Practical Technology

for practical people.

January 16, 2012
by sjvn01
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Too big to fail? Microsoft, ARM, and Windows 8.

In 1912, three of the ten biggest companies in the world were J&P Coats, Pullman, and U.S. Steel. They were giants in their day. Today, they’re either business history footnotes or shadows of their former selves. Why in the world should we think Microsoft will be any different?

I wrote recently about Microsoft trying to block any other operating system from running on Windows 8 ARM-powered devices . While Ed Bott think that seeing this as an attack on Linux and other operating systems is FUD, I don’t think that’s the point.

I don’t see Linux being attacked by this move. I see Linux supporters being annoyed at it–I know I am–but attacked, afraid? No.

Sure as Bott writes “The Secure Boot requirements apply only to OEMs who sell an ARM-based device and Windows 8 as a complete package.” and that “If you disable Secure Boot on a Windows 8 ARM tablet, you have effectively bricked it.” So, yes you can take this as attack on people who want to switch operating systems, but it’s 2012. Now, if Microsoft was trying this trick with x86 PCs, it would be a different story, but Microsoft has backed off from that position. So, is really it that important to Linux that Microsoft is trying to keep it off Windows 8 ARM devices?

No, I don’t think so.

Too big to fail? Microsoft, ARM, and Windows 8: More >

January 16, 2012
by sjvn01
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SOPA Derailed

U.S. House Judiciary Committee Member Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA), and Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) opponent has announced that he has been assured by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has promised him that he will not bring the bill to the floor. That mean, for all practical intents and purposes, that SOPA is dead.

In a press release Issa announced that he was canceling his Wednesday hearing on “the impact of Domain Name Service (DNS) and search engine blocking on the Internet, has been postponed following assurances that anti-piracy legislation will not move to the House floor this Congress without a consensus.”

Issa said, “Majority Leader Cantor has assured me that we will continue to work to address outstanding concerns and work to build consensus prior to any anti-piracy legislation coming before the House for a vote.” Without the Majority Leader’s support, SOPA won’t get to the House’s floor, it will not be voted on, and this makes it essentially dead.

SOPA Detailed More >

January 13, 2012
by sjvn01
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Microsoft to lock out other operating systems from Windows 8 ARM PCs & devices

Microsoft and its vendor friends said that there’s no Windows 8 plot to lock other operating systems from Windows 8 devices, but now we know Microsoft was lying.

Journalist Glyn Moody dug around Microsoft’s Windows Hardware Certification Requirements for Windows 8 client and server systems and found on page 116 that will Windows 8 Secure Boot can be disabled: on Intel systems, “Disabling Secure [Boot] must not be possible on ARM systems.”

What does that mean? According to Aaron Williamson, a lawyer with the Software Freedom Law Center an organization that provides pro-bono legal services to developers of Free and open-source software, Microsoft has wasted no time in effectively banning most alternative operating systems on ARM-based devices that ship with Windows 8.

Microsoft will be doing this by using Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), to block block all other operating systems from Windows 8 systems. UEFI is the 21st century’s replacement to PC and other devices’ BIOS. It’s used to set up your computer and make it ready to boot.

More: Microsoft to lock out other operating systems from Windows 8 ARM PCs & devices >

January 12, 2012
by sjvn01
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Can Apple really beat Android in the courts?

If you buy the analysis of Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore, Apple is almost certain to beat the stuffings out of the Android vendors. I beg to disagree.

While Apple has been attacking Android smartphone and tablet vendors in the courts around the world, I don’t see any reason to think, as Whitmore does, that Apple will be able to slam dunk their way to victory. Indeed, Apple’s number one smartphone rival, Samsung, expects record profits despite Apple’s lawsuit attacks from Germany to Australia and back again.

Whitmore, who has long been very bullish on Apple, proclaimed in his note there are four possible outcomes to Apple’s intellectual property (IP) attacks.

More >

January 11, 2012
by sjvn01
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Google search: This time it’s personal

Well, we saw this coming. Google is integrating its social networking site, Google+ and its photo-sharing site Picasa with Google search. What this means is that in “Search, plus Your World” when you do a Google search your results will be personalized for you.

Specifically when you do a search you’ll see:

1. Personal Results, which enable you to find information just for you, such as Google+ photos and posts-both your own and those shared specifically with you, that only you will be able to see on your results page;

2. Profiles in Search, both in autocomplete and results, which enable you to immediately find people you’re close to or might be interested in following; and,

3. People and Pages, which help you find people profiles and Google+ pages related to a specific topic or area of interest, and enable you to follow them with just a few clicks. Because behind most every query is a community.

Not everyone can see this new search method yet. Google is still rolling it out.

More >

January 11, 2012
by sjvn01
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Reddit’s anti-SOPA “Nuclear” protest is a good start

Reddit, the popular link-sharing and social networking site with over 2 billion page-views and 35 million active users a month, is taking the nuclear option in protest about the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and PROTECT IP draft laws by shutting down on January 18th for 12 hours. During that time, Reddit will suspend its normal operations

“Instead,” the Reddit administrators state, “of the normal glorious, user-curated chaos of reddit, we will be displaying a simple message about how the PIPA/SOPA legislation would shut down sites like reddit, link to resources to learn more, and suggest ways to take action. We will showcase the live video stream of the House hearing where Internet entrepreneurs and technical experts (including reddit co-founder Alexis ‘kn0thing’ Ohanian) will be testifying. We will also spotlight community initiatives like meet-ups to visit Congressional offices, campaigns to contact companies supporting PIPA/SOPA, and other tactics.”

The social network isn’t, according to Reddit, doing this lightly. “We wouldn’t do this if we didn’t believe this legislation and the forces behind it were a serious threat to reddit and the Internet as we know it. Blacking out reddit is a hard choice, but we feel focusing on a day of action is the best way we can amplify the voice of the community.”

Good for Reddit!

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