LOL at how C++ gets new smart pointers every couple years.

It's like they're trolling their own users with their:

• classes are kinda like structs, so you can use 'typedef struct ... *' for classes and 'void *' for generic functions (Everything from CFront in 83 through ARM in 99)
• no! 'void *' pointers are broken! use 'auto_ptr' instead (C++03)
• no! 'auto_ptr' is broken! use 'shared_ptr' instead (C++07/TR1)
• no! 'shared_ptr' is broken!(for most use cases) use
• 'boost::scoped_ptr' instead (non-standard, but more useful than the standard's shared_ptr)
• no! 'boost::scoped_ptr' is broken! use 'std::unique_ptr const' instead (C++11)
• no! 'std::unique_ptr const' is fugly! use "auto" and hope C++14's "return type deduction" will guess a safe type and hope C++17's "new rules for auto deduction" won't break stuff (C++14)

crap.

How the heck can people take an "object oriented" language seriously when it takes literally 30 years (1983 to 2014) for them to come up with a non broken way of making a reference to an object....

... and in the end they give it a syntax like "std::unique_ptr const".

W.T.F.

Pretty close to what Chromium is.

It stripped AAC, Flash, and other patent-encumbered parts.

I had hope for the dillo minimal browser, but not supporting javascript is getting pretty tough with many websites these days. Also hopeful that IceWeasel becomes the sane alternative if the Mozilla guys go crazy like this.

Then market that as the primary product, and give a goofy name to the "chromium-plus-adobe-backdoors-plus-patents" product.

Also -- why the focus on a tiny subset (just Metadata) of a dying communiation system (phone).

It'd be far more interesting if they'd do something about far more invasive (not just metadata, but content too) that's being captured from (presumably) all internet traffic (skype, email, etc).

Or will those be robots controlled remotely from India or China too?

Ah -- if you're in IT -- perhaps a better idea is to be the US guy in an offshore-IT-company.

More seriously -- be your own boss. Start a company and you choose if/when you offshore your own job.

Doesn't work that well; since there are enough close-partner-countries that much of that work can go oversees as well. For example, you'll notice the [Navy's new railguns have BAE logos on them](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygHN-vplJZg) so those jobs can be offshored to the UK. Outsourcing internationally is everywhere now.

It's also not outside the jurisdiction of the NSA.

Recall that the NSA is a DoD sub-agency --- so is quite restriced from spying on US Citizens inside the US. However DoD intel agencies are much more free to spy on international -- in fact, it's their main job.

It seems to me this moves it INSIDE the jurisdiction of the NSA.

The whole thing is silly because it's re-directing the focus to a tiny subset of some archaic historical communication system (phone call metadata).

It's like saying that they shouldn't get to make maps of smoke signal fire pit locations.

This is all just to distract people from their bulk collection of internet communications; and giving politicians an opportunity to say "see, I'm tough on privacy" without actually accomplishing anything significant.

Sadly, you were probably better than the guy before you and the guy after you.

I venture to say that just because you realized you were doing a bad job, you were already doing a better job than the vast majority of managers (especially ones who think of themselves as "good").

Perhaps Microsoft is paying them co-marketing dollars for doing positive PR for Skype? Maybe that's his great vision on saving the company.

Sounds like a good policy anyway.

Not just Sony.

McAfee, Norton, Oracle (that damn Ask toolbar), HP Support Assistant, Razer mice, Skype.

Heck, it seems most Windows software has a "malware" buisness model these days.

The ideal response in my mind would be: "We're sorry - so here's how to unlock the boot-loader and here are third-party open source firmware providers that we tested for you."

And back in the 1990's we had BMRT (a free renderman clone); until they came and paid/threatened the guy to stop making the free clone available.

I'm sticking to really free stuff now.

The problem is that browsers are trying to become an OS - with all the complexities associated with one.

If we want back to a world where HTML was mostly about content -- that could be displayed in everything down to things like the Lynx browser -- they coudl be made secure.

People wanted more, though -- so they decided to allow extensions like Java Applets, Flash Plugins, and ActiveX controls. Obviously more complex, those were not surprisingly insecure.

So now people decide to take all the complexity and insecurity and build it directly into the browser itself?!? WTF.

Makes me miss gopher clients. Maybe we should go back.

TL/DR: Javascript+HTML5 is the new Java applet + Flash Player + ActiveX control.