Linked by Thom Holwerda on Tue 19th Jun 2012 00:10 UTC
So, the Microsoft announcement - taking place as I write this, 01:45 in my timezone - turns out to be a bigger deal than expected. Microsoft just announced it's going full-on hardware - the company announced a new tablet called 'Surface', and boy, is this thing something to behold. Microsoft's hardware partners? They're not happy right now. Update: Here's Microsoft's official Surface site. I believe someone coined the phrase 'sexy as a succubus' in the comments about Vizio? Stealin' it! Update II: They aren't just taking the iPad head-on - this is a straight-up MacBook Air competitor.
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Member since:2005-08-18
Microsoft has every right to dictate the terms of using their software (SecureBoot forced on ARM)
That's not dictating my use of their software (which I have no problem with), it is dictating the terms of how I can use *my* hardware, hardware that is quite likely not manufactured or sold by Microsoft.
Note that I don't have a problem with this on Surface. It's MS product (both hardware and software) and they can do what they want with that. The problem is that this restriction is imposed on generic non-MS hardware.
When Apple locks their bootloaders its not a monopolistic abuse
That's en entirely different case because it is both Apple's hardware and software.
Edit: Microsoft really has no right telling me how to use their software either. As long as it is not violating copyrights it is NONE of their business. I believe this is commonly known as post-sale restrictions and something that is actually not legal.
Edited 2012-06-19 10:00 UTC
Member since:2005-11-29
That's not dictating my use of their software (which I have no problem with), it is dictating the terms of how I can use *my* hardware, hardware that is quite likely not manufactured or sold by Microsoft.
Note that I don't have a problem with this on Surface. It's MS product (both hardware and software) and they can do what they want with that. The problem is that this restriction is imposed on generic non-MS hardware.
The decision is implicitly taken out of your hands, because it is not your hardware. The hardware is manufactured by the OEM and they make the decision to go with Windows 8 (Which requires SecureBoot).
They make the agreement, and as a consumer you have the conscious choice to buy based off of that agreement. They could just have likely thrown Android on there and you could have your Ubuntu field day if it pleases you, but they made the deliberate choice to go with Windows 8.
They are a licensee of Windows 8, they adhere to the requirements. It is again, Microsoft dictating the terms of the environment their hardware runs in.
Microsoft "telling you what to do" is an indirect side effect of you honoring the deal made when the software was licensed.
Member since:2006-01-06
That's not dictating my use of their software (which I have no problem with), it is dictating the terms of how I can use *my* hardware, hardware that is quite likely not manufactured or sold by Microsoft.
First, you've lost the argument, so you're trying to change the subject from anti-competitiveness to being able to run your own software on a consumer device; something that practically no consumer manufacturer supports (except for the ones like Sony who are tanking and think it gives them some kind of leverage--which it doesn't).
Second, the device *is* manufactured by Microsoft in the same way that Apple uses Foxconn to manufacture iPads, iPhones, iPods, and other iCrap. You don't buy a device from Foxconn. They're just labor. You don't seem to understand this basic concept, for some weird reason, which is amusing but puzzling.
That's en entirely different case because it is both Apple's hardware and software.
See above. You don't WTF you're talking about.
Edited 2012-06-19 19:11 UTC
News
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/18/13 7:37 UTC
"In NixOS, the entire operating system - the kernel, applications, system packages, configuration files, and so on - is built by the Nix package manager from a description in a purely functional build language. The fact that it's purely functional essentially means that building a new configuration cannot overwrite previous configurations. Most of the other features follow from this." Interesting approach. A Linux distribution, sure, but with some very refreshing ideas about system configuration.
Linked by fran on 05/18/13 1:38 UTC
Google added, among other features, C/C++ support to its new version of AIDE. From Android-IDE, "Now you can write parts of your app or your whole app in C/C++ on your device. AIDE supports the Standard Android NDK toolchain (GCC 4.6 + Bionic, STL, ...). No changes are necessary if you want to build an app developed on a PC with Eclipse. C/C++ development is fully integrated: Build errors appear in the error list and files can easily be navigated to with Go to file. The editor supports C/C++ syntax highlighting."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/17/13 23:35 UTC, submitted by kragil
Ars nails it: "The answer is that Google did announce what amounts to a fairly substantial Android update yesterday. They simply did it without adding to the update fragmentation problems that continue to plague the platform. By focusing on these changes and not the apparently-waiting-in-the-wings update to the core software, Google is showing us one of the ways in which it's trying to fix the update problem."
Linked by MOS6510 on 05/17/13 22:22 UTC
"It is good for programmers to understand what goes on inside a processor. The CPU is at the heart of our career. What goes on inside the CPU? How long does it take for one instruction to run? What does it mean when a new CPU has a 12-stage pipeline, or 18-stage pipeline, or even a 'deep' 31-stage pipeline? Programs generally treat the CPU as a black box. Instructions go into the box in order, instructions come out of the box in order, and some processing magic happens inside. As a programmer, it is useful to learn what happens inside the box. This is especially true if you will be working on tasks like program optimization. If you don't know what is going on inside the CPU, how can you optimize for it? This article is about what goes on inside the x86 processor's deep pipeline."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/17/13 22:15 UTC, submitted by Tom
"It was the only moment I heard regret slip into Otellini's voice during the several hours of conversations I had with him. 'The lesson I took away from that was, while we like to speak with data around here, so many times in my career I've ended up making decisions with my gut, and I should have followed my gut,' he said. 'My gut told me to say yes.'" The world would've been a much different place - Apple would have been less dependant on Samsung for its chips, which probably would've meant less money for Samsung to develop its Galaxy business.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/16/13 21:41 UTC
Glass is getting some love at Google I/O as well. New applications have been released - Facebook, Twitter, Evernote, Elle, Tumblr, and CNN. Perhaps more interesting: the newly announced Google Glass Developer Kit will allow offline applications and direct hardware access - great for hacking and expanding Glass' potential. This kit will really allow hackers to put Glass through its paces.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/16/13 17:04 UTC
"But Beck and Merrill decided that simply banning toxic players wasn't an acceptable solution for their game. Riot Games began experimenting with more constructive modes of player management through a formal player behavior initiative that actually conducts controlled experiments on its player base to see what helps reduce bad behavior. The results of that initiative have been shared at a lecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and on panels at the Penny Arcade Expo East and the Game Developers Conference." Absolutely fascinating stuff. I'm a League of Legends player, and to be honest, the community isn't nearly as bad as some make it out to be. I'm happy Riot games has the guts to employ science to address the issue.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/16/13 13:17 UTC
"Android and iOS, the number one and number two ranked smartphone operating systems worldwide, combined for 92.3% of all smartphone shipments during the first quarter of 2013 as Windows Phone crept past BlackBerry for 3rd place. According to the International Data Corporation Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, Android smartphone vendors and Apple shipped a total of 199.5 million units worldwide during 1Q13, up 59.1% from the 125.4 million units shipped during 1Q12." Windows Phone doubles from a few to twice few, iOS loser market share as its growth is slower than that of the overall market. BlackBerry continues slide into irrelevance.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/16/13 12:06 UTC
"According to the latest research from our Wireless Smartphone Strategies service, global Android smartphone profits reached US$5 billion in total during the first quarter of 2013. Samsung dominated and captured an impressive 95 percent share of all Android smartphone profits." Wow.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/15/13 23:03 UTC
"During its Keynote today, Google announced new features coming to its flagship search function - you know, that thing we all started using Google for. VP Amit Singhal spent some time discussing what Google's search functionality will eventually morph into. Google's strategy is summarized by three words: answer, converse, and anticipate. Singhal explained that many of the pieces of these upcoming changes can already be seen in products that Google has recently introduced - namely, Google Knowledge Graph and Google Now, with perhaps a splash of Google Glass, too." I hold on to my hat every time Google changes Search. It's such a vital product in my daily life.More News »
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Member since:
2005-11-29
Windows 8 CAN'T be really used as any kind of effective leverage, because it presents no competitive advantage to Windows RT.
You can't just reply "Yeah, but what if" to something which is demonstrably impossible. The architectures are different, meaning everything from applications to drivers are incompatible.
Windows RT doesn't have the clout that Windows has. So Microsoft can't really use their success on the Desktop to force success in the ARM world.
Microsoft has every right to dictate the terms of using their software (SecureBoot forced on ARM), and you're free as a consumer to not use it. Its not a monopolistic abuse, its how they chose to do business.
When Apple locks their bootloaders its not a monopolistic abuse, its the walled garden they choose to let you play in for $499. Don't like it, don't play.