Re: I bought my Nest thermostat before Google bought them
"... created by Apple and their army of brain-dead zombies.
Funny how these claims are being made by "Anonymous Coward" accounts...
1913 publicly visible posts • joined 29 Oct 2009
"So _WHY_ does Win-10-nic *STILL* have that 2D FLATTY McFLATFACE that was quite literally INVENTED FOR THE PHONE???"
Probably because the average home user spends more time now on their phones that they do on their desktops/laptops, and thus feel more comfortable with the flat interface you still can't seem to adapt to.
Cope.
"The fact that they killed off Windows Phone and went head first with Windows and Cloud... "
Yeah, in a rare moment of clarity (probably brought about by the transition following Ballmer's departure), Microsoft realised they had utterly missed the boat on mobile. Yes, they probably could have made it stick eventually if they'd thrown enough money at it, but they actually got something right in realising that the Cloud was the next big thing - and now Google are playing catch-up (although both are still chasing after Amazon, before someone gets pedantic!)
At the time, I thought it was a shame that WinPhone was axed - out of the three platforms, it was the one I had enjoyed developing for the most, but it makes sense from a business point of view. But that was before things like Microsoft buying Xamarin, VS support for Unity etc., and now we have a slew of cross-platform development tools.
In fact, I can't help but see irony in the current situation: Ballmer was all "developers, developers, developers" - and it's only since MS dumped WinPhone that we've seen them backing tools to allow said developers to cut loose, regardless of target platform.
So, going by the wording on that image, an Android user "... can choose additional search services/web browsers..."
Key word - "Additional"
What's the betting that the first thought going through the head of the average Joe is "why would I need an additional search service/browser..."?
Once again, Google paying lip service in a blatant attempt to avoid a fine while keeping as close to their original product tying tactics as possible.
Redirect AMP to HTML on Chrome.
It's under a different developer handle, but if you go to the developer's homepage on the firefox add-in, you can find a link to this, so I guess it's legit...
"so typical of win-10-nic fans, to be so smug about it"
...
...
...
"We're actually SMARTER than the average Win-10-nic user."
Pot. Kettle.
Given Google's attempt last year to patent work in the public domain... need I say more?
"... he'd just leave El Reg forever..."
Unlikely. This is the sort that just thrives on attention, like the five-year old who's learned his first swear-word from his elder sibling and knows it gets a reaction.
The best we can hope for here is some kind of Eadon-esque meltdown where trolling eventually spills over into the realms of libel - and a similar end result. Openly admitting to staying in order to troll people seems like a good start down this road though.
"... Google has almost no market share in actual phones"
True. But for the average Joe who has just bought his Android phone from his outlet of choice, the first thing he's got to do is either create an account with Google, or log in using his existing one. Either way, he is immediately tied (in data terms) to that device, regardless of who made it.
Facebook may be as bad in terms of data slurping, but you're not pushed into anything with them before you can use your shiny new handset.
... and an ecosystem that is (to all intents and purposes) as tied to Google Play and other services as a certain combination of operating system and browser from 20 years ago...
Tell me - at what point does the definition of "anticompetitive monopoly" start?
"I doubt anyone wants to hear that, nor use it (for that matter)"
Not since Microsoft's last "froggy in hot water" maneuver, anyway...
But surely, the original code was designed, written and tested by developers who were safe in the knowledge that they would NEVER! HAVE! TO! TEST! IT! AGAIN!!!... right?
A new way of converting something common into a snooping device? Quick, down the patent office before Google tries to nick it!
"you know about computers - can you just take a look at..."
That stopped a while back for me, thanks to a simple strategy - when asked "can you just take a look at...":
1) Protest strongly and repeatedly that you're a programmer and "don't do hardware/operating systems"
2) Eventually give in and reluctantly agree to take a look
3) Turn their computer into a very expensive doorstop
Word soon spread...
Fine until you get greyballed...
"With time, they invented marketing, a new way to exploit people...."
I thought they just renamed it crunch time...
"I was a total Microsoft Windows fan up until the announcement of the ".Not Initative" when Ballmer took the reigns. The 1997 PDC here in San Diego was the last conference I went to. I instinctively knew that Micro-shaft had made a sharp turn and was heading into the WRONG direction."
Trying new things is called "innovation". Sometimes it works, a lot of the time it doesn't (Microsoft seems especially good at this side of the equation), but without it, we wither and die.
Basically, you're saying they tried something new that you didn't like and you're bitter about it. Boo hoo. If your comment had read like a rational argument, then maybe it would have carried some weight. But no - here is the same old rant being trotted out again, complete with name-calling ("Micro-shaft", ".Not"), attempts to establish superiority ("those of us who actually know better"), and 90s AOL style use of caps, stars, underscores and deliberately incorrect spelling ("EVAR") in an attempt to draw emphasis.
We get that you do not like modern Microsoft. We get that you do not believe that their current UI style or initiatives are the right way to go. But, like it or not, this is the direction they have decided to go. If there is a specific issue that comes up in an article that you feel the need to comment on, then raise it and discuss it like an adult - these "it was better in the old days" rants and they way they are written are just plain boring now.
At least Eadon's explosions were mildly entertaining. Grow up.
"Okay, we're can't fine or tax them as their retaliation could do far more damage to us than anything we throw at them..."
"Christ, how did that happen?"
"Well, everybody bought into the free stuff and 'do not evil thing'... but that's not the point! C'mon, we need to be seen to be doing something here!"
"Wait a minute... how about we say we want to review what they do and set up a watchdog to keep an eye on them in future?"
"Hmmm... no threat of retaliation, looks like we're doing something and jobs for our mates - that's genius!"