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Comment Re:"better job of going after Mac" (Score 1) 295

Why bother? The world abounds in computers optimized for every mainstream and niche use case. There's no need for everything to do everything.

As a professional tool to make a living they're cheap in 2026 dollars ahd cost per year of use tiny. Casual users can afford it or not, and if not since they're casuals they do not NEED those machines.

Judging by Apple sales they thoroughly understand every important detail of their target market and have zero need to compete in other markets. Apple neatly avoided a race to the bottom by their choice and refinement of their hardware/OS ecosystem for their market.

I'm not part of that market so I've zero reason to care if they run Linux. That would be like complaining they fail to be Getacs or Toughbooks or Thinkpads. They don't need to be easily repairable because like smartphones they're easily replaceable. They don't need to run Linux because Linux enthusiasts have a vast variety of other options.

A professional making tech money with Apple and PC hardware can buy both.

Comment The Apple use case is not the x86 use case. (Score 1) 295

Not everyone needs the same machine.

As tool to make a living Apple hardware is optimized for its use case. It does not need to be different.

It does not need to sell to techies or anyone else without economic need for those tools, nor for toy use like gaming.

I've no need for what Apple hardware does nor interest in that world else I'd add some. Considered as tools to make money a grand or several is cheap (compare and contrast to machine tools, welding equipment, professional auto mechanic gear etc).

Comment You're of course correct about normal users. (Score 1) 29

That post was merely a reminder is for the remaining techies on / and anyone curious enough to try it out.

There is no point in suggestions beyond *buy new router every few years)"for normals who have no idea what a router does beyond being a magic wifi box they can connect to.

The cost per year of consumer router use is trivial.

Users do not install OS. Users do not install firmware. They buy and sometimes replace routers. That is all. When their PC malfunctions they take it to their local computer shop, Geek Squad or their neighborhood enthusiast.

Submission + - How Jeffrey Epstein Ingratiated Himself With Top Microsoft Execs

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: In How Jeffrey Epstein Ingratiated Himself With Top Microsoft Executives, the NY Times begins, "For more than two decades, the convicted sex offender developed a network at the tech giant, making him privy to [CEO] succession discussions and other business. [...] The files from the Justice Department show that he spent more than a decade developing a network of Microsoft executives, including Mr. Gates; Nathan Myhrvold, a former technology chief; Steven Sinofsky, who ran Microsoft’s Windows division; Linda Stone, a former technology research executive; Reid Hoffman, a Microsoft board member; and employees of Mr. Gates’s personal investment and charity funds. [...] Frank Shaw, Microsoft’s communications chief, said the company was disappointed to read emails between Mr. Epstein and “former Microsoft employees acting in their personal capacities.” Without mentioning a name, Mr. Shaw acknowledged the emails showed that a former executive — who was Mr. [Steven] Sinofsky — had shared confidential company business with Mr. Epstein."

Email released by the DOJ related to Microsoft included: 1. Epstein being tipped off to the announcement of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's planned resignation announcement in Aug. 2013 by a forwarded email from the President of bgC3 [aka Gates Ventures], a personal service company for Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, on a day that saw Microsoft stock soar 7%., 2. Epstein being given a heads up by a redacted sender about a rumored 2011 Bill Gates return to Microsoft that never panned out, 3. Epstein being told in a 2013 Steven Sinofsky email about Ballmer's desire to buy a phone company that included some other juicy insider tidbits (when Microsoft's Nokia purchase was announced the following year, Microsoft stock sank 6%). In other correspondence, Sinofsky — who headed Microsoft's Windows Division — thanked Epstein for his advice in negotiating a $14 million exit package from Microsoft and later forwarded Epstein old internal email from top execs discussing the poor sales of the Microsoft Surface tablet.

In one Microsoft-related Epstein email, former Harvard President Larry Summers — who recently announced he's giving up his Harvard teaching appointments — sent Epstein a terse two-word email dissing Melinda Gates' Women in Tech initiative. "I'm gagging," Summers wrote, attaching an article about Gates' efforts (a search didn't find any reply from Epstein). Summers came under fire in 2005 when he said that women lack natural ability in math in science. Summers earlier resigned his OpenAI Board seat amid fallout over his Epstein ties that came to light following the DOJ's release of documents last November, which included the revelation that Summers and his wife were invited to dine with Bill and Melinda Gates at Epstein's NYC mansion in 2013 , Melinda's one and only Epstein encounter. Interestingly, Microsoft President Brad Smith — who coincidentally helped negotiate Microsoft's $14M exit package for Epstein-advised Sinofsky — cautioned OpenAI CEO Sam Altman about naming Summers to the OpenAI Board in November 2023. “Your future would be decided by Larry [Summers],” Smith texted. “He’s smart but so mercurial [...] too risky.” The advice went unheeded, with Altman saying the choice of Summers was non-negotiable.

Submission + - AI hurts your credibility even if your work is great, study finds (nerds.xyz)

Submitted by BrianFagioli
BrianFagioli writes: New research from Florida International University suggests that simply disclosing AI use can damage a creatorâ(TM)s reputation, even when the creative output itself is identical. In one experiment, participants evaluated the same video game soundtrack but were given different descriptions of the composer. Some were told it was written by Hans Zimmer, while others were told it came from an unknown student. When AI collaboration was disclosed, ratings dropped across the board, regardless of whether the name attached carried prestige.

The study found that reputation offered only limited protection. Participants were slightly more willing to believe a well known composer remained in control of the creative process, but overall perceptions of authenticity and competence still declined. Researchers say the issue is not performance quality but perception. Once AI enters the picture, audiences begin questioning whether the creativity is genuine, suggesting that, at least for now, AI carries a reputational tax.

Submission + - The stunning privacy cost of LinkedIn verification (thelocalstack.eu)

Submitted by Arrogant-Bastard
Arrogant-Bastard writes: Blogger "rogi" decided to verify themself on LinkedIn — and then dug into the privacy policy not just of LinkedIn, but of the company they use for this purpose...and then of the companies and governments the data is shared with. It's an extensive, alarming, and well-written trip down the rabbit hole of the user verification.

Submission + - NYT: 'AI Literacy' Is Trending in Schools. Here's Why.

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: "Computer literacy. Internet literacy. Social media literacy. Mobile literacy. Virtual reality literacy. Every few years," the NY Times reports in 'A.I. Literacy' Is Trending in Schools, "the tech industry introduces a new kind of product, then prods schools to teach millions of students how to use it. The pitch to train schoolchildren on the latest tech has stayed roughly the same since the introduction of personal computers in the late 1970s: improved learning and better career prospects. Since then, campaigns for a host of new tech literacies have come and gone — even as some of the promises failed to materialize. Now tech giants like Google, Microsoft and OpenAI are urging schools to teach the latest topic: A.I. literacy."

But as AI companies are urging teachers to prepare students for an 'A.I.-driven future,' what that means varies from school to school. Some, like Washington Park High School in Newark, are staking out a middle ground by treating AI as if it were a car and helping students develop rules for the road. Mike Taubman, a career explorations teacher who co-developed the school’s new literacy course, compared the class to preparing teenagers for their driver’s license exam. “Where do you want to go, and can A.I. help you get there?” Mr. Taubman asked. Students needed to learn to drive A.I. tools, analyze what’s under the hood, develop guidelines for personal use and design ideal safety policies, he said.

So, is "Are you steering the [AI] technology or is it steering you?" the new "Don’t just play on your phone, program it"?

Submission + - Quantum algorithm beats classical tools on complement sampling tasks (phys.org)

Submitted by alternative_right
alternative_right writes: A team of researchers working at Quantinuum in the United Kingdom and QuSoft in the Netherlands has now developed a quantum algorithm that solves a specific sampling task—known as complement sampling—dramatically more efficiently than any classical algorithm. Their paper, published in Physical Review Letters, establishes a provable and verifiable quantum advantage in sample complexity: the number of samples required to solve a problem.

"We stumbled upon the core result of this work by chance while working on a different project," Harry Buhrman, co-author of the paper, told Phys.org. "We had a set of items and two quantum states: one formed from half of the items, the other formed from the remaining half. Even though the two states are fundamentally distinct, we showed that a quantum computer may find it hard to tell which one it is given. Surprisingly, however, we then realized that transforming one state into the other is always easy, because a simple operation can swap between them."

Submission + - Code.org President Steps Down, Citing 'Upending' of CS by AI

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: Last July, as Microsoft pledged $4 billion to advance AI education in K-12 schools, Microsoft President Brad Smith told Code.org CEO and Founder Hadi Partovi (Smith's next-door neighbor) that it was time for the tech-backed nonprofit to "switch hats" from coding to AI, adding that "the last 12 years have been about the Hour of Code, but the future involves the Hour of AI."

On Friday, Code.org announced leadership changes to make it so. "Today, I want to share a significant update regarding the leadership of Code.org," Partovi wrote on LinkedIn. After 13 years of truly exceptional service, my co-founder, partner and friend Cameron Wilson [who Smith and Google.org Chief Maggie Johnson personally asked to join Code.org] is transitioning to an executive advisor role with the organization. [...] I am thrilled to announce that Karim Meghji will be stepping into the role of President & CEO. Having worked closely with Karim over the last 3.5 years as our CPO, I have complete confidence that he possesses the perfect balance of historical context and 'founder-level' energy to lead us into an AI-centric future. For the past two years, I have been operating primarily as Chairman while Cameron handled CEO responsibilities. With Karim’s appointment, my title will be updated to better reflect my contributions and commitment to this organization as Chairman of the Board."

In a separate LinkedIn post, Wilson explained why he was stepping down: "Our community is entering a new chapter as AI changes and upends computer science as a discipline and society at large. Code.org’s mission is still the same, however, we are starting a new chapter focused on ensuring students can thrive in the Age of AI. This new chapter will bring new opportunities, new problems to solve, and new communities to engage. As Code.org enters this new chapter I’ve made the decision to step down from leading Code.org, move into an Executive Advisor role."

The Code.org leadership changes come just weeks after the K-12 CS and newly AI-focused education nonprofit confirmed it had laid off about 14% of its staff, explaining it had "made the difficult decision to part ways with 18 colleagues as part of efforts to ensure our long-term sustainability [Code.org revenue]." January also saw Code.org Chief Academic Officer Pat Yongpradit jump to Microsoft where he now helps "lead Microsoft's global strategy to put people first in an age of AI by shaping education and workforce policy" as a member of Microsoft's Global Education and Workforce Policy team, which reports up to Microsoft President Brad Smith.

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