Within minutes of this article going live, I had an Apple Maos car drive by me in Toronto. Coincidence? Most definitely.

Thanks for bringing /. back. All the best in the future. I, and many others, will be there for it.

FYI, I am currently a Linux sysadmin, working for a 100% Linux shop. Outside my gaming rig, I've run Linux for about 20 years. Longer than I've had my /. account. And I believe it is the first time I've been called a shill, and I've had my post down voted as Flamebait.

It really doesn't change the fact Microsoft announced this move one year ago. I'm not sure what you and the other snowflakes on this site were expecting.

Anyway, probably my last post on /. I am too old for online arguments.

A while back Microsoft made the announcement that Skylake will be the last CPU generation they will support with Windows 7 and 8.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/1...

Not exactly a surprise they actually followed through on their promise.

Frankenstein G3? With my D852 (yes, the canadian one) All i had to do is flash to an early rootable lollipop, and then root. Once rooted, I installed TWRP 2.8.7 bootloader (now upgraded to 3.0.0), and have been flashing CM13 nightlies to my hearts content. Not sure what you are talking about with bits and pieces from different android versions.

That is precisely my setup. And if you'd look into it a bit deeper, you would see that your bootloader is KK, modem is 20x or 21x, or LL, and that finally CM13 is MM.

The ONLY bootloader that is bumped (i.e. rootable) is the KK one, so you have to be running it. LG patched the later ones.

For those of us that do not sync with Google, or as is my case, do not have any Google services or apps, the new messaging app is worse than the previous one.

The CM12 messaging app allowed all SMS/MMS to be exported as a zip file, that could be imported to another phone, or to the same phone after a clean wipe. The CM13 messaging app is missing this functionality, and I could not find another one that would replicate it.

Otherwise, CM13 is pretty solid. I've been running the nightlies since they came out on an LG G3 d852, which is a bit of a crappy phone, and it is much more stable than CM12. I do like the new camera app, as it has a lot more functionality than the old one, and the OS overall is a bit more polished.

YMMV, as it really depends on the hardware. I'm sure on a Nexus 5p or 6x, CM13 is stellar. On my frankenstein LG G3, it's ok, as I am forced to run a KK bootloader (only rootable bootloader), a LL modem (most recent modem released by the Canadian carriers) and a MM CM13 OS.

Until very recently I was traveling for work every week, and the gaming laptop on which I am typing this post saved my sanity and liver in plenty of hotel rooms. It is a Clevo P150SM-A, weighing in at about 12lbs including AC adapter. It was not fun lugging it around airports twice a week while waiting for connecting flights. But it did the job, and I could play Fallout, Skyrim, Bioshock, Dying Light and many other games at very respectable frame rates. Even now that my traveling days are done, I am sitting on my balcony with a cup of tea, enjoying the end of the Canadian summer. I can also set it up in my living room while my significant other is watching TV.

I had gaming desktops for about a decade, and I just got tired of being stuck at the same desk in the evenings, while spending my mornings at a different desk in the office.

I am aware that a laptop's performance will never come close to that of a desktop. But if you cannot understand why someone will make that trade-off, don't click reply.

All that said, I am surprised nobody mentioned the significant issue that Nvidia has with the Windows 10 upgrade. NBR is full of reports of black screens after upgrading, and the cause seems to be the Nvidia driver overwriting the LCD EEPROM. It seems Alienwares are particularly affected, with a few Clevos as well.

And, of course, streaming and "let's plays." Why are people sitting around watching OTHER PEOPLE play games that they themselves could be playing? But they do!

I agree with all your other points by and large. However I am guilty of watching the entire "let's play" of The Last of Us WITHOUT commentary. Why? I heard the amazing reviews of the story line, but I have never and will never own either a PS3, PS4 or any other console for that matter. Since that game will never be released on PC, I figured that was the only way to experience it. I was NOT disappointed.

I also watched the beginnings a few more "let's plays." It convinced me to buy Dying Light, Bioshock Infinite and Metro Last Light. I never finished Dying Light because the gameplay was too complex for the time I can allot to gaming, but I may pick it up again in the future.

One thing I do not understand with most "let's plays" is how can people watch them WITH commentary. That annoyed the fuck out of me, I switched to the silent version instantly. Unless you're Morgan Freeman reading a script written by the Daily Show team, please shut up while playing a game for YT.

I almost don't care how buggy it will be, as soon as Jolla or someone else will release a fully functional image for my Nexus 4, I will flash it.

I am already running CM10.2 without a Google Account or any Google Apps for that mattet, and source all my apps from f-droid. So in my case the tether has been cut about 4 months ago, and I do not miss Google one bit.

Switching back to Sailfish, having used Maemo and Meego in the past, will be awesome. Looking forward to it.

Sadly, this Jolla thing has no keyboard and thus is a non-starter for me.

But add one and I promise to be the first in line to buy it. My N900 is starting to fall apart...

As the owner of two Nokia N900s, HTC Desire (Nexus One), HTC Sensation, and LG Nexus 4, as well as a former owner of a Nokia N9, I can say the hardware keyboard on the N900 is highly overrated. Yes, when the N900 came out touchscreen keyboards were garbage, and the small screen and low resolution of the HTC Desire made typing on it an adventure. Same went for the Nokia N9 by the way, I loved the swype interface, hated the lack of keyboard. Fast forward to the HTC Sensation and LG Nexus 4, and I can type MUCH faster than I ever could on the N900.

I can think of a couple of reasons a hardware keyboard may be useful, such as typing in a terminal where sharing half the screen between the keyboard and the command line output IS a pain. And also using the phone in cold weather with gloves is much easier with a hardware keyboard.

But writing off the ONLY new phone running a real Linux distribution, with real native apps, open ecosystem from a company that is not interested in stealing your private data just because it lacks a keyboard just seems like trolling to me.

I personally will buy one as soon as it becomes available in Canada without being on pre-order.

The issue is you cannot protect your privacy directly from the NSA. They seem to have tapped communication between Google data centres, can request any information they wish from any company (Google, FB, your local ISB and phone provider, etc), so the only option is limiting the amount of data you provide. Interestingly I started taking the following steps even before the leaks simply because I became uncomfortable with the major corporations gathering my data and then changing their privacy policies at will. That's not how contracts are supposed to work, and disagreeing doesn't seem to have any effect. Once Snowden went public, my paranoia turned out to be justified.

In general terms, I do not share anything truly personal on a public forum. So on FB I never upload pictures, I do not share places I visit, and I do not provide a phone number. I just use it to set up events like Birthdays or nights out. I do not use twitter, foursquare, pinterest, instagram, myspace or whatever social fad of the day happens to be. It could be that in my early thirties I'm becoming a technology Luddite, but then I was never denied a job because my *insert questionable behavior here* is posted all over the net.

Google is a special case. I started using Gmail when getting invites was almost impossible, and Youtube when they were still independent. So giving up my Gmail account would be a VERY significant undertaking, especially since I couldn't come up with better alternatives (fast, supporting POP3, almost perfect uptime, and guaranteed not to shut down). But I never stay signed into Gmail outside checking my mail, I do not use G+, I stopped using YT while being logged in, and I search through DuckDuckGo. And if anyone can suggest a reliable email provider that is NOT Google, MS or Yahoo, I am all ears.

Getting to specific platforms, on a Windows 7 PC, I use Seamonkey with Adblock Plus and No Script. I also block all third party cookies. I'm also considering adding Ghostery to the mix. This takes care of most of the trackers, cookies, ads, etc. I have not used Linux on a desktop in years, and I am yet to touch Windows 8, so I can't comment there. I also never share my location, although it's pretty braindead to find out where my IP is located anyway.

On my smartphone, I run CyanogenMod without GApps, meaning no Google account, no PlayStore, no Google Maps, etc. You get the idea. Every single app on my phone is installed from F-Droid. I have a fully functional, OSS book reader (Cool Reader), browser (Firefox with Adblock Plus), map application (rmaps), email client (k-9). So my phone is fully functional for my needs without any connection to the Google servers. As before, I never share my location which on a smartphone does make a difference.

This is pretty much what I've done to avoid Big Data without using any functionality and giving up only a bit of convenience. Any suggestions for improvements are more than welcome.

So Larry Page disclosed an ailment that quite frankly was new to me. But what are the implications of paralized vocal chords beyond being unable to speak?

Are the people surrounding him worried he may be contagoious? Is he in danger of being blamed for an unhealthy lifestyle causing his malaise? Does he face the prospect of losing his job, or being unable to find employment in the future? Is he likely to lose family or friends? I believe the answer is no to all the above questions.

But think of AIDS, certain cancers, heart disease, mental disorders and any number of afflictions that MAY be caused by personal choice. Or even if personal responsibility were not the cause, yet others would still discriminate the sufferer.

The choice of making one's problems public should ALWAYS rest with the individual. There are always reasons to shield yourself from others, and one billionaire cannot even begin to comprehend the complexity of the issue from his ivory tower.

That would give you an even number.

Wrong. Multiplying all the known prime numbers will always give you an even number, so adding 1 to whatever result will give you an odd number.

Hint: 2 is a prime number. You figure out the rest.

Because without having part of the vehicle visible in the convex passenger-side mirror, it's difficult to gauge distance. There's a valid reason-- no one said you have to accept it, of course.

While taking your eyes from the road, turning your head almost 90 degrees to either side is just perfect. But to reply to your point, as long as I see both headlights of the car beside me in my side mirror, it's safe to change the lane in my car. You figure out the constraints of your own vehicle, it shouldn't be that tough.

There's another gentleman that picked a nit with the same point I was trying to make, stretching the imaginary blind pot between the side and centre mirrors to infinity. Right, there could be a motorcycle hiding in there, but I can tell you for sure it will not be close enough to endanger in any way. I ride motorcycles as well, so I am completely aware how invisible we are sometimes.

Screw those people with physical disabilities, amirite? And being able to have both hands on the steering wheel is overrated! I think what we're looking for is foot-hand coordination, not hand-eye. It sounds like your argument is that it's better to have the distractions of a clutch and gearshift rather than having the car handle those functions. If that's a benefit, then why all the hubbub over people driving with phones in their hands?

I will disregard your straw man fallacy. First, people with disabilities are a special scenario and obviously have a completely different set of requirements. I am talking about the girl I met at the DMV who wrote her written test 6 or 7 time before passing it. I am talking about able bodied people who cannot muster the hand-foot coordination to tie their own shoe laces, yet carry a valid driving license.

As to the rest of your arguments, you sound like you never drove a standard transmission in your life, because outside the 2-3 seconds it takes to change gear your hands are always on the steering wheel. And you also learn never to change gears in a tight turn or when performing evasive maneuvers. After a few thousand kilometers, that granted are a bit rocky, it becomes second nature. Just like you don't consciously keep your balance while riding a bicycle, you don't even realize you're shifting gears. It is NOTHING like talking on the phone or holding a coffee in your hand. Just the fact you made that parallel makes me Internet angry.

Only douchebags drive with one hand on the wheel and the other on the gear shifter at all times, talk on their phone (handsfree or not) or text and drive.

the tech I care about is safety related...I can't wait until all this stuff is standard equip

blindspot detection
lane departure
collision detection
adaptive cruise control
electronic brake distribution / ABS
navigation

Blindspot detection: I have no idea why In North America they don't teach this, but your side mirrors are PERFECT blind spot detectors. The trick is to have ZERO overlap between the cabin mirror and the side mirrors. If you see the same thing twice, you're doing it wrong. With my current setup, by the time a car beside me disappears from the side mirrors, it's already visible while looking ahead. Turning my head to check blindspots can EMA.

Lane departure: That only happens if you're distracted or falling asleep at the wheel. In either case you should NOT be driving. I have wandered out of my lane before, and a warning would have been nice, but that simply cannot take the place of being conscious behind the wheel. When you're distracted or tired you will find other ways to kill yourself.

Collision detection and adaptive cruise control: Ok, these two features I can understand. But they both use radar to gauge the distance to the car in front, and are unable to detect anything beyond that. So they are unlikely to help in highway pile-ups or similar accidents, where the car in front comes to a dead stop far quicker than your brakes can compensate. An alert driver can spot the brake lights coming on in the distance, cars swerving, dust cloud, etc (yes, I had it happen in front of me). And what concerns me is that drivers would just zone out thinking the car will do the braking for them. Still, would be helpful.

EBD/ABS: As all driver aids, they enable poor drivers to avoid minor mistakes while not giving them the tools to prevent bigger accidents. No amount of EDB and ABS will help you maintain control over your car if you start severely fishtailing or you drive too fast for the road conditions (snow or ice).

Navigation: So that in a few of years, when the built in maps are outdated, we can all read stories about the guys who drove up into the hills and froze to death. I'll stick to my foldable map and smartphone that are guaranteed to be current (as long as I buy a new map every year or so).

Speaking of safety, and knowing I'll sound like a luddite, the worst invention as far as I'm concerned is the automatic gear box. People completely lacking the hand eye coordination, with poor motor skills can drive because of it. I don't think that's a good thing. At the very least the driving exams all over the world should require a manual transmission car to pass. Afterwards you can buy whatever vehicle you want, because you proved capable of driving.

Driving is that it's a privilege, not a right. YOU are in control of a (multi)tonne vehicle that can easily kill you and others around you. Driver aids are great, but they cannot substitute for situational awareness, respect for others and yes, skill. Just watching Canada's Worst Driver is enough to make me cringe that those people hold a valid driver license, yet they somehow passed their local DMV exam.