Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

Xbox One: Three ways it could affect PC gaming ( PC Gamer 2013-05-21 )

Microsoft (still) won’t focus on the “traditional desktop PC game” ( PC Gamer 2013-05-23 )

You can definitely say that the verdict from real Gamers ( not Cut-the-Rope Angry-Birds Fruit-Ninja players ) is not good. Another MicroFail underway.

Microsoft's Xbox head: 'If you’re backwards compatible, you’re really backwards' ( The Verge 2013-05-22 )

Microsoft on Xbox One: Backwards compatibility is "really backwards" ( NeoWin 2013-05-23 )

Another MicroDummy with foot-in-mouth disease. Jeez Louise. And there ain't no walking this back either. He is literally describing Xbox One as the "future" and everything else as history! This Softie has a name - Don Mattrick. And for some strange reason that gives me dyslexia and I keep reading it as Dot Matrix

Former CEO of Electronic Arts: gamers will “learn to love” always-online gaming ( PC Gamer 2013-05-22 )

Birds of a feather. EA is one of the most hated companies still around and earn awards for that feat every year. Microsoft has somehow added EA-envy to their previous afflictions, Apple-envy, Google-envy, IBM-envy. If you stop and think about it though, it looks more like a lot of fake competition between all these tech companies, and they are more likely than not just playing a public relations game to make us think they are competing when in reality they are merely like the Five Families meeting in upstate New York or Atlantic City in order to divide up the territory and the spoils.

Ballmer: Microsoft hiring thousands in China for Windows Phone and cloud services ( NeoWin 2013-05-23 )

Hmmmm. Now that sounds really enticing. Trust our data and programs to be managed by slave labor in China! Why not farm out everything including the picture snooping. Egads man! Also, I just saw somewhere that the Xbox is being made by FoxConn. I guess now their Apple-envy is complete

Happy 23rd birthday, Windows 3.0 ( UK Register 2013-05-23 )

Here's a nice change-of-pace for those that are getting burned out from all the MicroFails. And it just reminded me that we somehow missed the Win98se 14th Anniversary one month ago today ( for RTM filestamps ) 1999-04-23.

[Tripredacus]

Xbox One: Three ways it could affect PC gaming ( PC Gamer 2013-05-21 )

Microsoft (still) won’t focus on the “traditional desktop PC game” ( PC Gamer 2013-05-23 )

You can definitely say that the verdict from real Gamers ( not Cut-the-Rope Angry-Birds Fruit-Ninja players ) is not good. Another MicroFail underway.

So far, from what I have been able to gather, most X-Box fans do NOT like this new product. Those who think its cool and really want it are in the minority for sure. The most reaction seems to be saying they are either sold on the PS4 or going back to PC gaming.

Regarding the app usage... People still see PCs (notebooks included) as being different than phones. Even with touch enabled devices, people who buy PCs with Windows 8 are less likely to use them as phones or tablets. These people who show low or very low app usage probably have their web browser open for most of the time.

[jaclaz]

As a side note, anyone can read something their own way.

I read this:

http://news.techworld.com/security/3447306/internet-explorer-10-blocks-more-malware-than-chrome-or-firefox-test-finds/

https://www.nsslabs.com/reports/2013-browser-security-comparative-analysis-socially-engineered-malware%20

as:

I can see in Opera things that in 98.13% of cases an Internet Explorer 10 user cannot.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083658/quotes?item=qt0378266

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Malware sites beyond the borders of the Internet. I watched javascripts glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain... Time to die.

I don' t want/need MS (or google for that matters) tell me what I can access and what not (a friendly warning is one thing, but we all know how this kind of things tend to become "wider" and "intrusive", the leap from this to "restricted access" or to "government approved" content is smaller than it might seem )

Humanity is doomed .

jaclaz

[Formfiller]

Paul Thurrott looks into his crystal ball:

Azure Is the Future of Microsoft

Quite a barfworthy article IMHO. Many quotes in there to demonstrate his shill-worthyness.

I like the tenor that just because Microsoft wants something, the customer has to bend over.

"Customer is king" is dead.

[JorgeA]

Latest from Neowin:

Study: 60% of Windows 8 desktop users launch a Modern app less than once a day

Today, a new report claims that the percentage of current Windows 8 owners that use Modern apps extensively is quite low. The report comes from Soluto, which sent a copy of its findings to Neowin ahead of their official launch today. The Israel-based software company collects data from a PC app that helps with finding performance problems. Soluto says that for their report they looked at 10,848 Windows 8 PCs and analyzed 313,142 Modern app launches across 9,634 unique Metro apps.

And elsewhere ...

Study suggests majority of Windows 8 users ignore Metro apps ( TechSpot 2013-05-22 )

More than half of Windows 8 users just treat it like Windows 7. Almost nobody using Windows Store apps, survey finds ( UK Register 2013-05-22 )

Quite a beating the MetroTards are taking in the comments, even at NeoWin. Probably a bit surprising to them.

Looks like I'm not the only one who took Soluto's report and ran with it.

Nice quote at the end of the article in the second link above:

Redmond is planning to offer a preview of a Windows 8.1 update toward the end of June, which many industry-watchers are hoping will help to rectify some of Windows 8's more obvious deficiencies. We've heard various rumors about changes it might bring, ranging from restoring the Start button to allowing users to skip the Start Screen altogether.

Hopefully Microsoft hasn't spent too much effort polishing up its bundled [Metro] apps, though – because, honestly, no one will notice.

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

I don' t want/need MS (or google for that matters) tell me what I can access and what not (a friendly warning is one thing, but we all know how this kind of things tend to become "wider" and "intrusive", the leap from this to "restricted access" or to "government approved" content is smaller than it might seem )

Amen to that!!

Don't know about their browser Chrome, but I like the way that Google's search engine gives you a warning about a website in the search results. Norton security products will also give you a warning page if you click on a dangerous site. Both of them will allow you to proceed to the site anyway if you want to. As in so many other things, this "user choice" is the way to do it.

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

Here's a nice change-of-pace for those that are getting burned out from all the MicroFails. And it just reminded me that we somehow missed the Win98se 14th Anniversary one month ago today ( for RTM filestamps ) 1999-04-23.

Oh wow, and it's the 15th anniversary of Windows 98 Standard Edition!

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

Xbox One: Three ways it could affect PC gaming ( PC Gamer 2013-05-21 )

Microsoft (still) won’t focus on the “traditional desktop PC game” ( PC Gamer 2013-05-23 )

You can definitely say that the verdict from real Gamers ( not Cut-the-Rope Angry-Birds Fruit-Ninja players ) is not good. Another MicroFail underway.

So far, from what I have been able to gather, most X-Box fans do NOT like this new product. Those who think its cool and really want it are in the minority for sure. The most reaction seems to be saying they are either sold on the PS4 or going back to PC gaming.

Regarding the app usage... People still see PCs (notebooks included) as being different than phones. Even with touch enabled devices, people who buy PCs with Windows 8 are less likely to use them as phones or tablets. These people who show low or very low app usage probably have their web browser open for most of the time.

I can't comment on gaming issues, but your second point makes sense to me. With a real PC there's no particular purpose for "apps."

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

Ballmer: Microsoft hiring thousands in China for Windows Phone and cloud services ( NeoWin 2013-05-23 )

Hmmmm. Now that sounds really enticing. Trust our data and programs to be managed by slave labor in China! Why not farm out everything including the picture snooping. Egads man! Also, I just saw somewhere that the Xbox is being made by FoxConn. I guess now their Apple-envy is complete

Oh yeah, having the Azure servers based in China would make me REALLY excited about hiring Microsoft to process my company's data!

Somehow, the following portion of Neowin's illustration seems very fitting:

Imagine when (not if) "People's Liberation Army" hackers get into the stuff there. This is a security disaster (and lawsuit avalanche) waiting to happen. I wouldn't want to be the CEO of (or a stockholder in) the company that put customer information over there.

--JorgeA

Edited May 23, 2013 by JorgeA

[jaclaz]

Looks like I'm not the only one who took Soluto's report and ran with it.

Sure , but the "other people" had not have been warned before by me , that makes a big difference .

Really, the syllogism "someone made a study/research/poll/whatever" = "the study has been carried with correct sampling and conclusions were drawn correctly and are unbiased and representing reality" is something that should be - by this time - found to be vastly false.

In the case of Soluto, their sample can be hardly representative of the "entire" Windows 8 user base as what they sell (and from which they gathered usage) seems like being aimed to either the geek or to technical users involved in remote assistance of some kind (which of course tend to have as customers people that have to work)

No real news that such users do not use NCI much.

Actually that should be the work of a good journalist, besides pumping up the news about it, he/she should verify the "soundness" of the study.

Statements like:

http://www.neowin.net/news/study-60-of-windows-8-desktop-users-launch-a-modern-app-less-than-once-a-day

Soluto also examined the Yahoo Mail app user base in more detail and found that desktop owners open the app the most, at 25.59 launches a week, with laptop users launching it 24.52 times a week. Oddly, the touchscreen-based PC users of Yahoo Mail opened the app fewer times a week than their regular Windows 8 counterparts. Soluto stated, "Yahoo! Mail is an extremely engaging app showing that Yahoo! Mail users 1) love Yahoo! Mail and 2) get along with the Metro interface."

are - to say the least - inconsistent.

The number of times in a week you "launch" your e-mail app has really nothing to do with how much you "love" it or how "friendly" is it's interface, it is something that you either *need* to do or that you *need* it not.

Counterexample:

In (say) Texas cars of comparable year of manufacturer have a higher mileage than in New England, and there are far more 4WD pickups per 100 people in Texas than in NewEngland.

This does NOT mean that Texans:

1. love driving
   
2. get along well with 4WD pickups
   

it may mean that.

it may also mean that their homes are on average further from their workplace and there are less paved roads in the state

It may also mean that since Chuck Norris drives one of those, you must have one too, or you are a sissy .

jaclaz

[JorgeA]

Apropos of the gaming and Xbox-related articles we've been posting:

Google engineer: DRM has nothing to do with piracy

In a Google+ conversation, Google engineer Ian Hickson argues that digital rights management (DRM), often found embedded within products including DVDs and eBooks to prevent unauthorized copying or use, is not in place to protect firms from the prevalence of piracy.

Instead, Hickson argues that this belief is based on "faulty logic," and it is actually used as a tool to give content providers power over playback device manufacturers, as distributors cannot legally distribute copyrighted material without permission from the content provider. So, those who offer media, including games and film, gain leverage in how the files can be used and shared, as well as the means to tap into additional revenue streams.

I totally agree with this observation down in the comments section:

The only way to stop this is to stop buying their stuff. Stop going to movies and stop buying music from labels that promote this mentality. Once they die, the laws of economics will say that someone else will rise to take their place. All those stars don't want to go hungry after all. Hopefully the replacements will learn from the mistakes of the departed.

Stick it to the DRM freaks: read a (paper) book. Go watch a theater production. Play a game on the kitchen table instead of a console. Turn on the radio!

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

Looks like I'm not the only one who took Soluto's report and ran with it.

Sure , but the "other people" had not have been warned before by me , that makes a big difference .

Charlotte has seen the same warnings, and linked to two further articles about the same report. Let's see you take this up with Charlotte instead of me.

--JorgeA

[jaclaz]

Charlotte has seen the same warnings, and linked to two further articles about the same report. Let's see you take this up with Charlotte instead of me.

Actually I could , but as a matter of fact you started it, and Charlotte only provided additional sources and commented only on the comments...

Naah, I'll blame just you , at the most Charlotte could deserve a stern look of disapproval, which I have ready, in case of need :

jaclaz

[JorgeA]

How about a slightly different tack now. Instead of pointing out the flaws in Windows 8 and the (many) outrages committed by Microsoft and other Big Tech firms, let's take a somewhat more positive approach for a bit. (Not that the detour needs to last that long. ) Think for a minute and come up with the newspaper or website headline that you would most like to see in relation to Windows 8, Microsoft, or other Big Tech companies. Let the imagination fly, or just be straight and to the point. Here's my entry (OK, with a little "cheat" involving a subhead):

Confirmed: Windows 8 update to make Modern UI optional

"The customer is always right," says Ballmer

Have fun!

--JorgeA

Edited May 24, 2013 by JorgeA

[JorgeA]

Unfreakinbelievable. Did we see this before (maybe even from me, but it's been a busy day)? Apologies if we did see it already, but it may be worth repeating in light of recent posts up above.

Microsoft patent spies on consumers to enforce DRM

A new patent application filed by Microsoft and granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office details a content distribution system which uses cameras to detect whether or not you've been paying for your content.

The patent, US20120278904, works as a surveillance mechanism, inbuilt within devices including television sets, computers, smartphones and tablets in order to enforce digital rights management (DRM). In other words, if you're streaming content without a license, it can be detected -- and your media stream cut off.

Although an infrared camera may not be the only method of detection, and technology including Microsoft's Kinect, controllers and "facial recognition techniques" could be used, the patent continues by stating that DRM can further be enforced by "determining at least a number of users within a display area of a display device for a duration of the presentation exceeding a threshold." In other words, if a license only covers one individual viewing and you're watching a film with friends or family, content simply won't play.

The patent also mentions that age and identity can be detected in relation to whether a viewer is authorized to see particular content. The technology can also enforce time frames that users are allowed to see media.

The ONLY acceptable use that I can think of for this patent, is if Microsoft intends to file it so that nobody else may implement this evil technology. Otherwise, hang on to your current TV, PC, phone, and/or tablet -- you may not necessarily know who's licensing this thing for use in the hardware they sell you.

--JorgeA

EDIT: Now that the workday is over (here, anyway), I got a chance to search a bit for this in our thread. Didn't find this link specifically, although it's entirely possible that I either visually scanned too quickly or didn't use the best search terms needed to locate it.

We've already covered, at least in passing, much of what's discussed above. If nothing else, the link and quotes above tie together various obnoxious aspects of this technology. Whatever there is to be found, I am confident that The Finder will be able to unearth it.

Edited May 23, 2013 by JorgeA