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User: Locutus

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  1. Re:For most, system admin is a total waste of time on Sergey Brin: Windows Is "Torturing Users" · · Score: 1

    competition is what begets better products and efficiencies but just because one company may put out a product which has some improvements does not mean that product should be admired when to get there a company like Borland was gutted of it's top engineers because Microsoft could use it's monopoly money to lure all of them away. I won't list all the anti-competitive things Microsoft has done in the name of .Net and why they wanted Java dead. As for ODF, we are still talking about Microsoft and not a new Microsoft but the same old anti-competitive one. Any perceived support for ODF is nothing but a play to get those customers onto Microsoft's proprietary OOXML. Yes a version was declared a standard but that's not the version they are supporting or promoting and that standard comes with licensing restrictions to boot.

    As you said, the big problem is the public is uneducated in even the basics of computer technology and they fall for all the marketing buzz Microsoft spends hundreds of millions annually on spreading. At the very least, when DOS was around computer users had to remember a few commands and often knew that 10 finger typing was a big advantage. It's so sad seeing young computer users typing using only one finger on each hand. We've come so far on the hardware side and pretty far with software but the users get dumber and dumber just learning what buttons to push to get a task done and nothing more. And I put the massive amount of control Microsoft welded over the market for the past 20 years. Without a company as successful as Google and willing to stand up against Microsoft we would still be stuck with Apple and Microsoft everywhere.

    LoB

  2. Re:Geek needs update BADLY! on Netflix Available For Android · · Score: 2

    geek? really? The Nexus S only came with Gingerbread and it has been speculated that it is the reason why so many were held back from getting Gingerbread. You might want to recheck what phone you really have and what version of the OS you really have.

    LoB

  3. Re:If managing windows is "torture"... on Sergey Brin: Windows Is "Torturing Users" · · Score: 1

    I think it's more like the manual transmission and cranking engine start system than a hot rod. Mostly because it's about what everybody gets by default and you know that Windows is what you get by default. So it's like everyone getting a manual transmission and having to use a crank to start the car and that was a pain to many. Along comes a more simplified system with details hidden from you so it's far easier to manage yet it still gets you from point A to point B.

    I for one hope they can pull this off and along with what Apple has been doing gets people to realized that how Microsoft has defined how the computer is used is not optimal and there are choices without having to compile and install something yourself. Microsoft has stifled competition for far too long so I wish ChromeOS luck.

    LoB

  4. Re:Why is Nokia spending money doing this? on Nokia Announces Qt 5 Plans · · Score: 2

    well it's not a plan to fragment the Qt developers and projects and it's not so that if that were to happen yet another cross platform dev tool would benefit Microsoft and their plans for Windows Phone 7, 8, etc app development. No, it's not that. Look, over there! Ice cream!

    it does seem strange that Nokia sold the rights and licenses to collect revenue from customers yet retained control of the Qt development with little to no form of income from it. But then there's this poison pill they agreed to when purchasing Qt and the only company who would care a bit about Qt getting set free is Microsoft... well, it does make one wonder about all this. After all, a dead Qt is worth more to both Nokia and Microsoft than a lively and there's only one way to kill it and that's via starvation. How do you starve Qt out of existence? You can't do it directly or there would be an up roar and would possible even trigger Qt's freedom. Nope, you've got to starve it without anyone knowing that's what you plan on doing. Announcing big changes and new versions over a short period is a good start. Throw in some incompatibilities, reduce the platform support and you're on your way. So does Nokia have a good reason to be doing this and putting in the money? Are they putting in much money? Since they are run by a Microserf and sold their sole to Microsoft they no longer can be trusted at their word. IMO

    LoB

  5. Re:2 questions for the TSA on Baby's First TSA Patdown · · Score: 2

    partly true. what "stopped" the underpants bomber and the shoe bomber from blowing up their target was the devices failed to explode. Only then did the other passengers and crew subdue and prevent further attempts.

    so I would not be so sure potential hijackers would be deterred by a fear of getting beat up.

    LoB

  6. Re:WTF?Embedded RealTimeControlSystems, Determinis on US-CERT Warns of Serious Hole In ActiveX Control From Iconics · · Score: 3, Interesting

    the last year Chief Systems Engineers were included in top level management meeting and relied on to direct the technical direction of products was around 1994. About that time, management was getting comfortable with Microsoft Windows and the semi technical ones or those managing technical staffs were getting gobs of literature all about how Microsoft Windows and Microsoft software could fly them to the moon and back before lunch was over. They were playing with Visual Basic and became expert programmers in their own minds. That is when management started dictating what tools would be used on products and when pressed would tell you that nobody gets fired for choosing Microsoft.

    FYI, there was a UNIX based comm system up at LAX which got replaced by a Windows 9x box. When they found out the OS would repeatably crash after 49 days or something like that they solved the problem with a reboot _every_ 30 days. A new guy came onboard, thought hey, things are running fine so why reboot it. CRASH and for about 6 hours LAX has not ground to air nor air to ground communications. Many close calls but no crashes. But the 3fing idiots used a Windows box, Windows 9x even, for a mission critical system. I quit a military contract position when word came down from Command that all UNIX systems would be replaced with Windows. The way I see it, there are idiots making technical choices all around us and until Microsoft fades away, that's not going to change.

    I miss the days when the Chief Systems Engineer ran the show and was usually the brightest person in the company and everyone knew it.

    LoB

  7. Re:If managing windows is "torture"... on Sergey Brin: Windows Is "Torturing Users" · · Score: 1

    agreed, Tivo is not a general purpose desktop but the point was more to the fact that it's a Linux OS under it yet the services a user interacts with are completely easy to use and manage and so are the underlying OS systems.

    OT, I don't think ChromeOS is a general purpose OS anything like Windows and I think that is one of its benefits. It won't fit some users and I'm sure those users will cry out that it's not for them. To that I say BFD, they are not the target audience. I'm sure there's a CAD guy yelling in the thread along with some developer and a few others. It looks like it'll fill the needs of dozens of the people I see using computers and I see that multiplied by a millions easy.

    I do look forward to see how they've managed Chrome and the apps on top of the Linux OS.

    LoB

  8. Re:For most, system admin is a total waste of time on Sergey Brin: Windows Is "Torturing Users" · · Score: 1

    step back, look at the market and what you see is 80% or more of the market for computers is controlled by Microsoft. Then take a step back in time to when Windows 3.x was around and notice how there were many desktop environments getting created to make the computer interface easier to use. One step forward to late 1995 and that market for better desktop metaphors is gone. Microsoft eliminated the ability of the hardware makers and sells to customize the computer software interface with the licensing contract they signed for Windows 95.

    Fast forward a year and there was a change brewing called OpenDoc and it was to change the application landscape in many ways. Once again with backroom shenanigans Microsoft derailed the primary OS providing that, OS/2, and Apple was in financial trouble with the PC press proclaiming Apple was dead and the public believed it. So we lost OpenDoc.

    Along come Netscape with a browser platform running on all major platforms and it's got this CORBA stuff in it, something called JavaScript and is starting to include this Java stuff along with native plugins which allow all kinds of added features to the browser and browser applications. Whack, cut off at the knees by Microsoft again.

    So thank Microsoft for the current lame computer interface metaphor we still have around and guys like Miguel de Icaza(sp) for following Microsoft's direction and bringing their shit to the open source side and getting followers.

    LoB

  9. Re:If managing windows is "torture"... on Sergey Brin: Windows Is "Torturing Users" · · Score: 1

    you and many others are confusing the use of the word "Linux" with Linux based distributions such as Ubuntu, Suse, Redhat, etc. Guess what? Tivo uses "Linux" and gets pretty high usability and manageability ratings. Android uses "Linux" and so do many thin terminals amongst many others. Once you get Microsoft's full tilt and jam packed with stuff Windows out of the picture then lots of things become easier. It's not for everyone just like thin clients are not for everyone but when you look at how millions and millions of users( home and business ) use their computers, a browser built as a platform running on top of a very thin OS layer can be useful.

    And as an underlying OS layer, Linux is getting picked as "the cure" over and over again with great success. If it fails or succeeds here is not going to be the fault of the Linux OS under Chrome.

    LoB

  10. Re:Another isolated incident? on Alabama Nuclear Reactor Gets 'F' Grade · · Score: 1

    all these examples show that current policies regarding the upkeep and upgrading of nuclear power plants is a 100% failure. It reminds me of an old scifi book I read where the worlds scientists were exiled into space and after a few generations there wasn't anyone who could still maintain the space craft or operate it. Things which we think "just work" eventually don't but keeping expertise around for 50+ years becomes to expensive in a profit driven system.

    As for the Davis-Besse plant problems, it surprised me that there were not even annual testing of the fluid content or some other test which would have identified such a corrosive material was in the system.

    LoB

  11. we'll never know on Microsoft Antitrust Oversight Ends · · Score: 3, Interesting

    we'll never know because the companies not created because of fear of entering the market because of Microsoft's power over the PC market can't be asked. And yes there is fear within the PC desktop, laptop, server market surrounding Microsoft. It was only a few years ago when the head of the Taiwanese Manufacturing Association stated publicly that the association members fear Microsoft on the netbook and PC hardware but not on the phone device side. There are probably thousands of companies who would not enter the PC software market just because their product might compete with a Microsoft based product and they might 'get Netscaped'.

    so we'll never know. What I think we do know is that Nokia would not be turned into a Windows shop and Skype would not become a Windows company.

    LoB

  12. Re:The tubes? on A $25 PC On a USB Stick · · Score: 1

    look again at their web page and you'll see the kbd is not plugged into the device but instead is plugged into a USB hub.
    FYI, a previous post said they plan on including a 3 port USB hub in the design so 1:kbd, 2:mouse, 3:network

    LoB

  13. Re:Cool idea But... on A $25 PC On a USB Stick · · Score: 1

    SD socket on the other side of the board. that's what I got from RTFA

    LoB

  14. Re:The point of making it a USB stick? on A $25 PC On a USB Stick · · Score: 1

    good point, send the recommendation to them via the email address on their web site. the only thing I can come up with is that they want to keep it as small as possible so the student can take it home more easily. But your configuration is still better since there would not need to be a USB hub at school and home.

    They're doing their own board so they could add the USB hub and connectors to the board and still be very small.

    LoB

  15. might be good for very basic stuff, not full PC on A $25 PC On a USB Stick · · Score: 1

    ARM 11 is the older tech so when you think of your smartphone it's running a Cortex A8 or A9 which are about 2x faster per clock speed. top that off with the 128MB of memory and you have something which can run Linux with a very light desktop and one smallish app. As an educational aid this isn't a problem but as something most /.ers would be thinking of doing it would be under powered.

    But! A Beowulf cluster of these.... ;-)

    LoB

  16. Re:Slashdot title is a bit misleading on Court Clears Novell To Sue Microsoft Over WordPerfect · · Score: 1

    The wheels of justice turn soooo fast. No doubt this is a well known fact in the lawyer circles at Microsoft. amazing.

    LoB

  17. Re:Retribution on Intel To Build Next Gen Processor For iOS Devices · · Score: 2

    I still can't read the article but read other posts explaining it's not x86 for Apple it's about Intel process usage and foundries. This could be a very big win for Apple and Intel. Intel is down to 22nm now and must know that it's getting tougher and tougher to make significant process shrinks and eventually the number of cores will be the game.

    LoB

  18. Re:Compatible? on Intel To Build Next Gen Processor For iOS Devices · · Score: 2

    do you remember when the 400MHz XScale came out and it was slower than the 200MHz version? Intel knew they had a bad design but they still let many manufacturers build using the 400MHz parts and performance sucked. For me, that was the end of XScale and it put lots of customers off since those devices were $400-$600 devices and painful to use knowing you just paid that much for a slower device.

    Intel does have great process though and ARM has always beat Intel handily on older/cheaper processes. If Apple can get their ARM design on the 32nm or even 22nm process they would keep ahead of all the Android based vendors still on 45nm and a good year or more behind Intel.

    If it is Apple ARM designs on Intel processes then it's a win for Apple and Intel IMO.

    LoB

  19. Re:Retribution on Intel To Build Next Gen Processor For iOS Devices · · Score: 1

    I'd been wondering about that too but this is lunacy if that is why they are moving from ARM to Intel x86. What could Intel possibly show them to make the move( can't RTFA since it's /.'ed )? So far, Intel gets close to ARM on power usage but every time it is by using their most advanced/smallest processing methods and that means most expensive. Now I guess Apple and shave off some profits to pay Intel more for their chips and we know Apple has the numbers to play there so maybe that's the deal. Customers will get a more powerful device with less battery life and for that Apple loses some profits but cuts off funding Samsung and their Android pushes.

    I still think Apple is going out on a limb here but they do seem to play/calculate the game quite well for themselves.

    LoB

  20. Re:I don't wear a tinfoil hat, but.. on NSA Advises Upgrade To Windows 7 · · Score: 1

    if you give grandma and grandpa a Linux machine they they won't know how to install Windows programs. That would be so confusing to them. Just don't tell my Mom who's been using Linux for over 5 years.

    LoB

  21. Re:Not really on Kdenlive 0.8 Adds Advanced Features for NLV Editing · · Score: 1

    Speedrazor was owned by Matrox so send them an email and maybe get the ball rolling. It's not listed as a current product and the press release I found was from 1998.

    LoB

  22. Re:Unlike Android where they just drop support on More Windows Phone Update Problems · · Score: 1

    I was replying to the parent of my post, what are you responding to? FYI, the discussion was about dropping support not how quickly or slowly updates are rolled out. Personally, I could care less about WP7 mostly because I've been jaded to all the marketing and purchasing of market share Microsoft does besides it taking over 5 years, if ever, for them to finally get a product someone might choose if they put 2 minutes into comparing the choices.

    LoB

  23. Re:Unlike Android where they just drop support on More Windows Phone Update Problems · · Score: 1

    that's not entirely true but one of the reasons many put their money down on the Nexus One was so they would not be beholden to the wireless service providers for phone OS updates. /. would be flooded with articles of late or no updates to older phones because guess what? The wireless phone service carriers don't want your old phone to be updated because they use the devices to lock you into contracts. Because so few bought into the contract-less Nexus One, US customers are stuck depending on those who don't want you to have updates for updates. Besides, there are lots of other more phone or OS specific places for you to see those complaints and join if if you so desire.

    LoB

  24. Re:Update saga? on More Windows Phone Update Problems · · Score: 1

    the clue should have been the mention of previous news of problems in February. The use of saga in this case is defined as a long drawn out process or story. As the story goes, there have been promises of updates to the software because it was shipped missing features now common on the other platforms and it was explained how and what was required to get those updates. Some problems with the initial updates caused the vendor to stop the updates and some users didn't get updates. Some users were left with devices which no longer worked and had to be replaced or repaired. More promises up updates to the update process and what not were made. Now we hear there are problems with the latest updates. Or so the saga goes. And BTW, the update saga continues.

    LoB

  25. Re:Yes, but... on German Aerospace Robot Plays Catch With Two Balls · · Score: 1

    you didn't watch the video. the ans is yes.

    LoB