Discussions

@Bass: Quick question for you.

What are your thoughts on Google replacing Eclipse with IntelliJ for the Android IDE?

This I fella explains it far better than I can

http://stratechery.com/2013/jony-ive-is-not-a-graphic-designer/

6 days ago, elmer wrote

*snip*

Don't be holding your breath for the next iPhone upgrade. If Jony Ives gets his way, iOS will also go flat UI.

Yes, I think the problem here is that jounalists read a rumour, latched on to the word 'flat' and then didn't bother to think any further. 

The first thing to note is that Ive is not a graphic designer; his remit is form and interaction. 

I'm guessing that his problem with iOS is the number of levels you have to tap through to get at things. I think this what he's talking about when he says 'flatten'.

2 hours ago, Bass wrote

*snip*

It's called acting in self-defense...

That's a very convenient rationalization. What it's actually called is being a Grade-A hypocrite.

http://www.fosspatents.com/2013/05/preliminary-eu-ruling-finds-googles.html

22 hours ago, Bas wrote

The thing is, if you're a pervert and want to make covert pictures, you currently have to go out of your way to get some sort of spy cam. You'd have to be a pretty dedicated pervert to do that. If Glass takes off, however, even the most casual perverts will be able to do it because they already have the gear.

"Casual perverts" 

Now that is a scary thought.

7 hours ago, Ian2 wrote

http://techcrunch.com/2013/04/25/strategy-analytics-q1-tablet-stats/

Bodes well for the future methinks.

Possibly.

But if you look at the last couple of lines of the Strategy Analytics report:

Shipments refer to sell-in. Numbers are rounded. The definition of tablet does not include e-book readers or convertible PCs.

The good news is that these figures don't include sales of 'convertible PCs' which I take to mean devices like the Surface. This could mean that the sales could be even higher.

The bad news is that these figures aren't sales; they are 'sell-in': shipments to retailers and online stores. These are not the figures for devices sold to end users, which is the only measure that really matters.

1 hour ago, evildictait​or wrote

Meh. It doesn't actually mention any features of the Nokia lumia, and mentions a lot of competitors which is pretty low.

Actually, my favorite bit of the whole advert is if you look carefully, at the bit where everyone starts attacking each other, there's a little legal disclaimer that comes up at the bottom: "Do not attempt"

I don't think it was actually meant as a conversation-starter than a sale-grabber. It gets the fan-folk talking about the Windows Phone by poking fun at them (the vast majority of the smartphone-buying public just pick a phone and use it).

And a good commercial should aim to invoke an emotion; I don't think a list of features or specs has ever done that. But here's how you sell without mentioning your competitor's products or, oddly enough, your own.

1 day ago, Bass wrote

More modern Java systems use OSGi to discover application dependencies these days. Although using ghetto bash scripts is cool too.

Yup, not really a problem now, but in the old days - oi!

Most Java frameworks and/or IDEs handle all the dependency stuff for you; I can't remember the last time I had to fiddle with CLASSPATH (though you still need JAVA_HOME in a lot of cases).

I guess the reason the classpath came about is because Sun wanted a system that could be implemented easily on any platform; they went for the skinny approach.

And in my opinion, the classpath is not nearly as big a problem as their decision to tie the package structure to the operating system directory structure. What were they thinking?

When I was developing web services on Windows this was a huge problem because the XML binding stuff would generate package structures too deep for Windows to cope with.

6 hours ago, Bass wrote

You know if you want to take videos of people without them knowing there is better stuff you can use besides Glass.

Yup, but a lot of the covert stuff requires a little setup (find suitable bag, cut hole in it, put in a video camera etc.). The Glass setup is a lot more casual. 

Personally, I don't think it's going to be a problem because I don't really see anyone outside of geekdom wearing them regularly.

HomeToy said:

So with a 1% stake in shares, they hope to incite a revolt against Ballmer and his (dropped to) 95% support from the Board? He's got some spinning to do. The problem with trying to be more like Apple is that Apple still hasn't come out with anything really "new" or "innovative" since Jobs died. Each work is building on a Jobs-era product and that is only going to last "so" long. Microsoft seems to suffer from "two-steps forward, one step back" syndrome and I am not sure a new chief would change that.

Quick timeline for you here: 

Between Jobs return and the iPod: Five years

Between the iPod and the iPhone: Five years

Between the iPhone and the iPad: Four years (though that is a little misleading because the iPad was actually developed before the iPhone).

Apple works on a four-to-five year product cycle, so they're not actually 'due' to for a new product line for another year or two. And when they do, the chances are it will be based on something that already exists (like the music player, like the phone, like the tablet), but done better.

As to the Ballmer ousting: sounds like a small company trying to make a few quid with a bit of stock price manipulation.