Linked by Thom Holwerda on Fri 15th Jun 2012 21:16 UTC
This rumour has been rummaging around the web for a few days, but now that The New York Times has picked it up, it probably carries a bit more validity than it did before. Microsoft invited members of the press to a mystery event coming Monday, and supposedly, the company will launch its very own ARM tablet running Windows RT.
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RE: Most people don't get windows 8
by nt_jerkface on Sat 16th Jun 2012 14:54
in reply to "Most people don't get windows 8"
Member since:2009-08-26
So suppose a user WANTS to run Photoshop or Excel or a full IDE on an iPad 3 like device. All they need to do is add a _decent_ keyboard and mouse, they already have a very good screen with more pixels than most desktops.
That would require an x86 tablet/laptop hybrid. Those don't exist.
Even if they did exist that still isn't a good reason to compromise desktop productivity. It would make more sense to have the hybrid detect when it is in tablet mode and then change the interface, not force a semi-tablet interface when it is in desktop mode.
People get that Windows 8 sucks. It doesn't provide anything for them.
There are also massive battery gains for an arm based laptop.
I get around 7 hours with my Core i5 laptop. For ARM laptops the battery gain isn't worth the loss of compatibility. Programs like Photoshop and iTunes can't be converted overnight and companies like Adobe won't care about porting to such a small market.
Edited 2012-06-16 14:56 UTC
RE[2]: Most people don't get windows 8
by Johann Chua on Sat 16th Jun 2012 16:44
in reply to "RE: Most people don't get windows 8"
Member since:2005-07-22
RE[2]: Most people don't get windows 8
by ferrels on Sat 16th Jun 2012 19:48
in reply to "RE: Most people don't get windows 8"
Member since:2006-08-15
RE[2]: Most people don't get windows 8
by Nelson on Sun 17th Jun 2012 19:45
in reply to "RE: Most people don't get windows 8"
Member since:2005-11-29
That would require an x86 tablet/laptop hybrid. Those don't exist.
Yes they do? Samsung Series 7 Tablet comes with Bluetooth. All you need is a BT KB and Mouse. Its still Windows, your peripherals work.
That's plenty hybrid for my workflows.
Even if they did exist that still isn't a good reason to compromise desktop productivity. It would make more sense to have the hybrid detect when it is in tablet mode and then change the interface, not force a semi-tablet interface when it is in desktop mode.
It's called WinKey+D to go to the Desktop. All my apps work (yes, including your stupid iTunes red herring)
People get that Windows 8 sucks. It doesn't provide anything for them.
I'm glad you know what "People get", you should really be a pollster, since you know everything about everybody. You must be about the greatest spokesman for bullshit I've ever seen.
I get around 7 hours with my Core i5 laptop. For ARM laptops the battery gain isn't worth the loss of compatibility.
Agreed. I find x86 Windows 8 machines a much more attractive proposition. Especially if Intel can get power consumption down (Which I have no doubt they can). Another cool thing is that Windows 8 devices much meet temp requirements, so no, the damn thing can't burn a hole in your lap anymore.
Programs like Photoshop and iTunes can't be converted overnight and companies like Adobe won't care about porting to such a small market.
Programs like Photoshop and iTunes can't be ported to Windows RT period. They either go full on Metro with a rewrite, or they don't get to play ball. I'd prefer if iTunes didn't play ball, personally.
Its Windows. It sells by virtue of being Windows.
Edited 2012-06-17 19:47 UTC
RE: Most people don't get windows 8
by ichi on Sat 16th Jun 2012 20:23
in reply to "Most people don't get windows 8"
Member since:2007-03-06
Fundamentally a tablet is no different from a desktop/laptop once you add a _decent_ keyboard and mouse. This is best explained in terms of the iPad 3 (OK I know -- it's called the "new iPad"). So suppose a user WANTS to run Photoshop or Excel or a full IDE on an iPad 3 like device. All they need to do is add a _decent_ keyboard and mouse, they already have a very good screen with more pixels than most desktops.
That would be cool if it wasn't because window management is pretty much non existant on tablets, so it would only work if you are using your computer as an appliance where you are booting to run one single app.
And that's exactly why people complain about Metro (besides looking like a web page with missing CSS): it's bringing all the limitations of window management from tablets to the desktop.
RE[2]: Most people don't get windows 8
by MollyC on Mon 18th Jun 2012 00:02
in reply to "RE: Most people don't get windows 8"
Member since:2006-07-04
Well, I'd guess that 90% of users hate "window management", which is why they run their apps maximized. For those that need multiple windows running, W8 still has the desktop. What I see is that the sefl-proclaimed "power users" can't accept the fact that they are in the severe minority of users, and they're pissed that Microsoft is going to cater to the 90% now, rather than the 10%. Those folks need to get over it, and need to get over themselves while they're at it.
RE: Most people don't get windows 8
by quackalist on Sun 17th Jun 2012 01:56
in reply to "Most people don't get windows 8"
Member since:2007-08-27
Could have fooled me...anyone with an ounce gets it. They just don't want it or have any use for it. If I could turn it off, not fussed if anyone else wants metro, and just use the next service pack for 7 [Vista] I wouldn't mind.
Not used one myself but I saw someone with a windows phone today....metro seemed to make sense with that and on a tablet it probably does too, though it all seems like an attempt to lock-down and monetise.
Isn't it about time MS actually did something radical with Windows instead of releasing service packs (no, metro isn't radical...perverse, perhaps).
Edited 2012-06-17 02:07 UTC
RE: Most people don't get windows 8
by kristoph on Mon 18th Jun 2012 03:10
in reply to "Most people don't get windows 8"
Member since:2006-01-01
The thing is, if you add a decent keyboard and mouse/trackpad to an iPad you have a laptop.
And if you need a decent keyboard and mouse/trackpad on a daily basis then an iPad is a consumption device for you.
If you only need to write an occasional email, letter, tweak some picture, maybe do a drawing, then an iPad is all you need and the keyboard is unnecessary (even if it's still helpful occasionally).
News
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/18/13 22:33 UTC
Official Apple statement on PRISM and privacy: "Regardless of the circumstances, our Legal team conducts an evaluation of each request and, only if appropriate, we retrieve and deliver the narrowest possible set of information to the authorities. In fact, from time to time when we see inconsistencies or inaccuracies in a request, we will refuse to fulfill it." This is basically Apple re-publishing their earlier statement in a more official manner. You either believe it, or you don't.
Linked by Anonymous on 06/18/13 22:26 UTC
The open source Contiki operating system and its commercial Thingsquare distribution are making strides towards the connected home. According to a Computerworld article, a new LED light bulb manufacturer is putting small computers into their light bulbs. Each computer runs the Contiki OS, which gives each bulb an IP address and allows them to be controlled with a smartphone application. To connect the bulbs to the application, the bulbs use both Wi-Fi and the much lower power IEEE 802.15.4 mesh technology.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/18/13 22:25 UTC
"Google asked the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on Tuesday to ease long-standing gag orders over data requests it makes, arguing that the company has a constitutional right to speak about information it's forced to give the government. The legal filing, which cites the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech, is the latest move by the California-based tech giant to protect its reputation in the aftermath of news reports about sweeping National Security Agency surveillance of Internet traffic." Draining the ditch after the cow has drowned in it.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/18/13 17:45 UTC
"I can't find one person who has been using the Nexus 7 for an extended period of time, and hasn't seen a massive downgrade in performance. Just what kind of downgrade are we talking here? I cannot pick up my Nexus 7 without experiencing problems like a lag of ten seconds, or more, just to rotate the display; touches refusing to acknowledged; stuttering notification panel actions; and unresponsive apps." Fully and utterly agreed. My Nexus 7 was blazing-fast and awesome for a few months, and at some point, it just started sucking. Just like that. I've tried loads of ROMs, and nothing helps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/18/13 17:32 UTC, submitted by poundsmack
A new release of the hobby operating system MenuetOS! The release notes are a bit non-descript, but you'll have to take what you can get: "updates and improvements (picview, httpc, ehci, ...)".
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/17/13 17:58 UTC
"The Internet is one of the most transformative technologies of our lifetimes. But for 2 out of every 3 people on earth, a fast, affordable Internet connection is still out of reach. And this is far from being a solved problem. There are many terrestrial challenges to Internet connectivity - jungles, archipelagos, mountains. There are also major cost challenges. Right now, for example, in most of the countries in the southern hemisphere, the cost of an Internet connection is more than a month's income. Solving these problems isn't simply a question of time: it requires looking at the problem of access from new angles. So today we're unveiling our latest moonshot from Google[x]: balloon-powered Internet access." Insane.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/17/13 17:52 UTC
"MineAssemble is a tiny bootable Minecraft clone written partly in x86 assembly. I made it first and foremost because a university assignment required me to implement a game in assembly for a computer systems course. Because I had never implemented anything more complex than a 'Hello World' bootloader before, I decided I wanted to learn about writing my own kernel code at the same time. Note that the goal of this project was not to write highly efficient hand-optimized assembly code, but rather to have fun and write code that balances readability and speed. This is primarily accomplished by proper commenting and consistent code structuring." Just cool.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/14/13 21:03 UTC
Jon Rubinstein, former CEO of Palm: "Well, I'm not sure I would have sold the company to HP. That's for sure. Talk about a waste. Not that I had any choice because when you sell a company you don't get to decide that. Obviously, the board and shareholders decide that. If we had known they were just going to shut it down and never really give it a chance to flourish, what would have been the point of selling the company? I think the deal we had with Verizon really hurt us, but who knew that at the time? These things are all hindsight."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/14/13 20:46 UTC
"And so it is with Dell's Alienware X51 R2, a small form factor gaming PC in console digs. It's shaped similar to Microsoft's Xbox 360 Slim, and though it's slightly larger than either a 360 or PlayStation 3, the X51 R2 would be right at home in a living room setting nestled next to a large screen TV. Indeed, it's adept at running Steam's Big Picture mode, and if your primary objective is to play games in the living room, go ahead and consider the X51 R2 a hybrid game console." This is obviously not the only machine like this - still, these are very valid console alternatives even for those that don't like being hunched over with a cramped WASD-claw. Also, PC gamers among us: could you get away with the $699 model for gaming?
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/14/13 17:32 UTC
From Bloomberg: "Microsoft, the world's largest software company, provides intelligence agencies with information about bugs in its popular software before it publicly releases a fix, according to two people familiar with the process. That information can be used to protect government computers and to access the computers of terrorists or military foes." The lid has officially been blown off.More News »
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2010-06-06
Most people I speak to just don't get what Windows 8 is all about.
Fundamentally a tablet is no different from a desktop/laptop once you add a _decent_ keyboard and mouse. This is best explained in terms of the iPad 3 (OK I know -- it's called the "new iPad"). So suppose a user WANTS to run Photoshop or Excel or a full IDE on an iPad 3 like device. All they need to do is add a _decent_ keyboard and mouse, they already have a very good screen with more pixels than most desktops.
You try to explain this to Apple fan boys and they just stair at you blankly and say something like "why on earth would you want to do that? You know that tablets and laptops are fundimentally different". But why pay/carry two device's when the tablet could easily be transformed into a full desktop experience just by adding a keyboard and mouse. There are also massive battery gains for an arm based laptop.
Provided windows 8 experience is not totally crippled on the desktop I expect in the long term that this combined desktop/tablet experience to be windows 8 killer feature.