I"ve never bought that argument. When the IBM PC was introduced, businesses flocked to it because 1) it was from IBM, 2) it was cheaper than the more proprietary machnes (e.g. Displaywrite, System 23, etc.) and 3) more versatile than dedicated word processors. MS-DOS was the version of PC-DOS that could run on clones so businesses began to accept clones because they were compatible, cheaper and usually faster. Windows was written to run on MS-DOS so it was natural that businesses would give it a try. Window's PC's could run all the DOS software and were getting more "Mac like". They tended to either be cheaper or had more options than Macs. OS/2 was way too complex to install and had limited applications that ran natively. OS?2 was a great host for Windows though. So for businesses to use OS/2 they'd have to write custom applications - many did - and then they'd run packaged office applications in Windows

Myself and most everyone I know bought Windows machines because 1) that is what we used at work, not the other way around, 2) that's what OEM's offered and 3) there were tons of apps that ran on it - including the ones we used at work. I don't remember Microsoft ever being all that good marketing to consumers. XBox is a rare exception. OEM's and the business experience is what has driven Window's dominance - not home computer users.

He was informative. The rules of modding are that you don't mod based on whether you agree or not, you mod based on the quality/usefulness of the information provided. Some idiots mod down everything they disagree with so effectively they are trying to censor others. That would make /. much worse. Modding up because you agree would have a similar though less harmful effect. Less harmful in that low modded comments tend to get filtered out. If you'd prefer a site where nothing was posted except what you agreed with then you should start your own.

It also exposes the hypocrisy of the right. They both argue that these folks take jobs Americans don't want. The truth is that these folks accept wages that Americans won't for those jobs. It benefits businesses because illegal immigration and very liberal immigration policies put downward pressure on wages. Somewhere there is a balance between what is fair and what is best for the economy, but neither side cares what that is.

Let me clarify - the feds only fine you if you really screw up and drag your feet fixing it. Most disclosures are incidental or accidental or an employee or contractor who misuses their position. If the company has policies and training, takes corrective action and cooperated fully, they don't normally get fined. Nevertheless, the threat of fines keeps everyone on their toes. That doesn't mean our systems are nearly as secure as they should be, but at least you know people are worrying.

Different kind of violation. We get fined if we allow unauthorized access to someone else's medical records. That's different from not providing access to the person who the records are about. Obviously we don't publicize it when it happens unless there has been a breach of a system (like in Tennessee in the past year). We do have to notify the individuals whose records were exposed.

I work for a health insurance company. HIPAA fines are not unusual. It's strictly enforced. Our potential liability for a breech due to gross negligence or willful conduct can run 10's of millions of dollars.

Technology available to intelligence agencies like NSA is not always made available to law enforcement.

Timmy, is that you?

I don't know why some idiot scored you as "informative". There is more to content creation than programming. Development may not be possible on a tablet, but you certainly can create a lot of other content. Diagrams, documents, artwork, video, music, etc. Want a physical keyboard? Well just like a Surface Pro you can select from a variety of keyboards. Mine is part of the cover, real keys, lasts 40 hours of use and recharges with microUSB. Personally, I'd prefer an ultrabook because I do development and I'm a geek, but for most people tablets like the iPad fit their needs very well.

Quite relevant because what matters is the true count of useful applications - not the filler. By your reckoning (1:1000) that means RIM has 15 useful applications for BB10. Nothing to brag about. I've got 4 times that many very useful iOS apps on the devices I own and I've just scratched the surface. Android using friends of mine have dozens of useful apps on theirs.

And you haven't read. Did you notice the qualifier "with different semantics"? The difference between Objective C and C++ is that Objective C is a strict superset.. In Objective C both Malloc and New assign memory in the same way underneath and clean it up in the same way. Malloc and New in C++ don't. If you "return" in C without releasing your C++ object allocations you'll they will stay and you'll have a leak. Not so with Objective C. In any case you've missed the entire point that C code can be used everywhere and no other language is nearly as ubiquitous and free (as in beer). The point about Objective C is that you can do almost all of your IOS programming in C. Objective C doesn't add much and what it does add works that same way underneath the covers.

When you do a malloc in C you are getting memory assigned to you differently than it is with a C++ new. The semantics of "return" in C do not clean up your C++ objects and vice versa. Read the link. http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/6555/To-new-is-C-To-malloc-is-C-To-mix-them-is-sin Not so in Objective-C as the following link discusses: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1150650/is-it-ok-to-use-classic-malloc-free-in-objective-c-iphone-apps Similarly, fields in a struct in C are contiguous. In C++ there is no such guarantee though often it is true. C++ is also a more complex run-time than C. The point is that you can write C and use it anywhere. You can write an iPhone app almost exclusively in C syntax. You can't get a free C++ compiler on every platform.

'C' is the lowest common denominator. With 'C' I can write code for anything and everything. Mainframes, embedded devices, mobile, etc. Objective-C just extends C so it is more "pure" than C++ which introduces additional notations with different semantics and implementations such as memory allocation. So I can code for iPhone mostly in 'C'. I can write 'C' libraries and link them in on applications for iOS, Android, mainframe COBOL, Mac OS/X, any *ix operating system, Windows (including .NET), etc. It's the one language that is highly performant, ubiquitous and interoperable with every platform and language I can think of. Its almost always available for free.

You've not understood what I wrote. My entire argument is that what is done "in the name of the church" is not the same as what is "done by the church". There is also a difference between purposely seeking the deaths of people and deaths that result from a well meaning but misguided policy. Please go back an read the comment you're responding to.

Why must the crimes of "members" of a church count against the church? Is every nation or group evil and guilty when members of their 1% criminal class commit mayhem? Your are confusing the actions of people who happen to be or call themselves members with the officially sanctioned acts of church representatives. Not the same. You can blame the Pope for the pedophiles in the Church once they're actions became known to him, but you can't blame him when some lapsed Catholic walks into a McDonald's and starts shooting even if he claims "God told him to do it".