So, public data, except not accessible to the entire public and not on by default.

Sounds like a great way to give the host company a huge advantage on mining while pretending to give access to others. That API is worthless unless you restrict the host to the same requirements.

Good news all around then.

MS added several million testers that will continue to test updates after release, in exchange they get a free copy of Windows.

Updates can be uninstalled during boot if they are causing issues.

If I ever get a VM host where I can spin up Windows 2000 without it being hacked to pieces, I'm tempted to put my old school chat/discussion server up.

I do miss that old clunky 1999 style where conversation was king and everyone knew everyone else.

The shadow ban was innovative when I first saw it done on a Minitel network in 1993, today it's nothing new and very effective when used sparingly. (It was called "isolation" back then)

Sparingly is the key word, moderators don't seem to understand the concept of moderation lately. In-fact, I actually think moderators encourage trolling by being heavy handed.

The task scheduler is the preferred method for launching tasks now.It's a robust unified interface with logging capabilities and error handling.

I can see the old registry entries being ignored in the future with the ability for the OS to detect and create tasks when an installer tries to write to them.

No, because the restricted behavior isn't bundling, it's changing search providers without prompting.

It's mentioned in the article in about every single sentence, so I can see how you missed it.

The Bing toolbar doesn't change search settings without prompting, and is not removed. Same with the Google toolbar.

At the end of the month, I still have that $10 CD or those 10 MP3's, which means I have some value in my collection.

Granted, it's not much, if I sold all my CD's I doubt I would get enough to pay for a year of music streaming, but at least I can loan them out, give them away or just play them wherever I want, online or offline.

There are always outliers.

The average iTunes user spends under $15/year on music. That number is misleading, since it includes all iTunes accounts, but there's no way that number is over $120/year for people who just buy music. Streaming music services, for most, are not cost effective.

Let's assume that Apple isn't going $14.99/mo and it's going to be the usual $9.99 /mo. $120 a year is a decent amount of money to spend on music, if you want to take the time to buy it.

Imagine a family of where 2 adults both spend $10/mo, heck, $240 a year? That can buy you over 200 tracks a year, that you will get to keep. If you want to save more, buy used CD's and rip them.

You already have tons of music ripped, everyone does, do you really think you're going to spend $120 a year on new singles?

The Volt and C-Max (and similar plug-in hybrids) are the answer to the transition problem.

You can drive them for your daily 40 mile commute on battery, then switch over to gas for your 1500 mile vacation.

It's not a long term solution, since having a gas generator and electric motor means extra maintenance in the long term. The long term solution will be fast charging for electric. These cars are the bridge between the existing gas infrastructure and the new electric infrastructure.

Visa, MC, Amex and Discover will forbid fees again and that problem is solved. I don't think BestBuy or Walmart is going to stop accepting credit cards.

Also, I think Apple & Google should block the CurrentC app from their stores. I don't usually say that, but I'm really annoyed by CVS turning off Google Wallet for no reason except to be anti-competitive. If they are going to be anti-competitive then Apple and Google should not allow them access. CurrentC can be a web app and bypass the app store if they really want to.

This is one of the rare times I would agree with Apple denying an app.

CurrentC sounds like a mess waiting to happen.

I checked, Netcraft has NOT confirmed that VB is dying.

Sorry everyone, hastily written apps will continue until the end of time (or Windows, whichever comes first, odds are that time ends first.)

Unfortunately, it is working out exactly as most people thought it would. Summers are getting hotter, storms more violent and weather patterns more unpredictable.

But don't worry, someone will mention that it was cold in the US this past winter, so it's all good, you know, ignoring the global part.