re: The tale of T-mobile and the big nasty Oranges
Richard Moat was CEO of Orange Romania for a few years - when I saw he quit and came to T-Mobile UK, I did get a funny feeling that something was going to happen. I refused to believe that he would Orangeise the network though, stupid me..
..the obvious one, the iPlayer from auntie? And I suppose the Internet is now no longer safe either, since even though it begins with a capital I, Apple has already taken over IOS to make it iOS... Oh God, they're EVERYWHERE! AAARGH!!!
I'm due to upgrade after their alleged tariff change, and I would hate to not be able to get a 12 month contract again... Yes, I'm a gadget addict, so I change my phone every 12 months - not anymore, apparently. Looks like I'll be going down the sim-only route from now on.
It's not nice to have congestion issues, but Be's been better in my experience than many other providers - and for £17.50 a month, quite cheap, too. We did have an issue a few months ago with slow speeds and frequent disconnections, but that was sorted by bringing up a fault with BT and having them replace some damaged cabling outside the house (went from 3.5Mbps to 6Mbps as a result, and it's much more stable now).
Go Be!, please don't ruin it like most other ISP's do...
...an idea: send up a rather large wheel-type thing that would sit somewhere further out than the ISS (or even further out than any artificial satellite), and once a JV is used, send it off and dock it to that. That way, you create a huge, mostly pointless but maybe somewhat useful in the future storage area.
All the *nix fanbois out there, do you really mean it? If so, wow..
I have to say, I don't LIKE Windows as such, in fact it's a pretty poor excuse for a cutting-edge OS (and I'm talking about XP - my current install has lasted me about four years, through two complete hardware changes). Sure, it's starting to get slow and has inexplicable bugs, but at least I can fix most of them. On top of that, I can play games. And if I would be an ordinary user, I would surely appreciate how relatively easy it is to use/install/etc. Of course a lot of this is so because M$ have people firmly by the b@lls, there's no denying that.
I tried Ubuntu 7.10 recently, and it just didn't satisfy me. Sure, it was free, it did things well, the package manager actually works, and there's plenty of free software for it - but I still can't play my games on it, and it won't recognise some of my more "special" hardware unless I'm willing to really get my hands dirty (which I am, but I'm not a "normal" user).
So honestly, please stop trying to shove *nix (or even MacOS) down people's throats when they're still not suitable for a large chunk of the audience. I'm sure they'll get there, it'll just take a wee bit longer - say, maybe until mid-2009?
I'd hope that people complained that Asus were encouraging people to eat poorly with their current advert model, so a bigger model was obviously imminent.
Mika - Big Girl (You Are Beautiful) ? Can we have a new Eee photo too?
I know, it would just make it easier though. Just like eliminating oral GCSE exams, and all the other wonderful initiatives that people seem to be having recently.
It's another Borg-inspired initiative! Let's see... we've got MS, Google and Cisco. Or rather, in about 10 years (I'm being optimistic here, we've probably got far less), everything(ish) technical will have one of those three brands. That's it.
By then we would've started colonising other planets, and then each corporation gets a religion (where's Jobs when you need him?), and interplanetary wars follow.
So... they would jettison an entire solar panel because of a tear. Sorry, but.. what?
At least be a bit more specific and explain why exactly it poses such great danger to have it only partially deployed, otherwise all you'll get it silly comments (like this one).
"2MB camera"? Awesome, that means I can store hundreds of cameras on my W950i - who said it wasn't a camera phone?
Also, I don't think 3 offer 'true' Skype/VoIP, as their data network (like any mobile data network IIRC) has horrible latencies for real-time uses. Instead, the handset calls a 3-network number (the "Skype Service", or something), and all the translation to VoIP is done at the network operator's end, like.
The handset looks nice too - would Paris Hilton use one? :o
...or so I thought a few months ago, when I was getting annoyed with a really bad batch of *brand new* HP SDLT tapes which would refuse to work in any drive. But shortly afterwards I was reminded about the tape delivery guy - and how hard drives wouldn't really appreciate being thrown around like the tapes are.
Stop bashing Windows - yes it sucks at times, yes Microsoft do make an obscene amount of money out of it, but do you honestly expect people who have barely just got used to where the "New Message" button in Outlook is (and a few other buttons) to pick up Linux/MacOS/etc that easily in order to make the switch feasible? Windows mostly just works out of the box, even if it does need patching regularly (with the exception of Vista, IMHO).
Every year (more or less) I try to dig myself into Linux, and every year I get frustrated and give up. Why? Because it doesn't work as well from a layman's point of view, because unless you're prepared to spend a long time getting used to it, things work differently in different distros, because it doesn't have the same hardware compatibility and similar applications, etc - the list really could go on for a long time, but all it would cause would be a flame war. And Microsoft also happens to be pretty much stuck with a lot of backward-compatibility baggage - not that they're making much of an effort to get rid of it, mind you (unless breaking Creative's sound cards in Vista can be considered progress).
And I'm not really computer illiterate either, so that argument won't work. Yes there are indeed other better OS's out there - they're just not made with the end-user clearly in mind and they won't offer the same experience.
I guess if the open-source community would stop bickering and throwing handbags around and then started collaborating and working to consolidate the existing knowledge and distros into a few clear products, then it might be possible to put them side by side and compare apples with apples.
"real browser to get real search results on the real internet"
Um... I'm not exactly all-knowing, but haven't we had various Symbian and WM platforms for a long time now which have been able to do this since before the iPhone was even a public thing?
Ah c***, I feel the reality distorsion field overwhelming me... help..! Heee...iWaaaant... iAnythiiing...
Another bleedin' obvious discovery by researchers: "People prefer to make calls from wherever they are, as opposed to using fixed phones - shock horror!"
Helped along by aggressive pricing by the mobile operators, I really can't see why they wouldn't...
Rob: "Well, as soon as someone defines "we" and comes up with a suitably catchy group name." - How about Cider Makers (geddit, Apple bashers.... where's my coat gone!)
Has to be something more sinister... how about al-Saidr? I'll start on the underground bunkers.
...just hate religious fanatics? Can we please declare holy war on Apple now? Well, as soon as someone defines "we" and comes up with a suitably catchy group name.
Considering how far up the USofA's ass some people get and how anti-European some (other?) people are, England might as well just become a US state - that way we get stuff so much cheaper . It's definitely worth it, I'd say. Who's with me?
..but for how much? It's still early days, but unless O2/Apple choose to heavily subsidise the handset, I can't really imagine that many people shelling out £300 to get one (or more like £500 after you're-in-England taxes). People in the UK aren't used to spending money up-front on a phone, it's not the US here (duh!).
Of course some people will get one, it's an iLife essential after all, and some people will just go for it. The other opportunity would be corporate clients - but there are so many things missing from it that make it inappropriate for corporate use that I just can't imagine a CIO with half a brain opting for them. But hey, we've seen stranger things happen...
May I suggest they move away from any area which has TV or radio coverage, any satellite radiation, any history of volcanic eruptions, and live without electricity (which would also damage them because, funnily enough, involves EM fields), have no volcanic rocks nearby or as part of the house, and (why not) attempt to dodge all the cosmic radiation around too. No? Didn't think so.
If that's bad, then what about Barclays' online service, which dies pretty much every evening, and at least once a week for about half a day? And they want to break it even more with the new chip & pin @home machines - but hey, at least you'd have plenty of time to think whether you REALLY want to put that new expensive gadget on your credit card.
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32 posts • joined Thursday 24th May 2007 07:27 GMT
Yeah but...
no. I don't really find any of thsese that exciting, and I'm a sucker for gadgets and general shiny-ness...
Really..
..they thought it was a good idea to slightly annoy the law enforcement agencies? How clever..
re: The tale of T-mobile and the big nasty Oranges
Richard Moat was CEO of Orange Romania for a few years - when I saw he quit and came to T-Mobile UK, I did get a funny feeling that something was going to happen. I refused to believe that he would Orangeise the network though, stupid me..
Also..
Monster House 3D has been out for a couple of days now.
What about...
..the obvious one, the iPlayer from auntie? And I suppose the Internet is now no longer safe either, since even though it begins with a capital I, Apple has already taken over IOS to make it iOS... Oh God, they're EVERYWHERE! AAARGH!!!
You missed...
...the centre speaker.
Boo :(
I'm due to upgrade after their alleged tariff change, and I would hate to not be able to get a 12 month contract again... Yes, I'm a gadget addict, so I change my phone every 12 months - not anymore, apparently. Looks like I'll be going down the sim-only route from now on.
Better than others..
It's not nice to have congestion issues, but Be's been better in my experience than many other providers - and for £17.50 a month, quite cheap, too. We did have an issue a few months ago with slow speeds and frequent disconnections, but that was sorted by bringing up a fault with BT and having them replace some damaged cabling outside the house (went from 3.5Mbps to 6Mbps as a result, and it's much more stable now).
Go Be!, please don't ruin it like most other ISP's do...
Here's...
...an idea: send up a rather large wheel-type thing that would sit somewhere further out than the ISS (or even further out than any artificial satellite), and once a JV is used, send it off and dock it to that. That way, you create a huge, mostly pointless but maybe somewhat useful in the future storage area.
Not "why?", but "why not?"
Well...
When and where in London? No good saying "I'll be there" if we don't know where "there" is really.
Are you serious...?
All the *nix fanbois out there, do you really mean it? If so, wow..
I have to say, I don't LIKE Windows as such, in fact it's a pretty poor excuse for a cutting-edge OS (and I'm talking about XP - my current install has lasted me about four years, through two complete hardware changes). Sure, it's starting to get slow and has inexplicable bugs, but at least I can fix most of them. On top of that, I can play games. And if I would be an ordinary user, I would surely appreciate how relatively easy it is to use/install/etc. Of course a lot of this is so because M$ have people firmly by the b@lls, there's no denying that.
I tried Ubuntu 7.10 recently, and it just didn't satisfy me. Sure, it was free, it did things well, the package manager actually works, and there's plenty of free software for it - but I still can't play my games on it, and it won't recognise some of my more "special" hardware unless I'm willing to really get my hands dirty (which I am, but I'm not a "normal" user).
So honestly, please stop trying to shove *nix (or even MacOS) down people's throats when they're still not suitable for a large chunk of the audience. I'm sure they'll get there, it'll just take a wee bit longer - say, maybe until mid-2009?
Bigger model...
I'd hope that people complained that Asus were encouraging people to eat poorly with their current advert model, so a bigger model was obviously imminent.
Mika - Big Girl (You Are Beautiful) ? Can we have a new Eee photo too?
@Steve re: Lazer
I know, it would just make it easier though. Just like eliminating oral GCSE exams, and all the other wonderful initiatives that people seem to be having recently.
I heard...
...that Boeing were developing some sort of projectile-intercepting laser (why isn't laser spelt lazer in the US, just to be consistent?).
Surely, mass-market adoption as a Wiimote countermeasure would be great for everyone involved?
I'm waiting...
...for the eBay auction.
"One stiff moose, some cosmetic damage, doesn't bounce, edible. Sold as seen, delivery by air drop."
(flak jacket, please)
"More likely, Sony would use the 45nm Call"
I would like a Call that small too, imagine the savings I could make on my international Calls!
The one that's got its pockets full of heatsinks please.
Hurrah!
It's another Borg-inspired initiative! Let's see... we've got MS, Google and Cisco. Or rather, in about 10 years (I'm being optimistic here, we've probably got far less), everything(ish) technical will have one of those three brands. That's it.
By then we would've started colonising other planets, and then each corporation gets a religion (where's Jobs when you need him?), and interplanetary wars follow.
Heck, bring it on!
Oh look...
..it's Eurostar-like times, tens of years before the Eurostar! And no sodding infrastructure to build and maintain!
The human race is never going to learn, are we?
...what?
So... they would jettison an entire solar panel because of a tear. Sorry, but.. what?
At least be a bit more specific and explain why exactly it poses such great danger to have it only partially deployed, otherwise all you'll get it silly comments (like this one).
Oops! + Correction
"2MB camera"? Awesome, that means I can store hundreds of cameras on my W950i - who said it wasn't a camera phone?
Also, I don't think 3 offer 'true' Skype/VoIP, as their data network (like any mobile data network IIRC) has horrible latencies for real-time uses. Instead, the handset calls a 3-network number (the "Skype Service", or something), and all the translation to VoIP is done at the network operator's end, like.
The handset looks nice too - would Paris Hilton use one? :o
Oh yeah!!
Definitely a good idea!
...or so I thought a few months ago, when I was getting annoyed with a really bad batch of *brand new* HP SDLT tapes which would refuse to work in any drive. But shortly afterwards I was reminded about the tape delivery guy - and how hard drives wouldn't really appreciate being thrown around like the tapes are.
Nice model!
Where can I get one?
I'm still thinking about the tiny laptop/PC though, I'd rather upgrade my desktop first.
IGMC
Just stop it...
Stop bashing Windows - yes it sucks at times, yes Microsoft do make an obscene amount of money out of it, but do you honestly expect people who have barely just got used to where the "New Message" button in Outlook is (and a few other buttons) to pick up Linux/MacOS/etc that easily in order to make the switch feasible? Windows mostly just works out of the box, even if it does need patching regularly (with the exception of Vista, IMHO).
Every year (more or less) I try to dig myself into Linux, and every year I get frustrated and give up. Why? Because it doesn't work as well from a layman's point of view, because unless you're prepared to spend a long time getting used to it, things work differently in different distros, because it doesn't have the same hardware compatibility and similar applications, etc - the list really could go on for a long time, but all it would cause would be a flame war. And Microsoft also happens to be pretty much stuck with a lot of backward-compatibility baggage - not that they're making much of an effort to get rid of it, mind you (unless breaking Creative's sound cards in Vista can be considered progress).
And I'm not really computer illiterate either, so that argument won't work. Yes there are indeed other better OS's out there - they're just not made with the end-user clearly in mind and they won't offer the same experience.
I guess if the open-source community would stop bickering and throwing handbags around and then started collaborating and working to consolidate the existing knowledge and distros into a few clear products, then it might be possible to put them side by side and compare apples with apples.
I can't wait for the fan-boyz and gurlz...
"real browser to get real search results on the real internet"
Um... I'm not exactly all-knowing, but haven't we had various Symbian and WM platforms for a long time now which have been able to do this since before the iPhone was even a public thing?
Ah c***, I feel the reality distorsion field overwhelming me... help..! Heee...iWaaaant... iAnythiiing...
Hooray
Another bleedin' obvious discovery by researchers: "People prefer to make calls from wherever they are, as opposed to using fixed phones - shock horror!"
Helped along by aggressive pricing by the mobile operators, I really can't see why they wouldn't...
A-ha!
Rob: "Well, as soon as someone defines "we" and comes up with a suitably catchy group name." - How about Cider Makers (geddit, Apple bashers.... where's my coat gone!)
Has to be something more sinister... how about al-Saidr? I'll start on the underground bunkers.
Dontcha...
wish... no wait, wrong one.
...just hate religious fanatics? Can we please declare holy war on Apple now? Well, as soon as someone defines "we" and comes up with a suitably catchy group name.
Well...
that's what you get for running full-speed into a big, big puddle. At least they tried, most people would panic and keep well away!
Well, why the heck not?
Considering how far up the USofA's ass some people get and how anti-European some (other?) people are, England might as well just become a US state - that way we get stuff so much cheaper . It's definitely worth it, I'd say. Who's with me?
So nice..
..but for how much? It's still early days, but unless O2/Apple choose to heavily subsidise the handset, I can't really imagine that many people shelling out £300 to get one (or more like £500 after you're-in-England taxes). People in the UK aren't used to spending money up-front on a phone, it's not the US here (duh!).
Of course some people will get one, it's an iLife essential after all, and some people will just go for it. The other opportunity would be corporate clients - but there are so many things missing from it that make it inappropriate for corporate use that I just can't imagine a CIO with half a brain opting for them. But hey, we've seen stranger things happen...
Roll on the iChristmas I say!
While they're at it...
May I suggest they move away from any area which has TV or radio coverage, any satellite radiation, any history of volcanic eruptions, and live without electricity (which would also damage them because, funnily enough, involves EM fields), have no volcanic rocks nearby or as part of the house, and (why not) attempt to dodge all the cosmic radiation around too. No? Didn't think so.
(please do add to the non-exhaustive list)
That's bad?
If that's bad, then what about Barclays' online service, which dies pretty much every evening, and at least once a week for about half a day? And they want to break it even more with the new chip & pin @home machines - but hey, at least you'd have plenty of time to think whether you REALLY want to put that new expensive gadget on your credit card.