I hope emailing and browsing the web doesn't involve watching anything on Youtube, because she won't be doing that.
iP{ad|od|hone} does Youtube fine.
Nor listening to music, at least not through any Flash-based player.
She doesn't even know that she can do that. Plus I'd be happy with a locked down Chrome tablet that has Flash. Not like it matters, the current crop of Flash app interfaces are not suited for touch screens anyways. It's mostly mouse over stuff, very awkward on touch screen. No tapping, no pinch zoom, no slide, it was designed for mouses. A tablet device is also more convenient when traveling, no need to sit awkwardly to use it.
What's so bad about a Linux-based netbook which is able to do anything she would want it to?
Nothing other than way too complicated for her.
Do you think you're going to have problems updating a Linux machine?
Yes. Had issues in the past.
Does it really need updating?
Yes.
She isn't going to get any PDF or Flash vulnerabilities, because they aren't going to run on the OS.
The moment she updates the system that breaks something, all she sees is some cryptic error message that means jack shit to her. 5 minutes later I get a call. Abusing my iPod touch for over 18 months got me one single reboot.
My EeePC came with all of the software necessary to do everything you described, including Skype, and it can do a lot more as well.
My PS3 only does games and some media center features yet it's perfect for that job, why would I need a computer if only thing I want is video games?
Hell, the iPad doesn't have an ethernet port. If she's staying somewhere without wifi, she's not going to be able to do *any* of the things you described.
3G.
Seems a little strange that you would consider limiting her to only what she's doing currently as a desirable thing. Actually, now that I say that, that sounds a lot like Apple's model in general. Limit people only to a specific set of activities.
Funny you mention that. I set her up a nice media center, I showed her how to work with pictures, video, showed her a few other things she could do with her PC, guess what? She doesn't give a shit. She wants to check cooking recipes on some website, chat with friends on Skype and email. That's it.
As for no camera for Skype, iPad SDK has camera related stuff (so probably an addon eventually). Plus it doesn't have to be an iPad, just an appliance that works (Chrome tablet I am looking at you!). Something equivalent to a game console for us but for her. Something that updates 'automagically', is safe from viruses and spyware and it's simple to use. Let me stress that: simple to use. No, Gnome/KDE/Windows/OSX is not simple for her. On my PS3 I don't want to run VMWare, nor Visual Studio, nor Photoshop, I use it to do a limited number of tasks. The interface is simple and the few tasks it does, it does it very well. The once a year, probably not even, my mom would want to do something more complex, she'll come over to my place and use my computer. For the rest of time, she'll be very happy with a locked down internet appliance.
I assembled a PC for my mom a year ago, have the iPad been out I'd have gotten that instead with keyboard dock. All she does is email, browse the web and chat with Skype. All that is available on iPad and as a bonus, I wouldn't have to worry to constantly patch it, update it, secure it and whatnot. Her next upgrade is definitely an iPad or a similar locked down appliance.
I've wondered why CivIII, Civ4 (and AC) never got console ports, like CivI and CivII did. Thy're turn based and not that all graphically intensive and PS2's/PS3's have USB ports so they could even throw in a traditional control scheme in addition to a DualShock oriented one.
Civ IV got a console port, was called Civilization Revolution. Mind you, it was beyond dumbed down. Graphics have nothing to do with the port of strategy games like Civilization to a console, it's more of an audience problem. It has more than two buttons to press, it doesn't have shiny ultra realistic 3D graphics and it's... 'complex'.
My MSI Wind Touch (Atom 330) is playing 720p without any issues, however it can't play 1080p. Mind you, on a 19' screen, 720p is way more than enough. Also, it does YouTube, DVDs and video streaming off the web with no problems.
yes, there are people who can secure it - but there are less layers of stupidproofing to prevent them from bypassing their own security loopholes.
You don't have a clue what you are talking about. Windows: 1 layer of stupid proofing: UAC. Ubuntu: 1 layer of stupid proofing: password prompt. The stupid proofing is different and one can argue that one is more efficient than the other (until the users get fed up and just mash 'Allow' on UAC or blank their passwords on Ubuntu and mash 'Enter'). But both systems have the same number of 'Stupid' proof layers. One might also add another stupid proof layer on Windows, since most people get their machines from Dell/Hp/etc, they all come with some sort of anti-malware installed. Something *nix/Mac OS installations don't come with. So in theory, Windows has more layers of stupid proofing.
Out of box, I think it's fair to say that *nix and Mac have Microsoft products beat, hands down. To date, I've not had a single *nix installation compromised. Windows? Yes, my Windows machines have been compromised. To be fair - my Win7 installation has not been compromised yet. But then, I don't use it much.;^)
Let me guess... you run Windows as administrator? Also, have any evidence backing up your claim? Or just jumping on the "Windoze is not secure lulz!' bandwagon? I challenge you to take Windows Vista/7 out of the box and get it hacked without your idiocy (Read: using it as administrator and blindly mashing the 'Allow' button on UAC prompts).
A few basic security measures can make any PC safe. Numero uno: don't use it as administrator. Duh! Numero dos: don't execute random programs you downloaded from some random website! Check your program's origin/source/companies reputation. Duh! You know... common sense?
That's all you need! Notice I didn't mention any specific OS? Because it applies to all. If you keep downloading random shit on Ubuntu and just running it as admin/sudo, guess what?
PS: Been using Windows on and off for about 15 or so years, never installed one anti-malware program, never had any malware issues. You know... common sense?
out the box? sure, as long as it's not plugged in it's just as secure as mac or linux.
In reality, otherwise, the machines do not have the same security. This isn't an attack on Microsoft, it's just reality. They're poor performers as far as security is concerned and have been from day one.
XP and before yes, Vista and 7 no. The granularity Windows security is better than *nix. Sorry, as much I hate MS, their ACLs own *nix. Easy to apply and modify. Default security is good too. You need privilege escalation to write to system area and to change system settings. Same stuff as *nix.
The only difference, and I don't think it matters, is the way UI handles the privilege escalation. Ubuntu prompts you for password, Win V/7 asks you for Yes/No. One might say Yes/No prompt is annoying and users just mash 'Yes' and continue, I am willing to bet that password prompt would be just as annoying until the user blanks his/her password and just mashes enter.
The problem is not the underlying system's security, both *nix and Windows have the framework to be very secure and both come secure out of the box (not XP, only Vista/7). The problem is always a human factor (too lazy to read about basic computer security, too stupid to understand, just doesn't care and mashes 'Yes/Allow', etc...).
Don't blame the underlying system, blame the user. Never underestimate the sheer ingenuity of complete idiots.
I've never heard people suggest that before, but the idea of "using open source = discount on your internet bill" is a good idea.
Do it in a very simple way: if you're not running windows or OSX, you get a 5% discount your bill. Some might differ on whether to put OSX in the "Do not run" category.
The rest is too discriminatory and too extreme.
There are people out there who are able to configure Windows to be as secure as *Nix or Mac OS. Why penalize them? Penalize the retards who run Windows/*nix/Mac OS as administrator. Penalize the retards who are infected with the botnet zombie 'du jour'. Penalize the retards who mindlessly click on every 'OMGZ YOU WIN IPOD TOUCH CLICK HERE PLZ!111!!!!!!oneoneeleventy!~one!' banners.
Anyone still running only 32-bit Windows deserves the vulnerability. This is just one more reason why people should be upgrading to 64-bit.
Yes because (insert computer illiterate person here) checking email, browsing Facebook or chatting on an IM needs a Quad Core CPU with 16 GB of Ram running Windows 7 Ultimate x64.
Not sure for you, but on the planet I live on, Earth, they don't. Most of my family members use Windows XP on 4+ year old machines, they are all happy.
It would already be a huge leap ahead if Blizzard didn't use the same logon credentials for their user forum that is used to log into the game. That alone is certainly the source of many stolen accounts, given how easy it is to sniff passwords out of a browser.
https://us.battle.net/login/login.xml...
Notice the 'https' in front of that url? This 'sniffing' of passwords is not possible over https, if it were, no e-commerce/banking site would be safe.
However, idiot WoW players who go on WoW sites like Thottbot, Wowhead and other less reputable sites for information and they click on random ad banners flashing boobs and whatnot get infected with keyboard sniffers tailored for WoW players. Guess what? They'll lose control of their accounts. There is also a number of players who give out their account information to guildmates and guess what? Some of those get fucked over by their guildmates whom they trusted. See? No password sniffing involved in https login sessions. Blizzard can't fight this problem with technology. They have many account recovery calls now, but I bet they'll get twice the number of calls from people can't access their accounts because the dongle doesn't work or the people using it have no clue how to use it, or the the users simply lost it.
The WoW account problems have nothing to do with sniffing passwords over https. It's not a technology problem but a human behaviour problem, something technology can't fix. I would even go far as to say that if you lose control of your WoW account because you got keylogged or were stupid enough to give it out to a 'guildmate' who lives thousand of miles from you, and who you never met in person, you deserve to lose it.
I solved my tech support problems simply. I told my family, if they wanted me to fix their problems, they had to agree to a few things: (1) I am admin on their machines. (2) They are peons on their machines. (3) ??? (4) Malware problem solved. (5) Profit!
Install Firefox with Adblock, remove their administrative rights, set PCs to auto patch, your/their malware problems are solved. When they need to install new software, I do it for them, it's worth the hassle instead of constantly cleaning up viruses.
I was pointing out the parent's error in comparing Vista with ME. Thus my apples vs oranges comment because ME is a Win 9x 'kernel'. Also, a better comparison would have been Vista vs the other NT kernels (2K, XP,...). That's why I said that Vista was less stable than XP. I actually compared apples to apples. Kapish?
It boggles my mind that people find Vista unstable. At least for me Vista runs a whole lot better than Windows ME ever ran.
Apples and oranges. Compare Vista with an NT kernel OS and you'll see that XP or 2000 would run circles around Vista in many aspects, including stability.
Yes, because marketing never influenced product quality/goals/orientation/etc... I mean, the P4 processors by Intel were designed by marketing campaigns, and we all know the great quality of those!
Of the two PS3 owners that I know (a friend and myself), both have had the Blue-ray drive fail. And mine failed just after I sold the console on Craigslist, making me look like a fraud.
Or on Windows, go to 'Document and Settings' (Users on Vista/7 if I am not mistaken), 'Application Data\Macromedia\Flash Player'.
Remove '#SharedObjects' folder, create a file with same name on it. Remove all security rights on it. Do same with 'macromedia.com' folder.
Problem solved. To test it, go to Youtube, set your volume to a certain level. Close browser, re-open and see if Youtube maintained the volume level. It shouldn't.
If I were searching for that I would have put something like 'bug check' (note the space?). Yahoo and Bing both assume I can't spell and that I forgot the space between the 'bug' and 'check'.
Doing a search for 'bug check' (space in between) on Google does return on 3d spot the anti bacterial crap. Which is what I would have searched for it. Without space, it returns the BSOD information which is what I would have wanted.
Don't need to do a Google fight. For everyday programming/IT/troubleshooting searches, Google just flat out owns the competition.
Do a search on 'bugcheck' (Microsoft term for blue screen of death).
Google top results: - Bugcheck Wikipedia definition. - List of bugcheck codes. - Interpreting bugcheck codes.
This is pretty much what I would expect the top 3 to be. Definition, list and how to interpret them.
Yahoo: - Bugcheck Wikipedia definition. - Bacteria test kits - Some douchebag's bugcheck.org website that has nothing more than an email address.
Bing: - Bugcheck list. - Same bacteria test kit as Yahoo. - Some random bugcheck for USB drives. - Interpreting bugcheck codes. - Wikipedia bugcheck article. - Some more bacteria crap.
Hello? I am doing a search on 'bugcheck', aka BSOD, not some random bacterial removal chemical crap. Why can Google filter out the relevant information but not the rest of the competition? Don't even get me started about Java code searches. Bing has far less results for Java code related searches than Google.
Yahoo is making a mistake by taking Bing, their results will suck even more.
Queue iTunes 8.2.2 in about 3 days. Seriously, does Palm really think they can win this? On the other hand, I respect that they're not rolling over and dying, as they did when they replaced Graffiti with Jot and wrecked handwriting recognition for their long-time users.
Why in the name of Cthulhu would anyone use iTunes to update a non iPod. Hell, with tools like SharePod you don't even need to use iTunes. Seriously, why? iTunes is the single most bloated piece of canine feces that exists... and they dare to call it software. Can't Palm write a plugin for MediaMonkey or some other media player and just use that?
Using iTunes is a similar experience to that of eating one's own teeth.
Slashdot Mirror
Oblivion had SecuROM as DRM.
I hope emailing and browsing the web doesn't involve watching anything on Youtube, because she won't be doing that.
iP{ad|od|hone} does Youtube fine.
Nor listening to music, at least not through any Flash-based player.
She doesn't even know that she can do that. Plus I'd be happy with a locked down Chrome tablet that has Flash. Not like it matters, the current crop of Flash app interfaces are not suited for touch screens anyways. It's mostly mouse over stuff, very awkward on touch screen. No tapping, no pinch zoom, no slide, it was designed for mouses. A tablet device is also more convenient when traveling, no need to sit awkwardly to use it.
What's so bad about a Linux-based netbook which is able to do anything she would want it to?
Nothing other than way too complicated for her.
Do you think you're going to have problems updating a Linux machine?
Yes. Had issues in the past.
Does it really need updating?
Yes.
She isn't going to get any PDF or Flash vulnerabilities, because they aren't going to run on the OS.
The moment she updates the system that breaks something, all she sees is some cryptic error message that means jack shit to her. 5 minutes later I get a call. Abusing my iPod touch for over 18 months got me one single reboot.
My EeePC came with all of the software necessary to do everything you described, including Skype, and it can do a lot more as well.
My PS3 only does games and some media center features yet it's perfect for that job, why would I need a computer if only thing I want is video games?
Hell, the iPad doesn't have an ethernet port. If she's staying somewhere without wifi, she's not going to be able to do *any* of the things you described.
3G.
Seems a little strange that you would consider limiting her to only what she's doing currently as a desirable thing. Actually, now that I say that, that sounds a lot like Apple's model in general. Limit people only to a specific set of activities.
Funny you mention that. I set her up a nice media center, I showed her how to work with pictures, video, showed her a few other things she could do with her PC, guess what? She doesn't give a shit. She wants to check cooking recipes on some website, chat with friends on Skype and email. That's it.
As for no camera for Skype, iPad SDK has camera related stuff (so probably an addon eventually). Plus it doesn't have to be an iPad, just an appliance that works (Chrome tablet I am looking at you!). Something equivalent to a game console for us but for her. Something that updates 'automagically', is safe from viruses and spyware and it's simple to use. Let me stress that: simple to use. No, Gnome/KDE/Windows/OSX is not simple for her. On my PS3 I don't want to run VMWare, nor Visual Studio, nor Photoshop, I use it to do a limited number of tasks. The interface is simple and the few tasks it does, it does it very well. The once a year, probably not even, my mom would want to do something more complex, she'll come over to my place and use my computer. For the rest of time, she'll be very happy with a locked down internet appliance.
What makes you think that once Youtube, Vimeo and other sites are comfy with HTML5 the pr0n industry won't follow?
I assembled a PC for my mom a year ago, have the iPad been out I'd have gotten that instead with keyboard dock. All she does is email, browse the web and chat with Skype. All that is available on iPad and as a bonus, I wouldn't have to worry to constantly patch it, update it, secure it and whatnot. Her next upgrade is definitely an iPad or a similar locked down appliance.
I've wondered why CivIII, Civ4 (and AC) never got console ports, like CivI and CivII did. Thy're turn based and not that all graphically intensive and PS2's/PS3's have USB ports so they could even throw in a traditional control scheme in addition to a DualShock oriented one.
Civ IV got a console port, was called Civilization Revolution. Mind you, it was beyond dumbed down. Graphics have nothing to do with the port of strategy games like Civilization to a console, it's more of an audience problem. It has more than two buttons to press, it doesn't have shiny ultra realistic 3D graphics and it's ... 'complex'.
so how did you get from 13b to 16 again?
He used Microsoft Excel.
My MSI Wind Touch (Atom 330) is playing 720p without any issues, however it can't play 1080p. Mind you, on a 19' screen, 720p is way more than enough. Also, it does YouTube, DVDs and video streaming off the web with no problems.
yes, there are people who can secure it - but there are less layers of stupidproofing to prevent them from bypassing their own security loopholes.
You don't have a clue what you are talking about. Windows: 1 layer of stupid proofing: UAC. Ubuntu: 1 layer of stupid proofing: password prompt. The stupid proofing is different and one can argue that one is more efficient than the other (until the users get fed up and just mash 'Allow' on UAC or blank their passwords on Ubuntu and mash 'Enter'). But both systems have the same number of 'Stupid' proof layers. One might also add another stupid proof layer on Windows, since most people get their machines from Dell/Hp/etc, they all come with some sort of anti-malware installed. Something *nix/Mac OS installations don't come with. So in theory, Windows has more layers of stupid proofing.
Out of box, I think it's fair to say that *nix and Mac have Microsoft products beat, hands down. To date, I've not had a single *nix installation compromised. Windows? Yes, my Windows machines have been compromised. To be fair - my Win7 installation has not been compromised yet. But then, I don't use it much. ;^)
Let me guess ... you run Windows as administrator? Also, have any evidence backing up your claim? Or just jumping on the "Windoze is not secure lulz!' bandwagon? I challenge you to take Windows Vista/7 out of the box and get it hacked without your idiocy (Read: using it as administrator and blindly mashing the 'Allow' button on UAC prompts).
A few basic security measures can make any PC safe. Numero uno: don't use it as administrator. Duh! Numero dos: don't execute random programs you downloaded from some random website! Check your program's origin/source/companies reputation. Duh! You know ... common sense?
That's all you need! Notice I didn't mention any specific OS? Because it applies to all. If you keep downloading random shit on Ubuntu and just running it as admin/sudo, guess what?
PS: Been using Windows on and off for about 15 or so years, never installed one anti-malware program, never had any malware issues. You know ... common sense?
out the box? sure, as long as it's not plugged in it's just as secure as mac or linux.
In reality, otherwise, the machines do not have the same security. This isn't an attack on Microsoft, it's just reality. They're poor performers as far as security is concerned and have been from day one.
XP and before yes, Vista and 7 no. The granularity Windows security is better than *nix. Sorry, as much I hate MS, their ACLs own *nix. Easy to apply and modify. Default security is good too. You need privilege escalation to write to system area and to change system settings. Same stuff as *nix.
The only difference, and I don't think it matters, is the way UI handles the privilege escalation. Ubuntu prompts you for password, Win V/7 asks you for Yes/No. One might say Yes/No prompt is annoying and users just mash 'Yes' and continue, I am willing to bet that password prompt would be just as annoying until the user blanks his/her password and just mashes enter.
The problem is not the underlying system's security, both *nix and Windows have the framework to be very secure and both come secure out of the box (not XP, only Vista/7). The problem is always a human factor (too lazy to read about basic computer security, too stupid to understand, just doesn't care and mashes 'Yes/Allow', etc...).
Don't blame the underlying system, blame the user. Never underestimate the sheer ingenuity of complete idiots.
I've never heard people suggest that before, but the idea of "using open source = discount on your internet bill" is a good idea.
Do it in a very simple way: if you're not running windows or OSX, you get a 5% discount your bill. Some might differ on whether to put OSX in the "Do not run" category.
The rest is too discriminatory and too extreme.
There are people out there who are able to configure Windows to be as secure as *Nix or Mac OS. Why penalize them? Penalize the retards who run Windows/*nix/Mac OS as administrator. Penalize the retards who are infected with the botnet zombie 'du jour'. Penalize the retards who mindlessly click on every 'OMGZ YOU WIN IPOD TOUCH CLICK HERE PLZ!111!!!!!!oneoneeleventy!~one!' banners.
Anyone still running only 32-bit Windows deserves the vulnerability.
This is just one more reason why people should be upgrading to 64-bit.
Yes because (insert computer illiterate person here) checking email, browsing Facebook or chatting on an IM needs a Quad Core CPU with 16 GB of Ram running Windows 7 Ultimate x64.
Not sure for you, but on the planet I live on, Earth, they don't. Most of my family members use Windows XP on 4+ year old machines, they are all happy.
It would already be a huge leap ahead if Blizzard didn't use the same logon credentials for their user forum that is used to log into the game. That alone is certainly the source of many stolen accounts, given how easy it is to sniff passwords out of a browser.
https://us.battle.net/login/login.xml ...
Notice the 'https' in front of that url? This 'sniffing' of passwords is not possible over https, if it were, no e-commerce/banking site would be safe.
However, idiot WoW players who go on WoW sites like Thottbot, Wowhead and other less reputable sites for information and they click on random ad banners flashing boobs and whatnot get infected with keyboard sniffers tailored for WoW players. Guess what? They'll lose control of their accounts. There is also a number of players who give out their account information to guildmates and guess what? Some of those get fucked over by their guildmates whom they trusted. See? No password sniffing involved in https login sessions. Blizzard can't fight this problem with technology. They have many account recovery calls now, but I bet they'll get twice the number of calls from people can't access their accounts because the dongle doesn't work or the people using it have no clue how to use it, or the the users simply lost it.
The WoW account problems have nothing to do with sniffing passwords over https. It's not a technology problem but a human behaviour problem, something technology can't fix. I would even go far as to say that if you lose control of your WoW account because you got keylogged or were stupid enough to give it out to a 'guildmate' who lives thousand of miles from you, and who you never met in person, you deserve to lose it.
The Wall Street bankers didn't do anything illegal.
Or do you mean Bernie Madoff? He got jail time.
I guess mortgage fraud that even the FBI said was "rampant" is not a crime?
I solved my tech support problems simply. I told my family, if they wanted me to fix their problems, they had to agree to a few things:
(1) I am admin on their machines.
(2) They are peons on their machines.
(3) ???
(4) Malware problem solved.
(5) Profit!
Install Firefox with Adblock, remove their administrative rights, set PCs to auto patch, your/their malware problems are solved. When they need to install new software, I do it for them, it's worth the hassle instead of constantly cleaning up viruses.
Whoa! No shit!?
I was pointing out the parent's error in comparing Vista with ME. Thus my apples vs oranges comment because ME is a Win 9x 'kernel'. Also, a better comparison would have been Vista vs the other NT kernels (2K, XP, ...). That's why I said that Vista was less stable than XP. I actually compared apples to apples. Kapish?
It boggles my mind that people find Vista unstable. At least for me Vista runs a whole lot better than Windows ME ever ran.
Apples and oranges. Compare Vista with an NT kernel OS and you'll see that XP or 2000 would run circles around Vista in many aspects, including stability.
Yes, because marketing never influenced product quality/goals/orientation/etc ... I mean, the P4 processors by Intel were designed by marketing campaigns, and we all know the great quality of those!
How about they release "PS3 Reliable edition"?
Of the two PS3 owners that I know (a friend and myself), both have had the Blue-ray drive fail. And mine failed just after I sold the console on Craigslist, making me look like a fraud.
The plural of 'anecdote' is not 'evidence'.
Or on Windows, go to 'Document and Settings' (Users on Vista/7 if I am not mistaken), 'Application Data\Macromedia\Flash Player'.
Remove '#SharedObjects' folder, create a file with same name on it. Remove all security rights on it. Do same with 'macromedia.com' folder.
Problem solved. To test it, go to Youtube, set your volume to a certain level. Close browser, re-open and see if Youtube maintained the volume level. It shouldn't.
If I were searching for that I would have put something like 'bug check' (note the space?). Yahoo and Bing both assume I can't spell and that I forgot the space between the 'bug' and 'check'.
Doing a search for 'bug check' (space in between) on Google does return on 3d spot the anti bacterial crap. Which is what I would have searched for it. Without space, it returns the BSOD information which is what I would have wanted.
I take you never looked in Windows Event Log. It's how Microsoft identifies BSODs.
Don't need to do a Google fight. For everyday programming/IT/troubleshooting searches, Google just flat out owns the competition.
Do a search on 'bugcheck' (Microsoft term for blue screen of death).
Google top results:
- Bugcheck Wikipedia definition.
- List of bugcheck codes.
- Interpreting bugcheck codes.
This is pretty much what I would expect the top 3 to be. Definition, list and how to interpret them.
Yahoo:
- Bugcheck Wikipedia definition.
- Bacteria test kits
- Some douchebag's bugcheck.org website that has nothing more than an email address.
Bing:
- Bugcheck list.
- Same bacteria test kit as Yahoo.
- Some random bugcheck for USB drives.
- Interpreting bugcheck codes.
- Wikipedia bugcheck article.
- Some more bacteria crap.
Hello? I am doing a search on 'bugcheck', aka BSOD, not some random bacterial removal chemical crap. Why can Google filter out the relevant information but not the rest of the competition? Don't even get me started about Java code searches. Bing has far less results for Java code related searches than Google.
Yahoo is making a mistake by taking Bing, their results will suck even more.
Queue iTunes 8.2.2 in about 3 days. Seriously, does Palm really think they can win this? On the other hand, I respect that they're not rolling over and dying, as they did when they replaced Graffiti with Jot and wrecked handwriting recognition for their long-time users.
Why in the name of Cthulhu would anyone use iTunes to update a non iPod. Hell, with tools like SharePod you don't even need to use iTunes. Seriously, why? iTunes is the single most bloated piece of canine feces that exists ... and they dare to call it software. Can't Palm write a plugin for MediaMonkey or some other media player and just use that?
Using iTunes is a similar experience to that of eating one's own teeth.
...for a while. A post from several days ago - The Day That Was - HFT's Superdominance. Extra points to them for the Fight Club motif!
Zero Hedge is awesome. Thanks to blogs like that you can get real financial news instead of corporate sock puppets of CNBC and the likes.