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13 Sep 2010 10:55

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World: Russian cops use Microsoft software as vector for raids

  • bad Russian police have been raiding various organizations such as NGOs and newspapers not faithful to the state.
  • worse They’ve been doing it under the guise of looking for unauthorized Microsoft software on their computers.
  • worser The computers often weren’t even looked at before or after they were confiscated. How sketchy is that? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Sep 2010 10:09

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Tech: Microsoft dances on the iPhone’s grave a little too early

  • Well, that’s, uh … something. Microsoft’s so excited about launching Windows Phone 7 that they took to the streets in a Thriller dance and held a mock funeral for the iPhone, which we’re pretty sure is in no danger of being nicked by MS. WTF, guys? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Aug 2010 21:40

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Tech: Patent troll: Paul Allen is a jerk who hasn’t been relevant in 20 years

  • Why do patents exist? Apparently so a multi-billionaire can choose to be a jerk and sue the entire Internet over obvious ideas he isn’t even using. Paul Allen, who’s giving away most of his fortune to charity anyway, is the head of Interval Licensing, which appears to be a patent-trolling firm based around patents that an old company of his, Interval Research Corp., created in the ’90s but never used. Now he’s suing Google, Facebook, eBay, Apple, Yahoo, Netflix and Youtube over what seem to be obvious patents. Our patent system is pretty much the worst thing ever, it’s being used to screw people over on obvious technologies, and it’s getting worse. If you really thought these patents were so bad, Paul, why did you choose not to sue Microsoft, which you own a stake in, or Amazon? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

04 Aug 2010 21:20

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Tech: Internet Explorer 9 actually standards-focused, unlike IE8

  • 20 Internet Explorer 8’s score on the popular Acid3 browser test
  • 95 Internet Explorer 9’s score, according to its test preview source
  • » Don’t get too excited yet: While the browser is clearly designed to standards (about time), it’s only available for Windows Vista SP2 and above – which means boxes still using Windows XP and IE6 will continue to rule the world.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jul 2010 20:33

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Tech: Microsoft Wind-woes: Steve Ballmer feeling heat over the iPad

  • They’ve sold certainly more than I’d like them to have sold.
  • Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer • In the process of eating crow about the success of the iPad. You know, that device that Sen. Scott Brown held up yesterday when ripping into the hapless Arlington Cemetery staff who were unable to prevent thousands of graves from getting mixed up. Anyway … Microsoft has a decade of experience in the tablet business and now is in the unenviable position of playing catch-up. If this plot sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the exact same plot as their mobile phone platform. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Jul 2010 10:31

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Tech: Say what you will about Microsoft, but Windows 7 is a cash cow

  • 10 copies of Windows 7 sold every single minute
  • 25M copies sold in the last 29 days alone
  • 175M copies sold since it first launched source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Jul 2010 11:20

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Tech: Microsoft resorts to paying developers to make mobile apps

  • Translation: We’re desperate to play with Google and Apple. In a pretty implicit admission that they’re playing catch-up, the company plans to pay developers to help give Windows Phone 7 an early push. Why this strategy? Well, some developers may not be willing to program for an untested platform if they’re not convinced people are going to use it. It’s a good idea for Microsoft, but they can only get away with it because they’re Microsoft. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

05 Jul 2010 09:31

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Tech: Microsoft’s Kin died a swift death because nobody would buy it

  • It was killed abruptly because no one was buying it and there no was no credible reason to believe anyone would.
  • A Microsoft staffer • Discussing exactly why the Kin died. The numbers back him up on this 100 percent. In a market where the iPhone sells a million units in a weekend, the Kin sold less than 10,000 in six weeks. It’s one of many embarrassments for the company, which screwed up the Kin’s opportunity by taking too long to bring it to market. Staffers at Verizon stores were actually discouraging people from buying the Kin – par for the course, considering that Verizon pulled a decent data deal out from under the company. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jun 2010 09:50

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Tech: LEAKED: Microsoft’s possible Windows 8 plans? Wow.

  • Looks like somebody broke a non-disclosure agreement. These Powerpoint slides, which have been floating around the Web on some sketchy-looking forum for over a week, have recently drawn a lot of attention for what they’re suggesting. Facial recognition? Tablets? Ambitious plans for the living room? They’re all baked into these slides. MS has some big plans which they better not screw up like Windows Phone 7. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Jun 2010 20:51

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Tech: That’ll teach ’em: Microsoft launches hypocritical criticism at Google

CEO Steve Ballmer and Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie asked aloud why Google has two OSes. They should really have twelve, like Microsoft. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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