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1301

Developer's Corner / Re: Windows 8 from a Developer's Perspective Post-BUILD

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 10, 2011, 03:07 PM »

Sorry I didn't really mean that - will the Win8 desktop be reliant on the new WinRT api or is the desktop OS just going to be a win 7 upgrade. From what I read it looked like Win 8 was going to be based on WinRT in which case it will break most if not all current applications. Or have I got that totally wrong?

I was under the impression that the current Win8 preview only really previews the Metro bit and that the desktop environment hasn't really been modified to reflect cplans YET?

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Developer's Corner / Re: Windows 8 from a Developer's Perspective Post-BUILD

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 10, 2011, 02:14 PM »

Not being a developer (and not really understanding all of the issues) does this mean that the desktop apps are also going to be affected by these changes or is it just the Metro crap that I have intention of using?

Will a compatibility layer be included (so that all the old libraries are still there) or is it going to be a clean break?

If it affects the whole of Windows I can't see it getting adopted at all as a desktop OS. There are a lot of people still using software from years ago (Win XP is still ubiquitous, and I even still see Windows 2000 and 98 machines out there, even on Windows 7 Office 2003 is still common) and I can't see many people being willing to restock their entire application library. Smaller developers will have little incentive to build/redevelop two versions of software to stay with windows 7 users and earlier and take on windows 8 too. Business is going to be particularly reluctant to move - especially if they have any bespoke software. Many are sticking to XP now because of the perceived difficulties of moving to 7 (however unreasonable those perceptions might be).

But I do have a big problem with only receiving 70¢ for each buck I do make.

-40hz (October 10, 2011, 01:46 PM)

The government already takes about that much... 

-wraith808 (October 10, 2011, 02:08 PM)

They still will - so that means you will lost 50% of your income. It's all Jobs' fault.

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Living Room / Re: App vendors discover a new way to abuse Windows

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 10, 2011, 07:50 AM »

I'm all for protecting "rights holders", but don't humans have rights?

-Renegade (October 09, 2011, 08:01 PM)

Not if corporations have their way.

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Living Room / Re: The All New Kindle - ripoff!

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 09, 2011, 11:30 AM »

I find it funny all this outrage at U. S. companies doing this (not saying it's not wrong, just read on).  Meanwhile it happens to U. S. companies and people just as frequently, if not moreso.  The key here is the U. S. computer market provides much of the innovation and many of the largest companies are here.  However, in the electronic entertainment industry (consoles, TV's, Stereo's, etc.), Japan is probably the single biggest player with the likes of Sony, Onkyo, et. al.  These are all almost double the price in the U. S. over Europe despite the VAT taxes etc.   Note, that is EUROPE, not Japan!   Likewise, East Asian auto manufacturers trounce American auto manufacturers because they can produce them so much cheaper (for a ton of reasons).  Do they lower the prices in the U. S. because of this?  Well, yes, to just below their American competition.  They don't price it based on a percentage profit, they price it based on what they can get in that area.  I understand the outrage, but lets direct it all all industries and countries practicing this, not just the U. S. computer industry.

-steeladept (October 09, 2011, 07:53 AM)

I am not convinced Sony products are cheaper in Europe.

Here are two 46" LED TVs from the KDL-HX72... range which as far as I can tell are as near equivalent products as possible (it isn't possble to compare identical models because the US and Europe have different TV standards):

US: KDL-46HX729 Sony web price: $1500 (currently reduced from $1900) presumably + sales tax (California ifs the highest sales tax at 8.25% so that bumps the price to a maximum of $2057 - assuming the full list price, not the current discount).

UK: KDL-46HX723 Sony web price: £1700 (US equivalent = $2645) including taxes.

This makes the UK model 29% more expensive than the US model at its most expensive.

I tried a more real world test on amazon.com and amazon.co.uk but they didn't equivalent items in stock (except via Marketplace sellers).

Interestingly amazon.com did have other Sony TVs in stock but will not display the US prices because I am in the UK (it specifically says they sell it but hide the price - this is the first time I have come across Amazon doing this).

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Living Room / Re: App vendors discover a new way to abuse Windows

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 08, 2011, 06:37 PM »

If you only have your own machine at home to take care of, then you can afford to be paranoid, but to people who are not computer experts, having security fixes applied automatically without them even noticing, is a blessing compared to how Firefox works.

-Jibz (October 08, 2011, 04:44 PM)

Except when they update things and break them - eg. one update broke Chrome's printing facility on lots of websites and it remained broken over numerous later updates. Allowing people to update when they want to alleviates this problem because people can look for any unforeseen issues before they choose to update.

If you don't like FF updates turn them off and periodically do a manual check.

And I seriously doubt they are going to push an update that changes the EULA silently. Do you have any evidence of this ever happening?

I can't think of a specific example from Google (though I am sure some here will be able to) but there are lots of examples of other big companies tinkering with EULAs and the small print says they can. Even if Google hadn't modified EULAs (which I know they have) there is nothing to stop them changing them in the future and by accepting a passive update with an updated EULA I am sure you will be deemed to have consented to the new terms.

Hell MS have made an artform of making EULAs as impenetrable as possible and varying them with every software release!

I can't remember what it was but I remember a few years back there was a piece of well known software that changed the EULA to say they could use your computer for distributed processing and another title that put a condition into the EULA to say that you couldn't uninstall their software. I seem to remember Sony did the latter example with their rootkit scare.

Flash player updates drive me bonkers, mainly because of the time they choose to popup, i.e. just as you've logged in. An almost silent updater which only asks for a yes before applying the final step would be easy enough, and better for the user IMO.

-Eóin (October 08, 2011, 05:06 PM)

Given all the hassles with Flash over the years do you really want silent updates? If you don't like the frequent updates popping up turn them off and check manually once a month. Or even better go to http://www.macromedi...tings_manager05.html and change the update check to something tolerable like 28 days.

1306

General Software Discussion / Re: The confusion about the term "lifetime license"

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 08, 2011, 10:17 AM »

You could argue that even if they don't change the 'lifetime update' agreement but rather go for 'lifetime' meaning for your current version then there is a moral responsibility for the company to ensure that the version you bought with a 'lifetime license' is maintained so that it keeps working even as new version are produced.

For example RoboForm had free updates for life - now it applies to the version. Whatever you think of that change SiberSystems specifically said at the time that 'lifetime users' can continue to use version 6 for life. Having tried to fob customers off with that argument they then failed to produce any further version 6 updates and now the software effectively defunct (unless you want to stick with out of date and insecure browsers on the current version of windows for the rest of your life).

There are other examples - I remember buying FruityLoops (music sequencing software) and actually purchasing as an extra lifetime upgrades. About two years later the product was relaunched as two products FruityLoops Studio and FruityLoops Producers. Even though the products are clearly upgrades to earlier products (same interface, work with the same files etc.) the developer claimed Studio and Producer are new products and FruityLoops (the original product) was no longer being developed. This was IMHO disingenuous to the point of fraudulent -especially as users specifically paid extra for the lifetime upgrade policy. Now they sell a lifetime upgrade policy for Studio and Producer.

Hardware manufacturers are now getting in on the act too - take e.g. iPods and iPhones. By not allowing user battery replacement they are ultimately dictating the practical period you have access to your device. At some point you will have to replace it even if the device functions correctly because the cost of battery replacement becomes prohibitive. Effectively you are not buying a product but purchasing the right to use a device until the manufacturer says no you need to buy a new one now.

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Living Room / Re: App vendors discover a new way to abuse Windows

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 08, 2011, 09:55 AM »

The other issue is if you have lot of users in an organisation that use lots of different machines they need accounts on each machine. If software starts getting installed per user (rather than per machine) each machine will have multiple copies of the software which can't be a good thing.

The other point is that software should go through UAC to be installed - but it doesn't need UAC to run if the app doesn't need admin rights so from a users perspective it is one extra click if it installs in the correct place.

If it is being installed in an alternative location because a user can't get admin rights then they are circumventing a system specifically put in place to stop this behaviour and it provides a easy exploit route for any average user. Also system admins in organisations who set up systems to stop the addition of unauthorised software are not going to be totally happy!

Microsoft should treat this behaviour as potential security problem and issue and update to enforce correct installation procedures before it gets totally out of hand. One way round this would be to ensure that executables outside approved locations run with minimal priviledges, generating maximum UAC promtps for any and every change they make. As a result users would get really fed up with the software and force developers to use more standard approaches. You could relax thing by having a trust option (say for using portable apps) that allow you to elevate apps to normal user rights but only after admin permission is given.

There are a number of other things MS should enforce too when it comes to installation behaviour:

1) Don't allow temp folders to be used to store installers (that then get broken when you clear out temp folders).
2) Don't allow any programs to run from temp folders (most the viruses and malware I see tend to have stuff squirrelled away in global or user temp folders).
3) Provide optional UAC control during application installation to allow every potentially dangerous change to be monitored during installation. This could be off as standard but it would allow system admins (or people who want to know what is going on) to see what processes/services are being installed and registry changes that could open security issues. If you don't want to respond to lots of prompts this could be provided by producing comprehensive system logs when required. It would be great for troubleshooting too.

The final request is that MS start docuemting errors and issues. The system logs now show you errors but since MS changed their website I have not seen a single error that produces further information on their website - it almost invariably simply says 'no further information is available'. The only way to troubleshoot anything is to wade through pages of irrelevant search results from Google et al.

As for Google Chrome - silent updates are a VERY BAD THING! Not only do Eula's change all the time (and so users have to be proactive to see what they have tacitly agreed to) but you don't know what they are going to install at all. MS got into this shit with silent updates and thye world went mad and start shouting about rootkit installers etc. Google seem to get away with anything. All it needs is one line in their Eula to take over you computer completely and do as they want. No I am not paranoid - THEY ARE OUT TO GET YOU. This is corporate America we are talking about after all.

1308

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: GOG giving away Broken Sword-Shadow of the Templars thru 10/1/11

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 07, 2011, 07:42 AM »

Unless you live in the UK in which case $5 = £5 ... convenient exchange rate as usual.

Personally I have complete the first two adventures and enjoyed both (though some of the puzzles in the second were a bit obscure at times and I had to restore to cheats to make progress). The third game I can't get into. They removed mouse control and the keyboard controls are anything but intuitive.

The advantages of buying on GOG are:

1) You don't need to setam to be running
2) DRM free - so put it on any computer in the house
3) Lots of extras included including guides and soundtracks etc.
4) GOG deserve support more than Steam!

1309

Living Room / Re: Steve Jobs is dead.

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 06, 2011, 06:51 PM »

What's the betting all the Apple Stores have church organs and choirs installed by next week?

This religious nonsense really gets me depressed!

My favourite quote (to lighten the mood)

He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy

1310

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: A new Humble Bundle

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 06, 2011, 04:23 AM »

It's also worth noting that if you have Steam installed anyway it is worth using SpcaeChem through steam as that is the only way you can get the extra 'quantum' content (it isn't available in any other way). This was an interesting development because SpaceChem doesn't use DRM so they seem to have changed that policy for the additional material. Note Steam only supports WIndows and Mac.

From SpaceChem FAQs:

Do I have to buy a game once for each platform I want to play it on?
No. After purchasing a game on the Zachtronics Industries store, you are free to download and use versions for every platform available on the Zachtronics Industries store. Games not available on the Zachtronics Industries store, such as games for Apple iOS, are not included.

Which seems a very fair way of doing things.

Note if you activate it in Steam you have to run it in Steam (if you try and launch from the app folder as you can do with the direct download it automatically restarts Steam and you need an internet connection to login).

The only thing I would like is Steam Cloud support for game save - if you are using Steam anyway it would be nice to be able to run it on a desktop and laptop without having to sync the user data folders.

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Living Room / Re: Steve Jobs is dead.

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 05, 2011, 09:21 PM »

All iDevices will automatically shut down now for a two minute silence in 3...2...1...

-nosh (October 05, 2011, 09:06 PM)

It has been said everyone who was alive at the time remembers where they were when JFK was shot.

iPhone owners will probably have their locations logged for posterity.

1312

Living Room / Re: Steve Jobs is dead.

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 05, 2011, 09:19 PM »

The other quote from the same obit;

Steve Jobs was a one off; a man who had total belief in his own abilities and a shortage of patience for anyone who failed to agree with him.

To me this sums up the Apple philosophy - will that be his legacy?

I read another obit (sorry didn't keep the link) which said when Bill Gates dies he will be remembered for his philanthropy whereas Jobs is more likely to be remembered for his innovation.

The truth is no one knows - and how much true innovation was there really?

The iPod wasn't the first MP3 player
iTunes wasn't the first music download store
The iPad wasn't the first (or best) tablet
The iPhone is one of many similar products (and again wasn't the first in its class)
Apple didn't produce the first PC
Apple didn't invent the windowed desktop
Apple didn't develop new hardware as far as I can tell either (at least not at the component level)

At the end of the day Apple has been really good at generating interest, loyalty and sales and aggressively attacking the opposition - but probably not in that order. It remains to be seen if Apple can continue to do this without Jobs's influence.

Whatever you think of Steve Jobs he certainly made a big impact in the first decade of the 21st century at least (IMHO the Apple II and early MAcs were interesting but didn't have the same global impact) - however I don't think he should be granted saint-like status or given personality traits in death that he didn't have in life. Even his closest colleagues and friends said he was a difficult and driven person to work with.

1313

Living Room / Re: Steve Jobs is dead.

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 05, 2011, 07:17 PM »

http://www.bbc.co.uk...d-us-canada-12215485

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Found Deals and Discounts / Re: A new Humble Bundle

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 05, 2011, 06:43 PM »

Another new game added - SpaceChem.

Brilliant game if you like being mentally challenged to suicide levels.

Annoying that I already have the two latest additions.

1315

Living Room / Re: Seriously, Youtube is becoming impossible!

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 05, 2011, 03:24 AM »

How about YouTube offering users the option of a subscription account if you want your videos to be add free? Say $1 per year per video to a maximum  of $25 a year,

1316

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: RoboForm 7 Desktop on BdJ today, 2011-10-04

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 04, 2011, 07:16 PM »

All of that aside, I cannot find a tool that can compare to RF. Many will suggest lastpass as an alternative but I have never been able to make it function as flawlessly as RF.

-Josh (October 04, 2011, 07:09 PM)

The only issues I have had with LastPass are Flash based websites (which I could never get RF to work on either) and data exported from RF and imported into LP. I suspect RF doesn't have as strict control on URLS as LP. Data saved in LP seems to work fine for me. In fact you can log in to most websites from LP with a single keypress from you LP Vault Page.

1317

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: RoboForm 7 Desktop on BdJ today, 2011-10-04

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 04, 2011, 07:13 PM »

Just use LastPass (free) or use the online RoboForm service (not free - you need to pay a subscription IIRC). You can also buy RoboForm2Go which runs from a USB stick on any computer.

LastPass works in just about any browser with plugins/addons/extensions for personal computers and access via a webpage on computers you can't install bits on. You can also purachse a version to use on a thumb stick.

1318

General Software Discussion / Re: iTunes Password Recovery (advice) Needed

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 04, 2011, 03:04 AM »

Sounds suspicious to me - why not just get your friend to ask iTunes CS to send or reset the lost password? On the few occasions I have contacted them they have been pretty quick to respond and helpful (not that I have shopped at iTunes in the last couple of years).

1319

Living Room / Re: The All New Kindle - ripoff!

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 03, 2011, 02:10 PM »

which means that Amazon will be scanning ALL of a user's web browsing, not just purchases at Amazon,  for data mining purposes.

-xtabber (October 03, 2011, 01:55 PM)

That's one of the things that would definitely put me off using Silk - everything you browse goes through and is cached on their system. Not only do that have the opportunity to monitor browsing habits even more effectively than they do now but they can tie every single page you visit to you personally. That isn't providing any kind of service - it is called stalking!

I'm sure it is illegal to do this sort of thing in the UK (even with a user agreement). Maybe that's why Fire isn't being sold here. France is even more neurotic about privacy - hey guess what they don't sell Kindle in France at all!

I'd say wait for the law suits (and probably huge class action suits at that) to start rolling in! Amazon's customers aren't religious like Apple's which is presumably why Apple hasn't had huge class action yet over the huge amount of data mining on iPhones, iPads and now even iPods.

1320

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: GOG giving away Broken Sword-Shadow of the Templars thru 10/1/11

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 03, 2011, 09:34 AM »

I just started it and it's a very enjoyable game. Just PM me your username. 

-40hz (October 02, 2011, 10:02 AM)

It is probably one of the more enjoyable point and click adventures I have tried. It does get a little slow in places - especially when you have to ask everyone you meet the same questions!

1321

Living Room / Re: The All New Kindle - ripoff!

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 03, 2011, 09:32 AM »

Someone pointed out to me that the UK version included taxes and Amazon US ads taxes at checkout - but even so the state with the highest sales tax is California at 8.25% so even at the most expensive in the US it costs $118, still $21 cheaper than the UK market (and over $100 cheaper than SA).

-Carol Haynes (October 03, 2011, 02:52 AM)

That was the point of my previous post - the UK VAT is included BUT even taking that into account AND adding Californian Sales Tax (which is near double most states, and quite a few are zero rated) the UK version is still $21 more than the US version.

I don't see how shipping or import/export duty would have much bearing - the devices are probably all made in the far east and shipped directly to the sales area. Even if it was shipped to the UK from the US the sort of bulk Amazon ship and the margins that they can acheive with shippers would not amount to $21 per unit. Plus if they are exporting product they will be able to recoup the import duties.

1322

Living Room / Re: The All New Kindle - ripoff!

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 03, 2011, 02:52 AM »

Oops - got this slightly wrong!

The US has two versions of the standard new Kindle. The $79 version is ad supported (good eh?).

If you want the equivalent of the UK version (ie. not ad supported) it is $109. Still $30 cheaper.

Someone pointed out to me that the UK version included taxes and Amazon US ads taxes at checkout - but even so the state with the highest sales tax is California at 8.25% so even at the most expensive in the US it costs $118, still $21 cheaper than the UK market (and over $100 cheaper than SA).

Strangely in Europe the Germans get it marginally cheaper than the UK (about £5 UK) but it isn't even sold in France - amazon.fr redirects to amazon.com.

You also have to be careful if you buy products in the wrong region - Amazon say some of the US models don't work outside the US - though they aren't specific!

1323

Living Room / The All New Kindle - ripoff!

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 02, 2011, 11:44 AM »

The all new Kindle:

US Price $79
http://www.amazon.co...Offers/dp/B0051QVESA

UK Price £89
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0051QVF7A

Yes now we don't even have pound for dollar number transfer!

£89 = $139

So the all new reduced price Kindle is nearly twice as expensive in the UK as the US!

1324

General Software Discussion / Re: Cnet's Download.com and the installer scam

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 02, 2011, 07:33 AM »

Not sure of the legal situation but it is legal to promote any other product even though you didn't make it - including selling stuff otherwise shops would not exist. There is no requirement for a shop to have a contact with the holder of the intellectual property rights.

I suppose the simplest way to make this clear to downloaders is to clearly list the sites that you have authorised to distribute your software as part of the installation package as soon as the installer fires up and make it clear that if they got the package from another website then that site is not authorised and you cannot guarantee the software does not contain spyware or other viruses and malware. Then there would be no incentive for other sites to host the software given that it makes them look like thieves and pirates.

The big problem is that users assume that software authors are happy and support the approach of CNET and Brothersoft etc. in this because their products are listed there. I was not aware that these sites effectively steal products to promote their own cashflow.

1325

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: GOG giving away Broken Sword-Shadow of the Templars thru 10/1/11

« Last post by Carol Haynes on October 02, 2011, 04:31 AM »

Its great that old games are available but some are really painful to play these days! The biggest issue I have is that the graphics are so poor and the resolution so low. If you play on a large screen at the original resolution in a window you need binoculars and if there is an option to make a game bigger if often looks really fuzzy and blocky.

For me it is more sense of curiosity to see what I missed in the 80s!

Having said that GOG has some really good games on the cheap - and I am particularly enjoying Broken Sword!