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Comment Re:Desktop schmesktop (Score 1) 835

With all due respect, your assertion that it "crams everything into one screen" is confusing.

Not only that but it is also incorrect.

Between Exposé, Spaces (previously) and (these days) Desktops and Mission Control there are plenty of ways to configure OS X's window management. I have my gripes with the new methods implemented in Lion - especially some inconsistency regarding the handling of desktops versus fullscreen applications - but overall it's as usable as any *nix Window manager I've tried. Since I've been sampling various distros and *nix-like operating systems since around Redhat 4.x I think I've tried most of them.

Comment Re:An ill wind blows nobody well (Score 1) 645

"why not go back to personal computers for gaming?"

Well, every time I do, I have to sit and wait for endless updates of the OS and games through various cloud services. Heck, some retail games even require that your connection doesn't drop out during game play or your lose your progress. Services are all over the place (EA, Steam, Microsoft), you aren't guaranteed that you can use your preferred input method (Bioshock 2 didn't support gamepads at launch for instance) and some just hate playing with an input device that wasn't meant for gaming in the first place (like me). Yes, for some game types keyboard and mouse are convenient but for most I'd rather have a 360-style controller. Especially since my arthritic condition makes it rather painful to use keyboard and mouse for gaming for any extended period of time.

"and you can do a lot more with a computer besides."

This is certainly true. However, while it is a jack of all trades it is not a master of them.

Gaming on computers has become more convenient recently with Steam, Games for Windows Live (at least if they all guaranteed that you could play the games as you would on your console as a bare minimum), OnLive, but there's still DRM from hell and all the hassle that comes from having a rig that's not entirely devoted to gaming.

"Anyway, computers are conclusively better if only for the fact that you can play MP3s while you game. That rules."

Yes. Been doing that since 2005 on my Xbox 360.

Comment I thought gaming was for lefties... (Score 1) 426

While I can't game on a PC using a mouse in my right hand, regular joystick/joypad gaming has always been a perfect for me as a leftie.

I'd grab a stick/pad with my left hand since that's the most natural thing in the world for me (just like when I use a pen, fork or anything else where it matters which hand you use). Using a fire button is easy using my right hand, since that's not something that requires a lot of fine control to the same extent as controlling a character on-screen.

Arcade cabinets were perfect for me as a leftie. Same goes for all controllers for consoles. A few digital joysticks were awkward due to placement of fire buttons (back when we had real joysticks, remember?) but most analogue joysticks were impossible to use, as they were physically shaped to be held by a right hand.

As long as things aren't shaped explicitly for right-handed people, I think most lefties can easily keep up.

Then again YMMV, since I personally don't see how left-handed people can use a left-handed guitar. I want my strongest hand on the fretboard, so I use right-hand guitars.

Comment Re:Won't make a difference (Score 2, Interesting) 514

This is just anecdotal evidence of course, but I've never had my iPhone 3G drop a call. Not once. It's only been used in Denmark and Norway, though.

But - and this is rather interesting - my previous provider was having some trouble, where suddenly I couldn't make calls at all or use data. When I switched to an older phone (Sony-Ericsson W810i) I could eventually get a lock on the signal, but data was still a no go. Making calls was a hit and miss affair. When I switched to an old black/white Nokia (1112 I believe), it acted like you would expect. Driving to the next town I'd have no problems on any of the phones. I switched provider and have had no problems since.

In other words it seems like if a network has issues, they will be amplified by the complexity of the phone.

Comment Re:Hmm, I wonder (Score 1) 200

I went all-out and bought a Pure Evoke Flow, because it had DAB (and luckily DAB+ which will soon replace DAB here) as well as internet radio, podcast support, uPNP playback, FM radio and so on. The last two places I've lived, DAB has had an advantage over the FM band.

The town where I used to live, local radio stations were transmitting with so much power that it drowned out the national stations unless you had a roof antenna in large parts of the town. DAB worked perfectly.

Now I live out in the sticks, but whereas DVB-T is an absolute nightmare, DAB gives me perfect reception of all radio stations, whereas the best I can get on the FM band is a few stations with a little hissing in the background.

So yes, the audio quality takes a hit in terms of bitrate, but in other areas it can be superior. It's also nice to have more stations to choose from that aren't crummy local stations with brainless pop-tunes.

Comment Re:Whats wrong with the USB Competition Pro? (Score 1) 262

I have both the original competition pro joysticks as well as the USB versions. The stick is fine in the USB version, but the buttons are simply awful. They don't have the same level of responsiveness as the original (or any other high quality microswitched joystick) and after a while they get even worse. I gave up and just hooked up the wired Xbox 360-controller instead in the end.

Comment Re:just plain insulting (Score 1) 393

"Better" for some. The fact that you prefer one brand or piece of tech over another does not make you smarter - it's just your opinion.

All other considerations aside, there's a good reason why iPhone is the target platform for lots of applications: It was the first phone to pull off a mobile computing platform. Yes, Android phones, Blackberry phones (and more) are lovely too, but to be honest, I think developing for iPhone is the mobile equivalent of developing for Windows: It's the platform where there's the biggest chance someone will use your product - due to sheer volume and users' behavioral patterns. I think it's not the best use of neither money nor technology, but if you have to settle on applications for a mobile platform, I can't see a stronger alternative. Not right now at least.

In this case the only reason to develop an application instead of a website is so you can use it for reference while out of coverage. I don't know how relevant that is in the UK, but here in Denmark I would never have to walk far to regain coverage (yeah, no AT&T here, so only real problem is in valleys with no coverage).

Comment Re:AmigaOS (Score 2, Informative) 152

"Official Amiga" is, I guess, the system running "Amiga OS" from whoever has the rights to call it that. The name has been shifted around a lot, but the PPC systems run an operating system directly descended from the m68k Amigas.

Macs run on x86 instead of PPC or m68k these days too.

The right to use the Amiga-related names lie at Amiga Inc. and Hyperion Entertainment CVBA (some usages exclusive to Hyperion - some on license). Hyperion works with third parties to deliver machines. The AmigaOne X1000 from A-Eon will be the first fully Amiga-branded machine (branded case, mouse, keyboard) to release since Amiga 4000T.

Comment Re:exaggerated numbers (Score 1) 190

I suspect a lot of the people who bought two iPhones or iPods handed their old model down to family. My mom now has my old iPod Touch, since I have an iPhone.

You're correct that not all are in the US, but then again: Does it matter? The internet is already decentralized. Heck, it could be the first step to kill off geoblocking - and wouldn't that be lovely?

Comment Re:Why not just use a Linux distribution? (Score 1) 177

Personally I think Linux distributions are clumsy and still not user friendly. I can easily get by with using a given Linux distro (or BSD) for a desktop, but I'd hate the extra hassle that it entails.

Linux has reached the point where it's really easy to install, and often it's a smoother process to set up a Ubuntu install than a Windows install on the same hardware (supposing you don't have hardware out of the ordinary or want to use media center functionality, play back media in non-open formats etc), but once I start using it for my everyday work, I always end up spending more time figuring out solutions than getting work done - and I've used Linux and BSD on and off for about 12 years. In later years I've changed my usage pattern, so I install Linux to play around with instead of getting work done. That works for me.

MorphOS, on the other hand, installed nice and fast, and while the OS lacks a central repository (like OS4 Depot for AmigaOS 4), it's still easy enough to find software for it. Mind you, I'm not using this as my main OS either. I would use my AmigaOS 4.1 machine, if I wanted work done, but it's still a nice OS, and I've set it up so I can use it as an internet terminal in a living room. The Mac Mini is perfect for hiding away, and MorphOS boots so fast that my 3G router is online just after MorphOS has hit the desktop.

There is lots of free software (including some you are used to on Linux) and if you know your way around Amiga software, this is a great way to run it. Aminet is still full of software, and now that there are decent browsers (OWB, Sputnik), SSH software (SSHCON), nice mail clients (SimpleMail, YAM), excellent IRC clients (Wookiechat, AmIRC), graphics tools, music players and video players... really.. what more do you need for home use?

I've switched to Google Docs, so an up to date native office package is no longer a priority.

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