Discussions

elmer said:

W3bbo said:

*snip*

I suspect more to the point... if they release an SP4 then they would be locked into extending support by another 5 years.

They've already committed to making XP available via downgrade rights for another 10 years. I think a logical extension of that is the willingness to at least provide security updates and (paid) support for it. When large companies buy those droneware PCs, they (and Microsoft) know they're not really buying Windows 7. They're buying Windows XP and getting a Windows 7 license along for the ride. They can reframe and "spin" the discussion anyway that they like for marketing purposes, but that's the fundamental truth of the situation and we all know it. IT departments in most companies, particularly large ones, want to stay on the trailing edge of technology for as long as they possibly can.

The motto of virtually every IT department head is this: if it ain't completely broken, don't even think about fixing it. "Upgrade" is a four-letter word to them; say it only if you're looking to pick a fight.

W3bbo said:

mstefan said:

*snip*

I had a look at the sample screenshots, they look just like your standard free templates you can get from anywhere, complete with stock photos of "businessmen and women" in various poses. Cringeworthy.

Actually, the idea is that you create your own templates; they have some stock configurations that you can use as a foundation, but it's really more of a "template creation tool" rather than a "website creation tool". The idea is that you create your basic template layout (colors, page structure, sidebar, menu, etc.) and then you can publish it in a variety of different formats. So, for example, if you were using Joomla! and WordPress on your site, you could use that as a way to create a template that would work and look the same for both.  From what I can tell, it's primarily geared towards people don't have much in the way of artistic or design skills, couldn't use Photoshop if someone put a gun to their heads, but know to use Word (its interface is very Office 2007-ish with ribbons and such).

As far as being "cringeworthy", I guess that's a matter of personal taste. The vast majority of the stuff I see out there on template sites, both paid and free, tends range from hideous to outdated. You're always going to get better results if you have the skills and time to assemble what you need yourself.

There's also software like Artisteer that can be used to create templates that look pretty good.

W3bbo said:

There won't be an SP4 because there's no real point. You're just confusing it with some kind of update rollup, which I do expect us to see some time in the coming year or so.

So what happens when XP SP3 reaches end-of-life in 2014? It wouldn't make sense for them to continue selling an unsupported operating system that no longer receives any security updates.

Three days and a 2,500 page rant thread later, Blizzard has reversed course and is no longer going to use real names on their forums. All of those closet WoW addicts out there can breathe easier, assured that their clandestine alter-ego as a transgendered nightelf is safe from public scrutiny.

I felt a great disturbance in the Force... as if 11.5 million nerds cried out in terror from their parent's basement, and were suddenly silenced. I fear something inconsequential has happened.

DCMonkey said:

ZippyV said:

*snip*

You mean those unreadable glass panes? And that explorer window in the first one is an awful mess.

 

PS: Zoom in and see what's in that selected folder in the first screenshot.

Yeah, I have to agree, that desktop is fairly hideous. I'm sure it looks good to college kids who are just interested in organizing their "perverted stuff" and think that transparency everywhere is teh sexay. Personally, it would drive me mad. My computer desktop doesn't need to be a work of abstract art, it just needs to work in a way that allows me to maximize my productivity.

Personally I think Apple's competitors should resurrect something along the lines of Sprint's "connectile dysfunction" ads from a few years ago.

Instead of broadband coverage, it can feature a hapless businessman who keeps losing his connection because he's holding his iPhone the wrong way. Perhaps with the commentator scolding the poor fellow about his inability to keep his bars "up" and his inability to "perfom" basic functions like talking to a customer or sending an email.

Ray7 said:

brichpmr said:

*snip*

Or if you don't want to spend the money,

or are afraid that folk won't know you have an iPhone

or you simply don't want to hide its designer lines.

There is an alternative.

 

The funny thing is, from what I've been reading, that picture is essentially how they do performance and safety testing. The tests have to factor in how far the antenna is from the head (which is why it's at the bottom of modern phones), but where your hands are in relationship to the phone isn't considered a factor in those tests. And if you don't have to test for it, well then it can't possibly be an issue. And if it can't possibly be an issue, there's no reason to design for the possibility that there might be an issue.

Apparently the fact that humans can conduct electricity is something that has just been recently discovered on planet Apple. 

figuerres said:

on start up i see a small delay in the UI the first time i load 2010 and after that i do not see a problem with ui speed.

i do see a few times where the screen needed to redraw and if i re-size the app it snaps up the right update, like opening a code or design window on some occasions it does not show the new edit window.

 

the help / doc engine yeah that one i *TOTALLY HATE* what they did, to me it was a HUGE step in the wrong direction. IMHO they should just say "For Help open a GOOGLE and search there ...." that's what i think of the new help system.

 

script debug - i have never really used VS to try and debug any JS so i have no feedback there.

 

Multi-Targeting I have not seen any issues with .net 2.xx 3.xx and 4.xx i have several apps that are in each version and for me this works fine.

 

I do not like the following:

1) lack of support for my Vs 2008 smart device projects.

2) SQL RS Editing - why not have the ability to edit a RS 2005 report and an RS 2008 report with VS 2010

 

if they fixed the two missing items I could uninstall VS 2005 and VS 2008 of all the machines i use!

 

 

so over all for me the new Support for SIlverlight and WPF and the ability to work on 2.0 and 3.5 and 4.0 apps

plus a lot of other stuff they have done make it a no-brainer to keep 2010

 

I just put  out a V1.0 of a new app for a customer in WPF and they love how it looks and works, they have already requested a new version with more features.

 

I see over the next year the start of a shift away from WinForms appps to a mix of WPF and SIlverlight for our core clients.

 

I am starting to track how many desktops have what version of .net and planning how i can get 4.0 on them w/o a big manpower issue.

they do not have an AD system if they did i would setup an auto update process.

 

the help / doc engine yeah that one i *TOTALLY HATE* what they did, to me it was a HUGE step in the wrong direction. IMHO they should just say "For Help open a GOOGLE and search there ...." that's what i think of the new help system.

Truer words have never been written. Whoever thought the new help system was an improvement seriously needs to ... well, to be polite, I will suggest that they re-evaluate what they've done there and make an attempt at providing developers with something that's actually useful. Because what they have is a mess. Full stop.

You know, in thinking about it, help in all of its various forms (for developers and end-users) is one of the things that has actually gotten profoundly worse with newer and newer versions of Windows and other Microsoft products (I'm talking about you, Office). It boggles the mind.