Linked by David Adams on Thu 16th Jun 2011 17:46 UTC
Microsoft has released a beta SDK for Windows, allowing Windows developers to officially make use of the XBox Kinect hardware. From their own press release: "The Kinect for Windows SDK, which works with Windows 7, includes drivers, rich APIs for Raw Sensor Streams, natural user interfaces, installer documents and resource materials. The SDK provides Kinect capabilities to developers building applications with C++, C# or Visual Basic using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010."
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RE[5]: Comment by Kroc
by lucas_maximus on Fri 17th Jun 2011 18:05
in reply to "RE[4]: Comment by Kroc"
Member since:2009-08-18
I think you've missed the point of my post by quite a margin.
No I don't think I did. I think you are making an argument because you think there is something inheritantly wrong with developing with Visual Studio.
...because this topic is about software development...
It is a general point ... stop being a pedant. You knew what my point was ... this sort of arguing is pathetic.
Well yes. But we're talking specifically about developers so i didn't see the point in discussing other industries.
I wasn't discussing other industries. I was discussing software development. I actually work somewhere where there has been no code quality enforced (code reviews, naming conventions etc etc) ... I spend most of my day rewriting legacy code. How software development is managed is probably as important as the talent and knowledge of the developers themselves ... if not more so.
Because if you are lazy and you've learned how to use this SDK, then why would you bother learning how to use another SDK. This is particularly true for hobbyists.
Why would you bother using another SDK when you already know how to use the current one? It is laziness ... it is being sensible. I have some javascript code running on a website of dubious quality (written when I was far more inexperienced), but I left it as is .. because it works fine.
Well clearly you're not lazy so your anecdotal evidence is irrelevant
How to twist a comment around ... this is just pathetic.
I agree, *if* you're a good programmer. However we're discussing the other end of the spectrum.
Which is entirely my point in the first place ... if people happen to learn with Microsoft tools but understand the principles they will still be able to transition to whatever ... if they don't bother to learn the principles they will be starting from square one again ... however that doesn't mean that it is bad for Microsoft to release a SDK.
Not everybody falls into the category you're describing. There's a massive number of developers and hobbyists that will just make do with whatever tools and languages they're already familiar with. In fact, most developers (even the good ones) will favor a project in a language they're already experienced in than want to learn a new language just for the sake of learning a new language.
Fair point ... you should always use the best tools for the job, rather than blindly stick to something because you happen to know.
So while this move by MS isn't a "lock in" in the traditional technical sense of the term, it does give users more reason to stick with VS / .NET rather than learn open source tools.
1) Microsoft have no responsibility to help third party projects.
2) Why shouldn't users learn how to develop with Microsoft Tools? ... There is a lot of jobs out there for devs that know how to develop using Microsoft tools .. are you saying that people shouldn't make themselves employable?
3) If open source tools are to be more widely used then they have to be more attractive to use than the (Microsoft in this case) alternatives.
To put an analogy on this: it's like how Linux users moan about who many students are taught how to use MS Office, not generic office tools. Thus users are naturally more drawn toward MS Office as it's what they're familiar with despite the fact that general office computing skills are easily transferable between all the big office software suites.
In terms of using IDEs, I have to agree. I don't know my way around Eclipse as well as I used to.
Edited 2011-06-17 18:07 UTC
Member since:2007-03-26
No I don't think I did. I think you are making an argument because you think there is something inheritantly wrong with developing with Visual Studio.
WTF!?! Where did you get that retarded opinion from. I've regularly commented on here that I happen to think Visual Studio is not only the best IDE out there, but the best thing MS have ever developed.
I mean has this discussion already sunk that low that now you're resorting to plucking complete bullshit out of thin air?
Sorry but I really can't be arsed to read the rest of your post because the opening statement alone is so absurd that I don't hold any hope of you posting sane comments after it.
/me gives up on this discussion
Edited 2011-06-17 20:45 UTC
News
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/25/13 0:45 UTC
"So in summary... Google has pulled the plug on support on a protocol they've helped popularize, after years of promising interoperability, for reasons that are dubious at best, and in a way that leaves people who don't jump to the new Hangouts app unable to talk to their contacts without any feedback that their IMs aren't getting through... And they've done that with no warning to anyone. I imagine there's a bunch of people out there wondering where some of their buddies have gone, or why their messages aren't getting responses, because this isn't documented anywhere." Google really messed this up. Such a dick move.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 23:59 UTC
The Tizen Greek Community has some screenshots of a very recent build of Tizen running on a Samsung GT-i8800. It looks wholly unremarkable.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 22:33 UTC
Joint statement to The Next Web from Microsoft and Google: "Microsoft and YouTube are working together to update the new YouTube for Windows Phone app to enable compliance with YouTube's API terms of service, including enabling ads, in the coming weeks. Microsoft will replace the existing YouTube app in Windows Phone Store with the previous version during this time." Good to know these children stopped acting like little pricks. Can we have full Google support in Windows 8 now, please?
Linked by Howard Fosdick on 05/24/13 21:41 UTC
Yahoo is acquiring Tumblr, the microblogging and social networking website, for $1.1 billion USD. Tumblr offers little revenue but lots of eyeballs if Yahoo can monetarize them. Now Yahoo is bidding for Hulu, the streaming video service. After years of ineffective responses while Google, Facebook, and others took large chunks of the online advertising market, Yahoo is fighting back. Can Yahoo reignite the momentum it had at the turn of the century? What do you think?
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 14:44 UTC
"Sources have described iOS 7 as 'black, white, and flat all over'. This refers to the dropping of heavy textures and the addition of several new black and white user interface elements." I couldn't be happier.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/23/13 23:22 UTC
"Ilja van Sprundel, a security researcher with IOActive, has discovered a large number of issues in the way various X client libraries handle the responses they receive from servers, and has worked with X.Org's security team to analyze, confirm, and fix these issues."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/23/13 22:04 UTC
"Google is facing a new antitrust probe by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission into whether the company is using its leadership in the online display-advertising market to illegally curb competition, people familiar with the matter said." Sucks to be Google today, apparently.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/23/13 22:01 UTC
"In the midst of the major press blitz surrounding its annual I/O Conference, Google dropped some unfortunate news about its instant messaging plans. In several places around the web, the company is replacing the existing 'Talk' platform with a new one called 'Hangouts' that sharply diminishes support for the open messaging protocol known as XMPP (or sometimes informally Jabber), and also removes the option to disable the archiving of all chat communications. These changes represent a switch from open protocols to proprietary ones, and a clear step backward for many users." That's why I always say: only suckers trust companies.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/23/13 17:52 UTC
"The wave of departures is a sign of internal struggle, but amidst all the bad news, there is a glimmer of hope. According to an anonymous HTC executive cited by WSJ, the crucial HTC One is selling 'pretty good so far'. The executive revealed that HTC sold about five million One units since launch, a performance that is deemed encouraging. However, sales have been limited by the persisting supply issues that still plague the production of the HTC One." Finally some good news for HTC. Five million units amidst supply constraints is very impressive.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/22/13 22:23 UTC
"Sony gave the PS4 50% more raw shader performance, plain and simple (768 SPs @ 800MHz vs. 1152 SPs & 800MHz). Unlike last generation, you don't need to be some sort of Jedi to extract the PS4's potential here. The Xbox One and PS4 architectures are quite similar, Sony just has more hardware under the hood. Weâll have to wait and see how this hardware delta gets exposed in games over time, but the gap is definitely there. The funny thing about game consoles is that itâs usually the lowest common denominator that determines the bulk of the experience across all platforms. On the plus side, the Xbox One should enjoy better power/thermal characteristics compared to the PlayStation 4. Even compared to the Xbox 360 we should see improvement in many use cases thanks to modern power management techniques." AnandTech does its usual in-depth thing.More News »
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Member since:
2007-03-26
I think you've missed the point of my post by quite a margin.
...because this topic is about software development...
I have seen bad code in a multitude of languages ... there will always be rubbish code as long as software engineering processes are misunderstood and there is lazy developers involved who only care about their paycheck.
Well yes. But we're talking specifically about developers so i didn't see the point in discussing other industries.
Because if you are lazy and you've learned how to use this SDK, then why would you bother learning how to use another SDK. This is particularly true for hobbyists.
Well clearly you're not lazy so your anecdotal evidence is irrelevant.
When it comes to learning ... understanding principles is what is important ... what you happen to learn them with is largely irrelevant.
I agree, *if* you're a good programmer. However we're discussing the other end of the spectrum.
Not everybody falls into the category you're describing. There's a massive number of developers and hobbyists that will just make do with whatever tools and languages they're already familiar with. In fact, most developers (even the good ones) will favor a project in a language they're already experienced in than want to learn a new language just for the sake of learning a new language. So while this move by MS isn't a "lock in" in the traditional technical sense of the term, it does give users more reason to stick with VS / .NET rather than learn open source tools.
To put an analogy on this: it's like how Linux users moan about who many students are taught how to use MS Office, not generic office tools. Thus users are naturally more drawn toward MS Office as it's what they're familiar with despite the fact that general office computing skills are easily transferable between all the big office software suites.
Edited 2011-06-17 16:16 UTC