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Comment Re:Why bother? (Score 1) 279

by mingrassia (#30620760) Attached to: Apple Fails To Deliver On Windows 7 Boot Camp Promise

RedK already pointed out that you're not comparing equivalent machines. A Mac mini is more like a Dell Studio Hybrid, not an Inspiron 545s.

As for your chosen upgrades to the Mac mini, this is why I said "pick a reasonable Mac". Maxing out the upgrades will never result in an ideal price for anything (Mac, PC, or whatever).

For example, it costs $150 to go from a 2.26GHz to a 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo. Is the slight speed bump really worth the extra cash for the average user? I don't think so. Upgrading the processor on that machine IMHO falls into the "blindly buying the fastest model available" category.

Another example with the mini, upgrading to a 500GB drive costs $200 from Apple, but a new 500GB laptop drive only costs $79 on Newegg. Grab a screwdriver and do the upgrade yourself. Not only is it cheaper, but it's also more fun ;)

Comment Re:Why bother? (Score 3, Insightful) 279

by mingrassia (#30618968) Attached to: Apple Fails To Deliver On Windows 7 Boot Camp Promise

WTF? It's like saying somebody should buy an F1 car just because it's fastest

I agree 100%. People should buy a machine to suit their needs. Anyone who blindly buys the fastest model available is just being egotistical and foolish.

which does not cost them their house and children

A new Mac mini goes for $599 and a MacBook is $999. This is hardly "house and children" figures. Pick a reasonable Mac then go to Dell and spec out a similar machine. The PC prices will be in a close neighborhood.

not require special fuel and can run on ordinary road

This article is not about the iPhone. It is about Apple systems running OS X that can utilize Boot Camp.

Hardly any "special fuel" required on OS X systems. Take your pick from any of the great open source apps available for the platform: Firefox, Thunderbird, Inkscape, Gimp, VLC, Eclipse, the list goes on. Wanna write some code? Xcode comes free with OS X. Don't wanna use Xcode, then use another IDE or directly use make, gcc, gdb, and vim.

As for your "ordinary road" comment ... I'm writing this on a four year old iMac. Over the years I've upgraded the memory (Crucial has great prices) and hard drive (1TB was only $99 at Fry's). My mouse of choice is a five button Logitech scroll mouse. I hardly feel "locked in" or "abused".

Way to go on a tangent!

Way to spread FUD. How about we just let people use the computer that best suits their needs.

Getting back on topic, I've been running Windows 7 in both Boot Camp and Parallels 5 with no problems. I don't know what the damage is with this "article".

Comment Keep an eye on USB Overdrive [was Re:Ahem] (Score 1) 265

by mingrassia (#30023314) Attached to: Multi-Button OpenOfficeMouse At OOoCon 2009
For me, no squeeze buttons was a downer. I live off of Exposé and hate having to use the keyboard to invoke it.

That being said, I'm excited about what can be done with gestures on this mouse. This is why I'm keeping an eye on USB Overdrive. I've been using this driver for a while now so that all five buttons on my Logitech mouse work flawlessly in OS X ... where flawlessly means mapped to exactly the actions that I want.

Here is what the developer has to say about the new mouse: "Apple Magic Mouse update: I've been working hard on the device and I now know how it works. I am writing a lot of code to support it properly and I will post a new version as soon as it is ready. Until then, please be aware that without specific support the Magic Mouse is a two buttons mouse with no scroll wheel. The current version of the USB Overdrive handles it as any other mouse so you lose both the scroll wheel and the ability to configure gestures using Apple's own drivers. The good news is that this mouse can do a lot more than basic gestures, and I'll do my best to make it even more magic."
Privacy

iPhone Takes Screenshots of Everything You Do 225

Posted by kdawson from the watchbird-is-watching-you dept.
The_AV8R writes "Jonathan Zdziarski showed that every time you press the Home button on your iPhone, a screen capture is taken in order to produce a visual effect. This image is then cached and later deleted. Zdziarski says that there have been cases of law enforcement looking up sex offenders' old data and checking recovered screenshots." This revelation occurred in the midst of a webcast on iPhone forensics, demonstrating how to bypass the iPhone's password security (not trivial, but doable). Video from the talk is not online yet but is promised soon over at O'Reilly.
Cellphones

Apple Losing Touchscreen War 392

Posted by samzenpus from the what-about-the-battle dept.
An anonymous reader writes "While Apple's iPhone may be the first device most people call to mind when they think of a touch interface mobile, the 3G device is still lagging behind in the touchscreen shifting stakes — it's getting a sound thrashing from Moto and Samsung, who've cornered the Asian market where touchscreens are popular for their ability to let users input Asian languages without all that fiddly Qwerty nonsense."
Security

China Says It Lacks Skills To Hack US Systems 507

Posted by CmdrTaco from the next-you'll-tell-me-they-don't-play-checkers dept.
ScentCone writes "A spokesman for China's foreign ministry says that — China being the 'developing nation' that it is — he doubts that his country has the sophistication to hack foreign systems. This in response to statements by two congressmen regarding apparent probing by China-based crackers into congressional systems for information about communication between US officials and activists in China."

Comment Link to John Lilly's actual blog post ... (Score 4, Informative) 768

by mingrassia (#22830390) Attached to: Mozilla CEO Objects To Safari Auto Install
Here is a link to John Lilly's actual blog post ...

http://john.jubjubs.net/2008/03/21/apple-software-update/

... can't imagine why neither the /. summary or the original "article" included a link to John Lilly's actual blog post. Who the hell is Dee Chisamera and why did /. link to Chisamera'a page full of ads instead of Lilly's actual blog post?

Alienware Planning Android iPhone Killer? 152

Posted by CmdrTaco from the competition-means-better dept.
meteorit found a story about rumors of an Alienware phone based on Google's Android phone OS. As Dell has a history of bombing with handhelds, it would be interesting to try the Alienware brand instead. And I'm not exactly sure where they get off claiming that their drawings are the first pictures of the thing. Cheesy renderings designed explicitly for your website are not quite pictures of a product... they are artists impressions.

iPhone Trojan Sign of Things to Come? 151

Posted by Zonk from the im-in-ur-iphone-removin-ur-apps dept.
climber writes "Just days after the first scareware for OSX, researchers are pondering the problems of an iPhone exploit that could lead to larger issues. The Trojan pulls legitimate apps off the phone if you try to remove it, but it only infects iPhones that have 'been modified or opened through a security hole in the system.' Though this worm is more of an annoyance than anything else, it could be a proof of concept for a more serious attack. 'The fear is hackers may be experimenting and gathering research that will increase the dangers of a more malicious attack in the near future. It is clear at least one writer -- the author of this piece at Web Worker Daily -- thinks that the iPhone should be left on the dresser in the morning. She offers several reasons that the device isn't a good corporate tool.'"

iPhone Keyboard Leads to Typso 394

Posted by CmdrTaco from the see-get-it-i-was-being-funny dept.
jfruhlinger writes "One of the selling points of the iPhone was its revolutionary touch-screen full keyboard. But a study has shown that text messages sent from iPhones contain significantly more typso than messages from phones with other kinds of keyboards — and aren't entered any faster."
Music

The SoundExchange Billion Dollar Administrative Fee 127

Posted by Zonk from the crushing-greed dept.
palewook writes "On June 7th, Yahoo, RealNetworks, Pandora, and Live365 sent letters to US lawmakers emphasizing they owe SoundExchange 'administrative fees' of more than $1 billion dollars a year. These fees would be paid for the 'privilege' of collecting the increased CRB royalties effective July 15th, unless the Internet Radio Equality Act passes Congress. SoundExchange, the non-profit music industry entity, admits the levied charge of $500 per 'channel' is supposed to only cover their administrative costs. Last year, SoundExchange collected a total of $20 million dollars from the Internet radio industry. Under the new 'administrative fee' RealNetworks, which hosted 400,000 unique subscribed channels in 2006, would owe an annual administrative charge of 200 million dollars in addition to the retroactive 2006 rate hike per song played."
The Media

HBO Exec Proposes DRM Name Change 544

Posted by Zonk from the that's-all-that's-in-the-way dept.
surfingmarmot writes "An HBO executive has figured out the problem with DRM acceptance — it's the name. HBO's chief technology officer Bob Zitter now wants to refer to the technology as Digital Consumer Enablement. Because, you see, DRM actually helps consumers by getting more content into their hands. The company already has HD movies on demand ready to go, but is delaying them because of ownership concerns. Says Zitter, 'Digital Consumer Enablement would more accurately describe technology that allows consumers "to use content in ways they haven't before," such as enjoying TV shows and movies on portable video players like iPods. "I don't want to use the term DRM any longer," said Zitter, who added that content-protection technology could enable various new applications for cable operators.'"
Microsoft

Paul Graham Claims "Microsoft is Dead" 536

Posted by CowboyNeal from the don't-fear-the-reaper dept.
netbuzz writes "He doesn't mean dead as in six feet under, but rather that the software giant no longer instills the kind of fear — particularly among entrepreneurs — that it did back in the day when it was making road kill out of companies like Netscape. Microsoft obits have been around for almost as long as the company, but Graham's stature, style and devoted following are likely to make this one a classic."
The Almighty Buck

Study Finds Cost Major Factor In Outsourcing Positions 367

Posted by Zonk from the they-get-you-coming-and-going dept.
theodp writes "Debunking claims to the contrary, a new study from Duke University asserts that it is purely cost savings, and not the education of Indian and Chinese workers, or a shortage of American engineers that has caused offshore outsourcing. 'The key advantage of hiring Chinese entry-level engineers was cost savings, whereas a few respondents cited strong education or training and a willingness to work long hours. Similarly, cost savings were cited as a major advantage of hiring Indian entry-level engineers, whereas other advantages were technical knowledge, English language skills, strong education or training, ability to learn quickly, and a strong work ethic.' The article goes on to point out that despite this, outsourcing will continue to be a problem for US workers in coming decades; new elements of traditional corporations like R&D may in fact be next on the outsourcing chopping block."
IBM

IBM the Next Great Software Company? 132

Posted by Zonk from the brave-new-world dept.
Diomidis Spinellis writes "A report in this week's Economist discusses IBM's globalization strategy and the company's presence in India. Refreshingly, the article admits that there's more to outsourcing than cheap labor, contrasting IBM's calculated investments with Apple's rapid pull-out from Bangalore. Although the jury is still out on how sluggish multinationals can compete with vigorous tigers, it seems that IBM has a credible strategy for becoming the next great software company, and that outsourcing is only a part of the puzzle."

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