There could be some shareholder influence into this all. On Dell's part I heard M. Dell aims to get rid off shareholder's pressure for stable quarterly results in order to restructure Dell, and therefore the buyout. And then I guess Steve "Chair" Ballmer heard that "look at Apple!" too often. They took some inspiration from Cuppertino already and while it was mostly desktop features in the past they now try to copy business model features like controlling both hardware and software. It's not just mice any more, Nokia, Surface, Dell. Looking at the margin Apple manages to cash in and with the pc market developing limits to the perspective of endless expansion MS might hope to U-turn the course and try to become an Apple 2.0. Will it work? I doubt it, there is a chance they fail to reach Pure Apple status and end as apple puree instead. Licensing OSX for Apple hardware only has been a cornerstone of Apple's strategy, will we see a MS replica of this? Remember what they did to fight DrDos, will MS have the upright, straight character to withstand the temptations to tweak win(n+1) just a little bit to make it run just a tad faster on MS hardware? Will you believe them when they put an honest face on saying "nooo, we didn't and we wouldn't, ever..."? MS as a producer of "standard" OS and software grew up together with that multitude of hardware makers that developed "standard" hardware, with both sides defining standard on each other. Then Linux grew up and it now runs on everything that knows how to 01 + 01 = 10. A different approach to becoming standard and it succeeded, there is no windows for wristwatches, no windows for routers, etc. The pc "standard" is on it's way into marginality. Less important to defend that stronghold. I see it as an motion of retreat when MS now tries to follow Apple, producing harware and OS/software. It will (further) alienate established hardware producers and it will open up fields fpr Linux on the desktop.
Kim Dotcom nee Schmitz has a colourful vita, to say the least. But he isn't stupid. And, things being as they are, he is highly motivated to keep hollywood and the spooks out. He still has enough money to live in his sort of style and do nothing. Starting a new venture like mega.co.nz is his personal vendetta. So, keeping their interests and motivations in view, Kim doesn't look that bad right now.
Keep in mind that CS2 requires a PowerPC or rosetta on the Mac and expects w2k or XP on x86. I didn't try to install any of the files so I'm not sure how it goes with win7 but even if most of the programs run on win7 they will still let you feel their age.
funny that you would recommend debian for a good KDE experience. KDE issues were the reason I moved from debian wheezy) to arch on the desktop and suddenly all my pet quirks are gone. Just look at kdepim and all the version mixing debian does here, essentially keeping kdepim frozen at some ancient level (4.5x, if memory serves me right) which just doesn't work. Just try syncing a google calendar account (with many different calendars) to KOrganizer and you see what I mean. At some point in time I had enough of feeling like a second class debian citizen with KDE treated like a unbeloved step child in so many ways. The first steps with arch are a bit rough but once you have it set up KDE runs so much better. KDE is covered in the (excellent) wiki documentation and I don't need a cron job to delete ~/.xsession-errors just to keep it from flooding my home partition.
That said, there are some distros that come with KDE as the default DE and thus promise a more polished experience. SuSE for one.
Lets assume there comes a major shift away from the desktop and into tablets or similar "touchable" devices and ex-Metro is their attempt to prepare for it (and for once not sleep over the next big thing) then "temporarily" might mean: give some market share away in the old field in order to get ahead of the competition in the new one, gaining market share there that more than makes good for the lost. Personally I have difficulties to believe this will actually happen. I just can't see myself programming on a tablet. I agree you can have a decent desktop with Linux, some actually. My desktop is KDE, there are six or seven alternatives. Gnome 2, Gnome 3, Mate, Cinnamon, Unity, XFCE, LXDE. Lots of choice, may to much of it for some organizations' taste.
Lightning, the calendar - addon for thunderbird, is the only aspect of thunderbird development where I feel some work is still needed, but apparently there are no resources available for it. For years.
This may turn out to be somewhat offtopic, I'm not at all sure about the actual relation of the sunbird/lightning and the thunderbird dev team and whether the decision has effects for the lightning development. However, thunderbird and lightning are so tightly integrated that deficiencies in lightning look like thunderbird problems to me.
I think of tasks administration in lightning: - support for hierarchical tasks (allow subtasks) - sync with Google Tasks
As to Android it is not true that it does not support IPv6, my HTC Desire displays v6-only web sites just fine when it connects via wlan, k9 connects to the mail server on v6, even the kWS web server on the Desire is reachable from outside on IPv6. But IPv6 support is incomplete http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=3389 (long entry with various issues)
Had to look into my tunnelbroker.net account: it's already 4 years of running it. About once a year there is some hiccup at their Frankfurt node, I 'll write a mail to their support stuff then and about 20 mins later some friendly supportnic asks me to check if I can still repro the problem... And free dns server (ipv6-ready, with glue records), and free ipv6 training & certification - HE has been really helpful for me,
This a joke, right? The links goes to an age-old doc annoncing Quanta Plus 2.0 and the roadmap for future development mentions coming support for KDE 2.2
Adobe products may be great but Adobe's Linux support is not. So it's either running windows versions of the Adobe products in vm s or looking for OSS replacements for us folks who actually switched to Linux on the desktop.
Thus your point is moot.
You made me actually click the links and search, thus, as a ms office evangelist you did well indeed (given that the last version of ms office I bothered to obtain a "decentralised backup copy" was office2k) But all my search left me empty handed, there still is no ms office/debian edition or some such. As a x-plattform user with a debian/kde desktop, a win7 laptop, a mac mini for the music I really appreciate that there are oss apps that are available on all of my plattforms and they look and work just the same where ever I use them. Open/Libre office. Thunderbird. ff/chrome/opera for browsing. The list does'nt end here. MS has changed it's mood and modi operandi vs oss quite a bit over the past 5 years (insert the gandhi meme here if you like) and they even did that u-turn to change msie into a standards-aware security-aware and almost decent browser - but not running on my desktop.
given all the rules and conditions you have to fullfill to get the cache approved in a densly populated area (with lots of other caches around) the IRA/loonies will probably shy away from the trouble and rather put the bomb in a waste bin or in a car like everyone else does...
I never saw it stated somewhere officially but my own experience points to the conclusion that indeed Berlin police checks on Caches listed on geocaching.com. There is one in Berlin (http://coord.info/GC2XDG3) by the name "BrandVerein" which would translate to FireAssociation. The name actually is a hint to the cache's location, if you go there, it's obvious. Still, that name hit a spot with the police since for some years there is this series of expensive cars burning at night and lots of pressure on the cops for not being able to stop the serial igniter(s). So, the first day the cache was published 2 searchers there found themselves under surveillance when they followed the gps compass. An officer stepped out of the car, to the exact koords of the cache and told them to go on searching. When they found the box, the officer took a look, approved it for being harmless, wished them good luck and left the scene. Cool and efficient
Slashdot Mirror
made me laugh out loud - but not true. Currently it's #12 - but only after setting the search option to "last hour"
There could be some shareholder influence into this all. On Dell's part I heard M. Dell aims to get rid off shareholder's pressure for stable quarterly results in order to restructure Dell, and therefore the buyout.
And then I guess Steve "Chair" Ballmer heard that "look at Apple!" too often. They took some inspiration from Cuppertino already and while it was mostly desktop features in the past they now try to copy business model features like controlling both hardware and software.
It's not just mice any more, Nokia, Surface, Dell. Looking at the margin Apple manages to cash in and with the pc market developing limits to the perspective of endless expansion MS might hope to U-turn the course and try to become an Apple 2.0.
Will it work? I doubt it, there is a chance they fail to reach Pure Apple status and end as apple puree instead.
Licensing OSX for Apple hardware only has been a cornerstone of Apple's strategy, will we see a MS replica of this?
Remember what they did to fight DrDos, will MS have the upright, straight character to withstand the temptations to tweak win(n+1) just a little bit to make it run just a tad faster on MS hardware? Will you believe them when they put an honest face on saying "nooo, we didn't and we wouldn't, ever..."?
MS as a producer of "standard" OS and software grew up together with that multitude of hardware makers that developed "standard" hardware, with both sides defining standard on each other.
Then Linux grew up and it now runs on everything that knows how to 01 + 01 = 10. A different approach to becoming standard and it succeeded, there is no windows for wristwatches, no windows for routers, etc. The pc "standard" is on it's way into marginality. Less important to defend that stronghold.
I see it as an motion of retreat when MS now tries to follow Apple, producing harware and OS/software. It will (further) alienate established hardware producers and it will open up fields fpr Linux on the desktop.
Kim Dotcom nee Schmitz has a colourful vita, to say the least.
But he isn't stupid.
And, things being as they are, he is highly motivated to keep hollywood and the spooks out.
He still has enough money to live in his sort of style and do nothing. Starting a new venture like mega.co.nz is his personal vendetta.
So, keeping their interests and motivations in view, Kim doesn't look that bad right now.
At least, even with the free account the blow job is guaranteed.
The only matter left in the dark is who's to give and who's to take...
Keep in mind that CS2 requires a PowerPC or rosetta on the Mac and expects w2k or XP on x86. I didn't try to install any of the files so I'm not sure how it goes with win7 but even if most of the programs run on win7 they will still let you feel their age.
Designed in California
funny that you would recommend debian for a good KDE experience. KDE issues were the reason I moved from debian wheezy) to arch on the desktop and suddenly all my pet quirks are gone. Just look at kdepim and all the version mixing debian does here, essentially keeping kdepim frozen at some ancient level (4.5x, if memory serves me right) which just doesn't work. Just try syncing a google calendar account (with many different calendars) to KOrganizer and you see what I mean.
At some point in time I had enough of feeling like a second class debian citizen with KDE treated like a unbeloved step child in so many ways.
The first steps with arch are a bit rough but once you have it set up KDE runs so much better. KDE is covered in the (excellent) wiki documentation and I don't need a cron job to delete ~/.xsession-errors just to keep it from flooding my home partition.
That said, there are some distros that come with KDE as the default DE and thus promise a more polished experience. SuSE for one.
no encryption of mail transfer?
The summary is almost unreadable, too
Lets assume there comes a major shift away from the desktop and into tablets or similar "touchable" devices and ex-Metro is their attempt to prepare for it (and for once not sleep over the next big thing) then "temporarily" might mean: give some market share away in the old field in order to get ahead of the competition in the new one, gaining market share there that more than makes good for the lost.
Personally I have difficulties to believe this will actually happen. I just can't see myself programming on a tablet.
I agree you can have a decent desktop with Linux, some actually. My desktop is KDE, there are six or seven alternatives. Gnome 2, Gnome 3, Mate, Cinnamon, Unity, XFCE, LXDE. Lots of choice, may to much of it for some organizations' taste.
hahahaha, if I had one of my mod points left I'd give it a funny
Lightning, the calendar - addon for thunderbird, is the only aspect of thunderbird development where I feel some work is still needed, but apparently there are no resources available for it. For years.
This may turn out to be somewhat offtopic, I'm not at all sure about the actual relation of the sunbird/lightning and the thunderbird dev team and whether the decision has effects for the lightning development.
However, thunderbird and lightning are so tightly integrated that deficiencies in lightning look like thunderbird problems to me.
I think of tasks administration in lightning:
- support for hierarchical tasks (allow subtasks)
- sync with Google Tasks
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=194863 is nine years old and still has status New.
As to Android it is not true that it does not support IPv6, my HTC Desire displays v6-only web sites just fine when it connects via wlan, k9 connects to the mail server on v6, even the kWS web server on the Desire is reachable from outside on IPv6.
But IPv6 support is incomplete http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=3389 (long entry with various issues)
They might be waiting for the tech savvy slashdot folks to lead the way...
; > DiG 9.8.1-P1 > aaaa slashdot.org ;; global options: +cmd ;; Got answer: ;; ->>HEADER- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 26261 ;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 0, AUTHORITY: 1, ADDITIONAL: 0
Had to look into my tunnelbroker.net account: it's already 4 years of running it. About once a year there is some hiccup at their Frankfurt node, I 'll write a mail to their support stuff then and about 20 mins later some friendly supportnic asks me to check if I can still repro the problem...
And free dns server (ipv6-ready, with glue records), and free ipv6 training & certification - HE has been really helpful for me,
This is IPv6 Launch day. He needs to go to 2a00:1450:4016:801::1000
; > DiG 9.8.1-P1 > slashdot.org aaaa ;; global options: +cmd ;; Got answer: ;; ->>HEADER- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 48554 ;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 0, AUTHORITY: 1, ADDITIONAL: 0
because hex looks ugly? sort of embarrassing for a geek news place.
I won't buy it unless you can show me how the CIA (or another 3-letter organization) is secretly in bed with them ...
This a joke, right? The links goes to an age-old doc annoncing Quanta Plus 2.0 and the roadmap for future development mentions coming support for KDE 2.2
Adobe products may be great but Adobe's Linux support is not. So it's either running windows versions of the Adobe products in vm s or looking for OSS replacements for us folks who actually switched to Linux on the desktop. Thus your point is moot.
Like just about everything done in perl.perl-considered-harmful
Both Linux and Windows piss me off an incredible amount, but in different ways. It's "nice" to get some variety in my annoyances.
words of wisdom - or rather, the voice of first hand experience.
You made me actually click the links and search, thus, as a ms office evangelist you did well indeed (given that the last version of ms office I bothered to obtain a "decentralised backup copy" was office2k)
But all my search left me empty handed, there still is no ms office/debian edition or some such.
As a x-plattform user with a debian/kde desktop, a win7 laptop, a mac mini for the music I really appreciate that there are oss apps that are available on all of my plattforms and they look and work just the same where ever I use them. Open/Libre office. Thunderbird. ff/chrome/opera for browsing. The list does'nt end here.
MS has changed it's mood and modi operandi vs oss quite a bit over the past 5 years (insert the gandhi meme here if you like) and they even did that u-turn to change msie into a standards-aware security-aware and almost decent browser - but not running on my desktop.
given all the rules and conditions you have to fullfill to get the cache approved in a densly populated area (with lots of other caches around) the IRA/loonies will probably shy away from the trouble and rather put the bomb in a waste bin or in a car like everyone else does...
I never saw it stated somewhere officially but my own experience points to the conclusion that indeed Berlin police checks on Caches listed on geocaching.com. There is one in Berlin (http://coord.info/GC2XDG3) by the name "BrandVerein" which would translate to FireAssociation. The name actually is a hint to the cache's location, if you go there, it's obvious.
Still, that name hit a spot with the police since for some years there is this series of expensive cars burning at night and lots of pressure on the cops for not being able to stop the serial igniter(s).
So, the first day the cache was published 2 searchers there found themselves under surveillance when they followed the gps compass. An officer stepped out of the car, to the exact koords of the cache and told them to go on searching. When they found the box, the officer took a look, approved it for being harmless, wished them good luck and left the scene.
Cool and efficient