I thought I heard that the project had been cancelled because of problems in dealing with proprietary file formats (Word, etc). Was that somewhere else?
I think you'll find that in this case, it's not interfering in businesses, and this is just more ant-Google FUD. There is an extraordinary amount of it around lately.
There's very little even the oldest Android phones cannot do. Most of the OS improvements just replace stuff that was already available through software.
stI've recently switched to KDE as well. After you get everything configured as you like (still not quite there yet for me), it can be perfect, I think. It lacks the integration a polish Gnome has in a couple of places, but it's way better than being forced to work in a non-optimal way.
I find implementations of 'global menu' in OSX and Unity have the same problems. It's not bad on a very small screen, but works poorly on large or multiple monitors. It's also not obvious to new users, especially if you need to touch or mouse-over to even see it.
You're being modded as off-topic, but you're right, and relevant. All the 'designers' are pushing for dumbing down the desktop with no thought to those that actually need to use the more advanced features to actually do more than browse FaceBook. The Unity/Gnome-Shell changes are a perfect example (and I even find Gnome-Shell mostly usable). I wish they'd picked a better time to screw around with an exception Gnome 2 interface... they could likely have grabbed more marketshare from Microsoft. As it is, it makes it hard to recommend Ubuntu to a new user for the same reasons that it's hard to recommend Windows 8.
Some of them are pretty obvious. There have been articles here and in other places describing the lives of these people, and what their job is. I don't think it's too much of a stretch that Slashdot is not worthy of a couple of shills. Apparently they're quite cheap.
Microsoft seems to have quite a few hired commenters these days. Their comments tend to be fairly easy to spot, but the moderation is much more difficult matter to avoid.
I was about to sign up for one of these earlier this week, but the specs seem to indicate a resistive screen. After trying one of the cheap Chinese made Android tabs with a resistive screen, no thanks. I could deal with a bit less speed or memory, but the screen's got to be capacitive.
I like competing browsers, but I like also like standards. The trick is that the standards communities need to realize that they have to move faster. Really, as long as the WebKit community doesn't start patenting any of the extensions and other browser's developers pick them up (and vice-versa), we should be okay for a while.
They were thinking they would rather work with a new company who has a product consumers want to buy instead of going down with a sinking ship that would bleed them dry on the way down.
They could have done that at any time if that's what they truly wanted. They thought they were playing a negotiating game... it wasn't, but they lost anyway.
This is what Windows and Apple users put up with for years (and still do in both cases for the most part). Surprisingly, people are actually capable of installing software. What they don't seem to be capable of is determining which software they should install, or the realization that their freedom is being taken from them with iOS and Windows 'Metro'. Sadly, these two things run counter to each other, and I have a bad feeling that freedom is going to lose out.
They also deserve anything they get with the ongoing extortion of Android/Linux 'patents' that they insist on NDAs to even discus. How that's considered remotely legal is beyond me, and I'm very disappointed with anyone paying them for that kind of extortion.
Google supports IMAP which you can use to encrypt of course, but I think there are a few webmail clients that will do it for you as well. And yes, I would think that most people being too lazy (or just plain not technically competent) is a plus from Google's perspective. Then again, you're trading your personal information for their services, and they're not being particularly backhanded about it. Many people consider it an acceptable trade. Personally I'd like to see the laws changed so that a warrant is required to access personal information from a private company. Privacy laws should demand it if nothing else.
How exactly would per-user encryption help? You can encrypt your emails if you want, but if Google does it per user, they still have the key. This is very much a government problem. If Google doesn't have to hand to hand over the data but does anyway, it's a Google problem as well. As I've said above though, Google's probably the *least* evil of the big data corps.
Slashdot Mirror
Nice to see that Apple has finally stopped banning programming tutors like that.
I thought I heard that the project had been cancelled because of problems in dealing with proprietary file formats (Word, etc). Was that somewhere else?
In copying everything Apple, Microsoft wants a 'Reality Distortion Field' and has to resort to hardware to do it.
I think you'll find that in this case, it's not interfering in businesses, and this is just more ant-Google FUD. There is an extraordinary amount of it around lately.
There's very little even the oldest Android phones cannot do. Most of the OS improvements just replace stuff that was already available through software.
A government agency going to a proprietary, single supplier solution where an open, multi-supplier solution is available should not be legal.
They want to be Apple. Windows 8 is all about Metro and the marketplace lock-in. They want a cut of all software installed.
It's Microsoft. Have at it.
So that's what they're planning on doing with Balmer.
stI've recently switched to KDE as well. After you get everything configured as you like (still not quite there yet for me), it can be perfect, I think. It lacks the integration a polish Gnome has in a couple of places, but it's way better than being forced to work in a non-optimal way.
I find implementations of 'global menu' in OSX and Unity have the same problems. It's not bad on a very small screen, but works poorly on large or multiple monitors. It's also not obvious to new users, especially if you need to touch or mouse-over to even see it.
You're being modded as off-topic, but you're right, and relevant. All the 'designers' are pushing for dumbing down the desktop with no thought to those that actually need to use the more advanced features to actually do more than browse FaceBook. The Unity/Gnome-Shell changes are a perfect example (and I even find Gnome-Shell mostly usable). I wish they'd picked a better time to screw around with an exception Gnome 2 interface ... they could likely have grabbed more marketshare from Microsoft. As it is, it makes it hard to recommend Ubuntu to a new user for the same reasons that it's hard to recommend Windows 8.
Some of them are pretty obvious. There have been articles here and in other places describing the lives of these people, and what their job is. I don't think it's too much of a stretch that Slashdot is not worthy of a couple of shills. Apparently they're quite cheap.
So 'charms' are menu heading or toolbar buttons, just less useable and obvious.
Microsoft seems to have quite a few hired commenters these days. Their comments tend to be fairly easy to spot, but the moderation is much more difficult matter to avoid.
I was about to sign up for one of these earlier this week, but the specs seem to indicate a resistive screen. After trying one of the cheap Chinese made Android tabs with a resistive screen, no thanks. I could deal with a bit less speed or memory, but the screen's got to be capacitive.
I like competing browsers, but I like also like standards. The trick is that the standards communities need to realize that they have to move faster. Really, as long as the WebKit community doesn't start patenting any of the extensions and other browser's developers pick them up (and vice-versa), we should be okay for a while.
Don't blame Android as a platform, it actually allows non-WebKit browsers.
I frequently hear here that algorithms were explicitly excluded from patent protection.
So, the poetry of a violent, war-like culture is similar to rap? Someone should do a study into why that is.
They were thinking they would rather work with a new company who has a product consumers want to buy instead of going down with a sinking ship that would bleed them dry on the way down.
They could have done that at any time if that's what they truly wanted. They thought they were playing a negotiating game ... it wasn't, but they lost anyway.
This is what Windows and Apple users put up with for years (and still do in both cases for the most part). Surprisingly, people are actually capable of installing software. What they don't seem to be capable of is determining which software they should install, or the realization that their freedom is being taken from them with iOS and Windows 'Metro'. Sadly, these two things run counter to each other, and I have a bad feeling that freedom is going to lose out.
They also deserve anything they get with the ongoing extortion of Android/Linux 'patents' that they insist on NDAs to even discus. How that's considered remotely legal is beyond me, and I'm very disappointed with anyone paying them for that kind of extortion.
Google supports IMAP which you can use to encrypt of course, but I think there are a few webmail clients that will do it for you as well. And yes, I would think that most people being too lazy (or just plain not technically competent) is a plus from Google's perspective. Then again, you're trading your personal information for their services, and they're not being particularly backhanded about it. Many people consider it an acceptable trade. Personally I'd like to see the laws changed so that a warrant is required to access personal information from a private company. Privacy laws should demand it if nothing else.
How exactly would per-user encryption help? You can encrypt your emails if you want, but if Google does it per user, they still have the key. This is very much a government problem. If Google doesn't have to hand to hand over the data but does anyway, it's a Google problem as well. As I've said above though, Google's probably the *least* evil of the big data corps.