Linked by Thom Holwerda on Tue 28th Jun 2011 19:48 UTC
Well, here we have another attempt. After the failure of the overly complicated Google Wave (remember that? It was supposed to change the world and all that), Google is undertaking another attempt at social networking. It's called Google+. Update: Forget the crap I wrote here, this article is seven pages on insider information on Google+. Surprised by the beautiful interface? It's been designed by Andy Hertzfeld. The Andy Hertzfeld.
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Member since:2011-03-08
Member since:2007-07-06
RE[2]: Google? What's that?
by pantheraleo on Wed 29th Jun 2011 13:40
in reply to "RE: Google? What's that?"
Member since:2007-03-07
Member since:2005-09-10
Oh right. I remember now. That's the search engine I used to use until I switched to DuckDuckGo.com because of privacy concerns with Google. And it's the email service I used to use before I switched to gmx.com because I got sick of Google scanning my private email to target advertising at me. And now it's the social networking site I won't use for the same reason I don't use Facebook.
Good for you. Now tell me - have you ever suffered any damages by using any of the google services you are so adamant of staying away from? Did gmail kill your puppy or sth? What's wrong with targeted, non intrusive text only advertising?
RE[2]: Google? What's that?
by pantheraleo on Wed 29th Jun 2011 17:10
in reply to "RE: Google? What's that?"
Member since:2007-03-07
What's wrong with targeted, non intrusive text only advertising?
Email is private. End of story. Full stop. Google has no business at all scanning my private email to build an advertising profile about me. Unfortunately, there are no laws to protect consumers against this kind of thing when it comes to email, as there are with snail mail.
Member since:2005-06-29
Huh? gmx.com is where a LOT of the crap in my spam folder comes from. I don't think I'd be trusting them any time soon.
I've actually enjoyed the webmail interface from Tiger Technologies. It's not worth the monthly fee if all you want is webmail, but if you already host a site with them (I host two) it makes for a nice stripped-down alternative to gmail. It's fast and mostly text-based, very similar to SquirrelMail (in fact it feels like a derivative), and gives you a nice amount of control over your account. It doesn't have all of Google's advanced features of course, but those shiny baubles come at the price of your privacy.
Then there's the whole brand recognition thing. Some would argue that having a "gmail.com" address shouldn't matter either way these days, but tell that to anyone who still uses xxxx@aol.com. When gmail first started, those who had the coveted domain name were revered as alpha geeks with early invites. These days it's as common a sight as my Toyota Corolla (I always seem to have a few others around me in downtown Atlanta traffic). The day may indeed come when gmail.com is the new aol.com and the Next Big Thing in electronic messaging is in force.
Perhaps the best solution is to pay the small monthly fee for a simple shared hosting plan with email accounts included, install SquirrelMail or another adequate webmail interface to your webspace, and become you@whateveryouwant.com.
RE[2]: Google? What's that?
by pantheraleo on Thu 30th Jun 2011 13:20
in reply to "RE: Google? What's that?"
Member since:2007-03-07
Huh? gmx.com is where a LOT of the crap in my spam folder comes from.
Well, most of the spam I get actually comes from GMail addresses and Yahoo addresses. I don't think I have ever gotten any from gmx.com
I don't think I'd be trusting them any time soon.
I trust them more than I trust Google because their privacy policy explicitly states that they will never scan my email, other than scanning attachments for viruses. And their Webmail interface is pretty nice as well.
News
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.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/22/13 13:38 UTC
"The Verge has learned that HTC's Chief Product Officer, Kouji Kodera, left the company last week. Kodera was responsible for HTC's overall product strategy, which makes the departure especially notable on the heels of the global launch of the make-or-break One. It's not just Kodera. In the past three-odd months, HTC has lost a number of employees in rapid succession." I really hope HTC pulls it together.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/22/13 13:30 UTC, submitted by JRepin
"It is with huge pleasure that the Debian GNU/Hurd team announces the release of Debian GNU/Hurd 2013. This is a snapshot of Debian 'sid' at the time of the Debian 'wheezy' release (May 2013), so it is mostly based on the same sources. It is not an official Debian release, but it is an official Debian GNU/Hurd port release." Important note: 75% of Debian packages are supported bu Debian GNU/Hurd. Impressive.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 22:06 UTC
"The first killer app was VisiCalc. This early spreadsheet turned the Apple II from a hobbyist toy to a business computer. VisiCalc came with room for improvement, though. In addition, a new architecture and operating system, the Intel-based IBM PC and MS-DOS, also needed a spreadsheet to be taken seriously. That spreadsheet, released in early 1983, would be Lotus 1-2-3, and it would change the world. It became the PC's killer app, and the world would never be the same. On May 14, IBM quietly announced the end of the road for 1-2-3, along with Lotus Organizer and the Lotus SmartSuite office suite. Lotus 1-2-3's day is done." Impressive 30 year run.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:45 UTC
"There's a disconnect between how Apple CEO Tim Cook sees his company's tax strategies and how some members of the US Senate view it. That became clearer than ever today after Cook and two other Apple executives testified before Congress, explaining why they're holding most of their international income in Irish subsidiaries like Apple Operations International, which declare no tax residency anywhere in the world. AOI hasn't filed a tax return anywhere in the world for the last five years, yet it earned $30 billion in income from 2009 to 2012, according to a Senate report released yesterday." Just because something is legal, doesn't mean it's just. Apple, Google, Microsoft, and many more - these companies might not be breaking any laws, but it's obvious to anyone that what they are doing is scummy.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 15:53 UTC
The new WebKit Opera for Android has been released. "Opera 14 for Android is built on top of Chromium 26, with a total overhaul of the UI in native code, making it fit well with the latest Android design guidelines. Go get the build from Google Play or point your browser to m.opera.com, and give it a spin!"More News »
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Member since:
2007-03-07
Oh right. I remember now. That's the search engine I used to use until I switched to DuckDuckGo.com because of privacy concerns with Google. And it's the email service I used to use before I switched to gmx.com because I got sick of Google scanning my private email to target advertising at me. And now it's the social networking site I won't use for the same reason I don't use Facebook.