> I can't think of a single platform where porting Java apps is easier than porting C ones.

Linux to Mac or to Windows? I just run the same jars on all three without thinking about it. I have had plenty of problems trying to use the same C programs. Even from one version of Linux to another, I've had problems compiling C (usually due to gcc or library changes).

> The JRE is currently the #1 malware vector, even above Flash and Acrobat.

Citation needed.

Android?

Why is Java so bad (seriously)? It doesn't run much slower than C, generally, and has some benefits such as portability.

To be fair to George Osborne (and I do not like the guy one iota), the reason he is against the transaction tax currently being discussed in Europe is because he is concerned that countries like Germany are envious of the LSE and that they will use the tax as a way to make their own stock exchanges more favourable.

RS

Recently, I got a new MacBook Pro through work.

I looked around for good Linux laptops, but as people have said, you just can't find an equivalent laptop not sold by Apple with anything even close to the build quality, battery life, keyboard, screen etc. I don't think I would ever buy a MacBook for personal use - they are just too expensive - but the space I save in my bag, the length of time I can use the machine for on battery power and the quality of the screen, ergonomics etc. are fantastic. I have looked for many hours and found nothing comparable, sorry to tell you that.

That said, the issue of things 'not working' with Linux is a bit misleading... people often claim that Macs are flawless, so when I started using mine I expected it to be. But it's not: for example, I have had to reboot my Mac many times when the O/S has hung. This rarely happened with my last Linux laptop, where everything worked but the laptop itself was 'like one of those ruggedised laptops from the chemical industry' - an actual quote from an interview! Also, the wireless chipsets have problems, especially after waking the Mac up, so I often have to switch wireless on and off to get it to work again. I've had to do similar things with Linux laptops in the past. You should also be aware that Linux achieves much better performance on less powerful hardware, so you might want to manage your expectations if you switch.

Finally, if you do give up and go for Mac, OS X is a bit of a mixed bag... windows management sucks compared to Gnome unless you enjoy using the mouse extensively, but it does look pretty and a few of the apps (iCal, for instance) are excellent.

RS

I use OS X and Ubuntu.

I really don't see what the problem is with Unity. It's different from Gnome, the menu-at-the-top-thing is a bit odd, but apart from that it has some nice touches, some design decisions that are a bit odd.

As others have pointed out; if you think Unity is so bad, switch to Gnome, but I really don't think it makes all that much difference. I login to Ubuntu and launch a shell, occasionally I use the software centre etc. Likewise, I use a Mac, launch the terminal, occasionally search for something through Spotlight.

What's the big deal? For developers especially, the difference seems very small. It's for inexperienced users that GUIs make the biggest difference.

RS

I'd like to see an official Android and iPhone app for Slashdot. Not just RSS, but supporting the comment and moderating facilities. I'd happily pay for the privilege.

RS

I don't believe in rational markets. The problem with such idealistic economics is that they ignore the fact that participants may act motivated by emotions, by short-term interests, and by trying to 'play outside the rules' of the markets. Some people might describe this failing as simply not taking human nature into account, but I think it is unfair to tar the whole human race with criticism of the behaviour of a small proportion of the population dealing in finance.

In many cases, hedge fund employees value companies by estimating how long the bubble will last, i.e. if I buy into Apple, will I be able to sell those shares for a profit in the future? Is there another speculator coming along after me who will be prepared to pay even more in the hope that the shares will keep rising? This kind of speculation is nothing more than gambling, and relies on emotions of hope and fear. And it just isn't that unusual.

RS

If Microsoft went ahead with this, it wouldn't be long before the technology was broken. Then it'd take a bit longer to figure out how to incorporate that hack elegantly into a Linux install process. I don't think there's much to worry about as a Linux user, provided you believe that the open-source community is collectively able to outsmart Microsoft.

RS

Nearly everyone I know that uses Facebook hates using Facebook. So the market was ready for invasion. Hell, people are leaving Facebook in significant numbers and that's with no alternative site to go to!!! Even normal people (you know what I mean) hate Facebook!

Our efforts to promote it didn't work; Google+ has failed.

The reason? Well, there are two:

1. Google+ is a really, really, really, *really* terrible brand-name. Idiots. How does 'Google+' say 'Social Network'? In any way? For the love of God.

2. The interface is complete and utter garbage. I suspect this may have been the biggest problem.

Dear Google, you are very good at some things, but you are hopeless when it comes to interface design. Please hire some people who know what they're doing. Surely you have enough money for that? I hear Apple have a few good designers you could approach.

And now I have to live with Facebook until Microsoft launch something. Good grief.

Can't we just get together on Slashdot and code a Facebook replacement? I estimate it'll take a team of 10 people about 5 hours to surpass Facebook's design... we'll have a head start on Google if we just choose a name that is entirely composed of letters.

RS

Completely agree with artor3.

You are NOT the product! In fact, your time is not even the product.

Google has lots of products, but its dominant product (in terms of revenue) is the service of advertising, which it sells to companies and other organisations. To be precise, it mostly sells screen real-estate to advertisers. So it sells part of the webpage (etc) that you see to an advertiser. That's it.

I don't understand why this meme has come about. Can anyone provide insight into this? Is it because people who like "free software" (linux fanboys) don't agree with the advertising-funded business model? Is it because people who like purchase-funded software (mac fanboys) don't like the advertising-funded model? I like, use and rely on free software, and I own a Mac, and I just don't get what has gone wrong with the world-view of so many people.

FFS it's not even like Google's advertising is the most annoying that's around. I tend not to notice it and on occasion even find it useful!

Everyone understands the concept of advertising, and there are alternatives if you'd like to use them. Install Adblock if you must, just please stop spouting this nonsense.

RS

One day, perhaps when Apple is a shadow of its former self, and Linux is a term only used by geeks and forgotten to the general public, perhaps we'll all look back with rose-tinted glasses on this era. We'll forget the patent wars, the bickering, the excessive advertising and anti-competitive tactics, and savour the thought that for a moment, consumer electronics devices were elevated to the status of art. That products were beautiful, that elegant design was hugely important, and that for a while the progress of IT was headline news and talked about by nearly everyone.

And we'll also recall that Steve was a big part of that. So thanks, Steve. Without you, we'd be stuck in the land of Nokia interfaces, of Windows 95, of 1990s interfaces.

RS

I'd say that programming for iOS is more difficult than programming for a PC, because it is an embedded system and therefore more difficult to test, debug, and involves compromises such as reference-counting memory management.

It also requires using Objective-C, which many would argue is a more cumbersome language than something like Java (that's a somewhat subjective viewpoint, but most mobile app developers I talk to dislike Objective-C and would like Apple to drop it).

This is a bit off-topic, but the topic of "stability" made me realise that I have to restart my iPhone far more than I've ever had to restart a PC running Ubuntu. For example, I had to restart it twice on Sunday. I've been using a Linux box at work for the last two months and have never had to restart it.

The fact that I've never really thought about it before makes me think that maybe it doesn't matter so much.

It also makes me think that Apple aren't all too hot when it comes to writing the low-level stuff... perhaps it's unfair to compare their closed-source developers with the whole Linux community, but then again the latter have to cope with diverse hardware and a more complex OS compared to iOS... is this going to become a problem for Apple in the future, as their legacy hardware grows...?