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4551

Living Room / Rumors about a Microsoft branded smartphone surface

« Last post by 40hz on November 15, 2012, 06:59 AM »

Look who's looking more and more like Apple every day...

Hot on the heels of Surface, there are now some credible rumors being heard of Microsoft possibly building its own smartphone in China.

From MIT Technology Review comes this bit of news/editorial/speculation.

...Ever since Microsoft announced its landmark Windows Phone agreement with Nokia, there have been mutterings that the company is thinking about producing its own smartphone. Earlier this month came the clearest sign yet, when the Wall Street Journal quoted officials at Microsoft parts suppliers in Asia as saying that testing had already begun. Add to this the recent launch of the Microsoft Surface tablet—which showcases the touch-screen capabilities of Windows 8 and RT operating systems—and CEO Steve Ballmer’s recent speculation that the Redmond, Washington–based firm would “obviously” make more hardware, and the case becomes even more compelling.
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Microsoft has already failed with a previous smartphone launch, the ill-fated Kin, and its only hardware success to date has been Xbox. Nonetheless, Ovum analyst Tony Cripps argues that it’s quite possible Microsoft is taking the same strategy with the smartphone that it took with its recently launched Surface tablet. “While there were risks involved, Microsoft created Surface, and it made sense to do so. Why not do it again?” he says. “It’s about staying relevant.”...

Full article here.

4552

Living Room / Re: Well, I got it: Nokia Lumia 920, Windows 8

« Last post by 40hz on November 14, 2012, 12:37 PM »

I really like the camera. [url=https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=35C5F0E6DE156CB!11213&authkey=!AHzx-DDgDkILfD0]darn wasps

-allen (November 14, 2012, 11:58 AM)

Is that a yellow jacket?  They are not friendly wasps.  I always found their bright yellow abdomens menacing.

-superboyac (November 14, 2012, 12:20 PM)

That sure looks like a yellowjacket to me. A miserable member of the equally miserable Vespidae insect family.

Even worse is their cousin: the bald-face or white-face "hornet." Those things are psychotically aggressive. They make a regular wasp seem like a butterfly.

(Care to guess who's dangerously allergic to stings from these guys? )

4553

Post New Requests Here / Re: Change name of particular file in all occurrences on hard disk

« Last post by 40hz on November 14, 2012, 12:15 PM »

Glad I asked.  Thanks to all for the advice.

As I mentioned at the outset, SOMETHING is preventing the normal loading of Java Virtual Machine in a program I'm trying to run.  I've tried everything I can think of.

-nkormanik (November 14, 2012, 11:10 AM)

Did you try completely uninstalling Java using something like Revo Uninstaller, and then download and install a fresh copy of the most recent edition. I've had occasional Java weirdnesses and fails "cured" by doing that. True it doesn't explain what the problem is. But in my case, it did get me back up and running with a minimal expenditure of time and frustration.

Other minor point - if it's just that one app perhaps the problem isn't Java or anything else - but the app itself that's pooching out on you?

Either way, good luck!

4554

General Software Discussion / Re: Strategies to stay with Windows 7 as long as possible

« Last post by 40hz on November 14, 2012, 11:38 AM »

OK point taken.

-Darwin (November 14, 2012, 08:19 AM)

@D - thanks for taking my comment in the spirit it was intended.

BTW - regarding performance, Win 8 is not that bad. As an OS it's middling decent. But my problem with Win 8 isn't with it as an OS. My problem is that it's no longer just that. It's now the linchpin in a larger overall strategy to move the population away from open standards and general purpose computers to a completely closed data appliance. It's a giant step backwards to 1960 when Sperry-Rand and IBM controlled just about everything related to computing.

To me it's not so much the greed and power trip Microsoft is on that I object to. It's the abandonment of an ideal. This move represents a betrayal of all the work everybody Microsoft ever rode in on the coattails of - and who made possible most of what power and wealth Microsoft enjoys today. It's a betrayal of the social contract. To me it feels almost like the ending of Orwell's book Animal Farm where the animals can no longer tell the difference between their old oppressors and their new masters.

Like all of Napoleon's speeches, it was short and to the point. He too, he said, was happy that the period of misunderstanding was at an end. For a long time there had been rumours-circulated, he had reason to think, by some malignant enemy-that there was something subversive and even revolutionary in the outlook of himself and his colleagues. They had been credited with attempting to stir up rebellion among the animals on neighbouring farms. Nothing could be further from the truth! Their sole wish, now and in the past, was to live at peace and in normal business relations with their neighbours.
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There was the same hearty cheering as before, and the mugs were emptied to the dregs. But as the animals outside gazed at the scene, it seemed to them that some strange thing was happening. What was it that had altered in the faces of the pigs? Clover's old dim eyes flitted from one face to another. Some of them had five chins, some had four, some had three. But what was it that seemed to be melting and changing? Then, the applause having come to an end, the company took up their cards and continued the game that had been interrupted, and the animals crept silently away.

But they had not gone twenty yards when they stopped short. An uproar of voices was coming from the farmhouse. They rushed back and looked through the window again. Yes, a violent quarrel was in progress. There were shoutings, bangings on the table, sharp suspicious glances, furious denials. The source of the trouble appeared to be that Napoleon and Mr. Pilkington had each played an ace of spades simultaneously.

Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.

But maybe that's just me.

4555

General Software Discussion / Re: Best USB Encryption Software.

« Last post by 40hz on November 14, 2012, 11:32 AM »

Leo Laporte... is he that guy that podcasted with Steve Gibson? In that case, please take what he says with a grain... no, wait, metric sh!tton... of salt.
Which adds the most entropy - adding 30 to a number, or adding 10 three times?

-f0dder (November 13, 2012, 11:54 AM)

You could be right there. I just don't remember it all. I only remember the "jist". And yes, Steve Gibson was on the show. I forget who else though. John probably - though I forget his crabby last name.

-Renegade (November 13, 2012, 12:02 PM)

If it had been Bruce Schneier, there would've been a bit of credibility.

But Leo and Steven? They don't go beyond "intuitively feels right", and that's simply not good enough when it comes to security.

-f0dder (November 13, 2012, 12:17 PM)

+1 x 10^2!!!

 f0dder nails it!  

4556

General Software Discussion / Re: Two classes of membership here?

« Last post by 40hz on November 14, 2012, 10:05 AM »

@Tao - Couldn't say. Im not an advocate for BDJ. I have bought stuff through them I was generally happy with however. But that was also my characterization of their posting policies - not the official word of BDJ.

4557

Post New Requests Here / Re: Change name of particular file in all occurrences on hard disk

« Last post by 40hz on November 14, 2012, 09:40 AM »

+1 w/IainB on xplorer² PRO.

That's been my "go to" Windows file manager for the last few years. The powerful search feature plus being able to easily toggle between a tabbed and dual-pane interface (depending on the task at hand) alone would have been enough justification for me to buy it. I sprung for the ultimate edition to get the portable use feature. I bring it with me whenever I'm heading over to a client site. Super tool! 

4558

General Software Discussion / Re: Two classes of membership here?

« Last post by 40hz on November 14, 2012, 09:28 AM »

I don't trust the OP's motive to be clean, he is just trying a new angle to continue his fight against Bartels Media.

-Curt (November 14, 2012, 08:52 AM)

I prefer to give the OP the benefit of the doubt since I'm a firm believer in "Innocent until proven guilty" as well as giving everyone enough rope to either climb to the mountaintop - or hang themselves with.

By the way, clean, your post on Bits du Jour, the one that was 'censored', it was most likely deleted because it was way too long.

That does seem to be the main reason why posts get deleted there. If they ramble, go too far OT, or start getting repetitious, they tend to disappear. Also, if they're excessively negative, or devolve into what could be considered a personal attack, they'll also likely get removed. I don't consider that to be censorship per se. When writing a software review, Joe Friday's iconic "Just the facts, Ma'am" is pretty much the rule in most places.

4559

Living Room / Re: Remember Buckyballs? They Are Now Gone

« Last post by 40hz on November 14, 2012, 09:13 AM »

I realize this one is as good as conspiracy theories come, so don't assume that I have proof or something.

-eleman (November 14, 2012, 12:25 AM)

Run it past Renegade. If it's a good conspiracy theory he'll find as much proof to back it up as you can stand to look at!

(@Ren - in case it's not obvious, I am kidding. )

4560

Living Room / Re: Remember Buckyballs? They Are Now Gone

« Last post by 40hz on November 14, 2012, 09:11 AM »

Wasn't there also some crazy rumor or story circulating around some years back about how these magnetic balls could be used as a component in some sort of weapon? I seem to vaguely remember a bit of short-lived "crazy news" about that.

4561

Living Room / Re: Sinofsky resigns from Microsoft. Let's meet the new boss of Windows.

« Last post by 40hz on November 14, 2012, 08:58 AM »

^I think it's really more a case of "You're either on the bus, or you're off the bus."

Industry opinion of Sinofsky seems to say he was too much of a silo and empire builder to fit in with Microsoft's critical need to now consolidate and coordinate it's development efforts and have everybody working off the same page. With the advent of Surface, Microsoft absolutely must make the entire Microsoft "experience" feel seamless - much like the Apple user experience (mostly) is. That's something Sinofsky apparently never felt the need for or wanted to be a part of. And it cost him in the end.

Supposedly he also has a pretty combative and non-cooperative style which didn't endear him to many of the people he worked with - and that included company officers such as Steve Ballmer. Not exactly what you'd call a smart career strategy in most places.

Word is, nobody much at Microsoft was sorry to see him leave the company.

4562

Living Room / Sinofsky resigns from Microsoft. Let's meet the new boss of Windows.

« Last post by 40hz on November 14, 2012, 07:43 AM »

Like Bob Dylan said: ...the times they are a-changin'...





With the surprise sudden departure of Steven Sinofsky comes an even bigger surprise - the appointment of an advocate for collaborative development (and a team player!) to head the Windows hardware and software engineering effort.

There's an interesting article to be found over at The Verge on Julie Larson-Green, former VP of 'Windows Experience,' self-taught programmer, 19-year industry veteran - and now, the executive in charge of Windows. (Link to article here.)

Hopefully this will bring some sanity back to Microsoft and not simply be a quick fix to fill a vacancy in the org chart.



From what I've seen of Ms. Larson-Green's CV, this looks rather promising however. Even if I am still a little leery of her, considering she was one of the leading advocates for the Microsoft Ribbon interface. Oh well...I guess nobody's ever perfect.

More on Sinofsky's departure can be found here.

4563

N.A.N.Y. 2013 / Re: NANY 2013: Carbon - website / blogging framework [alpha]

« Last post by 40hz on November 14, 2012, 03:48 AM »

Don't get too excited it's just Georgia. Unless you don't have that, and because I haven't specified a fallback, you will see some times new roman or something and that would explain your comment 

-justice (November 14, 2012, 03:07 AM)

I recognized it as being Georgia. If it displayed as Times I would not have been half so impressed.

Whether by accident - or design - you still couldn't have picked a better serif for web use.

Nice article about why that's so can be found here.



 

4564

Living Room / Re: ~$300 Laptop/Netbook recommendations

« Last post by 40hz on November 13, 2012, 10:52 PM »

Thanks for all the input so far.

For inexpensive laptops I've had the best luck with Asus and Gateway.

-40hz (November 13, 2012, 03:42 PM)

Oddly enough, those were the two brands we were looking at.  Particularly, this model:

http://www.amazon.co...D+1GB+RAM+Netbook+PC

Rest assured, I'd be upgrading that to 2GB of RAM (and 4GB if it allows).

-skwire (November 13, 2012, 05:02 PM)

I'm not too big on Atom processors for anything but the most basic business productivity tasks such as email and wordprocessing. Like Cyberdiva noted, they are painfully slow for a lot of things - like viewing websites with heavy media content. Something a student will likely be doing. I'd opt for a dual-core AMD chip instead of an Atom seven days out of seven.

That preowned Thinkpad site xtabber mentioned is definitely worth a look. (And thank you xtabber for sharing that!) Thinkpads are really well-built machines with plenty of power even in the lower end models. I didn't even think of mentioning them because they're expensive when they're new. But an IBM  certified factory refurb is an interesting option to consider if you can find something in your price range. They are built like tanks.

4565

Living Room / Re: ~$300 Laptop/Netbook recommendations

« Last post by 40hz on November 13, 2012, 03:42 PM »

For inexpensive laptops I've had the best luck with Asus and Gateway. If I were in the market for an inexpensive laptop today I'd definitely lean towards one of those. It's hard to recommend a specific model since a "model year" for most laptops seems to be about three months long.

Also +1 with everything in Mouser's post above. If you're not going to be lugging it around much, size, weight and battery life become much less of a factor in your buying decision. Ditto Ath's comments on the screen - which is probably the single most important deciding factor since you have to look at (and live with) the screen more than anything else.

Also keep an eye out for sales and specials. You can sometimes catch a really amazing bargain if you routinely check the websites and big-box store ads. When they get down to one or two left of a less popular or "soon to be discontinued" model they will very often cut the price to rock bottom so they can "retire" the SKU code.

Anything that gets you as close as possible to 64-bit/multi-core CPU/4Mb RAM/ and 500Gb HD is where you want to be.

Luck!

4566

Living Room / Re: Well, I got it: Nokia Lumia 920, Windows 8

« Last post by 40hz on November 13, 2012, 01:39 PM »

@SB - thx for "taking point" on this one.

I'd be extremely interested in any news/experiences/headaches you'd care to share. 

4567

General Software Discussion / Re: Two classes of membership here?

« Last post by 40hz on November 13, 2012, 01:17 PM »

^give the OP some time and benefit of the doubt to read all the "litanies" that just got posted.

I'm sure it was a simple misunderstanding that will get worked out. I have high hopes clean will become a valued and regular visitor. I also give him/her credit for airing his/her concerns rather than just packing up and going elsewhere. That takes character as well, and it's one more reason why I hope to see him/her stay with us.

4568

General Software Discussion / Re: Two classes of membership here?

« Last post by 40hz on November 13, 2012, 01:02 PM »

Just an addendum regarding Mouser technically having "more say" than others...

While he does (as registered site owner) have "more say" in theory, in practice he leads by example and stays out of things far more than the average member. If he is anything, he is more "first among equals," out of personal preference, than he is your standard web-demigod or father figure. And I have yet to see him "pull rank" on anybody here for any reason. Not even in one instance where I really wished he had.  What can I say? We each have our own management style.

Although there is a management hierarchy here (like everywhere else that has two or more people) it's a pretty invisible beast. I think Mouser has founded a new school of management where you manage, not by managing, but by asking people to act politely and become involved. Which is actually a pretty good definition of "friendship" when you think about it.

So if Mouser actually does have "more say" (and he does in fact) it's primarily because everybody here would be more than happy to give the last word to him. Not because we're all gushy-girly hero worshipers. (Many, if not most of us, have far too much ego and "attitude" to ever be real joiners or followers.) So if this community defers to Mouser, it's mainly because he has earned the respect of this community by respecting it himself. That's not an accomplishment too many site owners can claim. We all get treated like intelligent grownups here. And we, in turn (mostly) act that way.

This is hard thing for people coming from other forums to understand sometimes. When I first came here I was surprised by the absence of moderation or official agendas in the forum. I kept waiting to discover what the catch was. Especially since I'm a non-coder hanging out on what is "officially" (insofar as anything around here ever is 'official') a coder site. But I'm very happy to say that at no time has my admittedly negligable degree of knowledge and experience creating programs ever had any effect on the welcome I received, or the responses I've gotten. Yes... It's hard to believe, but these people really are that nice, and this place really is that cool.

We're also not publicly funded. We're supported by members who voluntarily make a contribution. That makes us as privately funded as it gets. And that's an important distinction since it makes DoCo a voluntary association of people. We're here because we want to be here - and are wanted. Even me.
 

4569

General Software Discussion / Re: Two classes of membership here?

« Last post by 40hz on November 13, 2012, 12:06 PM »

@clean - I'm replying primarily to show I'm not ignoring you. But as us noted I'm Mouser's post above, this sort of question should always be directed to either him (as your host) or the moderators. Me being a known blabbermouth here doesn't make me qualified to speak on behalf of the site.  I will however back up everything Mouser has said above. The people responsible for bringing DoCo to us rule with a very light touch. There have probably been more complaints about them not intervening in things than the other way around.

If you got bopped for something you've posted - or think you have - send a personal message to Mouser and he'll explain what happened. Sometimes (rarely) something glitches and a post goes missing. It hasn't happened in a good long while, but the chance is always there.

In other cases a post may get a minor edit for reasons mentioned above. But I have yet to see something deleted purely because somebody disagreed with what's been posted. I've gone pretty over the top a few times and all that happened me receiving some messages - from mostly other members - asking if I was ok since what I had said was so out of character for me as far as they were concerned. I was not banned nor were my comments censored in any way. And once I remembered these people are my friend (in the truest sense of the word) I realized I was reading too much into the spat I mostly got myself into that time.

It happens. Even to people with thousands if posts. Because we're all human.

So please, touch bases with Mouser and get you concerns addressed. You will not find a better, more considerate, or open community anywhere on the web. Abd we all benefit frim every member, whether they post infrequently - or probably a bit too much - like me! And you can take that on the word of somebody who was operating online BBS communities long before there was a public Internet.

Best - and excuse any typos. I'm doing this on a bloody iPhone on a moving train right now.  

4570

General Software Discussion / Re: Aviary advanced suite now officially offline

« Last post by 40hz on November 13, 2012, 10:40 AM »

What pisses me off are the users that complain to people that give them things for free. It's rude and ignorant. Nobody has a "right" to your labour or efforts. Assuming that you do is perverse. A bit more thankfulness would be in order.

-Renegade (November 13, 2012, 10:26 AM)

And that, in a nutshell, sums up what will always be the single greatest threat to continuation of the F/OSS model: Ingratitude.

4571

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: Steganography Software SecretLayer on bitsdujour.com - 65% Off

« Last post by 40hz on November 13, 2012, 10:26 AM »

@Ren - Just remind your friend not to neglect strong encryption prior to using steganography to conceal his payload. Steganography gains the lions share of its power from going unnoticed. Most of what I've heard says that detecting hidden data within an image or other filetype isn't all that difficult once you start actively checking for it. I know of private company e-mail systems that scan all attachments for the presence of hidden data. At least if his stuff was initially encrypted its secret would be preserved even after being detected as an embedded payload.

Of course once they spot you using steganography it's tantamount to an admission you're up to something.

In some places that alone is enough to "do ya in."

4572

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: Data Recovery software giveaway

« Last post by 40hz on November 13, 2012, 09:51 AM »

Poorly constructed sentence, not my first time

-rgdot (November 13, 2012, 09:27 AM)

Read some of my stuff. You're in good company.

My long suffering GF is convinced English has to be my second language.

(It's not BTW. I was born and raised here - in an English speaking household.  )

4573

General Software Discussion / Re: Strategies to stay with Windows 7 as long as possible

« Last post by 40hz on November 13, 2012, 09:25 AM »

Curious thought - what happens if this scenario happens when Windows 9 is released? Is MS really going to allow OEMs to restrict future MS upgrades?

-Carol Haynes (November 12, 2012, 03:38 PM)

Funny. That crossed my mind too. I think they might float some trial balloons to see if they can. But I don't think it will fly. Probably be a Pyhrric victory at best if they actually can get away with it.

(BTW - somebody tell Ballmer & Co. they have to get busy! Better toggle 'troll mode' and start suing the living daylights out of kernal.org, the FSF and the Linux Foundation before too many people figure out the obvious. Hey Steve? Don't wait a second longer. Do it today.)

4574

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: Data Recovery software giveaway

« Last post by 40hz on November 13, 2012, 09:12 AM »

a straightforward tool to recover deleted files and not only files – documents, photos, video or music in 100s of formats

Just out of curiosity, how is a photo, document, picture or video different from any other file as far as a computer's filesystem is concerned?  

I know, I know...sorry. I just couldn't resist.  

4575

General Software Discussion / Re: Strategies to stay with Windows 7 as long as possible

« Last post by 40hz on November 13, 2012, 09:01 AM »

Yet another problem with where Win8 wants us to go today...

 - This OSnews.com article is primarily about Apple's app store, but it notes the same problem is now being seen in the new Microsoft app store:

Rampant abuse of push notifications
posted by Thom Holwerda   on Mon 12th Nov 2012 23:01

"The abuse of push notifications [http://blog.anylistapp.com/2012/11/push-notifications/] is spreading across the App Store. As a result, users are starting to reflexively reject app requests to send push notifications. I always allow apps to send me push notifications, just so I can see what other app developers are doing. Here is a collection of valueless, invasive, and annoying push notifications that I've received recently." Perfect illustration of why one of the usual arguments for strongly curated application stores - quality control - is, as it stands now, pure nonsense...

Link to full article here.

When you let others speak for you - you get what you ask for.