The entire VoIP/video chat market is a cesspool of junk. I'm talking about all platforms, all manufacturers. Skype is the "least bad" of the very few even notable pieces of software. However, let's not pretend Skype wasn't terrible in every incarnation except the Windows client, and even then still buggy or poorly designed.
The current Skype client for iOS, Android, and Linux sucks. The current OS X client is very poor. The Windows client works most of the time at least until the next software update and then all bets are off.
So what does that leave us with? Live Messenger? Facetime? Neato.
Please be quiet about Google Talk. It doesn't support 1/16th of Skype's vital features, and it doesn't even support video in the desktop client. Plus the few telephone options it does have are US only.
I'd love to see this market seriously shaken up. I want to see massively better business apps that can replace your entire Cisco telephone system, and personal apps which make the teenage girls drool (since I assume that is what Live Messenger is aimed at).
So literally nobody in the UK should buy a house then? Houses here start at 150K and that is for a very basic two bedroom attached home with a small garden. If you divide the UK average income (26,700) by 150K you get around six years of annual income. The situation is similar London (just increase house cost and income by 10%).
Although I grant that HDMI cables are all identical electrically, you do have to look at least a little at the build quality of the joints between the head and the rest of the cable. In the really cheap HDMI cables ($1-5) some of them are build to a really low standard and if you move/tilt/rotate your TV/Monitor you eventually wind up with a loose connection.
That all being said, there is never a justification for spending more than perhaps $15 or $20 at absolute most. Gold plating does absolutely nothing.
We aren't talking about lock-ins we're talking about lock-outs. Microsoft's technology absolutely has people locked in, but other than their mobile offerings, it doesn't lock people out.
I think you seriously need a reality check. Nobody, except Linux users, would use the installation, licensing, the file system layout to justify why a system has good usability. In fact the irony of that defence almost proves my point within its self.
By that logic OS2 is as good as Linux, Windows, or OS X.
Windows 95 isn't easier to use, at least compared to OS X and Windows 7. But it is still at least a few years ahead of the best the Linux community can put out. But in fairness to them, they aren't aiming to make a desktop operating system just "anyone" can get up and use. They want to keep it as elitist and technically exclusive as possible. "READ THE MAN PAGE"
If you read between the lines, this is a play to take away a user's ability to change the system rather than hiding that complexity to make the system easier to use. The difference is, in principle, about who ultimately controls the system. Google are going to roll out an Apple-like OS that locks the users in and make the same claim Apple makes about a better user experience to justify their choices.
Also, as a random aside, any company which moves their staff to Linux has lost a lot of legitimacy when they claim they have interests in bringing up the standard of usability or the user experience. Linux is far worse than Windows in terms of user experience (& complexity). I wouldn't even compare Linux to Windows 7, I would compare Windows 95 to Ubuntu 11, and honestly feel Windows 95 would win that battle.
Last point, I bet 70% non-Windows, means at least 60% on OS X, and approximately 10% on Linux.
This news is good for the security researchers and anti-virus companies to a certain degree, but bad for the rest of us. Zeus is extremely well written and extendible. Now "everyone" has access to it.
The ironic part about charging people for access was that it kept the number of criminals with access to the world's best crimeware kit down, and now the floodgates have opened.
I'm not sure how to feel about this one. On one hand Skype as a company could do with a huge amount of improvement. Their support is frankly the worst I've ever dealt with from a company of their size, and their software is only one release away from breaking again (and never worked correctly on Android).
I don't have any love for Facebook as a company, but frankly I have such a low opinion of Skype that it couldn't get too much worse, at least I hope. The funny thing is that I pay Skype hundreds of dollars a year for a service which is only borderline passable, but just like the telcos they're the only game in town, so there is no motovation for them to improve.
If Google released a competing product tomorrow I'd switch. And, no, Google Talk is NOT remotely comparable to Skype.
Ubuntu are the best Linux distribution. That puts them some place between Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. I'm sorry, but it is 2011, and their attempts just aren't cutting it. Clutter is still king, the terminal is still in common usage, the dialog boxes are fugely, and they're still building a experience which is aimed at geeks and elitists instead of average joe.
I don't care what Ubuntu's mission statement is. When they reach Windows 95 levels then let me know. The problem they have is that the entire Linux community seems dead set on keeping normal people out.
Apple is a UX company. Their entire role, from their perspective is to give users the best possible user experience. This thinking is in their products, their software, their sales, and even their after-sales services. You can argue there is room for improvement and most would agree, but you'd struggle to argue that Apple's goal isn't a great UX.
Linux, and by extension Ubuntu, don't care about the UX. They design geek software for a very niche audience who want complexity and full access by default. This kind of business model is almost 180 degrees away from what the mass consumer market is moving to. The only success Linux has had is with integrated applications (Android, Microwaves, Routers) where the UX is designed completely from scratch by a third party private company.
So, no, Ubuntu or Linux won't be the next Apple. Microsoft won't be the next Apple either, because both make UX a secondary concern.
While I support those that want to fight this, most EU countries already have the 70 year term in law already. Meaning local law already protects recordings for Life+70.
List of EU countries with Life+70 or more: UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Sweden, Finland, etc
My point is this law actually does nothing at all...
No they didn't. Netbooks are all around us. I see people using the little laptops all the time, and the sales of devices like the Macbook Air seem strong. Netbooks and Tablets are absolutely running a trend roller-coaster, but when the ride finishes I still expect to see them as strong contenders in the marketplace.
The reason why Tablets failed before was that they simply didn't make sense. The OS was terrible (Windows lolwat?), the hardware was big and bulky, the battery life was scary, and the touch screens weren't responsive. Contrast everything I just said with a iPad 2011.
I think dedicated eBook Readers will die. Laptops and Netbooks will continue to merge closer and closer. Tablets and Phones might also merge even more. Ultimately however I think touch screen devices of some form-factor will survive.
One month, that is how long I give it before this gets used to block sites for non-piracy reasons. Like a site that talks about BitTorrent community activity or a competitor who infringes a patent for two random examples. Make my words, this will be used for political suppression even if it isn't the government doing it.
First we had people pull them apart and report poor build quality, then we had complaints over the insane price of components in Apple's store, and now we have the machines freezing up? I'm all for people spending a little more and getting a higher quality machine but Apple needs to keep up their end of the bargain.
What does Apple have to say one the build quality concerns? The last thing they need is to be considered no better than HP, Gateway, and Dell. Overall I don't think laptops are built "fit for purpose" and haven't been since the IBM days (although business laptops are better). I love all the Dell laptops with 2 hours battery life out-of-the-bx in particular, very useful concept...
Business Cards are still alive and well. They still contain exactly what they always did - who you are and how to get in touch with you. That second part just happens to include e-mail, twitter, web-site, etc.
Anecdotes aside, until we can shake our cell phones at one another and exchange contact cards then cardboard will continue to be the best way.
1969. When free speech in schools could be curtailed if it "substantial interference with school discipline or the rights of others." Since then it has been further limited. 1988, school newspapers censored, and 2007 suspending a student for wearing an offensive t-shirt OFF school premises.
I think it is an interesting area for debate, particularly when state education is legally required. But then again I guess teachers need to have some level of control. I think the most controversial area is if school should have any input into what students do in their own time rather than the police.
Please excuse my ignorance, I'm from the EU, but I thought the US was a republic? At least that is what Wikipedia and the CIA World Factbook claim.
Also, what does this have to do with "unemployment, finance and social service?" Are state government unable to pass any law when those things are outside a certain threshold?
Called someone a "pedophile" in this age of crazy parents, vigilantism, and indefinite search engine indexing they deserve at least to be expelled. Such accusations could very easily result in that teacher losing their job or worse having some moron fire bombing their home. It is exactly this kind of thing which is driving male teachers out of education in droves.
Also, this story has nothing to do with Facebook and really doesn't belong on/.
The backscatter system is designed to penetrate the outer layer of the skin. Experts have written to the US Government with concerns only to be answered with "it is too low power!" But the fact is that these machines cause cancer, the only question is how much cancer and if we're happy with killing one additional person every year, ten, or over a hundred?
Luckily it is impossible to show cause/effect between these machines and the cancers we know they will cause. Thus we can go on irradiating ourselves for many generations to come. I'd be very concerned if I was a frequent flier. You're a guinea pig. But now they want to expand this ineffective and unnecessary security theatre into the general populous? Very scary thought.
I'd never work for any company that puts restrictions on my out-of-hours work. My time, my IP, my money, period. It is offensive that they think 30% of the money their employees make in their own time should go to Microsoft.
Just goes to show how big and evil most companies in the US have become - almost seems like yanks have accepted their fate as indentured slaves. Just sitting like a good little boy waiting and hoping that the big powerful executives will one day select them for some power.
Ban on out of hours work? IP theft? No holiday time? Insanely expensive medical? Crazy 8-6, 8-8 working hours? Weekends? What the hell is wrong with Americans. How long as they going to let this go on?
Wait, so "requests had been voluntary, and had not been taken into account when evaluating job applicants." If that statement is true then asking for the information serves absolutely no purpose at all. Seriously, was their only purpose to invade their employees privacy and put them in a potentially conflicting situation?!
If their statement is true then this raises even more serious questions about what this information was used for. If it was a lie then we need to ask why they feel they need to lie about this program (hint: it is illegal either way).
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The entire VoIP/video chat market is a cesspool of junk. I'm talking about all platforms, all manufacturers. Skype is the "least bad" of the very few even notable pieces of software. However, let's not pretend Skype wasn't terrible in every incarnation except the Windows client, and even then still buggy or poorly designed.
The current Skype client for iOS, Android, and Linux sucks. The current OS X client is very poor. The Windows client works most of the time at least until the next software update and then all bets are off.
So what does that leave us with? Live Messenger? Facetime? Neato.
Please be quiet about Google Talk. It doesn't support 1/16th of Skype's vital features, and it doesn't even support video in the desktop client. Plus the few telephone options it does have are US only.
I'd love to see this market seriously shaken up. I want to see massively better business apps that can replace your entire Cisco telephone system, and personal apps which make the teenage girls drool (since I assume that is what Live Messenger is aimed at).
So literally nobody in the UK should buy a house then? Houses here start at 150K and that is for a very basic two bedroom attached home with a small garden. If you divide the UK average income (26,700) by 150K you get around six years of annual income. The situation is similar London (just increase house cost and income by 10%).
Although I grant that HDMI cables are all identical electrically, you do have to look at least a little at the build quality of the joints between the head and the rest of the cable. In the really cheap HDMI cables ($1-5) some of them are build to a really low standard and if you move/tilt/rotate your TV/Monitor you eventually wind up with a loose connection.
That all being said, there is never a justification for spending more than perhaps $15 or $20 at absolute most. Gold plating does absolutely nothing.
We aren't talking about lock-ins we're talking about lock-outs. Microsoft's technology absolutely has people locked in, but other than their mobile offerings, it doesn't lock people out.
I think you seriously need a reality check. Nobody, except Linux users, would use the installation, licensing, the file system layout to justify why a system has good usability. In fact the irony of that defence almost proves my point within its self.
By that logic OS2 is as good as Linux, Windows, or OS X.
Windows 95 isn't easier to use, at least compared to OS X and Windows 7. But it is still at least a few years ahead of the best the Linux community can put out. But in fairness to them, they aren't aiming to make a desktop operating system just "anyone" can get up and use. They want to keep it as elitist and technically exclusive as possible. "READ THE MAN PAGE"
If you read between the lines, this is a play to take away a user's ability to change the system rather than hiding that complexity to make the system easier to use. The difference is, in principle, about who ultimately controls the system. Google are going to roll out an Apple-like OS that locks the users in and make the same claim Apple makes about a better user experience to justify their choices.
Also, as a random aside, any company which moves their staff to Linux has lost a lot of legitimacy when they claim they have interests in bringing up the standard of usability or the user experience. Linux is far worse than Windows in terms of user experience (& complexity). I wouldn't even compare Linux to Windows 7, I would compare Windows 95 to Ubuntu 11, and honestly feel Windows 95 would win that battle.
Last point, I bet 70% non-Windows, means at least 60% on OS X, and approximately 10% on Linux.
This news is good for the security researchers and anti-virus companies to a certain degree, but bad for the rest of us. Zeus is extremely well written and extendible. Now "everyone" has access to it.
The ironic part about charging people for access was that it kept the number of criminals with access to the world's best crimeware kit down, and now the floodgates have opened.
I'm not sure how to feel about this one. On one hand Skype as a company could do with a huge amount of improvement. Their support is frankly the worst I've ever dealt with from a company of their size, and their software is only one release away from breaking again (and never worked correctly on Android).
I don't have any love for Facebook as a company, but frankly I have such a low opinion of Skype that it couldn't get too much worse, at least I hope. The funny thing is that I pay Skype hundreds of dollars a year for a service which is only borderline passable, but just like the telcos they're the only game in town, so there is no motovation for them to improve.
If Google released a competing product tomorrow I'd switch. And, no, Google Talk is NOT remotely comparable to Skype.
Ubuntu are the best Linux distribution. That puts them some place between Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. I'm sorry, but it is 2011, and their attempts just aren't cutting it. Clutter is still king, the terminal is still in common usage, the dialog boxes are fugely, and they're still building a experience which is aimed at geeks and elitists instead of average joe.
I don't care what Ubuntu's mission statement is. When they reach Windows 95 levels then let me know. The problem they have is that the entire Linux community seems dead set on keeping normal people out.
Apple is a UX company. Their entire role, from their perspective is to give users the best possible user experience. This thinking is in their products, their software, their sales, and even their after-sales services. You can argue there is room for improvement and most would agree, but you'd struggle to argue that Apple's goal isn't a great UX.
Linux, and by extension Ubuntu, don't care about the UX. They design geek software for a very niche audience who want complexity and full access by default. This kind of business model is almost 180 degrees away from what the mass consumer market is moving to. The only success Linux has had is with integrated applications (Android, Microwaves, Routers) where the UX is designed completely from scratch by a third party private company.
So, no, Ubuntu or Linux won't be the next Apple. Microsoft won't be the next Apple either, because both make UX a secondary concern.
While I support those that want to fight this, most EU countries already have the 70 year term in law already. Meaning local law already protects recordings for Life+70.
List of EU countries with Life+70 or more: UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Sweden, Finland, etc
My point is this law actually does nothing at all...
So let's just be clear, they've re-invented seeding a password?
No they didn't. Netbooks are all around us. I see people using the little laptops all the time, and the sales of devices like the Macbook Air seem strong. Netbooks and Tablets are absolutely running a trend roller-coaster, but when the ride finishes I still expect to see them as strong contenders in the marketplace.
The reason why Tablets failed before was that they simply didn't make sense. The OS was terrible (Windows lolwat?), the hardware was big and bulky, the battery life was scary, and the touch screens weren't responsive. Contrast everything I just said with a iPad 2011.
I think dedicated eBook Readers will die. Laptops and Netbooks will continue to merge closer and closer. Tablets and Phones might also merge even more. Ultimately however I think touch screen devices of some form-factor will survive.
One month, that is how long I give it before this gets used to block sites for non-piracy reasons. Like a site that talks about BitTorrent community activity or a competitor who infringes a patent for two random examples. Make my words, this will be used for political suppression even if it isn't the government doing it.
0.09 Sv, slightly less than one banana.
First we had people pull them apart and report poor build quality, then we had complaints over the insane price of components in Apple's store, and now we have the machines freezing up? I'm all for people spending a little more and getting a higher quality machine but Apple needs to keep up their end of the bargain.
What does Apple have to say one the build quality concerns? The last thing they need is to be considered no better than HP, Gateway, and Dell. Overall I don't think laptops are built "fit for purpose" and haven't been since the IBM days (although business laptops are better). I love all the Dell laptops with 2 hours battery life out-of-the-bx in particular, very useful concept...
Business Cards are still alive and well. They still contain exactly what they always did - who you are and how to get in touch with you. That second part just happens to include e-mail, twitter, web-site, etc.
Anecdotes aside, until we can shake our cell phones at one another and exchange contact cards then cardboard will continue to be the best way.
1969. When free speech in schools could be curtailed if it "substantial interference with school discipline or the rights of others." Since then it has been further limited. 1988, school newspapers censored, and 2007 suspending a student for wearing an offensive t-shirt OFF school premises.
I think it is an interesting area for debate, particularly when state education is legally required. But then again I guess teachers need to have some level of control. I think the most controversial area is if school should have any input into what students do in their own time rather than the police.
My completely redesigned do you mean copied the original iPhone down to the finer detail, including lack of clipboard?
Please excuse my ignorance, I'm from the EU, but I thought the US was a republic? At least that is what Wikipedia and the CIA World Factbook claim.
Also, what does this have to do with "unemployment, finance and social service?" Are state government unable to pass any law when those things are outside a certain threshold?
Called someone a "pedophile" in this age of crazy parents, vigilantism, and indefinite search engine indexing they deserve at least to be expelled. Such accusations could very easily result in that teacher losing their job or worse having some moron fire bombing their home. It is exactly this kind of thing which is driving male teachers out of education in droves.
/.
Also, this story has nothing to do with Facebook and really doesn't belong on
The backscatter system is designed to penetrate the outer layer of the skin. Experts have written to the US Government with concerns only to be answered with "it is too low power!" But the fact is that these machines cause cancer, the only question is how much cancer and if we're happy with killing one additional person every year, ten, or over a hundred?
Luckily it is impossible to show cause/effect between these machines and the cancers we know they will cause. Thus we can go on irradiating ourselves for many generations to come. I'd be very concerned if I was a frequent flier. You're a guinea pig. But now they want to expand this ineffective and unnecessary security theatre into the general populous? Very scary thought.
That wasn't the way the article was worded at all. I assume it is 30% and then whatever the app' store takes off of you too.
I'd never work for any company that puts restrictions on my out-of-hours work. My time, my IP, my money, period. It is offensive that they think 30% of the money their employees make in their own time should go to Microsoft.
Just goes to show how big and evil most companies in the US have become - almost seems like yanks have accepted their fate as indentured slaves. Just sitting like a good little boy waiting and hoping that the big powerful executives will one day select them for some power.
Ban on out of hours work? IP theft? No holiday time? Insanely expensive medical? Crazy 8-6, 8-8 working hours? Weekends? What the hell is wrong with Americans. How long as they going to let this go on?
Wait, so "requests had been voluntary, and had not been taken into account when evaluating job applicants." If that statement is true then asking for the information serves absolutely no purpose at all. Seriously, was their only purpose to invade their employees privacy and put them in a potentially conflicting situation?!
If their statement is true then this raises even more serious questions about what this information was used for. If it was a lie then we need to ask why they feel they need to lie about this program (hint: it is illegal either way).