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Submission + - Google and Microsoft Agree to Stand Down in Patent Wars (reuters.com)

Submitted by _0x783czar
_0x783czar writes: Today Google and Microsoft have announced an end to litigious hostilities between themselves; signaling another step on the road to peace as the "global smartphone wars" wind down.

This moves settles 18 lawsuits in the US and Germany, including those involving Motorola Mobility's patents, which Google retained after selling Motorola Mobility to Lenovo. Both companies hope this move will help settle the smartphone wars and refocus their efforts on consumers:

"Google and Microsoft have agreed to collaborate on certain patent matters and anticipate working together in other areas in the future to benefit our customers"

This move follows suit with previous moves to settle the smartphone wars, such as when Apple and Samsung agreed to drop their international lawsuits against each other in 2014

Submission + - Microsoft builds its own version of Linux. What could go wrong?! (theregister.co.uk)

Submitted by dvp1964
dvp1964 writes: Sitting down? Nothing in your mouth?
Microsoft has developed its own Linux distribution. And Azure runs it to do networking.

Redmond's revealed that it's built something called Azure Cloud Switch (ACS), describing it as “a cross-platform modular operating system for data center networking built on Linux” and “our foray into building our own software for running network devices like switches.”

Submission + - The Church of TED

Submitted by HughPickens.com
HughPickens.com writes: Megan Hustad writes in the NYT that while it’s not exactly fair to say that the TED conference series and web video function like an organized church, understanding the parallel structures is useful for conversations about faith, how susceptible we humans remain to the cadences of missionary zeal, and how the TED style with its promise of progress, is as manipulative as the orthodoxies it is intended to upset. According to Hustad, a great TED talk is reminiscent of a tent revival sermon, a gathering of the curious and the hungry. "A persistent human problem is introduced, one that, as the speaker gently explains, has deeper roots and wider implications than most listeners are prepared to admit," says Hustad. "Once everyone has been confronted with this evidence of entropy, contemplated life’s fragility and the elusiveness of inner peace, a decision is called for: Will you remain complacent, or change?" TED talks routinely present problems of huge scale and scope — we imprison too many people; the rain forest is dying; look at all this garbage; we’re unhappy; we have Big Data and aren’t sure what to do with it — then wrap up tidily and tinily. Do this. Stop doing that. Buy an app that will help you do this other thing. "I never imagined that the Baptists I knew in my youth would come to seem mellow, almost slackers by comparison," concludes Hustad. "Of course they promoted Jesus as a once-and-done, plug-and-play solver of problems — another questionable approach."

Submission + - Google Sells Motorola Mobility to Lenovo for $2.91 Billion (blogspot.com)

Submitted by _0x783czar
_0x783czar writes: Google today announced that they will be selling Motorola Mobility to Lenovo for the sum of 2.91 Billion USD. Google says that the move should allow the company to receive the attention and focus it deserves to thrive.

From the article: '...the smartphone market is super competitive, and to thrive it helps to be all-in when it comes to making mobile devices. It’s why we believe that Motorola will be better served by Lenovo—which has a rapidly growing smartphone business and is the largest (and fastest-growing) PC manufacturer in the world. This move will enable Google to devote our energy to driving innovation across the Android ecosystem, for the benefit of smartphone users everywhere.'

Google however was quick to add that this does not signal a move away from their other hardware projects.

Additionally "Google will retain the vast majority of Motorola’s patents" which they hope to continue using to stabilize the android ecosystem.
The deal has yet to be approved by either the U.S. or China.

Submission + - South Korean Court Rules That Phone Bloatware Must Be Deletable (zdnet.com) 1

Submitted by _0x783czar
_0x783czar writes: Starting this april, South Korea will require all phone vendors to allow pre-installed bloatware to be uninstalled. That's right, they will be able to get rid of all that pesky software without having to root their phones.

According to press release by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning: "The move aims to rectify an abnormal practice that causes inconvenience to smartphone users and causes unfair competition among industry players." They hope this will also increase the users' data storage and battery life.

From the article: "Under the new guidelines, telcos are required to make most of their pre-installed apps deletable except for four necessary items related to Wi-Fi connectivity, near-field communication (NFC), the customer service center and the app store."

It'd be nice if similar legislation where passed in the US and elsewhere.

Submission + - Google Fiber launches in Provo -- and here's what it feels like (foxnews.com)

Submitted by Velcroman1
Velcroman1 writes: I’ve seen the future. It’s called gigabit Internet by Google Fiber, and it just launched in my hometown of Provo, Utah, the second of three scheduled cities to get speeds that are 100 times faster than the rest of America. “What good is really fast Internet if the content stays the same?” you may ask yourself. I certainly did, before testing the service. Besides, my “high speed” Internet from Comcast seemed fast enough, enabling my household to stream HD videos, load web pages quickly, and connect multiple devices as needed, largely without hiccup. I was wrong. Using gigabit Internet, even in its infancy, opened my eyes to speed and reminded me of why I love the Internet.

Submission + - Apple continues Mac's 30th birthday celebrations with special window displays (9to5mac.com)

Submitted by SlideModel
SlideModel writes: Apple will be distributing free t-shirts showing '3' followed by the Apple logo '3' and a 'Happy birthday, Mac' message apparently for Mac's 30th birthday celebration. Tip: Go to your local Apple store and if you see the window displays the celebratory LED showing '3' followed by the Apple logo '3', you may send photos to https://twitter.com/9to5mac

Submission + - FSF's Richard Stallman Calls LLVM A "Terrible Setback" (phoronix.com) 2

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Richard Stallman has called LLVM a terrible setback in a new mailing list exchange over GCC vs. Clang. LLVM continues to be widely used and grow in popularity for different uses, but its under a BSD-style license rather than the GPL. RMS wrote, "For GCC to be replaced by another technically superior compiler that defended freedom equally well would cause me some personal regret, but I would rejoice for the community's advance. The existence of LLVM is a terrible setback for our community precisely because it is not copylefted and can be used as the basis for nonfree compilers — so that all contribution to LLVM directly helps proprietary software as much as it helps us. "

Submission + - The Mac at 30: Original Reviews of Early Mac Models

Submitted by snydeq
snydeq writes: 30 years ago today Apple debuted the Macintosh, an iconic computer that among other things cost Steve Jobs his job. InfoWorld offers a retrospective of all the original reviews of the early Macintosh models, including the Macintosh ('will be compared to other machines not only in terms of its features but also in the light of the lavish claims and promises made by Apple co-founder Steven Jobs'), the Mac SE ('contains some radical changes, including room for a second internal drive and even a fan'), the Mac IIx ('a chorus of yawns'), and the Mac Portable ('you may develop a bad case of the wannas for this lovable [16-lb.] luggable'). Plus insights on the Macintosh II's prospects from Bill Gates: 'If you look at a product like Mac Word III on that full-page display, it's pretty awesome. ... But the corporate buyer is never going to be a strong point for Apple.'

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"Why can't we ever attempt to solve a problem in this country without having a 'War' on it?" -- Rich Thomson, talk.politics.misc

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