Of course, this is ignoring the INCREASE in accidents this will cause by people looking forward, staring at a screen rather than backwards while backing up, missing little details like traffic to the left and right, etc. I'd be much happier if they mandated a minimum visibility spec out the back than cameras, we're now mandating distracted backing up... blech.

(Side note, I won't be riding a motorcycle on the street ever again, too many idiots not paying attention at the wheel now, this isn't going to help.)

Exactly. Windows has a means of doing this built in from at least XP, but no app provided to automate it's management. You can setup the system so it will only execute binaries with approved hashes. Back around 2002/2003 we were playing with a program in house that would build a baseline of approved hashes on a clean system, then push that list out to our workstations. To get an app approved we would then fire up the clean box, install, update, push, etc. We never got it past the budget phase though, but it accomplishes exactly what OP is asking about. For point of sales terminals, etc that shouldn't be a moving target I'd say heck yes they should be in whitelist only mode.

It'll be interesting to see where the market moves. The companies producing boxed workstations aren't shipping them in the form factors they are because their users hate them. I think the new SATA Express is going to be the storage interconnect going forward, which retains the current 3.5" drive form factor and connector setup as well as backwards compatibility with SATA making for an easy transition and retaining support for legacy large (4TB+) spinning rust volumes.

Only if by 'uncompromised' you mean:
- Limited video card options
- No internal drive bays
- No internal PCI Express slots

It's a slick rig, but it only covers one niche of the workstation market. Apple got the design to where it is by opting to eliminate choice from many of the design variables, a compromise. Other workstation vendors choose to compromise in the other direction by having systems that may require more than one fan but also allow for user choice in what powers the system.

I should point out my 4 fan workstation is nice and quiet despite all the potential spinny bits. Like the Apples of old the primary cooling fan is a low RPM large diameter unit that is silent when working. The second fan is in the power supply and thermally controlled. Again, silent under the max stress my payload is able to put it under. The last two fans are sandwiched between a radiator and again are thermally controlled and so far have only spun up into the audible range once while I was running a torture test but were still quieter than my xBox 360 at idle. My system sits at ear level to my right so it's not getting masked by being under a desk, etc. In comparison to the new Apple workstation it's far larger physically as the primary tradeoff for the customizability I have.

Better get someone else to update it, under penalty of law, says mr injunction.

By announcing the plan ahead of time, you are saying the actions are in direct response to, and a way to covertly signal that a warrant with gag order has been issued. Hell, your announcement may trigger legal action BEFORE a warrant is ever issued.

I am. They're only free if you had some version before. If you've never bought them, you still have to pony up full retail.

Not according to the Apple App Store as of this moment. Pages, Keynote and Numbers are all $19.95.

Even that's no good if the problem is flaws in the spec rather than how it's implemented by OSs. If the NSA did things correctly they didn't have to muddle with actual Linux/BSD/etc src, they got flaws into the crypto definition itself that reduces the work needed to crack it. The better an OS follows the spec... the easier for the NSA to punch through.

Sapphire screens aren't new.

http://gizmodo.com/337529/asus-ls201-resists-crossbow-arrow-impact

Kinda hard to do any hosting if your only connection is a port mirror, you can watch, but you can't talk over said port.

Apple has chosen to migrate to an all iOS world slowly, subtly. Give them time, it's in the grand plan. The walled garden with all of it's ways of providing a continuing revenue stream after the initial purchase will eventually be the way of all Apple systems.

MS on the other hand kinda of has to cut the cord and make the jump in one move or forever get stuck in limbo as people refuse to let go of the old ways. It will cause a lot more gnashing of teeth initially, but I suspect by the time Win 9 or 10 (or whatever they dub them) ship the new format will be cleaned up enough to appease most naysayers and the people jumping in for the first time won't have any preconceived expectations to worry about. That seems to be what MS is banking on anyways.

Clarification - In the US a service provider can view customer content on or transiting their equipment IF IT'S REQUIRED FOR NETWORK OPERATIONS. IE if there is a mail delivery problem an ISP IT monkey would be ok trolling through mailbox files looking at the smtp headers. Same ISP IT monkey would NOT be legally in the clear if he decided on a random Tuesday to read customer Bob's email for fun. If he went further and acted on the contents of Bob's email he'd really be setting himself up for a legal hurting.

Well, save for the fact that 'Chrome' on iOS is just a skin over Apple's WebKit with the slower JS engine Apple 'graciously' lets apps us vs the faster one their browser can access on the same device.

Worse, it only takes a few emails tripping the right filters or customer complaint bins before Hotmail decides to never accept email from that relay's IP ever again. No appeal, no cooling off, no support assistance, that IP goes into their blacklist and there is no digging it out afterwards.