You know, there are LOTS of reasons that bezels, physical buttons and a headphone jack provide actual BENEFIT to the user.
Leave it to Apple to brainwash their idiotic rabid fanbase and turning features in to dirty words, so that they can trick them into wanting something that is counter to their own best interests (and wallet).
This is part of the reason when a guy who wanted to be my housemate said his job was a "full-time crypto trader" I passed him over. I wasn't interested in someone who's primary source of income was a ephemeral fad which would inevitably leave me with a housemate who's not able to pay his share.
The general consumer public seriously needs to wake the fuck up and connect the dots here. They flock en-masse to digital distribution because they're too fucking lazy, then get up in arms when the true cost of that bites them in the ass like this. These same idiots will proudly fly their millennial flag while making snarky comments that "physical is dead' and poo-pooing and insulting those old, backwards neanderthals who still buy physical media, ignoring the warnings those "old" people try to give them about the damage they're doing to the market and to their own self-interests.
I wouldn't care so much if the overall majority of the market was leading to physical not being available to the rest of us who can actually think past next week. This bullshit resulted in OPPO no longer making physical media players anymore, which is a tragedy beyond compare. The idiotic sheeple are not just shooting themselves in the foot but blowing the feet off from everyone else in their ignorance.
Dumbed down anti-user interface. Arrogant background processes that spawn countless instances and take over your computer. Drive-by unwanted trojan installs as Google greases the palms of every freeware dev to sneak a Chrome install into their app installer. But worst of all now are the "Only works in Chrome" websites:
Another side benefit of these new displays is that you can't just get the LCD panel anymore for $50-100 when they break. Instead, you can only get the entire assembly which I've seen cost anywhere from $300 to $600+ if it's a touch-enabled display.
This is not consumer friendly. Manufacturers are watching how Apple rapes their customer base and desensitizes them to it, then the other manufacturers follow suit.
I'm "the tech guy" in my family, my extended family, and my huge circle of friends and professional colleagues. I'm also a higher-tier tech professional with influence both for my day job and as my side business.
Every single Android phone I've owned I've had root on. Every single Android phone I've owned I've had an unlocked bootloader. Every single Android phone (and most of my cell phones before) had MicroSD card slots.
These features are not only critical for the sort of stuff I need my phone to do, but also allow me to extend the useful life of the phone far past whenever the mfr arbitrarily decides to stop offering their own Android updates in the hopes of bullying me into prematurely buying a replacement.
Manufacturers beware: My family, friends, co-workers, and clients buy based upon my recommendations. Piss me off, and I don't recommend your shit.
Bloat is a far bigger issue than you make out. Windows 95 took up around 55MB of disk space. The Capital One banking app on Android is 104MB.
Devs are just lazy, plain and simple. Computers would be amazingly fast if the same TLC and discipline were applied to storage and memory usage these days as was in the 1990s.
It's still a piece of shit, throw-away, overpriced, fashion-statement status-symbol device masquerading as a computing tool.
The "fixed" keyboard design isn't being used for repairs for the 2016/2017 models. They just swap in the same faulty part which will fail again.
The battery is still glued in, so you're fucked after just 2-3 years. The screen still costs $500 which is 5-10 times more than a normal repairable laptop. The RAM and SSD are still part of the motherboard, so you can't just add more to your "Pro" computer when that's all you need. Sorry, buy a new fucking $2K-4K computer (yes, I know the SSD is "technically" removable but it's locked to the motherboard and proprietary, even though standards SSDs are smaller so there's no reason for it). And the keyboard is still one of the most-damaged part of a laptop, even the best designed ones. To make the keyboard part of the main frame/chassis is just a way to increase repair cost/pain to the point where you can get users to just buy a laptop every 1-2 years. Which is ultimately what all these "courageous" design choices are designed to do.
And I'm an authorized Apple service technician. I've been fixing these pieces of shit for years. But I pity the gullible sheep who continue to bend over and let themselves get fucked every time they shell out 50% more than they should for a junk computer from a company that has more contempt for its customers than even Microsoft ever had. And I hate Microsoft.
So basically some Chrome fanboy is paranoid about articles such as the one at The Verge which outline the far bigger problem with Chrome, and so it trying to deflect attention: "Hey, look! Chrome is 0.001ms faster than Firefox (sometimes)!"
It seems people have started to just lazily accept the browser monoculture of a Chrome-dominated web with no acknowledgement that this is the exact same nightmare we went through back in the day with Internet Explorer. We're seeing underhanded and sneaky bundling deals and drive-by trojan installs (which then make Chrome the default), as well as a push for proprietary markup that only works with Chrome and subsequently websites that REQUIRE Chrome for use.
Why are we giving Google so much of a free pass for all the things Microsoft got raked over the coals (and taken to court) for? It seems peoples' memories are quite short, but I can assure you that a lot of us are STILL dealing with the fall-out of websites requiring Internet Explorer to this very day.
Still glued-in battery (consumer hostile) Still no removable/expandable SSD (consumer hostile) Still no removable/expandable RAM (consumer hostile) Still no easily-replaceable keyboard (consumer hostile) Still a horrible keyboard design that people will continue to hate Still no necessary ports Still no Magsafe, so users are back to busting their computer motherboard Still overpriced, especially for repair parts like the display ($500 or more for some models) Still not recyclable
There's nothing "Pro" about this. This is the "MacBook Contempt"... as in, Apple's overt contempt for their customers.
In all seriousness, I still use ICQ. Although I've been frustrated in finding a working Android client. I used to use IM+ (paid, no ads version) but the dev appears to have abandoned it and is only maintaining the free, ad-filled one.
On the computer: Thunderbird. I know it's the "cool" thing on Slashdot to bash Thunderbird and Mozilla in general, but truthfully there is no better, full-featured, actively-maintained cross-platform email client.
On Android, I currently use AquaMail but there are a number of good options there and it's mostly a matter of taste.
It's unfortunate that Ring gets all the press, as Skybell is such a better product.
Wider working temperature range (rather important for us in the deep Northeast), and no charge for cloud access to a week's worth of videos. We've been loving ours... integrated just fine into SmartThings.
It's like Norton/McAfee.... the lesser product in the class gets all the name recognition, while better alternatives go around relatively unknown.
I'm honestly surprised they're offering cloud saves as the solution, seeing how some game saves in some games can exceed 5GB per save file. That's a pretty extreme cloud storage solution for $20/yr.
But while cloud saves address some issues, they introduce others. Aside from the financial barrier making this critical feature only available to those willing to pay ever year, but how does this address corrupted save files? At the OS level, the cloud backup service isn't going to have a way to check the integrity of each savegame and know if a game crash corrupted the file making it unusable before obediently backing it up to the "cloud" and overwriting your only other intact save file for that game. Will they provide versioning, further adding to their storage burden?
So many issues that would've been solved by proper SD card backups, where you could keep an archive of known-good files and revert to older versions if necessary.
You could, of course, just read the blog post to get your answer. But since you're not only an anonymous coward, but a lazy and/or incompetent one as well:
"We mask passwords through a process called hashing using a function known as bcrypt, which replaces the actual password with a random set of numbers and letters that are stored in Twitter’s system. This allows our systems to validate your account credentials without revealing your password. This is an industry standard.
Due to a bug, passwords were written to an internal log before completing the hashing process."
Yes, flamebait subject. But hear me out... given the growing interest in data privacy and concern about the mining of our online activities, Chrome's horrendous tendency to take over all your computers' RAM and CPU, the latest Firefox being measurably faster than Chrome, aggressive and intrusive bundling of trojan Chrome installs into unrelated apps, and now Chrome pulling an IE in pushing proprietary markup that encourages the making of websites that ONLY work in Chrome, why are people still giving Google a pass and using an inferior/arrogant browser when there is a better option?
Slashdot Mirror
You know, there are LOTS of reasons that bezels, physical buttons and a headphone jack provide actual BENEFIT to the user.
Leave it to Apple to brainwash their idiotic rabid fanbase and turning features in to dirty words, so that they can trick them into wanting something that is counter to their own best interests (and wallet).
This is part of the reason when a guy who wanted to be my housemate said his job was a "full-time crypto trader" I passed him over. I wasn't interested in someone who's primary source of income was a ephemeral fad which would inevitably leave me with a housemate who's not able to pay his share.
The general consumer public seriously needs to wake the fuck up and connect the dots here. They flock en-masse to digital distribution because they're too fucking lazy, then get up in arms when the true cost of that bites them in the ass like this. These same idiots will proudly fly their millennial flag while making snarky comments that "physical is dead' and poo-pooing and insulting those old, backwards neanderthals who still buy physical media, ignoring the warnings those "old" people try to give them about the damage they're doing to the market and to their own self-interests.
I wouldn't care so much if the overall majority of the market was leading to physical not being available to the rest of us who can actually think past next week. This bullshit resulted in OPPO no longer making physical media players anymore, which is a tragedy beyond compare. The idiotic sheeple are not just shooting themselves in the foot but blowing the feet off from everyone else in their ignorance.
Dumbed down anti-user interface. Arrogant background processes that spawn countless instances and take over your computer. Drive-by unwanted trojan installs as Google greases the palms of every freeware dev to sneak a Chrome install into their app installer. But worst of all now are the "Only works in Chrome" websites:
https://www.theverge.com/2018/...
Microsoft got raked over the coals for doing all the same shit that Google is now getting a pass for. What the fuck?
All you so-called geeks who champion Chrome are either just out of highschool or you are hypocrites with very short memories.
Another side benefit of these new displays is that you can't just get the LCD panel anymore for $50-100 when they break. Instead, you can only get the entire assembly which I've seen cost anywhere from $300 to $600+ if it's a touch-enabled display.
This is not consumer friendly. Manufacturers are watching how Apple rapes their customer base and desensitizes them to it, then the other manufacturers follow suit.
I'm "the tech guy" in my family, my extended family, and my huge circle of friends and professional colleagues. I'm also a higher-tier tech professional with influence both for my day job and as my side business.
Every single Android phone I've owned I've had root on.
Every single Android phone I've owned I've had an unlocked bootloader.
Every single Android phone (and most of my cell phones before) had MicroSD card slots.
These features are not only critical for the sort of stuff I need my phone to do, but also allow me to extend the useful life of the phone far past whenever the mfr arbitrarily decides to stop offering their own Android updates in the hopes of bullying me into prematurely buying a replacement.
Manufacturers beware: My family, friends, co-workers, and clients buy based upon my recommendations. Piss me off, and I don't recommend your shit.
Bloat is a far bigger issue than you make out. Windows 95 took up around 55MB of disk space. The Capital One banking app on Android is 104MB.
Devs are just lazy, plain and simple. Computers would be amazingly fast if the same TLC and discipline were applied to storage and memory usage these days as was in the 1990s.
Wake me up when these things work with browsers other than Chrome.
It's still a piece of shit, throw-away, overpriced, fashion-statement status-symbol device masquerading as a computing tool.
The "fixed" keyboard design isn't being used for repairs for the 2016/2017 models. They just swap in the same faulty part which will fail again.
The battery is still glued in, so you're fucked after just 2-3 years.
The screen still costs $500 which is 5-10 times more than a normal repairable laptop.
The RAM and SSD are still part of the motherboard, so you can't just add more to your "Pro" computer when that's all you need. Sorry, buy a new fucking $2K-4K computer (yes, I know the SSD is "technically" removable but it's locked to the motherboard and proprietary, even though standards SSDs are smaller so there's no reason for it).
And the keyboard is still one of the most-damaged part of a laptop, even the best designed ones. To make the keyboard part of the main frame/chassis is just a way to increase repair cost/pain to the point where you can get users to just buy a laptop every 1-2 years. Which is ultimately what all these "courageous" design choices are designed to do.
And I'm an authorized Apple service technician. I've been fixing these pieces of shit for years. But I pity the gullible sheep who continue to bend over and let themselves get fucked every time they shell out 50% more than they should for a junk computer from a company that has more contempt for its customers than even Microsoft ever had. And I hate Microsoft.
So basically some Chrome fanboy is paranoid about articles such as the one at The Verge which outline the far bigger problem with Chrome, and so it trying to deflect attention: "Hey, look! Chrome is 0.001ms faster than Firefox (sometimes)!"
https://www.theverge.com/2018/...
It seems people have started to just lazily accept the browser monoculture of a Chrome-dominated web with no acknowledgement that this is the exact same nightmare we went through back in the day with Internet Explorer. We're seeing underhanded and sneaky bundling deals and drive-by trojan installs (which then make Chrome the default), as well as a push for proprietary markup that only works with Chrome and subsequently websites that REQUIRE Chrome for use.
Why are we giving Google so much of a free pass for all the things Microsoft got raked over the coals (and taken to court) for? It seems peoples' memories are quite short, but I can assure you that a lot of us are STILL dealing with the fall-out of websites requiring Internet Explorer to this very day.
Still glued-in battery (consumer hostile)
Still no removable/expandable SSD (consumer hostile)
Still no removable/expandable RAM (consumer hostile)
Still no easily-replaceable keyboard (consumer hostile)
Still a horrible keyboard design that people will continue to hate
Still no necessary ports
Still no Magsafe, so users are back to busting their computer motherboard
Still overpriced, especially for repair parts like the display ($500 or more for some models)
Still not recyclable
There's nothing "Pro" about this. This is the "MacBook Contempt"... as in, Apple's overt contempt for their customers.
It encourages people to NOT use cases, which increases the breakage (and replacement) rate. 3) PROFIT!
Damnit, beat me to it. I was going to suggest the same thing.
...we finally get a Linux client for Google Drive.
In all seriousness, I still use ICQ. Although I've been frustrated in finding a working Android client. I used to use IM+ (paid, no ads version) but the dev appears to have abandoned it and is only maintaining the free, ad-filled one.
So not only are they not required to update old phones, but they're allowed to lock the bootloaders so users can't even update them themselves.
This is textbook "forced obsolescence" but they'll continue to BS that it isn't.
And this is why I finished with commercial router firmware.
First Tomato, then dd-wrt, now pfSense on custom hardware.
On the computer: Thunderbird. I know it's the "cool" thing on Slashdot to bash Thunderbird and Mozilla in general, but truthfully there is no better, full-featured, actively-maintained cross-platform email client.
On Android, I currently use AquaMail but there are a number of good options there and it's mostly a matter of taste.
So what do external USB DVD/CD writer drives look like? Are they included?
Extremely common especially considering most laptops don't include them any more, despite being widely needed.
It's unfortunate that Ring gets all the press, as Skybell is such a better product.
Wider working temperature range (rather important for us in the deep Northeast), and no charge for cloud access to a week's worth of videos. We've been loving ours... integrated just fine into SmartThings.
It's like Norton/McAfee.... the lesser product in the class gets all the name recognition, while better alternatives go around relatively unknown.
I'm honestly surprised they're offering cloud saves as the solution, seeing how some game saves in some games can exceed 5GB per save file. That's a pretty extreme cloud storage solution for $20/yr.
But while cloud saves address some issues, they introduce others. Aside from the financial barrier making this critical feature only available to those willing to pay ever year, but how does this address corrupted save files? At the OS level, the cloud backup service isn't going to have a way to check the integrity of each savegame and know if a game crash corrupted the file making it unusable before obediently backing it up to the "cloud" and overwriting your only other intact save file for that game. Will they provide versioning, further adding to their storage burden?
So many issues that would've been solved by proper SD card backups, where you could keep an archive of known-good files and revert to older versions if necessary.
How nice it would be if at least technical sites such as Slashdot could get straight the difference between memory/RAM and SSD/flash storage.
You could, of course, just read the blog post to get your answer. But since you're not only an anonymous coward, but a lazy and/or incompetent one as well:
"We mask passwords through a process called hashing using a function known as bcrypt, which replaces the actual password with a random set of numbers and letters that are stored in Twitter’s system. This allows our systems to validate your account credentials without revealing your password. This is an industry standard.
Due to a bug, passwords were written to an internal log before completing the hashing process."
Yes, flamebait subject. But hear me out... given the growing interest in data privacy and concern about the mining of our online activities, Chrome's horrendous tendency to take over all your computers' RAM and CPU, the latest Firefox being measurably faster than Chrome, aggressive and intrusive bundling of trojan Chrome installs into unrelated apps, and now Chrome pulling an IE in pushing proprietary markup that encourages the making of websites that ONLY work in Chrome, why are people still giving Google a pass and using an inferior/arrogant browser when there is a better option?
Should we we reduce CO2 emissions? That isn't a "science" question
Wrong, and now you've lost all credibility in this discussion.