access my music stored in Dropbox or Google Drive or even a samba share, facilitate a method of saving that into the music library.
- Let users backup photos to Dropbox or Onedrive in the background as with iCloud backup. It's a real waste of time having to keep the app open and the screen unlocked.
- Similarly, let users sync music and videos in third party apps which permit it. Like Spotify and Plex.
- Third party app defaults would be pretty cool. Like being able to select Chrome or Gmail as default apps.
- Allow a bit more customisation such as changing control centre quick options.
It's really frustrating as Apple could come out with the best features in the world, but as long as they impose these arbitrary restrictions, iOS will always feel hamstrung.
My understanding of the UK's law on slander and libel is that if you are accused of such an act, you simply have to show that what you said is true.
I don't think that's a bad thing.
I think a bad launch is probably irreversible. I didn't pre-order the game but planned to buy it on my next payday after release; I ended up not doing so.
If they patch it up and fix the bugs (and it gets good reviews), I'll buy it pre-owned and the money will go to the retailer/person selling the game.