Re: [CGUYS] welcome to thunderbird
On Aug 25, 2011, at 12:00 AM, b_s-wilk b1sun...@yahoo.es wrote: These examples are the best reasons to NEVER buy software at an app store where it's automatically installed, overwriting the last version. The worst bugs are always in the automatic installs, and they're harder to clean up, too. I recall you saying something like this several times. I don't know of any app store that works that way. In iOS and OS X, for example, app upgrades are always voluntary. You have to open the App Store App, go to the Updates Pane, select the updates you want to upgrade, and confirm your choices with your AppleID. In OS X, you can just restore the old version of an app from a backup if the upgrade doesn't work out (Apple makes this easy by their policy of requiring app store apps to be entirely self-contained bundles). In iOS, it's a little more complicated and involves restoring the entire device from a backup, but it's still possible. Even most non-App Store apps don't automatically update themselves. For the most part, they tell me that an update is available and give me the option of upgrading immediately or postponing the update. *** ** THIS LIST HAS MOVED TO YAHOO** ** PLEASE JOIN THE DISCUSSION THERE ** ** Info at http://www.cguys.org/ ** ***
Re: [CGUYS] Just How Bad is Google's Mismanagement of the Android Market?
For any app store purchase, including purchases from inside an app, you have to enter in your password the first time you make a purchase, but your password activation only remains good for a little while afterwards, and in particular will expire after the idevice goes to sleep. So Thurrott and those others either made a purchase and handed the iDevice back to their kids, who then racked up all those costs before letting it go to sleep, or else they gave their kids their app store passwords. Either way, they essentially handed their kids a credit card for an online purchase and didn't check up on them. It's a little hard to feel sorry for them on this, or to blame Apple too much on this point. For most apps, blocking in-app purchases will require you to enter a 4-digit override (much like the parental controls on your TV) and then you still need your app store password. In Tap Fish, if you have purchases blocked, you are sent to their web site and prompted to install more of their other apps, some of which you must pay for, in order to get free fish bucks. Turning off app installation is a separate restriction that might not be turned on. So the Tap Fish people are definitely predatory, in much the same way as your typical carnival game. From:John Duncan Yoyo johnduncany...@gmail.com Subject: Re: Just How Bad is Google's Mismanagement of the Android Market? On Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 8:36 AM, John Duncan Yoyo johnduncany...@gmail.comwrote: Tap Fish found a way around this limitation on the touch. Apple knows it. Apple refunded the $900 fish bill without much of a fight. Thurrott got satisfaction rather quickly from Apple. He had to call on a iPad Touch that was under warranty to have someone to complain to since the App store doesn't seem to have phone support. Other's have had this problem as well. Link to kid who spent 1200 on Tap Fish fish. http://www.nowpublic.com/tech-biz/tap-fish-7-year-old-racks-1-200-itunes-2621825.html What Tap Fish/Bayview Labs exploited is that you need to turn off in App purchases on your device- (iphone, ipod touch). I would suspect that lots of people who thought that they blocked purchases missed this one. Here is how. Settings General Restrictions In-App Purchases OFF Could someone with an iPad see if that setting is there on on by default as well. -- John Duncan Yoyo ---o) * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] COMPUTERGUYS-L Digest - 23 Jun 2010 to 24 Jun 2010 - Special issue (#2010-146)
You are way off base here. First, every manufacturer and not just Apple is increasingly moving in the direction of computers as appliances. To a certain extent, that has been the case for a while. You've had the gaming computer, the video editing computer, the basic work computer for typing, etc. More recently, we've had netbooks, and when ChromeOS comes out, it will run on computers whose sole purpose is accessing the internet. The idea that Apple will cede the professional market to windows just doesn't jibe with recent history. A big part of the kerfuffles over flash and iOS development rules is that Apple doesn't want to be dependent on other platforms for their development. Also, you need a Mac to develop for iOS. The numbers don't work out either. See: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_27/b4185030553308.htm It's a real testimony to the power of the Mac brand that Apple sells these machines for nearly twice what the Windows competitors charge, and yet the sales keep growing faster than the rest of the industry Apple's market share in computers is increasing (albeit slowly), and unit sales are growing substantially. This is the case in nearly all market segments, including business. Computers are still a big source of revenue, they just haven't grown as quickly as Apple's new markets. The smart people still see the mac as important to Apple, essential even. On Jun 24, 2010, at 6:01 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: Date:Thu, 24 Jun 2010 09:01:05 -0400 From:phartz...@gmail.com phartz...@gmail.com Subject: Re: Apple iOS or OS X On Thu, Jun 24, 2010 at 1:40 AM, TJPA t...@tjpa.com wrote: Not likely, though it may become available as an option. I think it is highly likely. It is my personal belief, bolstered by recent Apple Corp. movement, that Apple is going in the direction of regarding computers, for marketing purposes, as being more akin to appliances than as professional tools. It is costly for Apple Corp. to have to maintain two separate operating systems, especially when their newest OS is the one that runs on the devices that are likely to be biggest sellers and money makers by far in Apple's history. Apple will cede the professional market to Windows (why not?) and focus on computing devices of all sorts that offer more of an everyperson experience as opposed to a niche market which has been their tradition for the most part. Apple will make devices that will satisfy all age groups, from toddlers to adults, neophytes to geeks. I think this was their aim with the iPad, the plans for which were being worked on well before the iPhone appeared. Steve * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Apple iOS or OS X
Whoops, the last post should have had this subject line. Sorry. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Apple iOS or OS X
That would be a great idea. I've read about fast boot computers that would launch a minimal version of Linux for basic use while WIndows continues to launch in the background. I don't know if anyone ever got past the concept phase into a commercial product though. You'd think that it would be easier to do something similar for the Mac, since iOS is basically a stripped down version of OS X, so you don't really need to run two different OSs. A future OS X could just have an iOS subset that always resides in memory for instant on use while expanding gracefully to the full OS X. Right now though, the idea seems more like a solution in search of a problem, since OS X already launches pretty quickly. Another idea I've heard bandied about that I would like much more is an iOS runtime for OS X that would let you run your iPhone/iPad apps on your mac. It seems that this would be easy to accomplish especially for laptops since they already have a multitouch trackpad and Apple already has considerable experience at this kind of thing, such as with Classic for running OS 9 apps in OS X and Rosetta for running PowerPC apps on intel. Maybe the hardware on current laptops isn't compatible enough though to do something similar for iOS. The experience might be too frustrating, since for example any app that needs orientation sensors wouldn't work very well, if at all. Maybe this is a direction that hardware for future laptops will take? On Jun 24, 2010, at 8:44 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:mike xha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: Apple iOS or OS X I could perhaps see Apple using iOS as an instant on option to check email etc and then OS X for full duty on laptops. On Wed, Jun 23, 2010 at 10:40 PM, TJPA t...@tjpa.com wrote: Not likely, though it may become available as an option. I can see power-mad IT types going for it as a way to totally control what is on the machine. IOS does not need the horsepower of a pro-line machine so I expect to see it on very different hardware. I am certainly impressed by the software (most of it free or a buck or two) that is available for iOS. My iPad looks like it is going to be a very productive little machine. Sent from my iPad On Jun 23, 2010, at 9:19 PM, phartz...@gmail.com phartz...@gmail.com wrote: A number of Apple developers think that Apple Corp. is going to begin melding iOS into OS X in the very near future, eventually replacing OS X with iOS in their line of laptop and desktop computers for general consumer use. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** * * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] NPD reports Android ahead of iPhone in share
Heaven forbid they compete on even ground... Beware what you wish for, they _aren't_ competing on even ground. These sales figures are US only, Apple is still well ahead worldwide, and their sales grew in a quarter where they usually stay flat. Also, those figures include all Android OS phones and only about 1/3 of those have the current Android 2.x OS, the large majority are divided among the older Android versions. Without a common hardware and software platform to work on, Android app developers must be pulling their hair out. This is surely a big reason that Google is making a big push for Flash on Android, to get flash web apps on the platform so that native app development won't be as essential as it is right now. By the way, with all the fuss over Flash and Apple, the big fact that is overlooked is that Android does not yet have Flash either. In fact, no mobile smart phone has Flash. At best some smart phones may have the execrable Flash Lite, but true Flash is yet to come to mobile. Going back to those sales figures, there really should be some discussion as to what the appropriate basis for comparison is. For some purposes, you could argue that instead of looking at just iPhones vs. all versions of Android phones, you should be looking at iPhones vs. Android OS 2.x touchscreen phones, or all iPhone OS devices (iPhone + iPod Touch + iPad) vs. Android, so that you are comparing one platform with a common OS, interface and app base with another. On May 11, 2010, at 12:00 AM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:mike xha...@gmail.com Subject: NPD reports Android ahead of iPhone in share NPD reported Android hit 28% over Apple's 21% share for smartphone. Could this be why Apple is screwing with their developers? Heaven forbid they compete on even ground... * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] illegal search warrant?
Not quite sure what your point is here, 1 suicide in a population of 300 is a suicide rate of 1/300 and 3 suicides in a population of 900 is still a rate of 1/300, etc. We were talking about suicide _rates_, not raw numbers, and as I said, densely populated areas have lower suicide rates than the less densely populated ones, generally speaking. The phenomenon is undisputed among social scientists, though they do argue over the causes. This isn't to say that there aren't regional and cultural variations, though, so that for example the map shows that a region in the central midwest and another one in the central south have higher suicide rates almost irrespective of population density. If your point with the numbers is the same as Donne's that any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind..., then I am entirely with you on that. The rural/urban divide is a recent phenomenon (historically speaking), by the way. Prior to the 70s, rural and urban suicide rates were approximately equal, but since then they have greatly increased in rural areas while mostly holding steady in urban areas. You might have been trying to make another point with your example, that if a population of 300 has an underlying suicide rate of 1/3000, then you would only expect one suicide every 10 years on average, but the year that a suicide occurs the measured rate is 10 times greater than it really is. This kind of measurement error is accounted for in the map data. If you want, I can explain the ways I see (I am not a demographer and this is really offtopic), but suffice it to say that demographers know about this kind of measurement error and how to account for it. On May 1, 2010, at 6:39 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:Rev. Stewart Marshall revsamarsh...@earthlink.net Subject: Re: illegal search warrant? Actually I was half right. Note the fine print of the map: Based on death data from 2000 through 2006, this US map of the smoothed, county-level, age-adjusted suicide rates indicate that suicide rates are highest in the western and northwestern regions of the United States. There is also a notable pattern of high suicide rates among counties in the central areas of the midwest and southern regions and in central Florida. They may be lower in density but they are not the norm. The areas I was most familiar with (upper midwest) showed a lower suicide rate. Also statistics can be misleading. 1 suicide in an area of 300 is 1/300 of the population but it is still one. 10 suicides in a area of 10,000 is 1/1,000. Not as large a statistical number but it is in reality over 3 times as many suicides. I have dealt with the aftermath of suicide and it is never a fun topic nor easy to explain. Many things go into it. Stewart At 10:09 PM 4/30/2010, you wrote: Actually, the holiday suicide idea is a media-perpetuated falsehood: http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/suicide.asp And I posted about this yesterday, but somehow the post didn't make it to the list: Stewart was wrong about suicide increasing with population density. It's exactly the opposite. Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and DC are among the most densely populated states and have some of the lowest suicide rates, while Alaska, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana have some of the higher rates and are among the least densely populated. If you want to see it visually by county, look at the two maps here of the suicide rate and population density: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/suicide/statistics/suicide_map.html http://www.mapofusa.net/us-population-density-map.htm You'll see a very good correspondence between low population density and high suicide rates or between high population density and low suicide rates. And it's not just the US, it seems to be a worldwide phenomenon: http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10398page=36 In China, the contrast between the rural and urban suicide rates is particularly extreme. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
[CGUYS] Missing/delayed posts [Was: illegal search warrant?]
I sent this Saturday evening, and it's just now showed up. Some other emails seem to have never made it to the list at all. Is there anything I can do to improve the likelihood that my posts are received and on time? I'm willing to switch to another email account if it will help. On May 3, 2010, at 9:47 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:David K Watson davidkirkwat...@gmail.com Subject: Re: illegal search warrant? Not quite sure what your point is here, etc., etc. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] M$ Cancels Courier - Lost their Way?
Ah, that makes a lot of sense. Furthermore, it's something I should have known, since my son was very fond of the Tak video games and Nickelodeon series, Tak and the power of Juju. Just about all the jujus in the series were ridiculous in pretty gross ways, that can't help the JooJoo's marketing any, either. I still think of jujubes when I hear the name, though. From:John Duncan Yoyo johnduncany...@gmail.com Subject: Re: M$ Cancels Courier - Lost their Way? On Sun, May 2, 2010 at 10:46 PM, mike xha...@gmail.com wrote: What's next? Fusion Garage is still promising JooJoo delivery in a few months. Anybody want to wager on that? (On a side note, what't up with that name? I can understand changing it from CrunchPad, you don't want the word crunch associated with breakable electronics, but JooJoo simultaneously evokes something anti-semitic and bad movie theater candy.) I think that they were aiming at the Urban Dictionaries Definition 3 but Definition 1 is a bad double meaning. Definitions 2 and 4 are Crunch pad related. 1. http://joojoo.urbanup.com/600438 joojoo http://www.urbandictionary.com/products.php?term=joojoodefid=600438 karma. bad luck. it's bad joojoo to speak ill of others. 3. http://joojoo.urbanup.com/4421039 joojoo Joojoo means magic. Often used in conjunction with the word bad to refer to a thing or situation that might bring bad luck or bad karma, but things can have good joojoo too. Hey man, don't use that white lighter, that's bad joojoo! or Take this ring, its joojoo will protect you. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=joojoo -- John Duncan Yoyo * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] illegal search warrant?
Rick Perry is an embarrassment to the state educational system. He said when Texas entered the union in 1845, it was with the understanding it could later pull out. In fact, as the historical website points out (and Texas Monthly reminds its readers quite often), the agreement was that Texas could split itself into 5 states of comfortable size if it wanted, not that it could secede. If Perry could spark two brain cells together, he'd recognize that his faulty understanding can't be reconciled with the history of the Civil War, which included Texas among those states that can't secede. As to the Republic of Texas bit, Texans are inordinately proud of the fact that they were an actual republic from 1836-45, between independence from Mexico and admission to the U.S. Some other states or parts of states were republics too at some point, but not for as long and with the same degree of recognition as Texas, I think. On May 2, 2010, at 12:00 AM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: Date:Sat, 1 May 2010 22:25:36 -0500 From:Stewart Marshall revsamarsh...@earthlink.net Subject: Re: illegal search warrant? They have maintained for some time that they have a unique status within the USA. (You might have heard the sound bite of their current governor a few months ago proposing secession?) Of course this is all hogwash, but you know Texans bigger than snot and about as useful. Stewart At 09:55 PM 5/1/2010, you wrote: They are a republic..just like the US. On May 1, 2010 7:44 PM, Stewart Marshall revsamarsh...@earthlink.net wrote: Lets correct things a little bit here. A small group/committee decided this for the whole state. Kind of dumb but that is how it works. Similar problem in my church body a small group decides what our publishing house should put out. Dont smear the whole state by this action. But also remember they usually refer to themselves as a republic. Such as the United States and the Republic of Texas. Stewart * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] M$ Cancels Courier - Lost their Way?
MS aren't the only ones killing their prototype if this rumor bears out: http://techcrunch.com/2010/04/29/hewlett-packard-to-kill-windows-7-tablet-project/ HP is apparently killing its Slate tablet. It really isn't surprising, given that it was supposed to have more ports and memory than the iPad, front- and rear-facing cameras, and would have to pay a Win7 license fee, yet still was somehow going to be cheaper than an iPad. HP also reportedly wasn't happy with Win7 as a touchscreen OS. Speculation is that once HP acquires palm, the Slate will be resurrected and transmogrified into a Web OS device with a mobile processor replacing the Intel Atom. What's next? Fusion Garage is still promising JooJoo delivery in a few months. Anybody want to wager on that? (On a side note, what't up with that name? I can understand changing it from CrunchPad, you don't want the word crunch associated with breakable electronics, but JooJoo simultaneously evokes something anti-semitic and bad movie theater candy.) On Apr 30, 2010, at 5:18 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:Snyder, Mark - IdM (IS) mark.sny...@ngc.com Subject: M$ Cancels Courier - Lost their Way? Ars posted a nice post mortem article on the Courier: http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2010/04/courier-no-more-not-that- it-ever-was-a-post-mortem.ars What do you think - Has M$ lost their ability to design marketable new products, misunderstood the main criteria for UI design, let perfect over-rule possible or are they just too scattered to get new product ideas to market successfully? Something else? Thank you,=20 Mark Snyder * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] illegal search warrant?
I don't think you have the facts quite straight here. Here is Gizmodo's own account of how they got the phone: http://gizmodo.com/5520438/how-apple-lost-the-next-iphone According to this account, the phone was picked up at the bar by the person who was sitting next to Powell (the one who lost the phone) and not the bartender. While the phone was still working and before he knew it was something out of the ordinary, the guy who found the phone discovered Powell's identity and took the phone home. The next day, he realized the phone was a prototype, and the account says he contacted Apple about it, but strangely enough, he never tried to contact Powell, and apparently he didn't take it back to the bar to see if anyone had asked about it. Several weeks later, he sells it to Gawker media. After Gizmodo takes it apart and publishes an article about it, Apple asks for it back and they return it. So it wasn't found by a bartender, the person who found it discovered who it belonged to, he didn't make a very good faith effort to return it, and knowing it wasn't his he sold it to Gizmodo who also knew it wasn't his. He had some legal cover while he was making some kind of attempt to return the phone (however haphazard and clueless), but once he sold the phone to someone who also knew the phone wasn't his, both buyer and seller became crooks in the legal sense as well as ethically. The police decided to pursue this even after the phone was returned (either of their own volition or because Apple or Powell filed a complaint), and they had plenty of justification for doing so. Just because a stolen item is returned, it doesn't negate the fact that it was stolen to begin with. Whether the police were within the law in executing their warrant is a matter of dispute, but even if being a blogger makes Jason Chen a journalist, there is already some legal precedent that shield laws can't be used to enable journalists to hide their own criminal behavior. Details here: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-20003539-37.html On Apr 28, 2010, at 11:36 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:Stewart Marshall revsamarsh...@earthlink.net Subject: Re: illegal search warrant? Lousy analogy Tom. You act as if you have not read any of what has been written about this item. The fact is the item was left by absent minded techie at bar. Item was turned into bar tender who has no idea whose it is.(I wonder how many folks had been there that night and had phones?) Good faith attempts were made to return said item to Apple, but because of Apples own compartmentalization no one knew what they were talking about. I cant remember how the Gizmodo guy got it at that point but he did, he then did a review and took it apart analyzed etc. etc. When he had it back together and working he sent it back. It is only after the fact that they have raided the guys house and not charged him with anything. I wonder what the search warrant said? You have to lay part of the blame here at Apple for being careless with their tech stuff, and being a little paranoid. This is not the first time someone has lost a prototype and someone else got it to look at and review. This would make it one of the first times that the reviewer has been criminalized for someone elses careless behavior. Is the Gizmodo guy totally innocent here, I don't think so, but he saw a chance to be one of the first to see review and look at a prototype of Iphone. But I also see Apple going over the top here and making themselves look really really stupid and heavy handed. Especially since they had the phone back already. And I would venture to say if this had been a Windows Mobile 7 phone that had had this happen to it, you would be jumping up and down saying way to go Gimodo You tend to be so predictable Tom. Stewart * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] illegal search warrant?
That is not a fair or accurate comparison. How is it not a fair comparison? A running car in a convenience store parking lot has the presumption that the owner will return to it very quickly, while a phone that has been left unclaimed for a few hours does not, but that has no bearing on the actions of someone who takes either one knowing that it isn't theirs and eventually sells it to someone else who also knows this. Stripped to the bare essentials, we have: A) Guy takes physical possession of misplaced valuable item that is not his B) Well before he could think it reverts to him, guy sells item to someone who also knows the item is not his. On Apr 28, 2010, at 11:36 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:Rev. Stewart Marshall popoz...@earthlink.net Subject: Re: illegal search warrant? That is not a fair or accurate comparison. Stewart At 09:17 PM 4/28/2010, you wrote: You can personally feel that Apple was foolish in how they let the phone be stolen, but that has absolutely no legal bearing on its theft. There are still people who are foolish enough to leave their car running and unlocked when they go into a convenience store, but if the car gets stolen, the thief can't plead this as an extenuating circumstance if he or she gets caught. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] illegal search warrant?
Additionally, there is a difference between the police denying that Apple had any part in the raid and their simply being silent on the matter until they made an official statement, which appears to be what actually happened. As to Apple's involvement, it looks like Apple didn't file the theft report. Powell did, with the support of his employer's legal staff. True, Apple clearly wanted the matter to be pursued, but Powell is arguably the more aggrieved party. From:tjpa t...@tjpa.com Subject: Re: illegal search warrant? On Apr 29, 2010, at 8:56 AM, phartz...@gmail.com wrote: Additionally, it was at first denied by the San Mateo Police that Apple ever had any hand in the raid and search of the premises in question. We now know that to have been untrue, and a silly thing for the authorities to have said in the first place. At a minimum, Apple would have had to have filed a theft report, and since Apple already knew where the phone was alleged to be located, they would have provided that information to police. That is called having a hand in the execution of the search. I am not casting aspersions toward Apple Corp. in this instance, but I do wonder why the San Mateo Police were initially trying to hide the fact that Apple Corp. was involved in the execution of the search. Perhaps because Apple is a corporate partner (consultant) with them? In my town the names of crime victims and witnesses are not given out by the police. We also do not let people walk around the streets with loaded guns or let anyone with a card table freely sell firearms. Probably much different in your town. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] illegal search warrant?
OK, so supposedly Apple sent folks over to the guy's house to demand he give them back the phone, but he wasn't there, so he didn't. Then presumably having heard about this from his roommate who was there, he nonetheless sells the iPhone to Gizmodo. It still looks wrong to me. PC World reports this part of the story as unconfirmed by the way, not as a fact. On Apr 29, 2010, at 12:00 AM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: phartz...@gmail.com Thu, 29 Apr 2010 06:13:28 -0700 On Thu, Apr 29, 2010 at 1:35 AM, t.piwowar t...@tjpa.com wrote: Apple sent folks over to the guy's house to demand he give them back the phone. He didn't. Let's do get the facts straight. The PCWorld article you referenced was drawing upon another story that appeared in Wired Magazine. The representatives from Apple Corp, who went to the home of the person alleged to have been in possession of the phone, were not able to confront the person they were looking for. When they arrived, the individual they were interested in was not there. His roommate was, and it was he who answered the knock on the door. The Apple Corp. folks demanded that they be allowed to enter and search the house, but the roommate refused their demand because the person of interest was not present. I would have done the same thing in that situation. I would never let any officially unauthorized persons search through the belongings of someone who shared a house with me unless I had been specifically told by that individual to allow it. Those Apple representatives apparently never made another attempt to recover the phone at that address. Additionally, it was at first denied by the San Mateo Police that Apple ever had any hand in the raid and search of the premises in question. We now know that to have been untrue, and a silly thing for the authorities to have said in the first place. At a minimum, Apple would have had to have filed a theft report, and since Apple already knew where the phone was alleged to be located, they would have provided that information to police. That is called having a hand in the execution of the search. I am not casting aspersions toward Apple Corp. in this instance, but I do wonder why the San Mateo Police were initially trying to hide the fact that Apple Corp. was involved in the execution of the search. Perhaps because Apple is a corporate partner (consultant) with them? Steve * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] illegal search warrant?
You can personally feel that Apple was foolish in how they let the phone be stolen, but that has absolutely no legal bearing on its theft. There are still people who are foolish enough to leave their car running and unlocked when they go into a convenience store, but if the car gets stolen, the thief can't plead this as an extenuating circumstance if he or she gets caught. On Apr 28, 2010, at 7:38 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:mike xha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: illegal search warrant? If I was a judge in this case my first query would be if this item is worth so much, money, market share..etc...why did you send some kid into a bar to leave it while he went out and took a leak in the alley? This super secret phone from Apple wasn't taken from Apple headquarters by a team of IMF agents, so I'd not let them prosecute like it was. On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 12:25 PM, phartz...@gmail.com phartz...@gmail.comwrote: Why do you suggest that I am daring to oppose Apple? Is that something that I should be fearful of engaging in? I am not opposing them. However, it is my position that they brought this upon themselves either through intent or through foolishness. In either case, they should shoulder the blame themselves in this instance instead of lashing out at others by causing the power of legal authorities to wreak retribution upon the silly individuals who were reveling in the thought that they had, if for only a little while, bested the mighty goliath. Steve * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Star apps [was COMPUTERGUYS-L...]
Thanks for the info Mike, I'll tell my nephew about it. For anyone who wants to see these apps in action, here's some videos. For Star Walk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo-YbiU7Asw http://www.articlesbase.com/videos/5min/148091538 (These are for an older version. One noticeable difference is that Wikipedia entries for a an object are now called up within the app without leaving the sky view. ) For Sky Map: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6znyx0gjb4 http://www.5min.com/Video/Google-Sky-Map-for-Android-Phone-265015382 I think the Star Walk app might be nicer, but I don't know how current Sky Map is in those videos, and of course I have only had direct experience with Star Walk, and Google's app is free while Star Walk is $2.99. If you have a iPod Touch, you can get Star Walk, but since the Touch doesn't have a compass, Star Walk won't have the live sky view. You can still see your night sky in manual mode, etc. The app is still very much worth the $2.99 I spent on it. On Apr 8, 2010, at 9:11 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:Mike xha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: COMPUTERGUYS-L Digest - 7 Apr 2010 to 8 Apr 2010 - Special issue (#2010-71) Google sky. Sent from my iPod On Apr 8, 2010, at 17:04, David K Watson davidkirkwat...@gmail.com wrote: Really? Can you tell me where you got it so that I can suggest it to my nephew? I don't know why, but android apps aren't mentioned on Vito Technology's website and a google search didn't turn it up either. I'd bet that your app has link when you launch it or in the help files. I was looking for Star Walk. Possibly you have Google Sky Map or Pocket Universe, which I did turn up in my search. On Apr 8, 2010, at 3:07 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:Mike xha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: Why I won't buy an Ipad... Very cool app, I have it on my android phone. Sent from my iPod * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why I won't buy an Ipad...
The next time you see an iPad, see if it has the Star Walk app and give it a try. It's like Google Earth but for constellations. You can see representations of the night sky from various locations with or without various overlays. If you turn the iPad upside down, it shows the live sky map for that segment of sky which changes according to how you tilt and rotate the iPad. It's a beautiful integration of the display, clock, compass, tilt sensors and wifi. It's got lots of other information as well, including NASA's picture of the day. It's like a personal planetarium in your hands. On Apr 7, 2010, at 8:30 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:John Duncan Yoyo johnduncany...@gmail.com Subject: Re: Why I won't buy an Ipad... I played with one in the Apple Store yesterday. It didn't make me pull out my wallet but it was darn close. Someone bought one while I was there so they were in stock. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
[CGUYS] And another icomplaint falls...
http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/08/live-from-apples-iphone-os-4-event/ All of our arguments over multitasking will soon be moot. At the iPhone OS 4 preview today, Steve Jobs has announced that the next iPhone OS will allow multitasking: Now we weren't the first to this party, but we're gonna be the best. Just like cut and paste. ... It's easy to do this in a way that drains battery life, and a way that reduces performance of the foreground app. If you don't do it right, your phone will feel sluggish. Other things: Folders for apps to keep them organized, support for multiple exchange accounts, in iBooks you can buy once and read anywhere,a social gaming network (Aaggh! To borrow David Letterman's joke about the iPad, it's going to revolutionize the way people procrastinate.), and another thing I am dubious about, a mobile advertisement API. Jobs touted it as a way to deliver ads more effectively and less obtrusively in ad-supported free apps, but I am dubious. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] COMPUTERGUYS-L Digest - 7 Apr 2010 to 8 Apr 2010 - Special issue (#2010-71)
Really? Can you tell me where you got it so that I can suggest it to my nephew? I don't know why, but android apps aren't mentioned on Vito Technology's website and a google search didn't turn it up either. I'd bet that your app has link when you launch it or in the help files. I was looking for Star Walk. Possibly you have Google Sky Map or Pocket Universe, which I did turn up in my search. On Apr 8, 2010, at 3:07 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:Mike xha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: Why I won't buy an Ipad... Very cool app, I have it on my android phone. Sent from my iPod On Apr 8, 2010, at 10:42, David K Watson davidkirkwat...@gmail.com wrote: The next time you see an iPad, see if it has the Star Walk app and give it a try. It's like Google Earth but for constellations. You can see representations of the night sky from various locations with or without various overlays. If you turn the iPad upside down, it shows the live sky map for that segment of sky which changes according to how you tilt and rotate the iPad. It's a beautiful integration of the display, clock, compass, tilt sensors and wifi. It's got lots of other information as well, including NASA's picture of the day. It's like a personal planetarium in your hands. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why I won't buy an Ipad...
(sorry for not fixing the subject before. Reposting for those who like threading their messages.) Really? Can you tell me where you got it so that I can suggest it to my nephew? I don't know why, but android apps aren't mentioned on Vito Technology's website and a google search didn't turn it up either. I'd bet that your app has link when you launch it or in the help files. I was looking for Star Walk. Possibly you have Google Sky Map or Pocket Universe, which I did turn up in my search. On Apr 8, 2010, at 3:07 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:Mike xha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: Why I won't buy an Ipad... Very cool app, I have it on my android phone. Sent from my iPod On Apr 8, 2010, at 10:42, David K Watson davidkirkwat...@gmail.com wrote: The next time you see an iPad, see if it has the Star Walk app and give it a try. It's like Google Earth but for constellations. You can see representations of the night sky from various locations with or without various overlays. If you turn the iPad upside down, it shows the live sky map for that segment of sky which changes according to how you tilt and rotate the iPad. It's a beautiful integration of the display, clock, compass, tilt sensors and wifi. It's got lots of other information as well, including NASA's picture of the day. It's like a personal planetarium in your hands. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Why I won't buy an Ipad...
Geez, give a little consideration to the context why don't you? The iPad is obviously a computer in the sense of being a device with a processor whose primary purpose is to manipulate data. Sometimes though, when we say computer we specifically mean a desktop or laptop, and not the more general sense. Given all the electrons pushed around describing the iPad as a new category of device, it's plainly this second sense that is meant, and Tom's comment that it is a mistake to think of the iPad as a computer makes perfect sense. Have you missed all the discussion as to how the iPad is not intended to be a laptop replacement? On Apr 8, 2010, at 3:07 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:Chris Dunford seed...@gmail.com Subject: Re: Why I won't buy an Ipad... But...but...but...haven't you repeatedly referred to the iPhone as a computer (with which, by the way, I would not disagree)? The iPhone is a combination computer and radio as are all the so-called smart phones. Yes, I know that. My point was that TP says (paraphrased), He repeats the common mistake of thinking that the iPad is a computer, but he has previously stated that the iPhone is a computer. It's a tad inconsistent, is all. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] ipad/iphone/ipod touch and the lack of multitasking explained
Safari has always worked pretty well on my Touch, it's only crashed once that I can remember. On my laptop the flash plugin will crash sometimes, but I almost never need it and will continue to surf on with a lot fewer annoying ads. Could you give us some examples of some sites that crash Safari for iPod for you? I tried out an iPad in Best Buy yesterday, and I have to say that I was impressed. It is more evolved and polished than many third- or fourth- generation products, even some of Apple's. The iPad is amazingly fast and responsive. Apps explode into existence when you launch them. In Safari, web pages load as quickly as they do on my laptop at home, where I have a fast connection. The video feature of the New York Times main page works without flash (yay!). Touch and gestures are fast and accurate. I thought I had a good idea of what to expect from my experience with the iPod Touch that I've had since September, but I was wrong. From:b_s-wilk b1sun...@yahoo.es Subject: Re: ipad/iphone/ipod touch and the lack of multitasking explained The only app that crashes consistently on my iPod Touch is Safari. One other app crashed twice, iTunes crashed, but that's nothing compared to Safari. If Apple can't get its own apps to run, no wonder they're paranoid about third party developers. When iPad gets beyond 1.0 it might be more compelling, but I have enough tech toys and low-tech methods that work better for me. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] workaround for safari blocking popups
I haven't heard about Pith Helmet for a while. The last time I paid it any attention, a Safari update had come out, and the two wouldn't work together very well until Pith Helmet made a series of fixes. Looking at the website, I see that they say that the most recent version is compatible with Safari 3.2, and Safari is up to version 4.0+ now, so it doesn't look like it is very current. I don't know of any popup blocker that always works on any browser. Firefox has one of the best popup blockers I've seen, and things still get by them. Some sites will evade the blockers by using a click on the page to launch the popup, and they can be very clever at getting you to click on the page. On Apr 6, 2010, at 10:36 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:Mother Geek g...@mothergeek.com Subject: workaround for safari blocking popups Do any of you know these sites: PithHelmet Privoxy as possibilities for blocking some popups and allowing others in Safari? I know there is the pulldown that one can toggle between off and on, but it does not always work. I am wondering if there is something else any of you are using? Or if the above are worthwhile? /gayley knight * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] ipad/iphone/ipod touch and the lack of multitasking explained
Nice article, but I don't entirely buy it. First, just because the iPad has plenty of processing power and battery capacity and Apple may add more multitasking in a future OS release, this doesn't make a straw man out of Apple's argument that third party multitasking is a hamper to stability and a drain on the battery. An app that repeatedly crashes and restarts is obviously unstable and will certainly drain the battery faster, for example. Also, the OS was initially designed for iPhones, which do have some battery issues, and while the iPad does have a honking big battery, you still want it to last as long as possible(especially since it is going to be compared to the Kindle and Nook). The fact that iP* devices have limited RAM and no swap is also true and another good reason for the limited multitasking, but its misleading to suggest that they don't have swap because they don't have hard drives. For example, there are plenty of implementations of linux on a flash drive which plainly use a portion of the flash drive for swap space. And you can easily find guides for enabling virtual memory on jailbroken iphones. The Bundles method of implementing multitasking on Android sounds exactly like the way most iPhone OS apps already work, with the exception that Apple doesn't yet let non-Apple apps run in the background. In the Android OS, apps that were the least recently used get killed, so they then aren't really multitasking most of the time either. Like on the iPhone, when they are wanted again, they reopen to their previously saved state. It's not going out on a limb to suggest that when Apple updates the iPhone OS to accommodate multitasking (or to strengthen the appearance of multitasking), it's will be some elaboration of this scheme, and apps will have to meet some pretty stringent requirements before they are allowed to multitask. We'll find out soon, Apple is going to preview the next iPhone OS thursday. On Apr 4, 2010, at 6:13 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:mike xha...@gmail.com Subject: ipad/iphone/ipod touch and the lack of multitasking explained Kinda long for our list, but seemed short enough to post here in full. A good editorial about why the Apple family of pods don't multitask. http://blog.rlove.org/2010/04/why-ipad-and-iphone-dont-support.html?utm_sou= rce=3Dfeedburnerutm_medium=3Dfeedutm_campaign=3DFeed%3A+rlove+%28Robert+L= ove%29utm_content=3DGoogle+Reader *Why don't the iPad and iPhone support multitasking? The answer isn't what you think.* * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] It's an app world, and it could swallow all computing
Two things: first, as has already been pointed out, email creates a record and can act as a reminder. Productivity experts generally recommend the use of emails over verbal requests. Knowing that there is an electronic record that can be forwarded to the boss is a big incentive to taking timely action on requests. Second, you were complaining that people were wasting their productivity using their smart phones. To a certain extent, they are trapped in a self-reinforcing cycle. Getting work related emails on those same phones interferes with that cycle, making it easier to break out of it. Of course, the other peer pressure tactics should continue as well. And sending an email is inefficient and cumbersome? No, sending an email is incredibly easy. And it's terribly inefficient for someone to walk up to me with a non-urgent request of some kind when I am working against deadline on a project. Managed properly, email is a tremendous productivity booster. On Apr 1, 2010, at 11:21 AM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:phartz...@gmail.com phartz...@gmail.com Subject: Re: It's an app world, and it could swallow all computing On Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 5:31 AM, t.piwowar t...@tjpa.com wrote: Why don't you ask them your questions via their preferred mode of communication? Not a chance. Do you actually think that it would be preferable for workers in close proximity to one another to use phones to communicate with one another as opposed to merely speaking to each other? That is the stuff of teenage lifestyles. Firstly, that would be terribly inefficient, much too slow and cumbersome. Secondly, any attendant response from them would merely be placed into a queue until such time as they finished up with whatever personal calls, text messages, games or Facebook updates they were involved in were completed. The grass roots peer pressure approach by annoyed coworkers seems to be gaining some traction, but from what I have been reading about this growing workplace problem, it may not succeed. Most workplaces are finding that the only solution is a nearly complete ban on personal communications devices. In other words, if folks are going to act like children, then treat them like children. Steve * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Apple Runs Out of iPads
I got a kick from this item on the article Mike linked to: Typing accurately and quickly on the iPad’s wide on-screen keyboard was ** perectly ** comfortable and fast. [emphasis mine] I guess the review wasn't typed on an iPad then. Here is another review roundup http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36133799/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/ Generally speaking the reviews are quite positive. From:tjpa t...@tjpa.com Subject: Re: Apple Runs Out of iPads On Apr 1, 2010, at 10:45 AM, mike wrote: A fairly concise list of pos/negs found in major reviews of the ipad from the mac fan bois set of reviewers. Most aspects seem to cover what was already covered here Can't trust those folks at PC Magazine. They are always running down PCs and boosting everything Apple... sure they are. Pogue did the most sensible thing, he went bi-polar on us: he wrote one review for techies and one for non-techies. He starts off with a test of which one to read... Read the first one if you‚re a techie. (How do you know? Take this simple test. Do you use BitTorrent? Do you run Linux? Do you have more e-mail addresses than pants? You‚re a techie.) http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/01/technology/personaltech/01pogue.html?src=mv * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Wozniak solves two iPhone problems
Very good, except that looking something up while talking on the phone is one of the kinds of multitasking that iPhones do. Apparently Woz hasn't seen the commercials. Of course he says I have two iPhones, a [Google] Nexus One, a [Motorola] Droid, plus a Garmin [GPS] and TomTom [GPS]. I turn them all on at the same time, plus the navigation system in my Prius. So he's not just a belt-and-suspenders kind of guy, he's more like a two-pairs-of-pants-with-belts-and-suspenders kind of guy. From:Chris Dunford seed...@gmail.com Subject: Wozniak solves two iPhone problems Woz has found a single solution to iPhone's lack of multitasking AND its short battery life: Yeah. I just have two iPhones, so if the battery runs down on the first one, I can use the other. And if I'm talking on one, I can use the other one to look something up. You would not believe how much use I get out of that. It's so EASY. Why didn't everyone think of this? http://www.newsweek.com/id/235567 * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] It's an app world, and it could swallow all computing
No, I haven't changed the parameters, you are artificially limiting them. Anyone who does a substantial fraction of those activities will have their email running as well, and will compulsively check emails as they come in. You, for example (quoting from an old post of yours): In answer to your specific question, at the time I sent the last email where I said I want to be able to multitask, I was answering an email, on three IRC networks (talking in two channels actively), on IM with a friend in London and checking twitter for a search I'd done. Of course, I don't think that you were working at that time, but same idea. From:mike xha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: It's an app world, and it could swallow all computing You changed the parameters to make your point. Steve didn't mention email...he was talking facebook, twitter..sms and games. Do the experts recommend putting requests for jobs up on facebook? On Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 10:09 AM, David K Watson davidkirkwat...@gmail.comwrote: Two things: first, as has already been pointed out, email creates a record and can act as a reminder. Productivity experts generally recommend the use of emails over verbal requests. Knowing that there is an electronic record that can be forwarded to the boss is a big incentive to taking timely action on requests. Second, you were complaining that people were wasting their productivity using their smart phones. To a certain extent, they are trapped in a self-reinforcing cycle. Getting work related emails on those same phones interferes with that cycle, making it easier to break out of it. Of course, the other peer pressure tactics should continue as well. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Wozniak solves two iPhone problems
I was talking about these commercials: http://www.apple.com/iphone/gallery/ads/ Which do show users finding a restaurant, ordering flowers, etc. while talking. I haven't seen ATT explicitly selling iPhones, except for banner ads at their stores. This is probably a strategy that they coordinated with Apple, who after all has an even greater stake in selling the iPhones than ATT has, and likes to go to great lengths to protect its image. And ATT does sell the iPhone indirectly, as in the parody of the Folgers Coffee Crystals ads (We've secretly replaced these diners' ATT smart phones with Verizon's smart phones. Let's see what happens.), where for example subjects of the experiment angrily ask Where are all my apps? and Where is my cool phone?. And in the other restaurant commercial where Luke Wilson helps a dad in the next booth to calm his upset kid by lending him a phone showing a movie Luke just downloaded, I don't know what the phone is that is actually used (no manufacturer branding on it, it's probably a mock-up of a generic touchscreen), but it could certainly be mistaken for an iPhone. On Apr 1, 2010, at 2:47 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:katan ka...@his.com Subject: Re: Wozniak solves two iPhone problems On Thu, 1 Apr 2010 13:25:31 -0400, David K Watson wrote: Very good, except that looking something up while talking on the phone is one of the kinds of multitasking that iPhones do. Apparently Woz hasn't seen the commercials. I know the ATT commercials show people talking and surfing in tandem, but do the iPhone commercials? I don't think I've ever seen an ATT commercial where any one is using an iPhone. Kind of odd, IMO. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] It's an app world, and it could swallow all computing
Um … no I didn't. And yes, Steve did say that email was a problem. Here, I've done the work for you to find the relevant quote of his post that started this part of the thread: It has gotten to the point where the iPhone addicts are now trying to find ways to avoid being detected by coworkers as they read and write e-mails, check Facebook accounts or otherwise cause production logjams because of their addiction problems. So, email *is* part of the problem, according to Steve. And I said it should be part of a solution. If you go back, you'll see that I wasn't the first to say this. Here's the discussion (abridged and sometimes paraphrased): Steve: Those darn kids and their iPhones, emailin' and facebookin' and twitterin' and whatnot, wastin' their time and mine. (Real quote above, and plainly he wasn't really being so curmudgeonly). Tom: Why don't you ask them your questions via their preferred mode of communication? (Actual quote, and he probably means email, considering his next post. Certainly that's what I took him to mean.) Steve: (Likely misunderstanding Tom to be referring to phone calls.) Not a chance. Do you actually think that it would be preferable for workers in close proximity to one another to use phones to communicate with one another as opposed to merely speaking to each other? (Actual quote.) Tom: (Clarifying) I have been sending emails to people who sit right next to me for over 20 years. It is effective and considerate. I'm not barging in… (etc., actual quote.) Stewart: Yes, and email is useful for reminders as well. Me (David): What he said! And the email is right there on the very thing (smart phone) that is distracting them and so is particularly effective at bringing them back to task. You (Mike): You changed the subject to email! Steve never mentioned email! Me: I didn't change the subject. You: You did. Which brings us to now, with me saying I didn't again, and backing it up. From:mike xha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: It's an app world, and it could swallow all computing Uh...yeah you did...he never mentioned email as a problem. The specific problems he mentioned were ignored and never addressed. You switched the topic to email. You didn't answer either, do you or your supervisors post work material on facebook to get things done faster? On Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 11:39 AM, David K Watson davidkirkwat...@gmail.comwrote: No, I haven't changed the parameters, you are artificially limiting them. Anyone who does a substantial fraction of those activities will have their email running as well, and will compulsively check emails as they come in. You, for example (quoting from an old post of yours): In answer to your specific question, at the time I sent the last email where I said I want to be able to multitask, I was answering an email, on three IRC networks (talking in two channels actively), on IM with a friend in London and checking twitter for a search I'd done. Of course, I don't think that you were working at that time, but same idea. From:mike xha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: It's an app world, and it could swallow all computing You changed the parameters to make your point. Steve didn't mention email...he was talking facebook, twitter..sms and games. Do the experts recommend putting requests for jobs up on facebook? On Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 10:09 AM, David K Watson davidkirkwat...@gmail.comwrote: * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] COMPUTERGUYS-L Digest - 21 Mar 2010 to 22 Mar 2010 (#2010-38)
Speaking of intellectual honesty, facts and stuff, here is some more things Charlie Miller said: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pwn2own-mac-hack,2254-6.html I usually work on a pretty old MacBook that I've upgraded the hard drive on. and For now, I'd still recommend Macs for typical users as the odds of something targeting them are so low that they might go years without seeing any malware, even though if an attacker cared to target them it would be easier for them. This was from Mar 2009, so its possible he's changed his mind since then, but I doubt it. Charlie Miller focuses on Macs, but his main argument is that all commercial OSs are horribly insecure and their makers aren't doing enough to secure them. When it comes down to choices though, he uses a mac and recommends it for typical users. I'd guess that he'll likely continue to do so until the malware situation changes to target the Mac. There is no sign of that happening anytime soon. On Mar 23, 2010, at 12:00 AM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:mike xha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: Apple security and Charlie Miller Sounds good...not true, but it sounds good if you ignore facts and stuff. On Mar 22, 2010 10:53 AM, tjpa t...@tjpa.com wrote: On Mar 21, 2010, at 9:27 PM, mike wrote: That's the point...it's about being intellectually hone... That's just silly. Coding a secure OS is not magic. It is hard work. The creators of BSD and OS X did the hard work. The creators of Windows didn't. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] noPad4me
It's already here: http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/battery/ The battery improvements come in part from: using lithium polymer instead of lithium ion or nickel-cadmium, better chemical composition, and making the battery smart with a chip that controls how individual cells are discharged and charged, which greatly extends the battery's useful life. The last big factor is that by not having the battery in a protective case with a battery change door and mechanism, etc., you can put in a lot more battery for a given weight/space. I know other ebook and computer manufacturers are moving to Li-poly, they may also do adaptive charging/discharging as well, but as long as they are wedded to making the battery removable they will lose to Apple on either capacity or weight. My son has a newer MacBook Pro with the built-in battery. I have a slightly older MacBook Pro with a user-replaceable battery. His laptop outlasts mine by quite a bit. If the advertised 7-hour battery life is an exaggeration, it isn't by very much. From:mike xha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: noPad4me I mean in mac laptops. On Mar 16, 2010 10:24 AM, tjpa t...@tjpa.com wrote: On Mar 15, 2010, at 9:05 PM, mike wrote: When do these new batteries get into laptops? Not for you PC boy! * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] TinyURLs [Was: Re: [CGUYS] FCC wants to measure]
While long naked URLs are broken in Thunderbird, the link will be preserved if the URL is wrapped in , and this is the case for every email program I've heard of. Example: with http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/12/AR2010031203974.html?hpid=sec-tech without http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/12/AR2010031203974.html?hpid=sec-tech So, aside from cases where there are character limits like twitter, it is actually easier to not use URL shorteners. On Mar 12, 2010, at 11:24 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: Date:Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:41:06 -0500 From:Robert Carroll carrollcompu...@gmail.com Subject: Re: TinyURLs [Was: Re: [CGUYS] FCC wants to measure] John Emmerling wrote: What real purpose does tinyurl really serve nowadays? Don't up-to-date mail readers handle URLs of any arbitrary length with no problem? I'm using Mozilla Thunderbird for email. Very long web addresses are broken when they wrap around to the next line. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
[CGUYS] Subject: Re: combining PDFs
Whoops, forgot to change the subject line. Sorry, here it is again for those of you who like your messages threaded properly: You CAN combine PDFs with Preview. http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20071114191806624 Basically, you open the PDFs in Preview, make sure that the sidebar is open, then drag the sidebar icons for the other PDFs onto the one you choose to be the first, then Save or Save As... that PDF to get the combined document. On Mar 11, 2010, at 11:15 AM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:chad evans wyatt cewyattph...@yahoo.com Subject: Re: combining PDFs Betts, I do this constantly with Acrobat, but you appear not to have that, = and I salute your rejection.=A0 An irritating program (no easy insertion of= the international characters essential to my activity, and do not even bri= ng up Illustrator).=A0 Tried to find a way to do your task with Preview, gu= ess that's not there.=A0 Perhaps time to curse, then bite the bullet... --- On Wed, 3/10/10, b_s-wilk b1sun...@yahoo.es wrote: From: b_s-wilk b1sun...@yahoo.es Subject: [CGUYS] combining PDFs To: COMPUTERGUYS-L@LISTSERV.AOL.COM Date: Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 11:21 PM I have 11 1-page pdfs that I'd like to combine into one file. I'm tired. I = know I can do this with simple tools, but don't remember which ones. I don'= t have Adobe Acrobat that runs in OS X. I do have InDesign and a collection= of freeware and shareware. [Mac OS X v.10.5.8] * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Yeah, but can you do *this* on an iPad?
You're not the only one confused, Rev. Reid started this thread with this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=518XP8prwZo which is a video of a woman on Ukraine's Got Talent creating some amazing sand art USING ONLY HER HANDS. Then Steve goes on a tangent saying that the iPad is not suitable for artistic use because it doesn't support the use of a stylus, and the discussion going around in circles over that issue ever since. Look at the video. It is very believable to me that the iPad would be able to do something approximating what that woman did. There is already a pretty basic sand art simulator, iSand http://www.chrome-fusion.com/blog/apple/isand-iphone-sand-art-simulator/ which ought to scale up to the iPad (and use more than one finger) pretty easily. As to the level of detail you can get with just your fingers, do a Google image search of Sketchbook Mobile and look at some of the examples. According to what I've just read, this app handles the problem of your finger obstructing your view with a special offset mode, which strikes me as a very neat and simple solution. On Feb 14, 2010, at 8:06 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:Rev. Stewart Marshall revsamarsh...@earthlink.net Subject: Re: Yeah, but can you do *this* on an iPad? I find this all too impossible to follow. If I remember correctly a stylus is unusable on the ipad (if it has a touch screen like an Iphone) You must use finger contact. One of my members has a Blackberry Storm and she cannot use it with gloves, must be a finger touch. Stewart At 06:51 PM 2/14/2010, you wrote: In art school we did thousands of charcoal drawings, some with charcoal pencils, some with small blocks of charcoal. The only time we ever used a stylus was for sculpture or to remove the ink layer that covered colored wax. You can create minute details using pieces of charcoal. Michelangelo did OK with his charcoal drawings. [Forgot...we'd find a stylus to clean our fingernails after using clay.] Cheap artists' brushes start about $4 each or so. I have too many sables that cost well over $10--each--some over $30. Brushes for oil or acrylic sometimes cost more than watercolor brushes, but don't often last as long because they're harder to clean. The bundles of brushes at discount are cheap and don't last. Quality brushes will last for years. One of the good things about calligraphy was using the cheap bamboo brushes, but fine sable brushes are very expensive. Fat fingers are no excuse. You can either draw, or you can't draw. No big deal. No excuses. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
[CGUYS] RRe: apple-stanza-usb
I think that publisher had its fight with Amazon over the issue of who controls the pricing. Apple isn't locking out any other e-book vendors. Their books will use the open ePub format, so just like you can do now with non-DRMed MPG and AAC files, you probably will be able to buy books from many vendors and import them into iTunes to put them on your iPad. For proprietary formats like Amazon's, there is already a Kindle Book App for iPhone and supposedly a forthcoming Nook app. If their makers are smart they will scale the apps up to the iPad, since they wouldn't want to lose content sales. I am more worried about DRM. I think it would be ideal if Apple were able to handle books the same way they do their music, which is to not have DRM but to tag the content with account information to discourage abuse. But the publishers may insist on something stronger than that, like they mostly do for video content. From:mike xha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: apple-stanza-usb I think perhaps it's just that I see the ipod touch/iphone as the start of the revolution and you may see the ipad as the start. Either way, Apple is leading the charge on this again as they did on mp3, I just hope the content wars over ipads/kindles/tablets don't cause more casualties on the customer side, gaining 'innovation' at the cost of control. The publisher who pulled out of amazon for (probably) the ipad worries me more than I'm hopeful in what the ipad might bring. On Thu, Feb 4, 2010 at 10:58 AM, Snyder, Mark - IdM (IS) mark.sny...@ngc.com wrote: * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] COMPUTERGUYS-L Digest - 3 Feb 2010 to 4 Feb 2010 - Special issue (#2010-82)
Page with links to the Real Audio or Windows Media Player formats for that show: http://wamu.org/programs/dr/10/02/03.php?utm_source=feedburnerutm_medium=twitterutm_campaign=Feed%3A+WAMU885DianeRehm+(WAMU%3A+The+Diane+Rehm+Show) Podcast link: http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast.php?id=510071 On Feb 4, 2010, at 11:27 AM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:Snyder, Mark - IdM (IS) mark.sny...@ngc.com Subject: Re: apple-stanza-usb Alas, Reverend, I could not stop work to listen and would much appreciate a summary! Thank you, Mark Snyder -Original Message- No but I am not going to get into a shouting match with you either. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] New SIM, but improved?
One of those later SNL skits had the Will Ferrell character come out with a big 80s style cell phone, and when teased about it by the girls, insisted that 'big' is the new 'small' . Insert your own iPad jokes here. As to why the micro SIM has to be smaller than the mini SIM, if it is to be backwards compatible but physically distinguishable and not forwards compatible from the mini SIM, then the pin end has to have the same pin placement, and the width, thickness, and placement of the locking notches on the sides have to be the same or close as well, so a shorter length is pretty much the only option. Generally speaking, you want the working part of your electronics (as opposed to the part you regularly interface with) to do more in less space, too. On Feb 2, 2010, at 12:00 AM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:b_s-wilk b1sun...@yahoo.es Subject: Re: New SIM, but improved? Tell us you have not noticed the trend where everything electronic gets smaller every year. Is it not natural that as part of this process key internal parts get smaller too? Back to SNL-- Remember their skit about the shrinking Nano? That was a joke when the Nano 'improved' and became microscopic. The shrinking SIM is a bad joke too. And there's NO reason to make the new technology smaller than the old one, especially since the US device is exactly 7.24187928741 times larger than my smart phone. Logically, according to Tom, the SIM should also be 7.24187928741 times larger in the iPad compared to my phone. When I worked at a newspaper designing and typesetting ads, there was a rule that you don't use any text smaller than 5 point type. Anything smaller than that was considered illegible, and only suitable for disclaimers on car ads. g Now the rules are that there are no rules. Medicine has important warnings in 3 point type--for old people, yet. Legal documents got so bad that there had to be legislation to make it legible and in plain English. Smaller isn't necessarily better, otherwise the iPad wouldn't be larger that many netbooks and tablets. So what's with this nonsense of defending SIM cards that are too small to insert or remove without dropping them like a contact lens that you can't find in a pile rug. My brother rides a unicycle, but uses his bicycle most of the time because smaller isn't necessarily better. Do you drive a microcar like a Ligier or Aixam? Betty * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] New SIM, but improved? [was: You Saw the Demo?...]
Just to put it in concrete terms, the micro SIM is actually slightly larger than a microSD card, and I can certainly see why my phone uses that for storage rather than a SD card. It probably has to be swapped as often as a SIM, so it is equally deserving of complaints due to its size, yet I haven't come across any. As to the reason for the different size, it is still important for the cards to be distinguishable from each other. True, micro SIMs work in mini SIM slots, so size doesn't make a difference there, but you wouldn't want a mini SIM to go into a slot that requires a micro SIM. As to micro SIMs being hard to insert/remove from some mini SIM phones, my micro SD card came with an SD card adapter, and it's likely that someone will make something similar for micro SIMs if there is a demand for it. Dual SIM adapters might already be compatible with micro SIMS for that matter. On Feb 1, 2010, at 7:03 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:b_s-wilk b1sun...@yahoo.es Subject: New SIM, but improved? [was: You Saw the Demo?...] nonstandard SIM slot It is not non-standard. In is the next generation SIM. Once again, some prefer to be clinging to the past. This SIM card is too small for those of us who switch cards frequently. The micro SIM is about 30% smaller [about the size you need to cut a regular SIM card to fit two SIMs for two networks in one phone], and is too easy to lose when switching networks. Unless there is a way to add new networks without removing the card, the micro SIM will be easily lost. Since T-Mobile is one of the first to use the cards, there probably will be a remedy for that in their new European phones and devices. However because the new specs add multitasking and authentication, it could be an interesting way to prevent fraud [but that will be circumvented quickly]. There's no good reason for the new SIM to be a different size than the old SIM since the active part is the same size as the current SIM card. However there may be two not so good reasons. First, size makes it so that the two cards are distinguishable from each other [not important, since new card is backward compatible]. More important, the newer SIM won't fit [you can slide it in, but you can't get it out!] in a lot of current phones that work fine now but may have to be replaced sooner than expected if ATT and T-Mobile decide to switch quickly to the new cards. Questionable for most consumers--good for the corporate bottom line. Who has a budget for this? I can wait until next year, at least, and let the bleeding edgers get hosed before the price drops. I think I'll go read a real book now. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] You Saw the Demo? Are you impressed?
From:Chris Dunford seed...@gmail.com Subject: Re: You Saw the Demo? Are you impressed? David, sorry, but I have plenty of experience with multitouch devices. Of the two I have now, the SMALL one is 12 (and they're both 16:9, by the way, not 4:3 like iPad). The iPad's touchscreen is incontrovertibly midsize. Now here you're telling us of your vast experience with something without providing any basis for us to evaluate it, making us work to tease some details out of you. It's annoying, but anyhow, here goes: please tell us of your multitouch experiences and the devices you now have. I realize myself that I had forgotten about the tablet computers that everyone else seems to have forgotten about also. So yes, I was wrong as far as screen size goes for generically-named multitouch devices. While conceding the issue, I would like to point out that for many of these tablets, multi means two, and for a lot of the others it means three, and that it would be difficult to apprehend a really good multitouch experience based on familiarity with those clumsy machines. Regarding the lack of HD output, I'd really like it if someone would establish how important it really is for any mobile device. I think it's silly to bring out any non-toy video device in 2010 without HD capabilities. Then many smartphone and netbook manufacturers are silly. As are most portable DVD players, but maybe you consider those to be toys. Speaking of toys, the PSP, Wii and DS/DSi don't have HD and Nintendo seems to be doing quite well without it at the moment. And why exclude toys? I would have thought that HD is even more essential to them. For example, it seems like weekend sports fanatics aren't considered serious unless they have HDTVs. In any case, you haven't answered the question, only slapped a different adjective on it. Before, I asked why HD output was so important, and now I am asking why not having it is silly. As I asked before, can you give any indication how popular HD output is among Zune HD users or explain why smartphone manufacturers aren't exactly falling over each other in a rush to include it? Maybe they believe that the extra sales HD would generate aren't enough to justify the cost of including it at present. The tech specs page says that the 3G iPad has assisted GPS, and the TomTom kit for the touch should work for the non-3G model, so you DO have GPS on all of the iPads, should you want it. Extra cost for GPS either way. Come now, it has GPS, contrary to what you said. Tell us, where don't you pay extra for GPS? I guess you could say the iPad, since if you are buying it for the 3G you would be getting GPS for free. Well, I didn't say anything about horrible app restrictions. But it IS a restriction, and a significant one, in my view. I can't write an iPad app, post it on the web, and let everyone use it. Nobody else can either. All I can do is submit it, wait, and hope. If Apple doesn't like the app, for whatever reason, that's it, that's all she wrote. I don't like that one bit, either as a developer or as a consumer. You came close to owing me a new keyboard, as I just barely was able to contain a mouthful of tea when I read this. You write an iPad app? Wouldn't you have to use a Mac for that? (Seriously though, if you wanted to do it, I hear that there's a Mono iPhone SDK now.) I didn't say you said horrible, but you did imply that they were bad, bad, bad, hence my use of quotes. How is what you describe different from working on spec in any field? You don't have exclusivity agreements with any of your retailers, who may also choose to stop promoting your product for any reason? Sorry, but I don't consider either of these to be multitasking. Unless you can have two arbitrary apps both RUNNING at the same time, it's not multitasking. Now you are moving the goal posts. The definition that the rest of us use is that multitasking is the apparent simultaneous performance of two or more tasks by a computer. So the iPhone OS devices do multitask for their most commonly used apps, one example being Safari + Music + Mail + Calendar. And there effectively is multitasking for many more apps, since (for example) there is no functional difference between keeping a book app open while composing an email then returning to the book, as opposed to closing the book app, writing the email and opening the book app automatically at the page where it had been before. That is not to say that it wouldn't be nice if the multitasking was a little more thorough, but that hasn't proven to be a big obstacle for Touch or iPhone adoption rates. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ **
Re: [CGUYS] You Saw the Demo? Are you impressed?
Not sure what point you're trying to make with the Air, but the primary concern with it was pretty obviously keeping down the weight without sacrificing performance, not saving money. With USB on Macs, yes, nearly everything you expect to work with it does work with it, flash drives, printers (sometimes you have to install software first, but you already expect that), scanners (ditto), etc. When some devise doesn't fully work, it usually can be blamed on the manufacturer's software, and you blame them, not Apple. If the iPad had USB, even flash drives would have issues that conflicts with user expectations because of the iPad's storage scheme. And I didn't say that I knew for sure why Apple doesn't have extra ports, I said what I believed was a good reason. Anyhow, it doesn't have to be THE reason, but (IMO) it probably is A reason, and one near the top of the list, at that. From:phartz...@gmail.com phartz...@gmail.com Subject: Re: You Saw the Demo? Are you impressed? On Sat, Jan 30, 2010 at 9:21 PM, t.piwowar t...@tjpa.com wrote: On Jan 30, 2010, at 5:30 PM, David K Watson wrote: While price was probably an issue, I don't myself think that it was the main one in Apple's decision to keep the physical interfaces to a minimum. Apple likes to promote itself as the company whose devices just work, and if they had USB ports on the iPad then there would immediately be thousands of things that wouldn't work with it. By making sure that all input comes in wirelessly (where you have one set of expectations) or through the dock (where they have full control), Apple has a better chance of making sure that everything Just Works. Precisely right. Maybe. Maybe not. Is this why Apple did not include a CD/DVD drive in the Air? Or, was that a size or pricing consideration or even analogous to Apple dropping floppy drives? My iMac has USB. Apple apparently was not concerned about things that wouldn't work with it in that instance. I do not think that any of us know for sure why Apple decided to exclude ports on the iPad. Steve * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] You Saw the Demo? Are you impressed?
Chris, you're wrong or misleading on many of your criticisms of the iPad. First, it's not a midsize touchscreen, it's a large size multitouch screen, one of the largest to be readily available. You have to have some experience with multitouch devices, particularly Apple's, to really have the basis to appreciate how natural, useful and downright fun they are. To get a very weak idea of what I mean, try using your mouse with the scroll wheel taped over to see how natural its use has become to you and how awkward it is to live without it. Just because it's bigger, more gestures are practical on the the iPad than they were on the touch. If you're enthusiastic about Natal, then the iPad is Natal on glass. Regarding the lack of HD output, I'd really like it if someone would establish how important it really is for any mobile device. For the Zune HD, what percentage of its owners buy the AV dock and what percentage of them regularly use it? On Amazon, only 15 people have bothered to review the AV dock. Rare teas can get more reviews than that. For another example, I don't think any Android device has any kind of video output, much less HD. Apparently no one saw a need there. Even for regular video, I just don't understand why the Zune, Droid, etc., or iPad etc. should be thought of as a conduit or source for video to be consumed elsewhere instead of being the point of consumption. It seems particularly dubious for the iPad, which occupies the same field of vision as a 22 diagonal laptop at their respective viewing distances. The tech specs page says that the 3G iPad has assisted GPS, and the TomTom kit for the touch should work for the non-3G model, so you DO have GPS on all of the iPads, should you want it. Now, unless you're a hacker you do have to put your own music and video on the iPad using the iTunes application, but you could have gotten it from Amazon or Napster or Walmart (or any other place that provides non-DRMed AAC or MPEG files or actual physical CDs) before you imported it into iTunes, and there are no shortage of music and video streaming apps. As for Apple's hoible app restrictions, I have to say that if they have allowed 140,000+ applications ranging from useless and/or disturbing apps like iFart and Fishbate (you don't really want to know) to things like Google Voice, then those restrictions can't be too severe. Contrary to a lot of noise from people who were never going to buy anything Apple anyway, the app guidelines are actually fairly clear and are primarily designed to ensure application stability and user privacy. The app approval process is much more akin to academic peer review than it is to Chinese censorship. Finally, it is untrue to say that iPhone OS devices don't multitask. To specifically address Reid's gripe earlier in this thread (responding to a similar blanket statement by Mike), you CAN listen to music while you are in any other app that doesn't take over your headphones for its own use. I routinely listen to music while surfing the web, composing a note or reading a book, etc. (btw, the Free Books app for books out of copyright is fantastic). While doing this, Mail and Calendar are working in the background as well. Now, it would be true to say that the Touch, etc. don't have unlimited multitasking. But that isn't the whole story either, because you can functionally have multitasking in many other cases, in the sense that if the app is well-written and you have to switch your attention to a different app, then everything is written to memory so you return to exactly the same state where you left off. This doesn't work for streaming apps like the wxpn app, which is a small annoyance of mine, or for IM apps, which I think irritates Mike, but it seems that this is a make-or-break issue for relatively few people. From:Chris Dunford seed...@gmail.com Subject: Re: You Saw the Demo? Are you impressed? Anyone who is not intrigued by the iPad is just showing a lack of imagination. OK, why don't you tell us what's so intriguing about a midsize touchscreen that has no HD, no widescreen, no camera, no USB, no memory card slots, and no GPS, that can only get music and video from iTunes, that can only run what the suits at Apple say it can run, and that--for God's sake, this is 2010--can't multitask. And before you start with your M$ minions BS again, check back in the archives and look for where I've EVER said anything negative about Mac, iPhone, or iPod. You won't find anything because there isn't anything to find. But this thing appears to be singularly uninspired and uninspiring. Maybe when it's actually delivered we'll see things differently. But for now, I see nothing that makes my socks roll up and down. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy
Re: [CGUYS] You Saw the Demo? Are you impressed?
While price was probably an issue, I don't myself think that it was the main one in Apple's decision to keep the physical interfaces to a minimum. Apple likes to promote itself as the company whose devices just work, and if they had USB ports on the iPad then there would immediately be thousands of things that wouldn't work with it. By making sure that all input comes in wirelessly (where you have one set of expectations) or through the dock (where they have full control), Apple has a better chance of making sure that everything Just Works. The same issues crop up (albeit to a lesser degree) with regards to the lack of a memory card slot. SD cards are used for more things than just photo files now, and many files that you could have on the card wouldn't work on the iPad. Also, how would you manage those files? The way things work right now, each app is in charge of its own content. Games on the Wii manage files in a similar way, and while the Wii does have a SD slot, managing files between the Wii and an SD card is cumbersome. Apple could likely improve on this, but they probably made the call that users would mostly be willing to wait until they sync with their computer, something that they will regularly do anyway. From:phartz...@gmail.com phartz...@gmail.com Subject: Re: You Saw the Demo? Are you impressed? Personally, I think that Apple decided to make this new device devoid of popular interfaces in order to be able to offer the iPad for $499 as opposed to a higher price that was anticipated by most potential consumers of the product. Steve * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] COMPUTERGUYS-L Digest - 29 Jan 2010 - Special issue (#2010-59)
According to what I read, Fujitsu had a trademark on a 2003 product they called an iPad. In 2009, that trademark was either declared invalid or was in the process of being declared abandoned, and Fujitsu started making some weak efforts to revive it. Also, the Fujitsu iPad was some kind of bar code reader, which might be sufficiently different from Apple's device that their trademark might have no legal bearing on Apple's. One of the little bits that I think I understand about patents is that they aren't automatically held in perpetuity. The trademark holder cannot just hold the trademark for very long without using it, and they have to uniformly and credibly defend it against all infringements. Failure to observe these principles can lead to loss of trademark protection. A famous case of this was in the 90's when a the LA Dodgers lost the Brooklyn Dodgers trademark in a long court fight. Also, the same trademark can be held by several businesses as long as there is no danger of confusion between them, which is why Apple Records had little hope of prevailing against Apple Computer on trademark grounds before Apple Computer started getting into the music business, and by that point Apple Records was no longer really an active brand and was just a musical properties holding company. Unlike the situation with patents, it is much harder to warehouse a slew of trademarks with the idea that you might find it useful some day. Good thing, too, or else the big companies would try to trademark every possible character combination that they could, and Steve Jobs might instead have been announcing the new iWHARRGARBL. On Jan 29, 2010, at 4:34 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:Stewart Marshall revsamarsh...@earthlink.net Subject: Re: You Saw the Demo? Are you impressed? Apple has fond a marketing niche with the i format. McDonald's has done it with the Mc format. (I read about a lawsuit recently where they are attempting to shut down a young ladies fund raising organization as it uses the Mc format for their name) It makes someone identify with them whenever they hear the i moniker. The question comes up did they do enough research about the name before hand and did they have the right people involved. Right now it does not seem so. I read an article where Fuji has had an ipad for some time now, and the English (Irish and others) are not too happy as it can be confusing in dialects. I know it is impossible to please 100% of the people 100% of the time. (remember what my job is) However I think the name could have used a lot more research than it looks like it got. Stewart * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Apple's homepage for ipad...how long till they fix it? Re: [CGUYS] You Saw the Demo? Are you impressed?
Why is everyone making a big fuss about this? The most likely explanation is that this is a production error, and Apple will have to fix it soon or get sued. It isn't surprising if this is the case, because Apple's well-known secrecy concerning upcoming product means that Marketing probably didn't get much information until the last minute, and some errors could slip through. Remember the Polish MS ad that had a white guy photoshopped in a black guy's place? This isn't any more stupid than that, and is a better photoshop job, too, if that's what it is. But there are several ways the apparent flash usages could be legitimate. Tom has pointed out one, and an idea I like because I seem to be the only one to have thought of it so far, is that the iPad isn't showing Safari in acton, but instead is showing the NYT reader app that was discussed briefly in the keynote. On Jan 29, 2010, at 8:15 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:tjpa t...@tjpa.com Subject: Re: Apple's homepage for ipad...how long till they fix it? Re: [CGUYS] You Saw the Demo? Are you impressed? On Jan 29, 2010, at 6:46 PM, mike wrote: As reported on Engadget and other blogs, Apple is currently running a promo on their website for the ipad showing it running flash from Adobe..which it can't do. So the ipad that can do it all, but not flash, has to lie about doing flash? How long till Apple pulls it? How do you know that it is Flash and not HTML5? Both Safari 4 and FireFox 3.6 now support enough of HTML5 to handle this. If you use these up-to-date browsers you can even set your YouTube preferences to use HTML5 instead of Flash. There is now some debate about who ships buggier software with some proposing that Adobe has now pulled ahead of M$. Many report that using the FlashBlock add-on has greatly improved their browser performance and eliminated too-frequent crashes. Apple's message to Adobe is to clean up their act if they want access. WFBs may find frequent crashing just adds to the excitement, but not everyone does. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] UNIX help needed
These are good suggestions, and OS X does have a built in emacs, just type in emacs in Terminal. If you haven't used it before, it is important to remember that you have to type ^x^c (x and c with the control key held down) to exit emacs. However, sidestepping the more technical unix hacks for the moment, what happens if you just try to change permissions for the file using the Sharing and Permissions section of the Get info window? What are the current owners and permissions for the file and for its parent folder? Getting back to the command line, one thing that occurs to me is that you may not have the name exactly right (the uppercase i might be a lower case L or there may be a space in the name that you're not seeing, for example. To avoid this, in terminal, type rm -i with a space after the -i, then drag the file over the terminal window and the path to the file with the correct name will magically appear, with special characters like \ handled appropriately. Hit the return key, and if the only problem was getting the name right, the file should be deleted. If that doesn't work, try it again using sudo, typing sudo rm -i and proceeding as before, typing your password at the prompt. If you get an error message saying it is a directory, try removing the file as above, but with rm -r in place of rm -i, and if that fails, try this with sudo. From:Michael Fernando michael@gmail.com rm -i Icon\\r rm -i 'Icon\\r' rm -i Icon\r rm -i 'Icon\r' Alas no. Even the dread rm * fails to conquer. A couple of ideas: 1) move everything else out of that directory. cd .. \rm -rf that directory name 2) I'm not sure if OSX comes with emacs, but I've used emacs' directory mode to delete files with funny characters in the filenames. start emacs ^x^v (that's ctrl-x; ctrl-v) and give the directory name (not the file name) You will get a directory listing. move the cursor to the filename, then d for delete Then x for expunge the file marked with d. exit emacs with ^x^c 3) (yeah, three is more than a couple ...) Perhaps, a different shell may have better filename completion? Does OSX have tcsh? start tcsh; then \rm -f Icotab and see if it completes the filename with the proper escape character? Uh ... why can't you use the Finder window to navigate to the file and drag it to Trash? * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] You Saw the Demo? Are you impressed?
Small screen?? A 1024 x 768 pixels, 9.7 diagonal screen that you typically are going to view much nearer to your face than you would a laptop or netbook is small? A custom-designed, well-tuned 1 GHz mobile processor is slow? Weren't you one of the people singing the praises of the tegra processor (which tops out at less than 1 GHz, I think), because it supposedly was designed to be more efficient per clock cycle with its integrated processor, graphics, I/O, memory controller? Guess what, the A4 has integrated processor, graphics, I/O, memory controller, and these were designed specifically for the iPad's hardware and software. John Gruber says about the A4: Everyone I spoke to in the press room was raving first and foremost about the speed. None of us could shut up about it. http://www.benzinga.com/102343/apple’s-screaming-fast-a4-processor-–-the-best-mobile-cpu-in-the-world As for the keyboard, according to my calculations the dimensions of the actual screen is roughly 7.7 x 5.8. In landscape, the virtual keyboard would then be about 7.7 wide, which is pretty comparable to the width of the corresponding region (i.e., the letters keys, not the side keys) of my full-sized laptop. So no, not a small keyboard. On Jan 27, 2010, at 8:36 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:Chris Dunford seed...@gmail.com Subject: Re: You Saw the Demo? Are you impressed? $499 for an iPad. Hooha! That is what my original iPod cost. I'm confused. Didn't Jobs say that netbooks are stupid because what you get is a slow processor, a small screen, and a small keyboard? So he releases a box with a slow processor, a small screen, and no keyboard? I dunno, I'm having some trouble visualizing what I'd do with this. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] You Saw the Demo? Are you impressed?
I think that they were congratulating themselves that in referring to the whole group of products they could just type iP*d instead of (for example) iPod/iTablet if that had been its name. From:Rev. Stewart Marshall popoz...@earthlink.net Subject: Re: You Saw the Demo? Are you impressed? Most of the comments I have head about the name is that there must have been all guys in the focus group. Stewart * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Wi-Fi foe sues neighbor for using electronics - The Santa Fe New Mexican
In order to get the court to grant him an injunction, he would first have to prove that he is in fact suffering from electromagnetic sensitivity and that he is suffering from his neighbor's wifi connection. Good luck with that. If he wants to indulge his delusions, he should wallpaper his house with wire mesh insect screening. Instead, he could use a couple of layers of the aluminum-coated mylar used for insulating houses. Or he could tile his wall and ceilings with mirror tiles to block the signals, but then he would be constantly confronted with the image of his crazy self. By all means, he should also wear a tinfoil hat and foil bodysuit for extra protection. On Jan 9, 2010, at 1:47 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:b_s-wilk b1sun...@yahoo.es Subject: Wi-Fi foe sues neighbor for using electronics - The Santa Fe New Mexican Wi-Fi foe sues neighbor for using electronics Man says electromagnetic sensitivity has forced him to live in his car Tom Sharpe | The New Mexican Posted: Thursday, January 07, 2010 - 1/8/10 A Santa Fe man who says he suffers from electromagnetic sensitivity is suing his next-door neighbor for refusing to turn off her cell phone and other electronic devices...[He] cannot stay in a hotel, because hotels and motels all employ wi-fi connections, which trigger a severe illness, says the request for a preliminary injunction... http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Story/Wi-Fi-foe-sues-neighbor-for-using-electronics --- Maybe a tinfoil hat might help. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Audio File Conversion
In addition to the other suggestions, you can look at switch audio converter: http://www.nch.com.au/switch/ It comes in a free and a paid version, and the free version will do batch conversions to MP3 I think, while the paid one gives you a number of additional conversion options. On Dec 18, 2009, at 10:58 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:Bill L'Hommedieu lhomme...@comcast.net Subject: Audio File Conversion I want to convert some .wma, .wav and au files to mp3. Any suggestions on a utility to get this done? Thanks. Bill L'Hommedieu * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Program start OS X
OK, if you want it harder, go to Accounts in System Preferences, select your user account, click on the Login Items tab, and add your application there. This is also how you can remove login items if you want to (and the real reason I'm telling you this). From:Reid Katan ka...@his.com Subject: Re: Program start OS X Quoting mike xha...@gmail.com: Right click on the app in the dock and choose open at login. Okay, well that was just *too* easy. Thanks. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] A Tale of Two Hard Drives: Apple's Secret Wea pon?
Mike, the statement was that an Apple machine is not much different in cost from an equally spec'd PC. Your example does not refute this by being a substantially cheaper PC that is also substantially different from the Mac you are comparing it to. Also, I have to dispute most of the implied advantages of the system you outline. Before that though, you are a little dismissive of how your proposed system's screen resolution is smaller, but in fact it is three quarters of the resolution of the MacBook Pro, which is substantially coarser. You say that the i7 is newer than the Core 2 duo, but in what ways is it better computationally than the Core 2 Duo at three fifths the clock speed? I haven't seen benchmarks, but I am suspicious that the i7 can be enough more efficient per clock cycle to overcome that speed difference, or even come close. Looking at what I think your system was, I see that getting a 2 GHz i7 instead of your 1.73 GHz would cost you $594 more, wiping out most of your price difference right there and still falling short of the MacBook's 2.8 GHz. You can get a slower hard drive for the CyberpowerPC laptop, or a faster one for the MacBook. You could have easily done a real direct comparison here if you wanted to. The MacBook has a Mini DisplayPort (newer technology and now VESA approved), and with the appropriate adapter, it can output to HDMI, VGA, DVI, Dual-link DVI or DisplayPort. You can get the HDMI adapter for under $20 if you need it. Things you left out: The CyberpowerPC.com laptop has firewire 400 compared to firewire 800 for the Pro. It is 2.5 times bulkier than the MacBook pro and weighs 11.5 lb., compared to 6.5 lb. for the MacBook. The MacBook has two graphics processors, is much more energy efficient, has much better battery life, and contains much less toxic material. Then there's the multitouch trackpad, the backlit keyboard, the optical audio input/output, the magsafe power cord, most of which can't be had for any price outside Apple. If you go back to Cyberpower and try to match the specs of the 17 MacBook Pro more closely, you'll see that you'll have to settle for the coarser 1680 x 1050 display, but otherwise you can get a good match for the Mac's processor, storage, and the better of its two graphics processors for about $500 less. Of course, the cruder display accounts for a great deal of that price difference, and you are still losing on size, weight, output options, battery, etc. From:mike xha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: A Tale of Two Hard Drives: Apple's Secret Wea pon? More crap from Tom. Top 17 macbook pro runs 2500 dollars For under 1800 I can get a system with 17 display (1680 x 1050) as opposed to apple's 1920 x 1200 intel i7 1.73 cpu to apple's older 2.8 core 2 duo intel mainboard on both machines 4 gigs ddr3 memory on both machines geforce 250m with 1 gig of ram to Apples 9600m with 512 bluetooth, webcam, hdmi out..no hdmi on apple 500 gig 7200 HD opposed to apple's 500 gig 5400 drive 8x dvdrw gigabit network adapter So for 700 dollars less I get a smaller resolution for my screen. Much better graphics, faster HD..HDMI. 1 year warranty on both machines. Apple has the advantage of stores which may be lcoal to you. So in the end it's up to you to decide if the 700 dollar difference is worth it. But...there is a 700 dollar difference. To some of us, 700 dollars is significant. I built the system at Cyberpower. On Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 4:00 PM, tjpa t...@tjpa.com wrote: On Nov 28, 2009, at 4:24 PM, mike wrote: His point was, that part of the much higher price for Apple products is the built in better warranty support. As in, you get what you pay for. Fox News says Macs cost more. Reviewers that compare hardware feature for feature say Macs cost about the same for equivalent features. In Mike's world I could sell for $100 an empty cardboard box with a computer drawn on it with a crayon and he would say good deal. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Apple Magic Mouse
I got a Magic Mouse as soon as I could, because my mighty mouse's scrollball would get clogged up and need cleaning annoyingly often. I agree that the Magic Mouse works much better than the Mighty Mouse (now just Apple Mouse), and I'd go so far as to say that it's the best mouse I've ever tried. However, I can't really see adding any more gestures to the Magic Mouse. It would be too easy to do a gesture by mistake. Right now, I sometimes accidentally scroll when a finger grazes the mouse or just gets too close. This is not particularly disruptive to recover from, but the same probably wouldn't be true for any additional gestures. The two-finger side swipes for forward and back are ergonomically different enough from the other gestures that you aren't likely to do them by accident, but three- or four-finger gestures would simultaneously be difficult to perform on an unanchored mouse and too easily performed by accident. I could however see a device that bears the same relationship to the Magic Mouse that a trackball bears to a standard mouse, that is, essentially a standalone multitouch trackpad with a non-slip base. Then you could do all the 1,2,3, 4-finger gestures that you can do with a multitouch trackpad and more besides. I could also see a bigger version of this being popular with some handicapped people. From:tjpa t...@tjpa.com Subject: Re: Apple Magic Mouse On Nov 26, 2009, at 6:14 PM, Tony B wrote: Looks interesting, but I'm still leery of touchpads in general. Anyway, since there's no version available for Windows yet, it's useless on most systems. And a wall of patents will assure that there never will be! Ho ho ho! I'm not sure what you mean about 'growing' gestures. All the ones I've seen are gestures that have been used for ages. Either by moving the whole mouse, or just the scroll wheel. Two finger drags, three finger drags, probably four fingers some day. Different gestures. I'm told the iPad will bring an explosion of new gestures. Won't work with Vista or W7. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Real Windows 7 Reviews Start to Appear
According to what I've read, part of the impression that Win7 is faster than XP and Vista is a hangover from the fact that many of the Win7 betas really were faster because they were more streamlined. That stopped being the case as Win7 moved closer to RC status and MS started adding back more stuff from Vista. From:tjpa t...@tjpa.com Subject: Re: Real Windows 7 Reviews Start to Appear On Nov 3, 2009, at 5:17 AM, Wayne Dernoncourt wrote: Most of the people that have tried it seemed to think it was pretty good for the OS itself. The biggest exception was John Dvorak who said that it ran slower on his notebook (?netbook?). The review I cited was from a guy who I know is heavy into Windows and his publication has an extensive testing lab (I have been there). John has been doing this job for over a decade. He knows his stuff. He is as solid a source as one is likely to encounter. He measures 24% slower on a netbook for W7 via XP. TWIT does not do any serious testing. Of course WFBs will pick the reviews that provide the results they want. http://gcn.com/articles/2009/10/30/splitting-the-atom-processor.aspx?s=gcndaily_021109 * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Real Windows 7 Reviews Start to Appear
Your overall point is true, but Leopard was slower than Tiger. Exposé, Spaces and the Spotlight improvements in Leopard put some overhead on the OS. Still, it's quite a record, 10.0 - 10.1- 10.2- 10.3- 10.4, each with more features but also faster than their predecessor, then a slowdown in the 10.4 - 10.5 transition, but again speed improvements going 10.5 - 10.6. And there are architectures in place that guarantee more speed in the future. It's especially striking that Apple did this while keeping excellent OS 9 compatibility (with Classic and Rosetta) for as long as they did (Rosetta compatibility is ongoing), while also switching processors. To tie into another thread, Apple couldn't have done all this nearly as well if they didn't have complete control over their hardware, which is probably a major reason that they are fighting so hard to keep this control. Apple is the best example, but not the only one. Linux has shown dramatic feature improvements, and it is not uncommon for a release to be faster than its predecessor. From:tjpa t...@tjpa.com Subject: Re: Real Windows 7 Reviews Start to Appear On Nov 3, 2009, at 1:39 PM, John Emmerling wrote: This is arguably irrelevant. How many years ago was XP released? You can reasonably expect a version of any operation system from that far back in history to run faster than the latest version because the latest version assumes up-to-date hardware. Not true. Newer releases of Mac OS X run much faster than earlier versions. Especially true of the latest version. You M$ bias is showing. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] MobileMe [Was COMPUTERGUYS-L Digest …]
No, I think it was only Exchange support and some of the new MobileMe web apps that they had extended problems with when Apple was transitioning from .Mac to MobileMe. Mail, storage and syncing went almost completely unaffected and have remained so. Apple's failures were with new features that no one had yet come to rely on, unlike the Google, Sidekick and R.I.M. failures. Apple paid handsomely for its problems in rolling out new features by giving MobileMe customers 90 days free. But the bad server administration of those few new things apparently put Tom off MobileMe for everything. From:John Duncan Yoyo johnduncany...@gmail.com Subject: Re: COMPUTERGUYS-L Digest - 7 Nov 2009 - Special issue (#2009-996) On Sun, Nov 8, 2009 at 12:17 AM, David K Watson davidkirkwat...@gmail.comwrote: I am not going to argue any general claims, but in this case go back and read Tom's posts when MobileMe was having all its service problems the first times Apple tried to put in Exchange support. Tom was at least as unhappy with Apple over that as he was over MS's recent problems with Sidekick phone data. Consider also that Google has had several notable service failures a couple of times since then, particularly with email and search, but I don't recall Tom being nearly so critical about that. So it is possible to argue that in this case, Tom is harder on Apple than he is on Google. Some of that is the duration of the outages. The Sidekick mess was a few a week or two, Mobileme was prolonged. Google was out for what a few hours? Every one is going to have server problems but the time it takes to remedy the situation should be part of the outrage level. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Real Windows 7 Reviews Start to Appear
Rather than just bickering about it, tell us a little about these people. I, for one am curious about who is running Win7and why. Like: are they putting it on work machines or personal machines? Is it mostly preinstalls on new machines or upgrades on old machines, and if the latter, was it from XP or Vista? Also, on the upgrades, are they running to se7en or fleeing their old OS? My own expectations are that I just don't see all that many XP users rushing out to upgrade, and I can't imagine businesses being ready for a while yet. From:Chris Dunford seed...@gmail.com Subject: Re: Real Windows 7 Reviews Start to Appear And I know dozens already running W7. Very serious people. What's this supposed to prove? Proof that you hang with hopeless fan bois. You really have no idea what you're talking about, do you? Just not a clue. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Moto droid by Andy ihnatko
What kind of multitasking is it that you want to do on a small handheld that is so crucial? I don't have have an iPhone, but I do have an iPod Touch, and I can surf the web or compose an email, etc. while listening to music, and you can do more than one thing at a time of this sort with the iPhone, too. On those things where you can't do two things at a time, like using turn directions and answer a call, you pause the app long enough to answer the call, then you resume the app at the point where you left off, running the app and taking the call at the same time. Think also of some of the multitasking limitations specific to the Droid (though not to the android platform in particular). Because of Verizon's CDMA network limitations, the Droid won't be able to do voice and data apps at the same time, and I am not really clear on whether or not it can have more than one data stream at the same time (anyone know?). So what kind of multitasking is it that the Droid can do that the iPhone's limited multitasking can't do that you think might be really compelling? Date:Fri, 6 Nov 2009 22:17:33 -0700 From:mike xha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: Moto droid by Andy ihnatko Some people need or want different things from their cell phone. For me the killer feature is multitasking, this makes up for any issues their might be. Android isn't just good enough, its a solid choice. The iPhone lacks features and so does the android platform, I just find android to be lacking less for what I do. On Nov 6, 2009 8:41 PM, tjpa t...@tjpa.com wrote: On Nov 6, 2009, at 10:52 AM, mike wrote: Good review/comparison of the new moto droid with the u... It=92s a long list and the basic point is that the Android OS shows severe signs of a product team whose motto is =93It works; let=92s ship it and go home.=94 Okay? Let=92s put that on record. As a user, I think the iPhone is vastly superior. End of story * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] It's monotheist versus pagan (It's a Windows Mobile killer)
Actually, according to what I read, it is a hybrid UMTS/CDMA iPhone made possible by a new hybrid chip from Qualcomm, so Apple can continue to make a single global iPhone that will work with all major carriers. The evidence for the phone is pretty skimpy, I haven't seen any evidence at all that Apple is going to get in a licensing deal with Verizon, and I can't see how they are going to handle the mixed message they would get from having the iPhone capable of different things on different networks in the US market. Possibly, Apple would handle this by offering the new iPhone by itself without a license to any carrier and let the purchaser deal with their carrier's limitations, or maybe this is all just an insidious rumor that is intended to blunt Droid sales by encouraging people to wait for an iPhone. If the latter theory is correct, the steep price Verizon is now charging for early termination of smartphone contracts plays right into this strategy. The idea that Apple might offer the iPhone without a carrier contract appeals to me. It seems like there is already a pretty big grey market for iPhones freed from their original carrier in one way or the other, and I could see that Apple might like to profit off of that. It's another piece of low-hanging fruit that Apple can pick without posing a legitimate grievance to the carriers (assuming that Apple won't be breaking any contractual exclusivity agreements). It's all just speculation though. From:mike xha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: It's monotheist versus pagan (It's a Windows Mobile killer) Apple insider is reporting a taiwanese manufacturer has been hired to do a cdma iPhone to be carried on verizon in q3 2010. On Fri, Nov 6, 2009 at 6:36 PM, b_s-wilk b1sun...@yahoo.es wrote: Is there solid word they will get a apple device? With android making inroads, do they need one? VZ is also getting another droid phone, the eris, this phone got better reviews overall than the moto droid. Sprint has three or four android phones out now, one of them has 8 megabytes of built in memory, haven't seen if you can utilize it all for apps or not. AFter seeing the offerings of android, I don't see much missing between the two choices. Apple probably won't do Verizon without GSM. Does Droid do Flash? iPhone doesn't do Flash [without serious hacking], but Symbian does. Can you buy a Droid phone outright without a contract? * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Real Windows 7 Reviews Start to Appear
Let's take the report at face value and do the math. Microsoft is also charging less than half for Win7 than they were for Vista, so they are grossing at about the same rate. If you consider that they plainly didn't realize the revenue they expected on Vista and they had to pay out some heavy development costs to get Win7 out quickly, then very likely they are coming out behind so far. Add to their troubles the fact that the PC market stinks generally, that MS makes very little if any on netbook installations of XP, and that the death of linux on netbooks has been somewhat exaggerated, keeping MS from ever making much money off of them. These aren't mortal blows to MS by any means, and they would have to fall pretty far from here before we could officially call them beleaguered but it is not all sunshine and blue skies for them, either. From:tjpa t...@tjpa.com Subject: Re: Real Windows 7 Reviews Start to Appear On Nov 7, 2009, at 1:06 PM, mike wrote: Don't know what it's worth, but 7 is being picked up at a rate of over 200% greater than Vista in the same time period. Standard M$ agitprop. M$ planted the same kind of stories about Vista. More recently they did the same for Zune and Bing. Just M$ B$. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Moto droid by Andy ihnatko
That is the kind of answer I've been looking for, that I haven't seen at all anywhere else. Whatever works for you, fine. You make a good case for your phone. (Was all that on your phone, or was it at your computer and you are giving an example of what you'd like your phone to do?) However, do you know that the Droid can do all that now or at least will be able to do that if the right apps are made for it? If so, then there is definitely a place for it at the smartphone table. On a side note, what are you, a hyperactive teenager? You sound like one seriously distracted dude, dude, if that is representative of more than a tiny fraction of your day. Live your life however you want, but I hope that you know that there's lots of cognitive science which says that kind of multitasking seriously impairs your critical thinking, memory and mood. Science also says that no one does multitasking anywhere nearly as well as they think that they do. From:mike xha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: Moto droid by Andy ihnatko In answer to your specific question, at the time I sent the last email where I said I want to be able to multitask, I was answering an email, on three IRC networks (talking in two channels actively), on IM with a friend in London and checking twitter for a search I'd done. If I'm on IRC on the iphone, I can't switch back and forth to IM without shutting down the other app...I can't answer an email without shutting down other apps. Disconnecting from IM and IRC every time I want to read an email would be tiresome, I've done it. I like my little cell phone world I can create on a phone I can multitask on, do I *need* it? Of course not. But combine that advantage on a network that is MUCH cheaper and I'm very satisfied with my choice knowing I've lost some things and gained some things. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] COMPUTERGUYS-L Digest - 7 Nov 2009 - Special issue (#2009-996)
I am not going to argue any general claims, but in this case go back and read Tom's posts when MobileMe was having all its service problems the first times Apple tried to put in Exchange support. Tom was at least as unhappy with Apple over that as he was over MS's recent problems with Sidekick phone data. Consider also that Google has had several notable service failures a couple of times since then, particularly with email and search, but I don't recall Tom being nearly so critical about that. So it is possible to argue that in this case, Tom is harder on Apple than he is on Google. From:mike xha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: Real Windows 7 Reviews Start to Appear Like anyone believes that. On Sat, Nov 7, 2009 at 4:55 PM, tjpa t...@tjpa.com wrote: On Nov 7, 2009, at 4:04 PM, mike wrote: It would be a more genuine complaint if you didn't ignore it from one company and point at it with another as if it's a bad thing. I don't look at the company behind it. I just look to see if it is true. M$ B$ is just that. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Real Windows 7 Reviews Start to Appear
Don't be so hard on her, Tom. She has a brother to do all her computer service for her, for free. At least that's the way it seems to work in my family. From:tjpa t...@tjpa.com Subject: Re: Real Windows 7 Reviews Start to Appear On Nov 7, 2009, at 4:25 PM, Chris Dunford wrote: The other possibility is that she just got a new PC. Which one do you think it might be? And which one of us is hyperventilating? Oh, an unwilling convert nevertheless. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Speaking of flash drives
I have washed and dried flash drives before, usually my son's when he left it in his pants and I didn't find it. I've also done the same with DS game cartridges. They've always survived the wash, but perhaps that is because we have a front loader, so they don't spend much time being completely immersed. What I have found is that the cheaper flimsier flash drives often will not survive repeated plugging in and removal from the computer, and internal connections between the USB tip and the rest of the drive will break from too much flexing. On Nov 2, 2009, at 10:03 AM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:b_s-wilk b1sun...@yahoo.es Subject: Re: Speaking of flash drives Flash drives break when you need them most, yet survive the most brutal abuse. I found Bob's 8GB flash drive in the washing machine last week--after the laundry was washed at the heavy duty setting. I opened it and hung it up to dry with everything else, waited a day for it to dry. It works fine, no lost data. Lucky that I usually hang clothes outdoors or in our greenhouse to dry. The flash drive might not survive an hour in the dryer, but you never know. Betty * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Speaking of flash drives
Besides making sure that the drive is sturdy, another thing to consider is the protection for the USB tip. If the drive has a separate cap for the tip, it inevitably will get lost. Jeff should consider getting a drive with a USB tip that slides or folds out from a built-in cover. Another thing to hope for is a drive with decent read/write speeds. One of my large capacity flash drives takes considerably longer to move files between (particularly copying files to it) than the other. It is painful to use the slow one for moving TV recordings between computers and is only a little faster than moving them over our wireless network. Does anyone know if there is a way to check for this? I don't think that the read/write speeds are usually given on the package. I agree that a 16GB flash drive is likely overkill, unless Jeff's kid is going to deal with a lot of media files or he wants to put a linux installation on it. From:Rev. Stewart Marshall revsamarsh...@earthlink.net Subject: Re: Speaking of flash drives Almost overkill. Does he need 16GB of flash drive? Walmart also sells them in 2-4-8-16 GB sizes. Well put together and solid. Stewart At 12:15 AM 11/2/2009, you wrote: I forgot to add this was a Sandisk flash drive. Jeff Miles jmile...@charter.net Join my Mafia http://apps.facebook.com/inthemafia/status_invite.php?from=550968726 On Nov 1, 2009, at 9:41 PM, Rev. Stewart Marshall wrote: Had an ROTC instructor one year, break off the end of his flash drive (Don't ask me how?) Ended up connecting to it and transferring all that data to my system and putting it on a new flash drive. I did tell him it is best to back it up onto a system and not keep all you precious documents on a flash drive. Needless to say he no longer works at the local school. (His brilliance was matched by his incompetence.) Stewart At 11:24 PM 11/1/2009, you wrote: Flash drives break when you need them most, yet survive the most brutal abuse. I found Bob's 8GB flash drive in the washing machine last week-- after the laundry was washed at the heavy duty setting. I opened it and hung it up to dry with everything else, waited a day for it to dry. It works fine, no lost data. Lucky that I usually hang clothes outdoors or in our greenhouse to dry. The flash drive might not survive an hour in the dryer, but you never know. Betty * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] It's monotheist versus pagan (It's a Windows Mobile killer)
I had read that some android phones other than the Droid don't have the 256MB application limit. Perhaps it's just that they have more hardwired memory. I don't really buy your argument for memory expansion. With the iPod, you plug it into your computer and swap files between it and your computer. For a swappable memory card, you pop out the card, pop it into your computer or attached card reader, and swap files around. It doesn't sound any easier to me. And in fact, almost all users leave the memory card in for the life of their phone, except for upgrades. That is the actual argument for a swappable card: if you can't afford a large capacity, you buy the smaller capacity now with the prospect of putting in a larger capacity card later. This is where the iPhone loses, since the equivalent upgrade would be to upgrade to a higher capacity iPhone, paying the difference for the capacity but keeping all your paid content, and it seems unlikely that Apple/ATT would allow that. They might, if upgrading meant resetting your contract period. I also wouldn't hold my breath waiting for decent media apps for the Droid, either. Verizon is very protective of their vcast and Rhapsody video and music markets, and likely won't allow any apps that compete unless they can take a similarly outrageous cut for themselves. I have a Verizon phone and their FIOS service. Love the FIOS, like my phone (a higher-end LG), and hate the phone service. The customer service is not great, either (or I have been spoiled by Apple). From:mike xha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: It's monotheist versus pagan (It's a Windows Mobile killer) Good stuff David, I too am on CDMA and have that limitation which sucks. The 256 is an android problem and is on every android phone out there, has nothing to do with this being on verizon or being the moto droid phone. I've read some about this and have not seen anything regarding anti piracy, more concerns about removing the card when stuff is running from it. Theoretically, if someone would build an android phone with more internal memory like an iphone, all of it could be used for installs, as it stands the android is weak on internal memory which limits apps that can be installed, and the iphone is useless for external memory for expansion. This comes down to personal taste, if you are buying a phone soley for the apps, you won't be buying an android phone anyway. If you won't be missing any apps from iphone, then there is no reason to not look at this phone except it's on verizon and I'm sure they will charge for things like enabling the GPS chip as they do in their other phones. With the specs of this phones screen and it's CPU power, motorola should have built in some killer media apps, big mistake IMO that they didn't. Personally If I was with Verizon I'd wait for the sub 100 dollar eris, a solid upper mid range phone although without the physical keyboard. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] It's monotheist versus pagan (It's a Windows Mobile killer)
Since Mike is so desperate to find out what the Droid can't do that the iPhone can, here's two: Because the Droid is built for Verizon's mostly CDMA network, you don't have simultaneous data and voice. So you can't for example do a web search for restaurants while making dinner plans with your caller, or find a map while also getting verbal help. You can only install 256MB of applications on the dedicated hardwired flash memory and can't install them on the memory card. This is isn't a general android problem or hardware limitation, but is an imposed security/anti-piracy restriction specifically on the Droid. So this is another reason you won't have a tomtom app with it's gigabytes of maps. The iPhone limits you to 2GB for a single app, and the phone's entire capacity for all apps, I believe. It may be a good phone for its currently known limitations (and the future ones that Verizon will inevitably impose on it), but it is definitely over-hyped by Google's fans (GFBs?) and Apple-haters. From:mike xha...@gmail.com Subject: Re: It's monotheist versus pagan (It's a Windows Mobile killer) Finally Tom gives us an answer. This one of those things like not including cut/paste in the first couple iPhone os's that makes users wonder what is going on. From forums on the web this looks like moto dropped the ball on this one since the hardware as well as android support multitouch. Multitouch does exist in the droid phone, just not where most want it most I think...the web browser. On Oct 31, 2009 6:58 PM, tjpa t...@tjpa.com wrote: The truth appears in driblets... multitouch, which the Droid doesn't do * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] It's monotheist versus pagan (It's a Windows Mobile killer)
So, he's saying iPhone::iPod Touch::iPhone OS=father::son::holy ghost ? On a topic more related to the article, remember the YouTube Droid commercial (at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPYM- XTqcecfeature=player_embedded) that was discussed here last week? I saw it on live TV this weekend. I thought it was all wrong when I saw it on the web, and I can't believe that they didn't fix it for TV distribution. It starts by playing an upbeat tune (with the lyrics Oh, it's magic) with brightly colored text messages saying things like iDon't have a real keyboard, iDon't have multitasking, etc., up to All the things iDon't have which is followed by the classic scifi/spy movie signal hijack sequence that takes us to an dark background with a ominous robot voice saying Droid Does. When you see this kind of thing in a horror movie advertisement, it makes you want to go see the movie about the scary thing, but it doesn't make you want to have the scary thing happen to you. Similarly, this commercial may make you want to find out more about Droid (and iPhone) but leaves you with the feeling that you want an iPhone and not a Droid. They should have reversed the visual and aural feeling for both segments of their commercial and make it more like the heroic rescuer movie advertisement, where everything is dark and somber (iPhone) and when it seems that there is no hope, a hero appears (Droid). As it is, their message is mixed and the net result is that they are probably actually selling iPhones. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/26/AR2009102600648.html In a religious sense, the iPhone is a monotheistic religion. Basically, its OS believes in one device. Yes, I know there is the iPod touch, as well as variations of the iPhone (original, 3G, 3GS), but these are essentially all the same device with essentially thesame hardware, just boosted specs. Meanwhile, Android, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, Symbian, etc. are all polytheists. But pagans, while perhaps not exactly right, is a cooler term, so let's go with that. All of these other mobile OSes are pagans. They answer to many devices, their gods. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] COMPUTERGUYS-L Digest - 23 Oct 2009 to 24 Oct 2009 - Special issue (#2009-949)
Sent from my iPod On Oct 24, 2009, at 8:20 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system lists...@listserv.aol.com wrote: Date:Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:10:00 -0400 From:b_s-wilk b1sun...@yahoo.es Subject: New Apple Ad -- doesn't play on iPod Touch http://tinyurl.com/yjtwgwn Does this mean I have to upgrade the OS from 2.x to 3.1? [at least it's half price now] * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] New Apple Ad -- doesn't play on iPod Touch
Betty, I have OS 3.1 on my iPod, and it won't play the newest videos (the top 3) either. Sent from my iPod On Oct 24, 2009, at 8:20 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system lists...@listserv.aol.com wrote: Date:Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:10:00 -0400 From:b_s-wilk b1sun...@yahoo.es Subject: New Apple Ad -- doesn't play on iPod Touch http://tinyurl.com/yjtwgwn Does this mean I have to upgrade the OS from 2.x to 3.1? [at least it's half price now] * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Snow Leopard bug deletes all user data
Tom, you probably know this and just mistyped, but guest accounts aren't new to Snow Leopard. Leopard has guest account functionality too. The bug seems to be new to Snow Leopard though. From:Tom Piwowar t...@tjpa.com Not to be outdone by M$, Apple has got its own catastrophic bug... Snow Leopard's home directory -- the one sporting the name of the Mac's primary user -- is replaced with a new, empty copy after users log-in to a Guest account, log out, then log-in to their standard account. All the standard folders -- Documents, Downloads, Music, Picture and others -- are empty, while the Desktop and Dock have reverted to an out-of-box condition. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9139250/Snow_Leopard_bug_deletes_all_user_data This Guest Account function is a new Snow Leopard feature. It lets someone log into a Mac as a temporary user and when their business is done and they logout, all traces of their session are deleted. It looks like Snow Leopard is deleting far more than Apple intended. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Crazy Adoption Rate for Snow Leopard
The day Snow Leopard came out, I looked at the compatibility list, didn't see any deal-breakers for me, and upgraded that day. Of course, I made very sure that my Time Machine was working and updated a clone of my hard drive just before upgrading just to be on the safe side. It was cheap, easy and safe for me to upgrade, so why not? Apparently, many users feel this way about it. I wasn't completely problem-free, but the problems were manageable enough that I didn't feel like I needed to revert, and all my issues seem to be fixed now. The main problem I had was with EyeTV which was listed as compatible but should have been listed as compatible with some issues. It would take so long to launch and get to the point of presenting a live TV window that for a while I thought it was hanging. Most users didn't have this problem, I was just unlucky. I eventually figured out that I needed to start the program a long time before I actually wanted it, and an update last week fixed the problem altogether. I really like Snow Leopard. To give just one example, I really like the control over Flash that I have in Safari on Snow Leopard. I can quit the Flash plugin process and not be bothered by annoying flash ads on any of my open pages. If I actually want flash content on a page, I just refresh the page. I don't regularly use layout or presentation software, so the font problem is not an issue for me, but it doesn't seem like a particularly big one for anyone. As I understand it, is only a problem with character spacing for Type 1 postscript fonts, and then essentially only for Keynote or QuarkXPress, and then only for documents created in Tiger or Leopard and moved to Snow Leopard. What other odd Snow Leopard behaviors have you been seeing or hearing about? On Oct 5, 2009, at 12:00 AM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:t.piwowar t...@tjpa.com Subject: Crazy Adoption Rate for Snow Leopard Are people out of their minds? This report says that 20% of Macs are now running Snow Leopard. That's insane. Apple has shipped its first updates to X.6.1 but there are still many reports of odd behavior. The one about fonts is a show stopper for me. Maybe it is the $25 price that got everyone moving. Has any one on the list upgraded to Snow Leopard? Eighteen percent of Mac users are running Snow Leopard just one month after its release, according to Web metrics firm Net Applications. That‚s a remarkable upgrade rate for the latest iteration of OS X, especially considering Snow Leopard is Intel only. Overall, OS X now represents 5.12 percent of the worldwide OS market, up from 4.87 percent in August. While that might seem like a small increase, it‚s up 37 percent from a year ago, and the platform is seeing a continuing a steady rise. In contrast, Windows has now fallen below 93 percent, though the release of Windows 7 will likely result in a temporary spike. Nonetheless, OS X is moving up, as is iPhone OS. http://theappleblog.com/2009/10/01/snow-leopards-leaps-in-market- share/ * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Netbooks vs. Notebooks
The Touches are all microphone-capable. In the most recent generation, the larger capacity Touches come with Apple earphones that have the built-in microphone, but the entry-level 8GB Touch comes with regular earphones. For my previous generation Touch, I bought and use a microphone by Monster that has a jack that lets you use your choice of earphones. From:db db...@att.net Subject: Re: Netbooks vs. Notebooks the Touch's screen keyboard seems a big liability to me. I have big fingers and find the iPhone's keyboard laborious when I have used one. Does the Touch have a microphone? If so the voice to text apps that are popping up could suffice perhaps... db * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Apple pushes unwanted enterprise tool to Windows users
Late to the party here, but: First of all, it's a tiny little application, and is practically an iTunes plugin. Future versions of iTunes will likely have it built in and you'd never notice it unless you needed it. Do you complain this much every time Firefox updates itself unnecessarily? Do you go through the roof every time Adobe's updater nags you about an available update? Secondly, instead of just canceling it the one time you saw it, you could have permanently disabled the update. I know Safari, iTunes and QuickTime are not on the MS approved list, but they are here and they are useful for many people, so you should at least take 10 minutes to learn how to deal with Apple's updater, just as you must have spent some much greater amount of time learning to deal with the likes of (in increasing order of annoyance) Sun, Mozilla, Adobe, RealNetworks, Microsoft. As a side note, while it is called iPhone Configuration Utility and is touted as an enterprise tool, it is also for iPod touches and reportedly is very popular with college network admins. You're probably deathly afraid of Bonjour too, and disable it on your printers and systems because it makes the printers unnaturally easy to use. From:Tony B ton...@gmail.com Yet again. If this were MS pulling this stunt, they would certainly be pilloried. And probably sued by the EU. Where's the outrage here? I first noticed this last week on a client machine. I simply canceled it, but worried that when it came back the less savvy user at that machine might install it. Sure enough, after reading this story, I just logged in to that machine and it's been installed! ARGH. Maybe time to close down this rogue outfit for good. http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/09/apple-pushes-unwanted-enterprise-tool-to-windows-users.ars?utm_source=rssutm_medium=rssutm_campaign=rss * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Pogue Feeling Sorry for M$
From:Chris Dunford seed...@gmail.com Wow! is right. You pick out the single most damning line in a generally positive review and hold it up as proof that the Zune Sucks. The only thing wrong with this statement is that the review isn't generally positive, it's overwhelmingly positive. Myself, I'd say generally positive is a better description. By most objective standards, to be considered overwhelmingly positive a review would have to be very strong on its positives and contain a very small number of very minor negatives. If you read the review again, you'll see that it has a large number of (admittedly mostly fairly minor) negatives. I agree with Pogue's statement that if the Zune HD existed in a world in which there were no iPod Touch, it would be a fantastic device. However, in this universe the Touch has been around for quite some time before the Zune HD, and it overmatches the Zune HD in most kinds of functionality without having substantially worse hardware (if at all). In short, the ZHD is a nice product, not bad, but not great either. You'd have to have a fairly unusual and strict set of requirements to prefer it over the iPod Touch at this point. That said, as soon as someone gets a Zune HD, I'd be interested to hear their experiences with it. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Snow Leopard Review
As others have pointed out, no one is being forced to buy new hardware. Our older computers haven't lost any of their capabilities because Snow Leopard has come out. It makes just as much sense to rail about being made to buy a new computer because you want to use 4GB of ram and your old one maxes out at 512K, or because you want to add a 500GB hard drive and your old machine's hard drive controller won't recognize more than 130GB. The same for USB 1 vs. 2, IDE vs. SATA, we all could continue the list ourselves for quite a while. I don't see that the fact that these are hardware modifications rather than a software one changes the issue. On Aug 31, 2009, at 1:24 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:mike xha...@gmail.com No, I mean what is acceptable for Apple or any other OS vendor to tell you your hardware is too old you have to spend money again. I find it ironic that some of the MFBs have touted the low price of snow cat evading the fact that apple is a hardware company, not a software one..and also not mentioning that anyone with a machine older then 4 years can't run it. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Apple Lied?
According to Elgato, the latest version should run but have a few issues with exporting, etc. My own experience with it in Snow Leopard is that it would take a long time to start up and then would get as far as showing the controller, but then I would get a spinning beach ball and no TV viewer and I would have to force quit it. Eventually, I got the TV window to show at times and I am not sure how, but what seems to work is to start up the application before plugging in the tuner, and I am still having to do that. If I forget, then subsequent attempts to launch the app will fail for me unless I force quit all the EyeTV processes in activity monitor. As I said, this is just my own experience. Elgato says that the most recent versions of their software should work under Snow Leopard except for minor issues, and I haven't seen my issue discussed on their forums. They have released a beta to address their known issues (look for it in their support section), but it hasn't fixed mine. Thankfully, the workaround I've come up with is only slightly inconvenient. I've filed a support ticket and expect a fix will be issued eventually. This EyeTV issue is my only real problem with Snow Leopard so far, and it is not enough to make me want to go back to plain ol' Leopard. From: jor17...@gmail.com Ahh, thanks for the comments. Can you be specific about the issues with EyeTV. I guess there aren't many of us using EyeTV but I'd be interested if EyeTV updates or OS updates fix the issues you are seeing. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
[CGUYS] Glenn Beck [was: COMPUTERGUYS-L Digest ...]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7w64fbqYQY On Aug 30, 2009, at 8:36 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:Jeff Morris jmor...@clarkswb.net Subject: Re: COMPUTERGUYS-L Digest - 28 Aug 2009 to 29 Aug 2009 - Special issue (#2009-814) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuRwbXI0KdIfeature=related Thought you guys would like this, especially the nitwit liberals who post t= heir drivel. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] COMPUTERGUYS-L Digest - 29 Aug 2009 - Special issue (#2009-815)
Yes you can, at least on an intel mac running Leopard, and I'm not so sure you even need Leopard. The OS has no serial numbers or activation keys. This has always been the case for OS X as far as I can remember. Most Mac users are honest and buy the extra licenses, and Apple makes it easy for them to do this by making the cost of a family pack only a little bit more than a single user license. Remember, Apple is primarily a hardware company and the software is an inducement. Besides, Apple probably saves more money than they lose to piracy by not having to have a big licensing infrastructure and by reducing the number of support issues for problems in older OS versions that are fixed in the newer OS. On Aug 29, 2009, at 4:03 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:db db...@att.net Subject: Re: Snow Leopard Review Apple relies on the honor system? There seems to be a discrepancy in this string ... Can you just buy or borrow someone else's Snow Leopard and install it on any Mac or what? db * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Apple Lied?
(sorry for forgetting to fix the subject line in the previous post) Well, I'm certainly happy so far. Everything I use works in the 32 bit kernel although EyeTV has a few issues and Office 2004 and some older games still need Rosetta to be installed. In the 64 bit kernel, EyeTV and Parallels don't work and Mathematica prompted me for my serial number but worked properly after that. In either kernel, just about everything is smoother, faster, better. Quicklook works for still more file types including FLV. I especially like that in Safari the Flash plugin runs as a separate process so it can't take down the browser. Also, I can quit the flash plugin process in Activity Monitor if I don't like how much CPU it is using or if I am getting annoyed by flash ads (like the particularly annoying ones that expand to cover the top of the article if you happen to mouse over them and then have to be manually dismissed in order to read the article). On Aug 29, 2009, at 12:45 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:t.piwowar t...@tjpa.com MacWorld's extensive coverage of Snow Leopard makes me think Apple lied. This upgrade offers many significant improvements. Maybe Apple marketing isn't impressed because they want big flashy additions (which I'll probably never use). In contrast in Snow Leopard I'm seeing lots of things that will be constantly useful to me. I'm happy to get all these goodies for just $25 (Amazon's discounted price). http://www.macworld.com/article/142459/2009/08/snow_leopard.html?lsrc=top_1 * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Subject: Will SL Finally FTFF?
Well, in the past you've linked to John Siracusa's critiques when discussing your problems with the finder. One of his big criticisms (which has always seemed very silly to me) is that the finder is a bad analogy or a mixed metaphor, in that it is not consistently spatial. Since the finder is getting an anti-facelift (mostly the same on the outside, revamped on the inside), I don't think that this problem will be addressed. If your issues are with moving large numbers of files or putting trashed items back in their original places, then these have supposedly been fixed. I'll find out for myself in just a little bit. From:t.piwowar t...@tjpa.com Reviewing Apple's tech notes I'm seeing many small changes and improvements that I think will make Mac users far happier than flashy new features. This may be the upgrade that finally fixes the Finder. The Finder has been completely rewritten using the modern Cocoa framework in Mac OS X, taking advantage of the new technologies in Snow Leopard--including 64-bit support and Grand Central Dispatch. The familiar Finder interface is unchanged, but you will discover the Finder is faster and more responsive. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3737 * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
[CGUYS] Snow Leopard Review
The NY Times has David Pogue's review of Snow Leopard. It looks like it is a review of the actual release and not the developer preview like I've seen elsewhere. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/27/technology/personaltech/27pogue.html?ref=global-homepagewanted=all There is a video of Snow Leopard in action on that page too. Pogue's review gives it generally good marks and reports few problems. He gives this link as a place to go to check on compatibility issues: http://snowleopard.wikidot.com/ As might be expected, the issues that exist are primarily with older software, and older printers with the old non-CUPS drivers seem to be the most likely to have problems. I didn't see any deal-breaking issues for me, so I'm jumping right in and upgrading tomorrow. I am very safely backed up just in case of problems, so at worst I'll only lose an hour or two restoring the old system. I am so hoping the Safari feature that keeps flash from crashing the browser works as advertised. Flash plugin crashes have been an irritating problem for me lately in both Safari and Firefox. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Zune HD TV Interface Makes It a Media Center For Your Pocket
From the ars technica article that your battery numbers come from: http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/08/zune-hd-specs-reveal-battery-life-estimates-format-support.ars Battery life is cited as up to 24 hours (wireless off) for music and up to four hours for video, but this seemed a little toward the low-end. We e-mailed Microsoft and got back much better numbers: up to 33 hours (wireless off) for music and up to 8.5 hours I saw this in the comments and can't improve upon it: So wait...you emailed MS that you thought their official battery estimates were low and they just upped the numbers for you...?? ?? Aren't the official numbers the result of TESTING...?? ?? Now tell me, doesn't this business sound the least bit suspicious to you? From:Jeff Wright jswri...@gmail.com Battery life: I said *advertised* battery life and I'm sticking with that. The HD numbers you quote comes from something MS reportedly sent to engadget. However, MS's own store as of a few minutes ago says 24 hours audio, 4 hours video: http://store.microsoft.com/microsoft/Zune-HD-32/product/41941DC9#ctl19_tcla _a OK, stick with whatever you want. It's from MS, that makes it a claimed battery life. It's a safe bet that both mfrs claims are exaggerated. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Subject: drupal for only 10 million
Well, you could set up an insecure Drupal website if you didn't really know what you were doing. But given that the list of Drupal's users includes many really big names in IT (including the security company Symantec), e-commerce sites, etc., it would seem that it can't be too hard to set up a fairly safe system. I haven't heard of FedEx or ABC being hacked recently. What CMS would you prefer the govt. to use? From:Allen Firstenberg cg...@addventure.com I'm not Tom, but I'll give the #1 reason to avoid drupal: PHP And they do have serious problems with it. Very serious problems. PHP is a security nightmare of epic proportions. If Microsoft made PHP, we'd be constantly talking about how there was another security vulnerability every week... and thats very much PHP's reputation. It has security mis- designs that have carried over since its earliest days, and only recently even barely addressed - and those recent fixes have broken some major code, including drupal. There are lots of good reasons to use drupal... but PHP is the biggest reason to avoid it like industrial farm waste. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Zune HD TV Interface Makes It a Media Center For Your Pocket
Screen size: Remember size is roughly the square of the diagonal. Taking second digit rounding into account that could be as much as 18% difference. That is a worst case number, but it agrees pretty closely with the computation in pixels: 480x320 vs. 480x272 (17.6% more for the Touch). Yes, I think you would notice. Not for 16:9 video in landscape, but for almost everything else. Why do you think the Zune HD's menu cuts off text? Battery life: I said *advertised* battery life and I'm sticking with that. The HD numbers you quote comes from something MS reportedly sent to engadget. However, MS's own store as of a few minutes ago says 24 hours audio, 4 hours video: http://store.microsoft.com/microsoft/Zune-HD-32/product/41941DC9#ctl19_tcla_a The same numbers are at Best Buy: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9449581st=Zune_20090816lp=1type=productcp=1id=1218106628166 (I didn't find the battery specs at Amazon.) Which set of numbers do you think MS can be held legally liable for? As so advertised, the Touch does better than the Zune HD by 50% in both video and audio. Even if MS's advertisements change to match the numbers you cite, the Touch still wins on audio. Additionally, digging into the methodology, it looks like the iPod specs are with wireless turned on and the Zune HD with it turned off, so a comparison on an equal testing basis would likely help the Touch. OLED does save energy and so does an efficient processor, but a skimpy battery could very well cancel that advantage. As for more realistic usage numbers, we'll have to wait until the HD comes out and someone does controlled side by side tests. I'd like to see that. From:Jeff Wright jswri...@gmail.com Where is the zune HD behind on the touch? Well, there's: Screen size (Zune HD) vs. (iPod Touch) 3.3 vs. 3.5 Will you really notice? advertised battery life Music: 33 hours vs. 36 hours Video: 8.5 hours vs. 6 hours The OLED tech comes through here. Bluetooth No word either way on Zune. Assume not. apps (by about 64,000 or so) No contest. Touch wins. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Zune HD TV Interface Makes It a Media Center For Your Pocket
From:mike xha...@gmail.com Where is the zune HD behind on the touch? Well, there's: Screen size advertised battery life bluetooth apps (by about 64,000 or so) and of course, availability Because of that last one, the jury is still out on things like actual usability issues, reliability, and app pricing. The upcoming Zune HD's processor and screen technology are ahead of the current generation of iPods and those things are cool, but a lot depends on what is done with them. In Korea, Samsung is advertising a device with the same processor and screen as the Zune HD, but no one believes it is going to kill the iPod (though one reporter jokingly asked if it was a Zune HD-killer), because Samsung gets so much else wrong. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
[CGUYS] Win7 not winsome WRT upgrades
Walt Mossberg requested and got from MS an official Windows 7 upgrade chart. http://mossblog.allthingsd.com/20090804/deciphering-windows-7-upgrades-the-official-chart/ It has *only* 66 upgrade scenarios in it, as it merely considers half of the versions of Win7 that MS will be offering. The chart is horrible, there is a discussion of that and a much improved version of it at http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=1246, where you can also read about a workaround for an upgrade path that MS won't let you do directly but which a lot of people are likely to want. Why won't MS enable you to upgrade directly from Vista Home to Windows 7 Professional instead of doing an annoying workaround? * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Brutal Zune Review
I haven't read anything about how aged the iPod has become, can you point me to one of those blogs? On the other hand, every day I see several articles about a new or updated iPhone/iPod app. And you CAN customize your iPhone home screen, that came with version 2 of the OS. From:mike xha...@gmail.com There is talk on the blogs about how aged the ipod has become of late, especially in reference between the iphone and palm pre. How long till we can run more then one app on the iphone? Zero customization on the home screen for the iphone is geting long in the tooth. Android is going to keep getting better, and it will offer a wide variety of customizations for the entire device that will continue to entice all kinds of users. On Fri, Aug 7, 2009 at 4:50 PM, Jeff Wright jswri...@gmail.com wrote: I was thinking of asking myself but I'm sure we'll get more TomLogicT I believe 'logic' is spelled with a 'k' in that instance. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Brutal Zune Review..and on to winmo
Yes, but Apple wasn't first in either the music player or smart phone markets. Both markets were considered to be fairly stable and buttoned down until Apple came along and churned them up again. Remember this review of the first iPod: No wireless. Less space than a nomad. Lame.? Of course it wasn't particularly obvious then what made the iPod so successful, so we could be missing what is so great about the new competition for iPod/iPhones. But consider the case Mike made for the Zune, a few posts back. If it was cited in an advertisement, it would read something like: Mike says: 'superior processor' … 'interface is at worst just fine'… 'what is there to complain about except lateness issue?' (Exact quotes, and I tried to not to change his meaning.) Would that endorsement make you or anyone else want to go out and buy one? The Pre? Looks very nice, but Palm hasn't released its sales figures (a good indication that the Pre isn't catching fire), and analysts mostly estimate that the Pre is doing OK but not spectacularly. I haven't read that much about WebOS recently, but my impression was that developers thought it was easy to develop for, but limited. Enlighten me if I am wrong on this. Android is more open in theory, but much of that openness is restricted by the carriers at present, and I haven't heard a whole lot about Android phone sales figures either. The problem these competitors have is that Apple already has a huge, well-developed iPod/iPhone/iTunes ecosystem, while they mostly don't and have to work hard trying to create one. In my own view, we haven't even begun to discuss a big group of potential competitors for the iPhone, and that is Japanese manufacturers. Japanese phones seem to have fantastic hardware capabilities, but are hampered globally by somewhat bulky designs and lousy user interfaces, and their manufacturers seem to be waking up to this. They at least would have a substantial Japanese user base to expand from. From:Jeff Wright jswri...@gmail.com With 65,000 apps available for the iPhone and less than a dozen for the competitors it is going to be very hard to catch up. The competitors are still making some of the mistakes Apple made in its early days and they will need to fix those first. Right now Apple appears to be its own worst enemy with a nutty approval process at its App Store. If they don't fix that soon there will be developer leakage to the other platforms. I bet Apple will fix it soon. Recent history is littered with those who were there first in their particular field. Palm, Sony, IBM, Apple, Xerox, etc. Being first isn't first is no guarantee of being the last man standing. All of these companies were innovative, all had a dominant lock on their market and all were soon surpassed by competitors with better products. In fact, if recent history is our guide, being first with a successful, standard setting product is a high order of probability that you will be the first to drop as the market matures. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Brutal Zune Review
Any examples would be appreciated. Google didn't really help me. I suppose I should try Bing, in light of recent stories that it is slanting its searches to be anti-Apple, but I'd like to know some examples of what it is that you are reading. On Aug 8, 2009, at 1:58 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:mike xha...@gmail.com More in reference to the iphone. Most of these references are in the middle of reviews of phones such as the palm or the hero coming out in the US soon. On Sat, Aug 8, 2009 at 9:10 AM, David K Watson davidkirkwat...@gmail.com wrote: I haven't read anything about how aged the iPod has become, can you point me to one of those blogs? On the other hand, every day I see several articles about a new or updated iPhone/iPod app. And you CAN customize your iPhone home screen, that came with version 2 of the OS. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Brutal Zune Review..and on to winmo
This sounds too much like the children's argument, I know you are, but what am I?. Rather than waiting for the No you are from Tom, and a No YOU are back from you, I beg you: Please, one of you make an actual point instead of going around in circles like this, or let it drop. Of course, that plea never worked with my Mom, either. From:Chris Dunford seed...@gmail.com On Aug 8, 2009, at 1:38 PM, Chris Dunford wrote: Still waiting for the list of reasons why it's vastly inferior. Birther. Yes, apparently you are. We ask birthers for their reasoning, and we get none, just statements of fact with no supporting evidence. Precisely what you're doing right now. Do you have any reasons for what you said, or don't you? * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Brutal Zune Review..and on to winmo
It is interesting that in your mind interface is at worst just fine translates into matches iPod touch. To me though, it says that the interface is manageable with a connotation that it is not great, which matches the impressions I've gathered. But you are right that I should've let Mike speak for himself, and state my own opinions. As for the points you made for the Zune HD, I could address them, but suffice it to say that it really does seem to me that while the Zune HD may have some points in its favor over the current generation of iPhones/Touch, they will not be nearly enough to be any kind of game changer (even assuming that Apple waits a while to update its line, which it won't). From:Chris Dunford seed...@gmail.com But consider the case Mike made for the Zune, a few posts back. If it was cited in an advertisement, it would read something like: Mike says: 'superior processor' . 'interface is at worst just fine'. 'what is there to complain about except lateness issue?' (Exact quotes, and I tried to not to change his meaning.) Would that endorsement make you or anyone else want to go out and buy one? Of course not, but that wasn't the intent of Mike's message. If it had been, it would've listed HD radio, HD video, OLED screen, Marketplace/Xbox connectivity, full WiFi, lower price, etc. The message was responding to negative comments. The basic theme that I got from it was, At the very worst it matches iPod Touch, which you like, so what's your real beef? * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] A Computer Question ... Horrors!
Safari does use site-specific hacks that you can turn off or on under the Develop menu (which you can show or hide in the advanced preferences). Is it possible that you have these hacks turned off? If not, can you give us an example of a site that Safari doesn't render very well? I view a fairly wide variety of websites, and I really don't remember seeing any that don't render properly with Safari 4. From:b_s-wilk b1sun...@yahoo.es Safari tries so hard to be W3C compatible that it doesn't take into account that most web sites, big and small, are not. I'm getting tired of XML not working right. It's annoying. Safari should be written to take into consideration all of the billions of exceptions, instead of the few W3C compatible sites. Not enough pref choices either. Opera is better. Wish iCab would get finished. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Computer gadgets in cars
I'm feeling pedantic today: If 90% had 100 and 10% had 0, then the average is 90. Result: 90% are above average. Math alone isn't sufficient justification. From:Mike xha...@gmail.com Math. Sent from my iPod On Aug 6, 2009, at 10:03 AM, Chris Dunford seed...@gmail.com wrote: Ninety percent of drivers claim to be above average and therefore think they should be allowed to paste any junk they want on their windshields. And how do you know that 90% of drivers AREN'T above average? * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] COMPUTERGUYS-L Digest - 29 Jul 2009 (#2009-709)
I will grant that you can argue this both ways. The way I remember it, version 5.0 was never more than a developer preview, 5.2 was the first true OS X version, and there were big differences in the rendering engine between versions. IE for mac was named the way it was because MS didn't want mac version numbers to get ahead of the windows numbering and appear to be more advanced as a result. On Jul 30, 2009, at 12:00 AM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: And you're using a .x version as a scale? That's almost honest. Version 5 for OS X was released in 2000. Support ended in 2005, 2 years after development ended, which was the result of a 1997 agreement between Apple and MS. Apple replaced IE with Safari. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] OS X blackhat training
(Damn it, I didn't fix the subject: tag again. Sorry.) I will grant that you can argue this both ways. The way I remember it, version 5.0 was never more than a developer preview, 5.2 was the first true OS X version, and there were big differences in the rendering engine between versions. IE for mac was named the way it was because MS didn't want mac version numbers to get ahead of the windows numbering and appear to be more advanced as a result. On Jul 30, 2009, at 12:00 AM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: And you're using a .x version as a scale? That's almost honest. Version 5 for OS X was released in 2000. Support ended in 2005, 2 years after development ended, which was the result of a 1997 agreement between Apple and MS. Apple replaced IE with Safari. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] COMPUTERGUYS-L Digest - 29 Jul 2009 - Special issue (#2009-708)
Microsoft EOLed Office 2004 this year (i.e., after only 5 years), so your example isn't particularly strong one, especially since you are comparing an application to an entire OS. But if applications are fair game, MS released Internet Explorer 5.2 for OS X in 2002, stopped updating it in 2003, and officially ended support for it in 2005. Moving to something somewhat more analogous to an OS, I'd be interested in knowing if Silverlight 1 is still being supported. After all, I can imagine that there are people who would say that it works just fine for them and don't want the troubles of an upgrade, etc. From:Jeff Wright jswri...@gmail.com Apple supports the current and previous versions of the OS. They price their OS upgrades very reasonably and they have a quality product (not Vista). It is easy for their customers to keep up and they get lots of value with each upgrade. It makes little sense to support X.3. I should add that the Microsoft Office updater on the same Macs is having no trouble finding and installing updates to Office 2004, which is roughly the same age as 10.3. I'm sure they're only doing it to make Apple look bad. Apple rules and MS drools. Everyone knows that. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Mac's True Market Share is 91%
Since they are Microsoft, they really ought to call them Wizard bars. Black robes and pointy hats with astral symbols would help too. On Jul 26, 2009, at 4:30 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:t.piwowar t...@tjpa.com ... A leaked presentation has exposed Microsoft's tentative plans for its retail stores -- and the high degree to which they'll imitate Apple stores, down to their layouts and even the presence of a dedicated Guru Bar for help. I guess that by cutting down on originality M$ thinks it is being frugal. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
Re: [CGUYS] Mac's True Market Share is 91%
What was I saying?! Microsoft stores shouldn't have guru bars at all, they should have windows! They should still be populated with wizards though, rather than gurus. And wizard attire would be just the kind of branding they need to set themselves apart from Apple. Since they are Microsoft, they really ought to call them Wizard bars. Black robes and pointy hats with astral symbols would help too. On Jul 26, 2009, at 4:30 PM, COMPUTERGUYS-L automatic digest system wrote: From:t.piwowar t...@tjpa.com ... A leaked presentation has exposed Microsoft's tentative plans for its retail stores -- and the high degree to which they'll imitate Apple stores, down to their layouts and even the presence of a dedicated Guru Bar for help. I guess that by cutting down on originality M$ thinks it is being frugal. * ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *
