About me - Introductions

I'm someone who likes to get the best out of my computer hardware. I love Linux mint, and still have a Windows computer. I line Android phones, and tablets, but sometimes the software goes unsupported after some time and then drastic steps must be taken to keep using the hardware. That is my interest in xda. Looking forward to modding my Nvidia shield tablet k1. Cheers!, B

Linux Mint brings you lots of pleasure. I really don't understand why Windows keeps its popular position. Hope you'll have a nice time here on XDA. It brings you to all parts of the world with extreme expertise.
Just learn how to use it .....
Enjoy a nice stay in a wonderful new week

Related

Ubuntu/Linux realease for mobile devices planned soon

The release is planned for October, but there are bound to be betas beforehand.
Normally with Ubuntu there are major new releases every six months(ish) and with being open source there is no risk of anyone spitting the dummy at libraries of ROMS.
http://www.ubuntu.com/news/ubuntu-for-mobile-internet-devices
For the benefit of those wondering WTF ubuntu is - its already been voted one of the top 100 products of 2007 in PC World. (Can products be free?)
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,131935-page,13/article.html
It is also being offered now by Dell as an alternative to Vista...
http://direct2dell.com/one2one/archive/2007/05/01/13147.aspx
...prompted by Michael Dell using it on his home PC for years.
Well, if I'm not mistaken, the Mobile Internet Device referred by the news, are UMPCs (e.g. fully functional PCs). As such, porting the OS over is easy job, as compared to porting it over WinCe devices.
However, having said that, it is not all lost. With Intel on the market with Linux, chances are, probably there will be more applications written for Linux based OS and will then encourage the dev on Linux on WinCe (if you google, there is a Linux for Wizard project running already).
As far as I know there have been a few shots at linux for the wizard (et al), although the benefit of being ubuntu would be a far wider range of developers, the release structure they favour, and the finances to back it.
I still have a windows 98 boot (for some specific software than runs badly on any newer versions) and if you look at the spec of machines from then (I swapped the board, processor and memory from a Cyrix 166 with 32meg, to a pII 450 with 128 meg about late 1998), the older machines spec does not look particularly good compared to the wizards.
The xubuntu flavour of ubuntu is quite capable of extending the life of older hardware, by running more efficiently - and I have set up a few older machines I was given as scrap to play games for friends' children - to introduce them to 'proper computers' when it does not matter as much when they discover jacobs crackers fit in the floppy, or a CD rom cannot close with enough force to cut off action mans legs.
Anyway - returning to the plot - I would suspect xubuntu is currently not too far from working in a PDA - but the xubuntu project has far lower funding than ubuntu, but could be an excellent platform to adapt.
Well, as far as I know, Linux based systems do not 'really' run more efficiently. The primary reason that Linux OS is able to utilize older hardware is that it is lightweight. Thats like running DOS on older hardware.. it works well.
die, bill, DIE
hanmin said:
Well, as far as I know, Linux based systems do not 'really' run more efficiently. The primary reason that Linux OS is able to utilize older hardware is that it is lightweight. Thats like running DOS on older hardware.. it works well.
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Click to collapse
Nah, its my experience that ALL windows OSs are resource hoggging pigs and linux isn't and it makes much better use of system resource than winblows
take a web server running apache under winnt, replace the os with a flavor of linux and the same machine running apache has more throughput than before.
and there are distros that run very well on just about any machine, put xp on a 200mhz pentium mmx and see if you have a useable machine, that same puter with linux will work great for the average joe blow who just, web browses, emails, does word processing/ doc. creation.
linux will put computing power in the hands of people who cant blow 1000$ every 2 years to get the latest greatest pc. I wont even go into the ridiculous amounts of cash micro$oft charges for new versions of the bug ridden code they pass off as a finished product, then release 4 service packs to band-aid it together.
thanks linus, you should get a nobel peace prize or some sh1t...
bhang
bhang said:
Nah, its my experience that ALL windows OSs are resource hoggging pigs and linux isn't and it makes much better use of system resource than winblows
take a web server running apache under winnt, replace the os with a flavor of linux and the same machine running apache has more throughput than before.
and there are distros that run very well on just about any machine, put xp on a 200mhz pentium mmx and see if you have a useable machine, that same puter with linux will work great for the average joe blow who just, web browses, emails, does word processing/ doc. creation.
linux will put computing power in the hands of people who cant blow 1000$ every 2 years to get the latest greatest pc. I wont even go into the ridiculous amounts of cash micro$oft charges for new versions of the bug ridden code they pass off as a finished product, then release 4 service packs to band-aid it together.
thanks linus, you should get a nobel peace prize or some sh1t...
bhang
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Click to collapse
Here's a good example of some everyday anti-Microsoft rhetoric.
Linux on a slow computer won't make it do anything more than it could do running a Microsoft product. Sure, a finely customized (read: limited) Linux system might use a little less memory, but a slow computer is a slow computer.
Back on topic, I'd look more towards the already-existing Linux projects for the Wizard being useful before any Ubuntu branded distributions would be available. The BlueAngel Linux project from a couple of years ago got pretty far, I wonder if the Wizard is really all that much tougher to get working.
tone007 said:
Here's a good example of some everyday anti-Microsoft rhetoric.
Linux on a slow computer won't make it do anything more than it could do running a Microsoft product. Sure, a finely customized (read: limited) Linux system might use a little less memory, but a slow computer is a slow computer.
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Click to collapse
Yours will be a good example of a .. anti-old PC rhetoric?
I beg to differ. A PC's speed heavily depends on how many instructions it is running. The number of instructions run per second for any PCs is fixed, but having less unnecessary instructions to runs, yields a faster PC. Try running Vista with all fancy eye-candy enabled and browse the internet. Do the same with Windows 95. A slow PC is slow when you run something heavy on it, hence 'a slow computer is a slow computer' isn't true.
hanmin said:
Yours will be a good example of a .. anti-old PC rhetoric?
I beg to differ. A PC's speed heavily depends on how many instructions it is running. The number of instructions run per second for any PCs is fixed, but having less unnecessary instructions to runs, yields a faster PC. Try running Vista with all fancy eye-candy enabled and browse the internet. Do the same with Windows 95. A slow PC is slow when you run something heavy on it, hence 'a slow computer is a slow computer' isn't true.
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Click to collapse
When Ubuntu for Mobile phones is in 20 years of development, then I will consider it, however for my everyday needs, WM6 has me covered. Thanks, but no thanks. This is just the beginning for Linux on a phone, it has a LONG way to go to keep up.
Not only that, you have to find someone WILLING to create the software for FREE and well, you get what you paid for.
If you are a C++ programmer, Linux on a Mobile Phone will be a welcome challenge, but there is no market for Linux on a phone YET. Only reason anyone one the market will choose to switch is due to a CHANGE from what's already out there. I do not feel it compares at all to WM6 yet.
Sure, you can run faster, once you remove all of the graphics, background processes, etc, but you can do that with WM6 too. That's what people are creating their own roms for.
Water down any OS and you will find that it runs really fast and really well.
I wonder if there will be Blackberry support? It might be interesting to toy with.
NeoDMD said:
When Ubuntu for Mobile phones is in 20 years of development, then I will consider it, however for my everyday needs, WM6 has me covered. Thanks, but no thanks. This is just the beginning for Linux on a phone, it has a LONG way to go to keep up.
Not only that, you have to find someone WILLING to create the software for FREE and well, you get what you paid for.
If you are a C++ programmer, Linux on a Mobile Phone will be a welcome challenge, but there is no market for Linux on a phone YET. Only reason anyone one the market will choose to switch is due to a CHANGE from what's already out there. I do not feel it compares at all to WM6 yet.
Sure, you can run faster, once you remove all of the graphics, background processes, etc, but you can do that with WM6 too. That's what people are creating their own roms for.
Water down any OS and you will find that it runs really fast and really well.
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So that's why Motorola already have, and Palm are developing linux mobile phones?
Linux on a mobile device is going to be here on mainstream handsets very soon, within the next 12 months guaranteed.
The reason?
Licensing costs.
If you develop an open source OS, and set of codecs to handle media, you don't have to pay so much to all the companies you traditionally hand money over to when you sell a phone.
People who buy a mobile phone rarely care if it can run Microsoft's pocket office apps, or RIM's office apps, or anyone elses, just as long as they can write that document, or email, and easily send it, or get it onto their PC.
People also don't care if it runs WM6, Symbian UIQ, S60, Linux, Palm, or Blackberry, they just care if it can do xyz functions, looks nice, and they can afford it.
We care, but we are not the majority of the market.
And lets be honest, out of all the mobile OS' out there, which is going to be the most hackable?
Linux on our HTC devices is always going to be a hobby more than a real alternative OS, since it's based on who wants what, and has the time to develop it. But on a commercially available device sold with it, it's already here, and more are on the way!
Linux is faster - especially non GNOME distros.
There is also Ubuntu light on the horizon.
I read this article which to me is a good summary...
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=40532
...and to reiterate my aforementioned point in addition to the seeking of fees - who requested the removal of the rom library here? So greater control with open source to the savvy end user.
Additionally - many of us are running linux without even realising - as its often the OS running in your routers/wireless modems.
Finally - if Windows kit for PDAs/smart phones was any good - would there be a reason for a forum like this to improve upon it, or are we all just really pernickety people?
Ubuntu is a really amazing OS.
I have been running it for a while already, and I love it (except sometimes I screwed up, need to resetup).
U should all try it
Straight from the disk it saw and set up everything - including setting the two hyperthreading processors as 4 processors (I have the non server disk version too).
Only problem so far is its not happy with my Sandisk U3 Titanium.
Another point worth mentioning is the lightest/fastest/most secure browser is purportedly 'Dilo' which is written for Linux - but I have not tried it yet. (Although the security is based on the 'you cannot hijack it - if we dont support it' school of thought.)
Linux rocks, I have ubuntu running on one of my desktops and am seriously considering dual booting my other with Fedora KDE. It really did a lot to speed up my old compaq, and i am not running a "watered down" version, I have more aps and programs on this than i did on xp, and it still boots faster and i have yet to have a weekly crash like i did with xp. I really would like it on my wizard, but in the meantime i'm going to watch palm's develpment and look in that direction.
Linwizard
If you want to play a bit this works on my wizard. Still a long way to go but I can say I have linux on my wizard. And I don't have to change anything or lose my current setup. Just extract the folder to your SD and run the app. I haven't figured out how to exit the program with out a soft reset, but big deal. Also there is no touch screen support or shifted or symbol support for the keyboard.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/linwizard/
Cheers...

Any Laptop

Alright guys. I'm getting a new laptop for school next year, and I can get basically anything that I want. I don't really want a Mac, because quite honestly, I'd end up installing Windows on it and never using the iOS. So, what computer would you choose (laptop, anyone you want!). I've been looking at The Lenovo IdeaPad Y540 with the RapidDrive. Any suggestions?
toshiba satellite laptops are good. my sister has one. it's good, and not too expensive.
KHeeney5 said:
Alright guys. I'm getting a new laptop for school next year, and I can get basically anything that I want. I don't really want a Mac, because quite honestly, I'd end up installing Windows on it and never using the iOS. So, what computer would you choose (laptop, anyone you want!). I've been looking at The Lenovo IdeaPad Y540 with the RapidDrive. Any suggestions?
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Click to collapse
Get one of thw intel i5 i3 and something else ones.
I have i5 and i3 blazing fast and HP!
KHeeney5 said:
Alright guys. I'm getting a new laptop for school next year, and I can get basically anything that I want. I don't really want a Mac, because quite honestly, I'd end up installing Windows on it and never using the iOS. So, what computer would you choose (laptop, anyone you want!). I've been looking at The Lenovo IdeaPad Y540 with the RapidDrive. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to the dell website and customize a laptop to whatever you want, you know, choose your own: processor, ram, hardrive space, graphics card etc.
I customized an inspiron 1525 a whil back and its running nicely
how about the best of both worlds , getting a macbook to show around and get the honeys in school , and having it dual boot windows at home to get some work done (when nobody sees you , ofc)
I use Lenovo Thinkpads normally. They are awesome. I really like their customer service. It's really IBM, but they are very patient and knowledgeable.
Well, you'd never use iOS on a Mac anyways, since iOS doesn't run on Macs (except in the emulator as part of the iOS SDK).
It is all about what you need. I'd get a Dell and run Ubuntu on it if I wasn't relying on certain Mac OS X software. Oh wait, I have a Dell running Ubuntu that I use a lot, in addition to my MacBook Pro.
The problem is you don't specify your needs at all, there is no best computer. I love my MacBook Pro and I love my Dell. And I'd happily recommend either of them to you, or several other machines - depending on your needs. So, what do you need?
I'd advise against getting a Dell Inspiron. There's a design flaw in the hinge where the case starts to spread apart; my girlfriend, mother, and roommate all have the problem and it started just after a year of owning their laptops. If you're already looking at Lenovo and you really can "get pretty much whatever you want" I'd suggest looking at a ThinkPad, the build quality is much better than the IdeaPads.
What are you exactly planning to do with the laptop?
You might need extra graphics muscle for vid editing our gaming.
Go for something with a sandy bridge. I'll be somewhat futureproof.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
souljaboy said:
how about the best of both worlds , getting a macbook to show around and get the honeys in school , and having it dual boot windows at home to get some work done (when nobody sees you , ofc)
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Click to collapse
Seconded.
Or you can just boot Windows and say;
"I REALLY love the hardware, but Mac is sooooo last picosecond ago."
Otherwise, go for an ultraportable.
http://goo.gl/TDMgh
This one.
sakai4eva said:
Seconded.
Or you can just boot Windows and say;
"I REALLY love the hardware, but Mac is sooooo last picosecond ago."
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Click to collapse
Have you ever actually USED OS X? Like I said, a computer is a tool. OS X provides the core foundation to do things Windows users can only dream of. Want me to blow your mind? I can show you videowall and blended projector setups running all in software (plus some Matrox TripleHead2Go's) doing things that required thousands of dollars worth of video processing hardware five years ago.
Granted, that's a rare application, but the same benefits apply to lower-level programs too. Mac OS has had true, full system-wide color management since the first OS X release. Windows? Their new, much-touted color management is about on the same level as Mac OS 9 was - 11 years ago.
Apple has done a great job providing creative professionals with an amazing platform. Sadly, it seems like they're abandoning us in favor of the content consumers and iOS. We shall see. But for right now, it's the best thing out there for the needs of many creative professionals.
Mark Uhde said:
Have you ever actually USED OS X? Like I said, a computer is a tool. OS X provides the core foundation to do things Windows users can only dream of. Want me to blow your mind? I can show you videowall and blended projector setups running all in software (plus some Matrox TripleHead2Go's) doing things that required thousands of dollars worth of video processing hardware five years ago.
Granted, that's a rare application, but the same benefits apply to lower-level programs too. Mac OS has had true, full system-wide color management since the first OS X release. Windows? Their new, much-touted color management is about on the same level as Mac OS 9 was - 11 years ago.
Apple has done a great job providing creative professionals with an amazing platform. Sadly, it seems like they're abandoning us in favor of the content consumers and iOS. We shall see. But for right now, it's the best thing out there for the needs of many creative professionals.
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Click to collapse
Have you ever actually USED Windows 7? Like I said, a computer is a tool. Windows 7 provides the core foundation to do things Mac users can only dream of. Want me to blow your mind? I can show you 16xAA and 4xAF graphics on SIX monitors (plus some sick DirectX 11 tessellation) doing things that required thousands of dollars worth of Mac hardware five months ago.
Granted, that's a common application, but the same benefits apply to lower-level programs too. Windows 7 has true 3d games since its release. Mac? Their new, much-touted app store is probably 4 to 5 years behind.
Microsoft/AMD/ATI/NVidia/Intel has done a great job providing gamers with an amazing platform. Sadly, it seems like they're abandoning us in favor of the content consumers and consoles. We shall see. But for right now, it's the best thing out there for the needs of many gamers.
FTFY.
Um, not sure if it was your intent, but you only proved my point. Different uses need different tools. We've got Windows 7 sitting and running up at the church on two machines that have replaced our sound boards (both front of house and monitor mix) and much of our effects and processing gear. Software Audio Console by RML Labs. Great product, and runs fantastically well on Windows 7. The developer is a bit of a nut, and he himself is always complaining about what Microsoft does poorly in Windows (especially in regards to memory management, which he notes is tuned more towards most processing power, not lowest latency like one desires in a live audio application). Regardless, he's managed to get Windows down to a few milliseconds of latency, and he has the whole setup working very, very well.
So, you proved my point. Windows 7 is a great gaming OS. I never said it wasn't There's a lot more to this world than games, but if games are what you want, the Windows 7 is where it's at - though OS X is catching up. It's definitely had "true 3D" since release. Right now the two big issues are drivers that aren't really tweak-able - and tuned more towards rendering accuracy than performance; and the actual support of developers (though both have improved a lot in the last year).
Mark Uhde said:
Um, not sure if it was your intent, but you only proved my point. Different uses need different tools. We've got Windows 7 sitting and running up at the church on two machines that have replaced our sound boards (both front of house and monitor mix) and much of our effects and processing gear. Software Audio Console by RML Labs. Great product, and runs fantastically well on Windows 7. The developer is a bit of a nut, and he himself is always complaining about what Microsoft does poorly in Windows (especially in regards to memory management, which he notes is tuned more towards most processing power, not lowest latency like one desires in a live audio application). Regardless, he's managed to get Windows down to a few milliseconds of latency, and he has the whole setup working very, very well.
So, you proved my point. Windows 7 is a great gaming OS. I never said it wasn't There's a lot more to this world than games, but if games are what you want, the Windows 7 is where it's at - though OS X is catching up. It's definitely had "true 3D" since release. Right now the two big issues are drivers that aren't really tweak-able - and tuned more towards rendering accuracy than performance; and the actual support of developers (though both have improved a lot in the last year).
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Click to collapse
I'm just trying to say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Whatever platform that you use, as long as you are happy with it. I will not begrudge you if you decide to buy a Mac for legitimate reasons (graphics editing, etc.), but a Windows PC for me is a much better deal. Maybe its because I've grown up around Windows, so I'll never get the "need" for an overpriced and underspec'd computer.
And, yes, my PC is kinda heavily modified
Glad we could find a middle ground
Get a Macbook Pro, At least you wouldn't be getting those annoying updates and useless Norton Anti-virus notification. I been a pc user for more than 10 years and Os X is really not bad like people make it out to be.
sakai4eva said:
I'm just trying to say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Whatever platform that you use, as long as you are happy with it. I will not begrudge you if you decide to buy a Mac for legitimate reasons (graphics editing, etc.), but a Windows PC for me is a much better deal. Maybe its because I've grown up around Windows, so I'll never get the "need" for an overpriced and underspec'd computer.
And, yes, my PC is kinda heavily modified
Glad we could find a middle ground
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Click to collapse
I think if you'd shop it, you'd find Macs aren't bad for what you're getting, price wise. There are things that have value people don't mention. Things like the glass screen on laptops (hard to damage and easy to clean - sadly, also REALLY bad glare) and the large full-multitouch glass trackpad... it's a joy to use, easy and fast.
As for the desktops, Mac Pros are crazy pricey at first glance. But when you look closer, they're using server (Xeon) processors and server-grade components. Which makes almost no difference in performance, but it does legitimately add a fortune to the cost. Apple needs a true desktop machine. But if you compare it to other machines using the same components, pricing is similar or better.
The big thing is that Apple has no low-end, cheap-built, high-performance machines. Their machines are all made THEIR WAY. No choices. 1984 style, even. I do not like that, but when looked at in the broader market, it's not so bad - Macs are one of many choices to find the best tool for each job. Windows is also one of many choices. I spend much of my time on a Dell in Linux
BTW, I wasn't even talking graphics editing. Though the color management engine makes Macs great for that. Next time you go to a concert and see walls of video screens behind the stage and stuff like that, and you assume there's a ton of fancy video gear, there might not be. The software exists, on Mac OS X, to do that all in software today. And the software exists, on Windows, to mix sound all in software, today. And the results, in both cases, are as good as traditional hardware solutions.
Sorry I have't posted back guys. But I ended up ordering:
Toshiba Portege r700
Windows 7 Pro 64 bit
Intel i7 @ 2.67 GHz
4 GB DDR2
120 GB SSD
Fingerprint Scanner
HDMI Out
13.3 inch widescreen
The SSD and DDR2 was important to me since I will be a computer engineering student. I love it. Fast, extremely thin (for all the guts) and just as light as my girlfriends MB Air.
Thanks for your help.
Sent from my DROIDX
Sounds like a nice machine, but I question why you wanted DDR2, and not DDR3. I'm just a noob though.
ASUS G51J works GREAT for gaming and school

Ubuntu Home Edition

ButterflyCommunity​
Couple of friends and me came to an idea of making our own distribution.Our idea is to make Linux distribution suitable for not so geeky people(eg.older people like your mom or dad,or young people like children in elementray scholl).Thats how we started making Ubuntu Home Edition.Linux distribution based on Ubuntu that everyone can use.Theres no commom unnecesary problems that cause headache to your family.
We made our own update menager that allows them to update specific apps at time they choose.In addition to that UHE has enabled optition to clean it self every week,by "clean" i mean it cleans cache,history etc.
UHE comes preinstalled with all the software they could ever nedd browser,mail client,office client etc.
We think that UHE will be perfect solution for "familiy administrators",they will be able to setup UHE for their familiy,and just foget about it,no worry about av updates,product activations,maintaining computer.
I want to hear you opinion and recomondations as well as critics.
Official website
All the tips post here or send them to our tip email(find it under suppoet section on website),please dont PM for that reason.
Sounds like a good idea. I have family members, mostly older that only want internet and email. Ubuntu with Firefox/Chromium and Thunderbird would be all they need. How does this handle OS and software updates? If its something that can be kept up to date with little computer knowledge then this may be worth it.
Looks like it would be a pretty good idea.
I love the idea of it but your link is broken or it loads up a blank page with one icon on it so I can't really tell you much else about what I think. It's hard to get people to get started with linux but I think it's been getting easier than it used to be thanks to graphical installers. Just make sure to make the installer idiot proof and give it wide compatibility with some extra drivers for all those older people using crazy hardware and I think it'd be great! Keep it open source and offer the source everyone loves that. Uhm.... don't charge money? hehehe
All of my work is opensource,becaouse i belive that opensource is future.And yes there are extra drivers and extra languages build in.

[Discussion/Rant] Disappointments in Current technology

Hey Guys Kyuubi10 here again.
I had a thought on my head and couldn't help but share to see if people have the same views as me.
I am currently disappointed with phones, tablets and computers...both on a hardware level and on a software level.
While I do see technology getting better each year I have a feeling that we are currently stuck in a cycle which the major companies are unwilling to break.
Let me go deeper into detail. But to make this thought comprehensive to most people I'll try to organise it by topic.
Software:
Most developers nowadays have a huge disregard for code efficiency, and as such the advancement into making code more efficient has slowed almost to a halt. Because our devices are becoming each day more powerful, developers don't care anymore about creating applications which don't consume RAM, nor applications which are bug-free on release.
Instead buggy applications are released, which consume loads of RAM, because a future update will fix bugs, and devices will get better and have more RAM.
Thus new and inexperienced developers are not being taught the value in making an efficient program.
And this annoys me.
This brings me to Java, and Android. While I love android and what it stands for, the fact that it still runs mostly on Java annoys me. Java being hated by most developers, and being seen as a backward step in the development world is one of the major programming languages in today's world.
Google, being a great company should set up an institution made to further programming standards, and through such institution it should begin laying the foundations for a new programming language to be used with Android.and it's focus should be efficiency.
Also, highly disappointed in the progress of Windows 10. Mentioned to be a revolutionary step for Windows....yet it is simply a reworked GUI for Windows 8. It still even has the charms!!! All that was done was to make Windows store apps open within windows rather than fullscreen, and fixed a couple bugs. Oh yeh, and Cortana...which seems more like a spy than a virtual assistant. It actually refuses to work unless you let it monitor your location. Why does it need so much info?
Microsoft Edge feels like a beta testing version. I thought that they would at least incorporate some Internet Explorer functionality to Edge. But it is not even recognized as a browser by certain websites. At this moment in time IE is still better than the "revolutionary" Edge.
You are still better off with Firefox or Chrome.
On the Linux side of things...it still annoys me that there is very little support for Linux. But that has enough complaints on the internet to make its own case, I'll avoid repeating everything all over again.
Instead I'll make a complaint about Android. Why is almost no-one building an android port which works well as a desktop OS?
Why are we still limited between OSX, Windows and Linux (which has little support)?
Android has been around long enough...but very few people are making an effort in creating a fully functional version of android for desktop.
The way I see it is that Android is based on Linux...it should contribute back to the Linux community. Someone should use a well established Linux distro and mix it with Android. If their runtimes are incompatible then a technology such as CoLinux or UML could be used to run both at the same time. While also using KSM to keep RAM consumption to a minimum.
This could be well supported by Google (Now Alphabet), and the community.
Hardware:
While the development of CPUs is going strong, with Intel, Nvidia, Qualcomm and MediaTek trying to best each other...Other things aren't doing quite as well. Especially RAM. This mostly being the fault of OEMs, trying to keep costs as low as possible while squeezing every cent from their customers.
This is highly noticeable when you get Tablets which are up to 4x bigger than a phone and have the same amount of RAM as a phone. This kills multitasking abilities in our modern day devices.
We already have 64-bit CPU chips...why isn't it yet common for our devices to have 4GB+ of RAM? Asus showed that it's possible with its Zenfone 2.
How long will it take other OEMs to follow suit? The progress in this area has been too slow over the years.
Again, especially for tablets. Those things should have been reaching 6GB or more within 2014 and 2015. We definitely have the technology to do it.
While for desktop and laptops I'd love to see qualcomm and Nvidia to step up into this market with their ARM based chips.
It would be interesting to see a mix of Dedicated graphics interacting with an ARM CPU...I wonder if that is possible.
But the advantages of ARM chips are undeniable...They have even started to appear into the server market, and yet nothing for personal PCs. This is sad. The battery reduction, heat reduction achieved by such chips would make computers so much more powerful. But advances in this area are also moving foward too slowly even though we already have the technology to do it.
Security
But this annoys me most of all. The lack of focus about security.
While technology increases, it seems that no one is worrying about the security of new devices etc...
I mean, if someone stole my smartwatch all they would have to do is reset it and they could connect it to their smartphone as if I had never owned it.
That breaks my heart.
How hard is it to create a pair of symmetrical encryption keys, or 2 pairs of asymmetrical ones (if you want to be paranoid), in order to make sure that the smartwatch works only with that specific smartphone which has the correct keys.
This would also mean that if the owner wanted to use a second device to connect to their smartwatch it would be fine and safe as long as they have the correct keys. Thus improve functionality and safety with one blow.
With a whole load of smart devices being offered currently and very few of them have any security whatsoever! It annoys me deeply.
Obviously there are other security issues all of which have already been extensively discussed, such as encryption while surfing the web as default, efficiency of current standards etc...
As a solution I believe that the major tech companies in the world should get together and make a consortium with the purpose of advancing technology.
The idea is that once a new technology/protocol/standard is introduced by one of these companies then the others test it extensively, and if it is found to improve current technology they all adopt it. Because the main issue is that while many solutions exist, they are not wide spread because most companies don't use these solutions.
But if the most significant companies in the tech industry lead the way by using the new technologies, then by default the other smaller companies will follow.
But such a consortium needs to exist in order to avoid useless competition.
Competition is good when it is a force to improve current standards, not when it isolates another company's improvements by rejecting their solutions.
I agree with most of your points but I have to disagree in regards to Windows 10. As Microsoft explained it will be continuously improved. I think with Win 10 they finally listen to its customers (more than 90% satisfied). In my opinion 10 is far, faaar better then 8 and I think its developing is going into the right direction.
As this is about more than smartphones... And not about anything in specific... I'm moving this to the off topic section. :good:
Thanks,
Darth
Forum Moderator
Darth said:
As this is about more than smartphones... And not about anything in specific... I'm moving this to the off topic section. :good:
Thanks,
Darth
Forum Moderator
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hehe, I found no thanks button. So I'll reply instead! Thank you! )
markdc said:
I agree with most of your points but I have to disagree in regards to Windows 10. As Microsoft explained it will be continuously improved. I think with Win 10 they finally listen to its customers (more than 90% satisfied). In my opinion 10 is far, faaar better then 8 and I think its developing is going into the right direction.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, you bring a good point. But this comes back to what I said that developers now are not worried about bringing a great product into the market, they bring an unfinished project which will then be updated as time goes on.
In fact what people are happy about Windows 10 is more due to the GUI changes. (No full screen apps, start button is back where it belongs.)
While my complaint comes more from the fact that they took a really long time to build Windows 10, and it still is Windows 8 with a different GUI. Which makes me think, what did they do with the huge time they took developing it?
Personally, I liked Windows 8... Yes it had its flaws, but it was revolutionary. It was magnitudes faster than Windows 7, albeit it had many glitches. But those were ironed out with 8.1.
It was Microsoft's first attempt at merging their mobile OS to their Desktop one. And to me this was a great idea, and improvement.
Windows 10 on the other hand doesn't feel as revolutionary as they claimed, from a technical perspective. Yes from a business perspective, it is something new, but not the software itself.
Can you see my argument?
But you are right, and I agree with you in the fact that it is moving in the right direction. I hope that Microsoft's push to mix a mobile OS and a desktop OS will inspire Google to do the same to its Android OS.
Chrome OS just doesn't truly feel like a proper OS.

A man without a platform

Hi all, my name is Will and I am addicted to phones.
The seeds of that addiction were planted on this very site circa 2004 with the arrival of my shiny new SX66. A Seimans distributed version of the HTC Blueangel. It was a marvelous device which still works today. There were many devices to follow. Wizards, Touch Pros and HD2s among many devices in between. On this site I learned to keep the devices fresh with the cutting edge software of the day. I started to get into mods like Co0kies Home Tab and ROM’s like the venerable Energy Rom. Then I set up a kitchen and started tweaking my own roms to be exactly what I wanted. All of the latest OS features, my preferred mods and other files to streamline the setup. This is a progression that I am sure is familiar to many on this forum. Man those were the days.
Whether I was using a ROM I cooked up myself or one of the more polished ones offered by others there is always a little instability or a feature that doesn’t quite work. Eventually you get into a cycle of Flash-Fix-Flash. It’s great fun because there’s always one more tweak or a new mod to try. However you get to a point where the frequent unavailability or unreliability of your device becomes a hindrance, especially if you rely on your device to make a living. You start to justify why you need to do this next build or try this other ROM to solve all of your problem and then everything will be ok. I promise...
One morning I looked up from a keyboard to a disturbing buzzing sound echoing through the house. It was my alarm clock. At that moment I realized that I had spent the entire night doing flash-fix-flash trying to solve a particularly annoying but admittedly minor issue. Still wearing the clothes I’d worn to work the day before I fired up the coffee pot and headed for a shower. Clearly something needed to change.
I had been watching a new phone by HTC running a different OS. It had a fresh look and a quirky chin. I was ready to take the plunge but there were carrier issues and a wife growing weary of my constant phone upgrades. So I waited. Eventually I succumb to the pull of the new and tried a flurry of phones, some android and one fruity one. My biggest accomplishment with the fruit phone was not breaking it before it was returned. Most frustrating week of my life.
Anyway I eventually moved to Android and everything was grand. Shiny new hardware, a fresh OS and no more ROM of the week. Soon though my hardware was no longer shiny and the OS was no longer fresh. Not unexpectedly the community on XDA had grown rapidly and like phones before this site enabled me to run newer software on my phone than the OEM or my carrier dared to allow. Then came mods, and ROMS and kitchens and before I knew it I was back to Flash-Fix-Flash. Things would be better this time though. I knew it would be. I willed it to be. Between work and family who had time to learn all of those new technologies and techniques anyway.
I’d come full circle.
About that time the second wave of hardware for the newly born Windows Phone started to become available. It turned out to be a good match. A unique and fluid user experience, features that you still can’t find on other platforms and no Flash-Fix-Flash. I was content for a long time to use a WP device as my daily driver and just tinker on Android when the itch was too much to bear.
Unfortunately this couldn’t last. MS has systematically removed any features that are unique or useful and their latest effort WP10 is particularly disheartening as it removes the last of the unique features and offers little more than the WP launcher and a fairly polished experience in return. I relegated my WP device to work and started carrying an Android device as a personal phone to start catching up on where the community had progressed to. This was equally disheartening as Android is just as disjointed a user experience as it has been for years. Yes there are great things about Android. There are great things about windows too. If I could get the polished user experience of WP with the flexibility and app playground of Android on descent hardware I’d be a content man. Sadly it’s not an option. I can have polish or flexibility but apparently not both.
For the first time in over a decade I find myself without a shining star in the mobile arena. No piece of hardware or software that just grabs me as a gotta have device. I look at the variety of phones currently sitting on my desk and they all have something the other is missing. This isn’t a flagship phone dilemma or a desire for some obscure hardware or software feature. I accept tradeoffs, this is about the whole experience. There’s no vision for how a phone achieves its potential, at least none obviously trying to reach that potential. Android continues to improve behind the scenes but there’s nothing new or exciting coming to the OS much less anything addressing its long time flaws. What good are a great hardware selection and more fart apps than you can shake a stick at if the underlying UX is just blah? In contrast Microsoft is trying to become irrelevant by moving to be as bland and vanilla as possible while not addressing its main shortcomings such as app development and hardware selection.
I’m not trying to fire up any trolls or other heated discussions. I’m just a man on a journey wondering whether something fun is around the corner. It appears not.

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