When netbooks came out they delivered remarkable utility with long battery life in a tiny package for low cost - using Linux and small SSD media. The netbook met a need for low-cost compromised UI with good performance. Then Microsoft convinced all the Linux netbook vendors to convert back to XP, consuming more storage (and driving the cost up) and delivering less-adequate performance. They sold more units, and lost money on every one. And then there was the crippled versions of W7 thing with even higher costs as the cost of full laptops dived below the price of netbooks. And the netbook market crashed because nobody was going to go back to the cheaper, quite awesome Linux variant when they could sell $300 laptops instead. But a funny thing happened. The price of a laptop also fell in response to this netbook threat - from $900 to under $300. Microsoft successfully killed the netbook by cutting the throats of their PC OEMs with budget laptops.
People forget that between the netbook and the tablet was a Smartbook - invented by Asus and showed briefly in 2009 at a summer trade show - and then suddenly yanked in mid show. It was a ARM/Linux platform. The very next week a very nervous looking Jerry Shen flanked by Steve Ballmer and a member of Microsoft Legal was talking up Asus W7 platforms on a stage in Taiwan. He seemed to be sending out very stressed body language - something like "help me".
So now we have ARM tablets, mostly thanks to Apple's huge margins and lack of commitment to the Windows ecosystem enabling them to innovate. But the netbook story isn't going to play out here again. The CE vendors are in this game now and Microsoft doesn't have the leverage over Samsung and HTC that they had over the PC vendors. The CE vendors can't make Apple tablets: only Apple can do that. So they're going to do the thing they CAN do, and make Android tablets as best they can. And they do. And they rock. And Google does the ecosystem thing for them, with 250M units in the field the developer need not worry about there being a market for his app if it's any good. With hundreds of thousands of apps customers need not fear the thing won't do what they want - in fact, if you've bought it for your phone you don't have to buy it again for your tablet. And some of the apps - particularly games - are quite incredible on a device with all-day battery life. And things like Kindle app of course still give you access to all the things you've bought through there too.
The new crew, the CE giants, the Samsungs and HTCs are also the ones burned on Windows Phone and buying back their stock thanks to Nokia's preferred standing - so they're not going to push for WoA. Neither are the PC OEMs, once they find out Nokia got early access and help, and they're required to include software with Nokia branding on it in their PCs.
WoA is going to try to step into this with no apps, a rejected WP7 UI and a general distrust of Microsoft, and try to make a go of it. Maybe even without multicore. They're going to have to acquire HTC to make that happen, because without something on that scale they got nuthin.
This is starting to look like the end of the beginning.
BTW: Symantec is just now disclosing that their servers were hacked in 2006 (as far as they know - maybe earlier). They don't know how long the hackers have PWNed their network, how much control they had, or for how long - but they're quite sure the hackers have stolen some of their source code. They recommend that you not use / disable / uninstall some (most) of their software. Most especially including PC Anywhere, since apparently it has a vulnerability or "back door" that allows the hackers to remotely administer your PC from Anywhere - and has for the last SIX YEARS.
I think I'm going to take Symantec's edicts with a grain of salt from now on, even if this is from a different group.
I'm not sure how, but you've hit the crux of it. With Windows, we expect this "blame the user" scenario because we've been trained to expect it. We were hoping for better with Android. But there are just so darned many apps now to vet.
Maybe a second level of "hey, these permissions are really loose and align with known malware. Are you really sure you want to enable this app to upload all your files and your contacts list to any random website and dial 1-900 numbers to run up your phone bill?" consent might be required.
Or maybe just triggers for additional inspection of apps based on required permissions. But that costs money, and somebody has to pay for that. Maybe a permissions cost matrix for uploading your app, to pay for the code inspection. That would encourage developers to require the minimum necessary permissions.
Well, this is as good a place to put this as any. Both of you Windows Phone users need to stay away from the Chrome browser for Windows Phone. It's a scam.
Most "IT security professionals" don't know how inept they are either. It's a human trait: we all have blind spots and the biggest one is the breadth of our incompetence.
Countries don't produce profit numbers but rather GDP, and I think revenues line up better for GDP than profits because GDP is the sum of the value of all goods and services produced in the nation in a year - which is sort of like company gross revenues. Annualizing the Christmas quarter run rate gives $185B (yeah, I know - that's cheating a little but it's a growth company and the trend is for this to average out over the next three quarters). For comparison Pakistan, the 2010 47th highest country in the world by GDP according to the IMF had a GDP of $176.87B.
Pakistan had an estimated population in 2011 of 177,100,000, and is the 6th most populous country in the world.
Various sources give different numbers than the above, of course, but you get the idea. Apple is turning out some amazingly large numbers. There would be 47 nations above Apple on that list of nations, and 130 some odd below it - if Apple was a nation.
That's a boatload of cash. No, literally, a large boat load of hundred dollar bills. And it looks like they're going to need a bigger boat. That's like 1,200 congresses.
When copyright is banned outright you'll be coming round with your hat in hand begging for fifteen years. People are getting really pissed off right now. Congress is granted the power in the Consitution to grant copyrights - but it is not REQUIRED to do so. Copyright is not a natural right.
Freedom of speech and due process of law are, however natural rights that are beyond the power of the government to take away. And when you start trying to screw with those natural rights to maximize the benefit of your "IP" privilege you're going to find that we don't care so much about your rents any more.
What I'm saying is that to get extradition the specific actions the men are accused of must be illegal under NZ law, not just "copyright violation" in general. And that is not clear.
It does appear that the petition is closing on 10,000 signatures and is on pace to achieve the key number and then some. It will be interesting what the response is.
It would seem very unusual for a nation to permit extradition of a person for acts which are not in that country illegal - even if they're unquestionably illegal in the country requestion extradition. Since violating the DMCA is the foundation of all the other acts in the indictment (if there is no other crime, financial transactions cannot be money laundering; there cannot be some conspiracy to not break the law) and NZ doesn't have the DMCA it seems to me they're unlikely to grant extradition. But I could be wrong.
A link in this article goes to a rather thoughtful discussion of the MegaUpload indictment. To tell it short, although the indictment sounds bad, almost none of the alleged activities are in fact illegal. The few that are require "state of mind" which is a rather difficult thing to prove, and harder to get a jury to convict on.
Since in America we have trial by jury, if it goes to court it seems unlikely there will be able to find a jury willing to convict.
Together that seems to make the whole thing very scary.
This is true. The vast majority of apps don't use native code, and should work fine on Intel Android. Unfortunately the native apps are the best apps. I imagine Intel would encourage game makers to make native apps for their gear as well.
I'm a big fan, and would consider the Intel Android tablet - but not a Windows one. But it has to have the right mix of features and be a good value and be competitive with the field on the date of purchase. The WiDi tech looks really sweet, and a HDMI WiDi dongle to use in my TV, monitor, or conference room bigscreen might put it over for me.
Can't wait to give this a try if they can get someone to make it. But that's going to be their biggest problem. PC vendors aren't going to touch Android on Intel. That leaves the current batch of Android on ARM vendors - and they're quite happy with what they've got already to work with.
Slashdot Mirror
When netbooks came out they delivered remarkable utility with long battery life in a tiny package for low cost - using Linux and small SSD media. The netbook met a need for low-cost compromised UI with good performance. Then Microsoft convinced all the Linux netbook vendors to convert back to XP, consuming more storage (and driving the cost up) and delivering less-adequate performance. They sold more units, and lost money on every one. And then there was the crippled versions of W7 thing with even higher costs as the cost of full laptops dived below the price of netbooks. And the netbook market crashed because nobody was going to go back to the cheaper, quite awesome Linux variant when they could sell $300 laptops instead. But a funny thing happened. The price of a laptop also fell in response to this netbook threat - from $900 to under $300. Microsoft successfully killed the netbook by cutting the throats of their PC OEMs with budget laptops.
People forget that between the netbook and the tablet was a Smartbook - invented by Asus and showed briefly in 2009 at a summer trade show - and then suddenly yanked in mid show. It was a ARM/Linux platform. The very next week a very nervous looking Jerry Shen flanked by Steve Ballmer and a member of Microsoft Legal was talking up Asus W7 platforms on a stage in Taiwan. He seemed to be sending out very stressed body language - something like "help me".
So now we have ARM tablets, mostly thanks to Apple's huge margins and lack of commitment to the Windows ecosystem enabling them to innovate. But the netbook story isn't going to play out here again. The CE vendors are in this game now and Microsoft doesn't have the leverage over Samsung and HTC that they had over the PC vendors. The CE vendors can't make Apple tablets: only Apple can do that. So they're going to do the thing they CAN do, and make Android tablets as best they can. And they do. And they rock. And Google does the ecosystem thing for them, with 250M units in the field the developer need not worry about there being a market for his app if it's any good. With hundreds of thousands of apps customers need not fear the thing won't do what they want - in fact, if you've bought it for your phone you don't have to buy it again for your tablet. And some of the apps - particularly games - are quite incredible on a device with all-day battery life. And things like Kindle app of course still give you access to all the things you've bought through there too.
The new crew, the CE giants, the Samsungs and HTCs are also the ones burned on Windows Phone and buying back their stock thanks to Nokia's preferred standing - so they're not going to push for WoA. Neither are the PC OEMs, once they find out Nokia got early access and help, and they're required to include software with Nokia branding on it in their PCs.
WoA is going to try to step into this with no apps, a rejected WP7 UI and a general distrust of Microsoft, and try to make a go of it. Maybe even without multicore. They're going to have to acquire HTC to make that happen, because without something on that scale they got nuthin.
This is starting to look like the end of the beginning.
BTW: Symantec is just now disclosing that their servers were hacked in 2006 (as far as they know - maybe earlier). They don't know how long the hackers have PWNed their network, how much control they had, or for how long - but they're quite sure the hackers have stolen some of their source code. They recommend that you not use / disable / uninstall some (most) of their software. Most especially including PC Anywhere, since apparently it has a vulnerability or "back door" that allows the hackers to remotely administer your PC from Anywhere - and has for the last SIX YEARS.
I think I'm going to take Symantec's edicts with a grain of salt from now on, even if this is from a different group.
I'm not sure how, but you've hit the crux of it. With Windows, we expect this "blame the user" scenario because we've been trained to expect it. We were hoping for better with Android. But there are just so darned many apps now to vet.
Maybe a second level of "hey, these permissions are really loose and align with known malware. Are you really sure you want to enable this app to upload all your files and your contacts list to any random website and dial 1-900 numbers to run up your phone bill?" consent might be required.
Or maybe just triggers for additional inspection of apps based on required permissions. But that costs money, and somebody has to pay for that. Maybe a permissions cost matrix for uploading your app, to pay for the code inspection. That would encourage developers to require the minimum necessary permissions.
All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. - Various attributions.
Well, this is as good a place to put this as any. Both of you Windows Phone users need to stay away from the Chrome browser for Windows Phone. It's a scam.
Have you considered using a hammer to pound that nail? It sounds like the limp fish you're using isn't getting it done.
You have to dig that deep for a dig at Google? That's pretty lame. Google can't do anything about how novice blogs include their ads.
Most "IT security professionals" don't know how inept they are either. It's a human trait: we all have blind spots and the biggest one is the breadth of our incompetence.
Now that's a comment you don't see every day. Glad you're thinking of the lolkittens. They're precious.
Nothing, if you're SSL'ing through it with your offshore VPN connection like you're not a total tool.
Countries don't produce profit numbers but rather GDP, and I think revenues line up better for GDP than profits because GDP is the sum of the value of all goods and services produced in the nation in a year - which is sort of like company gross revenues. Annualizing the Christmas quarter run rate gives $185B (yeah, I know - that's cheating a little but it's a growth company and the trend is for this to average out over the next three quarters). For comparison Pakistan, the 2010 47th highest country in the world by GDP according to the IMF had a GDP of $176.87B.
Pakistan had an estimated population in 2011 of 177,100,000, and is the 6th most populous country in the world.
Various sources give different numbers than the above, of course, but you get the idea. Apple is turning out some amazingly large numbers. There would be 47 nations above Apple on that list of nations, and 130 some odd below it - if Apple was a nation.
That's a boatload of cash. No, literally, a large boat load of hundred dollar bills. And it looks like they're going to need a bigger boat. That's like 1,200 congresses.
When copyright is banned outright you'll be coming round with your hat in hand begging for fifteen years. People are getting really pissed off right now. Congress is granted the power in the Consitution to grant copyrights - but it is not REQUIRED to do so. Copyright is not a natural right.
Freedom of speech and due process of law are, however natural rights that are beyond the power of the government to take away. And when you start trying to screw with those natural rights to maximize the benefit of your "IP" privilege you're going to find that we don't care so much about your rents any more.
I just don't see that happening. I don't hold great hope for RIM's future, but I just don't think they could limbo under the WP7 bar any time soon.
What I'm saying is that to get extradition the specific actions the men are accused of must be illegal under NZ law, not just "copyright violation" in general. And that is not clear.
Very much this.
It does appear that the petition is closing on 10,000 signatures and is on pace to achieve the key number and then some. It will be interesting what the response is.
That was a civil suit, not a criminal trial. The rules are different.
It would seem very unusual for a nation to permit extradition of a person for acts which are not in that country illegal - even if they're unquestionably illegal in the country requestion extradition. Since violating the DMCA is the foundation of all the other acts in the indictment (if there is no other crime, financial transactions cannot be money laundering; there cannot be some conspiracy to not break the law) and NZ doesn't have the DMCA it seems to me they're unlikely to grant extradition. But I could be wrong.
A link in this article goes to a rather thoughtful discussion of the MegaUpload indictment. To tell it short, although the indictment sounds bad, almost none of the alleged activities are in fact illegal. The few that are require "state of mind" which is a rather difficult thing to prove, and harder to get a jury to convict on.
Since in America we have trial by jury, if it goes to court it seems unlikely there will be able to find a jury willing to convict.
Together that seems to make the whole thing very scary.
This is true. The vast majority of apps don't use native code, and should work fine on Intel Android. Unfortunately the native apps are the best apps. I imagine Intel would encourage game makers to make native apps for their gear as well.
I'm a big fan, and would consider the Intel Android tablet - but not a Windows one. But it has to have the right mix of features and be a good value and be competitive with the field on the date of purchase. The WiDi tech looks really sweet, and a HDMI WiDi dongle to use in my TV, monitor, or conference room bigscreen might put it over for me.
Can't wait to give this a try if they can get someone to make it. But that's going to be their biggest problem. PC vendors aren't going to touch Android on Intel. That leaves the current batch of Android on ARM vendors - and they're quite happy with what they've got already to work with.
Fortunately you don't have to be connecting from the US if you don't want to be.
Now that was one heck of a scary article.
BTW: Update me when you've got "eyes on" every last bit of the corium. I'm not expecting that update before I die,
What we need instead is more anonymous cowards to teach us the right thing to do.