I recently revisited some of my old haunts on Usenet. Only a few are still active, the rest are just barren wastes save for the occasional spam rolling by. Ironically, it was Google (thanks to acquiring the old Dejanews archives and turning it into Google Groups) rather than AOL who started the rot. AOL just let the newbies loose - Google turned the volume up to 11.

Now we have a World Wide Web where everyone and their dog is a social media / SEO 'expert', Facebook is becoming a walled garden so overgrown that no-one can see or hear you unless you have wads of cash handy, Google won't show you in search unless you submit yourself to Google+, and trolls run rampant whilst their victims are told to tough it out or get out.

Good point. Over at deviantART, they have an official development / Beta-testing group (#devBUG) with bug-tracking database and a line to the development team (Devious Technology). Also, if you're a paying user, you can join the Beta Test program at any time in order to test out new features before they're put into general use.

There can only be one Interrobang. :)

Er... wow.

I think the clue is in the word 'beta'. The whole point of this exercise is for users to help Slashdot iron out the kinks in the new design. As far as I'm aware, they are not forcing people to use the Beta site, and you can still use the 'classic' site in the meantime.

From an aesthetic viewpoint, it certainly doesn't look that bad - if it were faux-MySpace, I might be able to understand the anger. As it is, if you're really *that* opposed to change of Slashdot's look, either pitch ideas for a design that improves on how the site currently works, or help identify the problems with the proposed redesign. Clogging up the site with this neo-Luddite whinging will most likely get you nowhere, and if you decide to go elsewhere I suspect you won't be missed.

I've not yet been forced onto the Beta UI. Still visit occasionally, although my journalling is elsewhere now.

Haven't owned any Bosch stuff, so can't comment on their reliability. Also, I don't know how tough Hungary's consumer legislation is regarding repairs under warranty. Might be worth brushing up on what the rules are, and finding the address of Bosch's head office in Hungary, as well as their European central office. I'd be writing them an angry letter, and threatening to tell everyone I know how shoddy their service was. Might not achieve anything other than stress relief, but on the other hand it might shock them into sorting this out and working to keep your custom.

If it's any consolation, I suspect quite a few people (myself included) wondered that when Schemer first launched in 2011. And never bothered to go back.

[Just checked, yes I deleted my Schemer account.]

Thanks for the link!

Most surprising graph on that page (for me, anyway) was the one for desktop browsers - hardly any movement at all. Most depressing one, needless to say, has to be the one for Internet Explorer - looks like IE8 and earlier versions are going to stick around for a while yet.

This problem dates back to Vista - Microsoft completely rejigged the hardware driver architecture, making XP drivers unusable. Sadly, note all hardware makers chose to issue updated drivers for older products, or only produced drivers for the 32-bit versions of Windows, ignoring the fact that the 64-bit version was the one being installed on most new PCs. My parents had to ditch their working Canon flatbed scanner as a result.

They do count you. As a Windows 7 user.

Good for you, since you had the option to do that. I suspect things are going to get interesting for people buying new machines who want to ditch Windows 8.x, since Microsoft is now moving to purge Windows 7 from the retail channel, and only offering downgrade options to its business customers...

I can understand why an in-place upgrade would be problematic - particularly if you wanted to move from 32-bit XP to the 64-bit version of Windows 7/8 - but it baffles me that Microsoft didn't at least try to make it easier to transfer user's data. The only explanation I can think of is that doing so would have meant posting marginally less-than-stellar profits.

I'm guessing that companies rolling out pre-planned upgrades might account for some of that - but I have to wonder if the remainder is either downgrade options being exercised by those who've bought that option, or people wiping their systems and reinstalling Windows 7 after trying out Windows 8.

FWIW, I was one of those who tried Windows 8 at the end of last year - the desktop environment was OK, but Modern UI drove me nuts, and I ended up going back to Windows 7. I'm considering whether to give Windows 8.1 a chance...

Maybe it's down to not seeing the point of having separate devices for each person, and instead sharing the computer as a 'family' device to be used by everyone.

That's the way my parents use their computer.

It's not necessarily a bad thing, as long as everyone understands the arrangement.

It probably helps that I don't wear my sysadmin hat when I'm at home. (Tech-guy hat is permanently affixed, however...)

I've been using Macs for work since the early 2000s, and have been the owner of an iMac since 2012.

The move to Intel processors has definitely improved the Mac in some ways - not only is it possible to run Windows on it, either as a separate OS using Boot Camp or in a virtual machine like Parallels Desktop, but the Mac now works and plays much better in a Windows environment. Sadly, this was not true of earlier versions of OSX or the PowerPC-based Macs. Of course, the flip-side of this is that OSX appears to have gained some of the bad habits of Windows, particularly with regard to security vulnerabilities. Contrary to what a lot of Mac users may claim, I think installing anti-virus software is a must, even if it's just to spare the embarrassment of passing on Windows malware.

I will agree with you about the price premium - it would be great if Apple could bring back something along the lines of the old plastic Macbooks and luggable iMacs. The main reason I went with an iMac was because I'd been burned by two different PCs failing on me in the space of just over a year, plus a desire to investigate iOS development. In my case, it helped that most of the software I use is cross-platform, so transitioning was pretty painless. I was very happy to get one of the 2011 iMacs - I can still use CDs and DVDs, plus I can easily upgrade the memory myself. Sadly, the subsequent redesigns have traded features for elegance. Also, I'm still on Mountain Lion for the moment, as there have been problems reported with Mavericks and some of the software that I rely on.