Outlook is actually good software if you need email + calendar. I really haven't found anything as good. The Bat! sure comes as close and is lightweight as hell, but it just doesn't have the same integration and feel either. It's the best try so far, at least.

Yes, they are my opinions (no I don't work for anyone, nor do I get 250k year)

If you have something to argue about me points, please do so. Otherwise you're just mindlessly attacking. Try using WP7.

Around 250k per year.

Honestly, I can't think of anything that would immature about it.. In fact, especially the UI is great once you've tried it. Easily beats Android and even iPhone too.

Also, development on WP7 phones is ridiculously easy, as you point out. I'm more than happy that Nokia finally dropped Symbian, which was a *major* pain in the ass to even set up development environment for. XNA, Silverlight etc make it ridiculously easy to do apps for WP7.

Only bad thing about WP7 is that you can't run apps outside markets as easily as with old Windows Mobile's. It really sucks. But it's something iPhone and Android mandated, so blame is on them.

Nokia has been preparing their Windows Phone 7 line-up. Their Nokia Lumia smart phone has beat sales in many European countries and Australia in December and November, even topping iPhone and every Android phone. It is also a very solid offering. I think both Microsoft and Nokia did the right to go together. Great hardware from Nokia and great software from Microsoft. That combination is pure gold.

Great example of how "greatly" open source devs get UI and design, tho

Like what? Visual Studio is by far the best IDE there is. It is almost outstandingly powerful and still lightweight with the newest versions. It's nice to work with. Apart from VisualAssist, which is great addon, there's not much there to improve over others. In fact, the assist features of VS is on par with others, VA just takes it step further. Anyone who would use Eclipse over VS just doesn't know what he is doing.

Funnily, I'm not American, I'm Russian.

Seems like your mother never taught you that other persons bad actions does not justify you doing bad things.

It's what I started my programming history with and I still have fond memories of it. Easy enough language that got me interested in programming and provided me instant fun. There never really was any other such comprehensive language with quick-to-see results. Drawing on screen was easy, syntax was easy and reading from input was easy. You got fun things done quickly. As much as some "I'm better than you" geeks like to take a stand about it, BASIC was important part of history.

This is one of the most intelligent posts I've read on Slashdot in a while. Mod parent up.

Then you probably also understand that it is the US and Europe that uses most of the resources on our planet. If you want to save as much lives as you can while preventing overpopulation, we westerners should be first ones to go. People from other places on Earth use far fewer resources per one person than we do.

You really think Anonymous played any role in it? If anything it only made Sony more pro-establishment. You're idiot, eldavojohn.

I know you're a parent, and a grandparent, and hence why I used such example. It just seems like you're more easy at putting Iranians/Iraqis at that position and forgetting that they're people just like you. All with their family, history, loved ones and children.