Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions

[Aero7x64]

Stop asking only Aero Glass back we need full Windows Aero back. Aero is more than just glassy borders. Windows 8.1 will remove also Aero animations (flying windows when minimizing and maximizing) in favor of animations that are more traditional and in line with Modern UI style (uglier). I have tried all leaked Windows 8.1 builds and none have restored Aero animations at this point. Also progress bars in Windows 8 are uglier than those in Windows 7. And when you start Windows 8 there are only little white spinning circles (more in line with Modern UI style) and not animated Windows flag like in Windows 7. During installation in Windows 7 there is cool Aeroish orange-yellow installation bar but not in Windows 8. Even installation is little uglier. Also when example you plug in USB flash drive checkbox is uglier (more in line with Modern UI) than in Windows 7. And Aero Peak and Aero Snap no longer have cool glass effect. Taskbar live thumbnails for example are still here but how long? And Aero Peak and Aero Snap might be even more in line with Modern UI (uglier) in future. I have bad feeling that Microsoft will not stop before whole Aero is gone if they don't suffer enough lost of money. Microsoft likely will understand eventually in time of Windows 9 and give Aero back if they suffer enough lost of money because unpopularity of Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 but point is we need whole Aero not just Aero Glass.

http://wyday.com/windows-7-progress-bar/

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R-XmETgxCao/UFnoKrsgC5I/AAAAAAAADJc/d6dsLRT0wqw/s1600/Web+Client+-+10.+Installation+Runs.png (Windows 8 uglier progress bar)

http://www.howtogeek.com/128819/aero-isnt-gone-in-windows-8-6-aero-features-you-can-still-use/

Take at look at the article and check how much of Aero is still left. Windows 8.1 will remove those Aero animations as it seems. And hardware acceleration alone example without other Aero parts wouldn't be even Aero.

Edited June 19, 2013 by Aero7x64

[jaclaz]

Re: Windows RT

Not really news:

http://bgr.com/2013/03/07/windows-rt-criticism-362860/

http://bgr.com/2013/05/10/microsoft-windows-rt-analysis/

Almost news:

http://bgr.com/2013/06/03/microsoft-windows-rt-licensing-fees-cut/

Microsoft’s struggles to make inroads in the tablet market with Windows RT are well documented, but the company still seems to think it can make lemonade out of what has been described as a very large lemon. Unnamed sources tell Bloomberg that Microsoft plans to cut licensing fees for Windows RT in an effort to boost interest in the platform and cut into iOS and Android’s dominant share of the tablet market.

So the amount of (less) money is seemingly not only connected to just the device poor sales but also to the OS itself being licensed to less OEM machines or for a lower price...

jaclaz

[JorgeA]

Stop asking only Aero Glass back we need full Windows Aero back. Aero is more than just glassy borders. Windows 8.1 will remove also Aero animations (flying windows when minimizing and maximizing) in favor of animations that are more traditional and in line with Modern UI style (uglier). I have tried all leaked Windows 8.1 builds and none have restored Aero animations at this point. Also progress bars in Windows 8 are uglier than those in Windows 7. And when you start Windows 8 there are only little white spinning circles (more in line with Modern UI style) and not animated Windows flag like in Windows 7. During installation in Windows 7 there is cool Aeroish orange-yellow installation bar but not in Windows 8. Even installation is little uglier. Also when example you plug in USB flash drive checkbox is uglier (more in line with Modern UI) than in Windows 7. And Aero Peak and Aero Snap no longer have cool glass effect. Taskbar live thumbnails for example are still here but how long? And Aero Peak and Aero Snap might be even more in line with Modern UI (uglier) in future. I have bad feeling that Microsoft will not stop before whole Aero is gone if they don't suffer enough lost of money. Microsoft likely will understand eventually in time of Windows 9 and give Aero back if they suffer enough lost of money because unpopularity of Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 but point is we need whole Aero not just Aero Glass.

http://wyday.com/windows-7-progress-bar/

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R-XmETgxCao/UFnoKrsgC5I/AAAAAAAADJc/d6dsLRT0wqw/s1600/Web+Client+-+10.+Installation+Runs.png (Windows 8 uglier progress bar)

http://www.howtogeek.com/128819/aero-isnt-gone-in-windows-8-6-aero-features-you-can-still-use/

Take at look at the article and check how much of Aero is still left. Windows 8.1 will remove those Aero animations as it seems. And hardware acceleration alone example without other Aero parts wouldn't be even Aero.

Thanks for the links, and welcome!

Good point about keeping all of Aero and not just the Glass part. I guess we had focused on that because it's one of the most visible aspects during normal work, but you're right: Microsoft seems bent on eliminating most of the esthetic aspects of Aero, and I wouldn't be surprised if they intended to get rid of it all eventually.

--JorgeA

[JorgeA]

Total sales of Surface were estimated in March at one million units for Surface RT (which launched in October, 2012) and 400,000 Surface Pros, which had only launched in February. That’s not a terrible figure in absolute terms

Something that doesn't seem to have clicked yet with tech journalism is that selling one million units no longer makes the item mass market. Once upon a time, back in the 80s, selling a million of a device meant that "everyone had one", at least to the extent one could realistically consider the market. But now a million is niche. Wii-U has sold over 3.5 million units and the Vita over 2.5 and both are considered niche. These days, a vendor needs to sell literally an order of magnitude more to be considered at the same level as a few decades ago. 5 million is the new 500 thousand.

Ssshhhh -- you're not allowed to point that out!! Didn't anybody tell you that you're supposed to accept all the spin they give you, at face value?

--JorgeA

[Formfiller]

Microsoft caved in!

http://news.xbox.com/2013/06/update

An internet connection will not be required to play offline Xbox One games – After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again. There is no 24 hour connection requirement and you can take your Xbox One anywhere you want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360.

Trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc based games just like you do today – There will be no limitations to using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360.

They are able to listen after all!

http://o.canada.com/2013/06/19/microsoft-will-remove-all-its-drm-policies-from-the-xbox-one/

No more always online requirement

The console no longer has to check in every 24 hours

All game discs will work on Xbox One as they do on Xbox 360

An Internet connection is only required when initially setting up the console

All downloaded games will function the same when online or offline

No additional restrictions on trading games or loaning discs

Region locks have been dropped

While a good move, it also makes me a bit sad - this could only have happened because of the internet outrage. If the darn Windows 8 fanboys didn't try to squelch criticism, maybe Windows 8 wouldn't have been destroyed by Microsoft. On the other hand, the XBone has a true competitor, Windows 8 doesn't.

Edited June 19, 2013 by Formfiller

[Formfiller]

Hahahahaha, see with that kind of insane arguments they argue now AGAINST the Xbone:

http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/Coffeehouse/E3-Smackdown?page=12

Just because their "my way or the highway" and lockdown-fetishes were averted for once, they are p***ed and mad.

It's really scary how these fanwhores think. I see some of them even lying about the XBone now, to make it appear worse - claiming that they are forced to deal with discs again. An utter lie, they can go all download if they want.

Truly deranged, as I've said here multiple times: They are clinical masochists. Disappointed if no pain is coming.

[JorgeA]

Hahahahaha, see with that kind of insane arguments they argue now AGAINST the Xbone:

http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/Coffeehouse/E3-Smackdown?page=12

Just because their "my way or the highway" and lockdown-fetishes were averted for once, they are p***ed and mad.

It's really scary how these fanwhores think. I see some of them even lying about the XBone now, to make it appear worse - claiming that they are forced to deal with discs again. An utter lie, they can go all download if they want.

Amazing -- it's like they're more radically Bolshevik than Lenin himself.

Excellent news about the Xbox One, BTW.

--JorgeA

[HalloweenDocument12]

While a good move, it also makes me a bit sad - this could only have happened because of the internet outrage.

I understand the mixed emotions, but think of the big picture: the Internet is a huge and effective weapon for consumers. This is exactly what is supposed to happen. I still expect Microsoft to be "punished" in that it's far more difficult to gain a customer than it is to lose him, and they have certainly lost many customers as a result of this fiasco. Even the more neutral parties will be pushed into a "wait and see" mode rather than an automatic buy.

Put another way, how much closer to 1984 would we be without the Internet?

[HalloweenDocument12]

Any gamers here? I see from the shills constant references to scratched discs and even claims of shattering. Personally, I've seen shattering only in demonstration videos where a motor spins the disc far faster than any drive on the market does. As for scratches, for me, it's only happened with bad used purchases and a disc or two that I played so much that I didn't bother putting it into a case when taking it out to play something else. Unprotected, of course it developed flaws. If it gets bad enough, I go onto eBay and buy another. By the time the disc becomes unplayable, I can get a used copy for $20 or something. It's a minor inconvenience, but I'd much rather have a free market than some system where I effectively can't buy games. I still mix in stuff from the 80s and 90s and can see myself playing classics for years to come. Similarly, I expect to pick up a few games during the Xbox One's reign that I will be playing long after the system's marketability and the ability to play games absent an online authentication service is important to me.

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

Huawei chairman hints at Nokia acquisition, ditching Windows Phone [update] ( NeoWin 2013-06-18 )

The commenters are surprisingly calm about this story. Or maybe they are petrified. Whatever. But it certainly is a very strange thing for a company honcho to be blabbing about. It did send the stock price of Nokia up, and that alone would cause a stir from the SEC if they had some jurisdiction over this Chinese company. Imagine if he ( Huawei chairman ) or his friends held a big block of Nokia shares! This would fall under "Pump and Dump" market manipulation. Anyway, the commenters feel assured that Microsoft would fly in to save the day and buy Nokia first. They certainly have enough cash, but so do others like Google. And Apple at last count has at least twice as much cash on hand. This should be an interesting year for Nokia. I'd guess they have a 50-50 chance of existing into 2014. I imagine the next two to three reporting periods will tell the tale.

Huawei: We Don't Have Any Plans to Buy Nokia ( Tom's Hardware 2013-06-19 )

Report: Microsoft in recent talks to buy Nokia device business ( NeoWin 2013-06-19 )

Wake up, Uncle Fester! Huawei’s nattering about BUYING Nokia. Yes, we mean you, Ballmer ( UK Register 2013-06-20 )

That Microsoft-Nokia merger you've been predicting? It's no go. Redmond has reportedly left the table ( UK Register 2013-06-20 )

This is definitely going to get interesting. Huawei isn't really a possibility I think, but Microsoft, Google, Apple, and Samsung all really could swoop in and get Nokia. Microsoft supposedly was looking at this but for some reason took a pass ( a commenter says it had to do with offshore money and taxes ). Something else, just how can we be sure that anyone up in Finland besides Elop are actually MicroZealots anyway? There was this article that said ...

In an interview given today, Casey McGee, Microsoft's senior marketing manager for Windows Phone, has stated that Microsoft has a relationship "so close" with Nokia that the Lumia series feels "like our child too."

Ya think? But that quote is awful condescending, isn't it? So I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft is beginning to get under their skin. Anyway, Nokia really couldn't be more vulnerable than they are right now ...

• Nokia stock down 15% following Windows Phone announcements ( NeoWin 2012-09-05 )
  
• Nokia apologizes for misleading Lumia PureView video ( NeoWin 2012-09-06 )
  
• Nokia CEO: "No indications" Microsoft is making its own phone ( NeoWin 2012-10-02 )
  
• Nokia confirms sell off Finland HQ buildings [update] ( NeoWin 2012-10-03 )
  
• Major bank downgrades Nokia again, recommends break-up and sell-off ( NeoWin 2012-10-04 )
  
• Nokia's VP of Product Marketing departs, investors dissapointed with 920 announcement ( NeoWin 2012-10-07 )
  
• AT&T Lumias get reduced battery life estimates ( NeoWin 2012-10-07 )
  
• Nokia reveals Euro pricing for Lumia 920 / 820 and accessories ( NeoWin 2012-10-12 )
  
• Nokia to raise cash by selling its headquarters ( NeoWin 2012-12-04 )
  
• Lawsuit that claimed Nokia lied about Lumia sales resolved ( NeoWin 2012-12-13 )
  
• Nokia may pull out of CES to focus on MWC ( NeoWin 2012-12-18 )
  
• Nokia will be at CES but has "scaled back" for the 2013 show ( NeoWin 2012-12-18 )
  
• Nokia is committed to Windows Phone, full stop ( NeoWin 2013-01-07 )
  
• Nokia accused of $545m tax evasion in India; offices raided in investigation ( NeoWin 2013-01-08 )
  
• Nokia's Asha range outselling Lumias 2:1 ( NeoWin 2013-01-13 )
  
• Nokia slashes another 1000 jobs in Finland ( NeoWin 2013-01-17 )
  
• Nokia sells Oulu campus for $40.8 million ( NeoWin 2013-02-12 )
  
• Nokia Mistakenly Reveals Lumia Windows RT Tablet ( Tom's Hardware 2013-02-14 )
  
• Nokia may drop Samsung as parts supplier ( NeoWin 2013-02-14 )
  
• Nokia supports Apple in Samsung product sales ban effort ( TechSpot 2013-03-07 )
  
• Nokia and Apple team up against Samsung ( NeoWin 2013-03-07 )
  
• Nokia will end up owing $650 million to Microsoft ( NeoWin 2013-03-07 )
  
• HTC wins in German Android patent fight with Nokia ( NeoWin 2013-03-08 )
  
• Nokia admits risk of Microsoft potentially developing its own Windows Phone device ( NeoWin 2013-03-08 )
  
• Nokia's Twitter feed mocks Samsung's Galaxy S4 ( NeoWin 2013-03-15 )
  
• New Windows Phone TV ad pits Nokia against Samsung ( NeoWin 2013-03-19 )
  
• Stephen Elop throws an iPhone, ignores the Lumia 928 ( NeoWin 2013-03-22 )
  
• Elop throws an iPhone on Finnish TV, refuses to answer Lumia 928 questions ( The Verge 2013-03-22 )
  
• Microsoft: No need to make a phone because we have "some say" in Nokia's Lumia ( NeoWin 2013-03-22 )
  
• Microsoft reveals it has 'some say' and influence over Nokia's Lumia designs ( The Verge 2013-03-22 )
  
• Nokia's $196 million loss overshadowed by otherwise promising results ( TechSpot 2013-04-18 )
  
• Nokia Q1 2013 results: 5.6m Lumias sold, 150m euro loss but good overall results ( NeoWin 2013-04-18 )
  
• Samsung outsells Nokia in Finland, opens research centre on Nokia's doorstep ( NeoWin 2013-05-29 )
  
• Huawei chairman hints at Nokia acquisition, ditching Windows Phone [update] ( NeoWin 2013-06-18 )
  
• Huawei: We Don't Have Any Plans to Buy Nokia ( Tom's Hardware 2013-06-19 )
  
• Report: Microsoft in recent talks to buy Nokia device business ( NeoWin 2013-06-19 )
  
• Wake up, Uncle Fester! Huawei’s nattering about BUYING Nokia. Yes, we mean you, Ballmer ( UK Register 2013-06-20 )
  
• That Microsoft-Nokia merger you've been predicting? It's no go. Redmond has reportedly left the table ( UK Register 2013-06-20 )
  

EDIT: added articles

Edited June 20, 2013 by CharlotteTheHarlot

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

This is quite a juxtaposition. Imagine going to the Microsoft app store and finding a download for an alternate theme for Windows Phone that looks like Android! Can you picture it?

Well here in fact is Google's app store showing exactly the inverse and setting a perfect example of how it should be done. A drop-in launcher that simulates the Windows Phone interface. This is real ...

Launcher 8. ( QiHang Dev Team ) ( Google Play 2013-06-20 )

Description

Bored of Android's User Interface? Do you want a new style start screen? If you do, then wait no more! Launcher8 is a great app for you to experience the brand new style UI on your Android mobile phone.You can esay design look like Windows Phone 8 layout (fake wp8)and show off to your friends! If you have any questions, please feedback us! You can submit your advice or visit our BBS

( Go to the link to see screenshots. ) Needless to say, Microsoft has locked down their interface to prevent any kind of useful improvements from users of their pOS, let alone a complete makeover of the GUI itself.

NeoWin covered this app as a story ...

Windows Phone envy? Android Metro-style launcher hits 1m downloads ( NeoWin 2013-06-19 )

The headline is bad enough, now check out the typical MetroTard logic ...

The app is quite popular and has surpassed 1 million downloads with an average rating of 4.5 stars. It’s clear that Android users are at least curious about Windows Phone and wanting to try out the UI before possibly going all-in with a Windows Phone purchase.

( no, there is no smiley there, dude is serious ) Get that wishful thinking? He sees it as a kind of trial and those users installing it as people that might be thinking of leaving Android for WP. That's his takeaway from the app, NOT the obvious fact that Android is a hugely customizable platform that allows such creativity in the first place. My head is spinning from the role reversal here with Microsoft creating and pushing their so-called "Windows" phone operating system that locks it down cold, while Google is the one that serves up a very open phone OS.

What are the chances that the author will ever realize the reason that WP sits at 3% while Android trounces it at 75% is because Android is the new Windows-style open architecture while WP is the Apple-style locked-down GUI. I agree, no chance he or his fellow MetroTards will ever understand it.

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

Breaking News mentioned above by Formfiller ... First some fanboy sites ...

Microsoft changes stance on used game policy and Internet connection requirements for Xbox One ( NeoWin 2013-06-19 )

Back to reality: Microsoft's new Xbox One policies retreat from the future. Careful what you wish for ( The Verge 2013-06-19 )

Xbox One DRM roll-back kills family game share, digital disc library ( NeoWin 2013-06-19 )

Microsoft Reverses Course on Xbox One Policies. The Xbox team dials back the crazy ( Thurrott 2013-06-19 )

They are not happy. Here are some non-Zealot sites ...

Microsoft Backs Down on Controversial Xbox One Online Requirements, Used Game Disc Trading ( Tom's Hardware 2013-06-19 )

Microsoft backtracks: Drops daily check-ins, used games restrictions on Xbox One ( TechSpot 2013-06-19 )

Microsoft caves on Xbox One DRM and used-game controls. Consumer power might still mean something ( UK Register 2013-06-19 )

Microsoft Abandons Planned Xbox One DRM, Used Games Policies; Won't Budge on Price ( Maximum PC 2013-06-20 )

I guess this may be the first time in a while that Microsoft has done something right. It must mean that pre-sales orders are right in the toilet, not to mention the polls like that one from Amazon. The good thing about it is that there will be some real competition now because Sony will have to really step up their game. Best comments seen so far have renamed it to ... Xbox 180 Love it!

Microsoft launches revamp of its MSDN forums ( NeoWin 2013-06-19 )

Microsoft has also added a way for forum users to vote for what they think is abusive content in the message boards.

This must be a move to further censor the criticism over Windows 8 and Xbox and other fiascos. Reputation management.I bet. Can't wait for first hand reports from Formfiller who already mentioned disappearing threads and other tricks in the "Answers" forum.

Microsoft accused of extortion in new lawsuit ( NeoWin 2013-06-19 )

The South Florida Business Journal reports that the lawsuit claims the raid occurred at the firm's Guatemala City location, with the assistance of armed local law enforcement officers. The lawsuit's statement added:

Microsoft then proceeded to extort Plaintiffs by demanding an on-the-spot agreement to pay $70,000 or Microsoft would remove all… servers containing ALL data and operational software.

Sorry, I have no benefit of the doubt left for Microsoft, especially given the very recent data mining news, therefore I have to believe this at face value. Guilty until proven innocent. Put me on the jury please.

EDIT: added article

Edited June 20, 2013 by CharlotteTheHarlot

[CharlotteTheHarlot]

The NSA's Surveillance Will Devastate Commerce ( John C. Dvorak PC Magazine 2013-06-17 )

[...]

I'd expect to see some smart people overseas capitalizing on this eventually, marketing their services as spy-proof. It might even help to explain as clever posturing the stories mentioned upthread where Google and Twiiter are suggesting they are challenging the spying paradigm. This whole fiasco will likely be a huge boost to Kim DotCom and his new Mega. In fact, we can probably make sense of that story now when they shutdown Megaupload and confiscated all the storage. What are the odds they were just looking for warez and music? His lawyers are probably celebrating this spying news because of all the new angles it gives them for the eventual court case, if it ever even happens.

I must be getting clairvoyant! One day later both subjects are right back in the news ...

Google challenges U.S. gag order, citing First Amendment ( TechSpot 2013-06-19 )

Google is petitioning the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to allow them to release information concerning data requests the court makes.

Citing the first amendment, Google argues that they have a constitutional right to speak about the information given to the government, despite the gag orders that accompany the requests, reports the Washington Post.

I think they have a good case because this court has not ever been tested for constitutionality. The old saying is that "The Constitution is not a suicide pact", however, if it keeps being interpreted to eliminate the First Amendment then we have already committed suicide.

I just thought of something. Considering all the revelations lately about data gathering ( spying ) and the responses from Congress and the White House stubbornly sticking by certain agencies doing anything and everything against USA citizens and even calling it "legal", well, how about this for the biggest display of hypocrisy ever, These stories are just one month old! They occurred before the spying became widespread news. Members of Congress displaying legendary levels of audacity ...

• Members of Congress Ask Google to Respond to a List of Glass Privacy Concerns ( ABC News 2013-05-17 )
  
• Congress Demands Answers About Google Glass ( eWeek 2013-05-19 )
  
• Congress Questions Larry Page Over Google Glass ( Tom's Hardware 2013-05-19 )
  
• Congress asks Google if and how it's protecting privacy with Glass ( Naked Security 2013-05-20 )
  

... just to name a few! Doesn't that just tick you off? These clowns worried about citizen privacy? Maybe this is one reason that Google is stepping up now to challenge the status quo of bending over and submitting to the government masters.

LeaseWeb deletes MegaUpload data from 690 servers without warning ( TechSpot 2013-06-19 )

All Data Wiped from MegaUpload Servers ( Tom's Hardware 2013-06-19 )

Kim Dotcom victim of 'largest data MASSACRE in history'. Megaupload servers wiped – were Feds to blame? ( UK Register 2013-06-19 )

Now this is a tough one, not because of his so-called "questionable" character, but because of the combined circumstances. Our USA government got the NZ government to fly in with helicopters and raid the guy's mansion, froze his assets and somehow got the cloud server hosts to just give them all the data. Kim and these server companies have been in limbo for a year which has cost them some big money so this particular cloud company decided to retask the drives for paying customers, a logical business decision but a horrific one from the standpoint of customer data and company reputation. Not to mention the fact that an enormous amount of evidence just went into the bit bucket ( naturally the government will have copies they will say proves DotCom hosted warez or nuclear secrets or whatever ). It's even more complicated than that but the description at least covers a good part of it.

The real point IMHO is this case should point out just how fragile that stupid cloud is. Your data may exist on reliable hardware, but the weak links make up the entire chain from you to them and back. Your data is subject to the whims of human beings at every juncture. And they all cannot be trusted. Not only is it being snooped, it is also vulnerable to being confiscated at the whim of fickle judges and courts and agencies, and finally is at risk of being wiped off the face of the Earth whenever it is deemed necessary. There is no telling how many family photos and personal documents are now disintegrated. I have always believed that data must be respected because all the other stuff ( CPU's motherboards, etc ) are expendable and replaceable, but the data is the only thing that really matters. Now that's fine for me and my customers, but it won't matter a whit if no-one else acts that way. This is why the cloud must be fought and those that push it as the only future must be ridiculed. It can certainly work in certain circumstances, AFTER carefully planning a multi-prong strategy with perhaps two cloud hosts or mirroring or some other similar redundancy. But we cannot leave this in the hands of the powers-that-be because none of them can be trusted, be it the feds or the cloud server companies or Microsoft itself.

EDIT: typos

Edited June 20, 2013 by CharlotteTheHarlot

[Formfiller]

Microsoft launches revamp of its MSDN forums ( NeoWin 2013-06-19 )

Microsoft has also added a way for forum users to vote for what they think is abusive content in the message boards.

This must be a move to further censor the criticism over Windows 8 and Xbox and other fiascos. Reputation management.I bet. Can't wait for first hand reports from Formfiller who already mentioned disappearing threads and other tricks in the "Answers" forum.

There was already a function to flag "abusive content". That's not new. The new layout totally sucks though. The old layout had the looks of a normal forum, like this one. Their new layout on the other hand is more like Stackoverflow.com - it might be purposed to stifle discussion, because it looks now like a strict technical-answers forum. It's quite off-putting as a discussion forum.

[Formfiller]

While a good move, it also makes me a bit sad - this could only have happened because of the internet outrage.

I understand the mixed emotions, but think of the big picture: the Internet is a huge and effective weapon for consumers. This is exactly what is supposed to happen. I still expect Microsoft to be "punished" in that it's far more difficult to gain a customer than it is to lose him, and they have certainly lost many customers as a result of this fiasco. Even the more neutral parties will be pushed into a "wait and see" mode rather than an automatic buy.

Put another way, how much closer to 1984 would we be without the Internet?

Well, the inernet spurred alternate media and made sh*tstorms possible. On the other hand, it made surveillance and DRMization far more effective. And brought the cloud.

So on the issue of 1984, it's a very mixed bag.

Edited June 20, 2013 by Formfiller