Lawmakers think it's okay to invade the privacy of everyone on the internet. Then they make laws that say citizens are not even allowed to talk about it, so that then they can say "but it's legal". That's not transparency, that's a mafia.

After all the horrible IT projects gone wrong, the breaches of security, the proof of governmental stupidity, they have the sheer gall to say "Trust us. You can't know what we're doing, but trust us". No matter how wrong they are, if they keep getting more wrong it will somehow work itself out.

I'd call them fools, but /we/ voted them in. In my book, every single lawmaker currently sitting is responsible for this fiasco. They should all be voted out of office. They've torn up the constitution, and I'm afraid it's too late to get it back.

I keep waiting for the worst of the dastardly deeds, bad judgement, and horrible decisions to hit from the US government, so that the world can start trusting Americans again, and every year, maybe every month, is another example of how the American government is the worst possible global citizen. Preachy, sanctimonious, hypocritical, tyranical.

It's shaming to have an American passport at times like this, and now the criminals running the government are screaming that they want Snowden's head. I'd be surprised if he's not already upside down being waterboarded (oh, but not tortured, no...it's even /legal/!)

Perhaps the scariest thing of all? If I disappear tomorrow, /this/ post is why. I'd never have thought it possible that here in the west I'd have to say that.

If anything, I'm an Anti-fanboi for Apple. Their closed designs, secrecy, denials of problems, arrogance all gripe me no end...rather like the US government (Hi NSA. *wave*)...but I digress...

For a project at work I started using OSX in anger full-time every day.

Reason to stay off Windows: reboot/fiddle/reformat/reauthenticate every so often. I've had a Windows PC sitting on my desk for years. I've done various types of development on it. Got *lots* of games on it, and still use it for games...but "ping.exe" doesn't work, as an anti-virus product deleted it. Same with lots of other built-in commands. I'm tired of fiddling with it.

Linux: I tried using Linux at various points all the way back from version 0.11 that had to be loaded off floppies. It's more solid now than ever, and it's still a ball-ache to use.

OSX: It's got it's quirks and annoyances, but it supports a proper case-sensitive command line out of the box. I liked it so much, I bought my own iMac, sight unseen. That's actually bad thing, as it was one of the new iMacs that I can't upgrade the memory. So, it's better than Linux, and (for work) better for me than Windows, but I hate that I can't upgrade this iMac. They've done so much right, and then go a screw it up. Frustrating.

I guess the upshot is that, for the work I do, I prefer OSX, but only just.

If you want to block the manufacturer from access to your machines, put them behind a firewall (I like Linux + iptables, because it's cheap), then put the right filters so they can't bloody get to the machine.

You do /not/ want a christmas tree timer providing access for N minutes, etc. Because in the digital age, it likely takes much less than N to trash your equipment.

-Ken

Here in the UK, all providers that I know of advertise "unlimited" broadband deals, but then say there are "fair use policies".

Bottom line is, go above 1GB, or 3GB or whatever your fair use policy is, and these companies shut your account down, and then wait for your complaint call.

I pay £100 a month to go with a company that is at least honest about it, and lets me get away with hundreds of GB of downloading, but only outside peak hours of 8:00-18:00.

This guy was having a laugh, and Verizon did things reasonably here.

-Ken

I'm anything /but/ an Apple fanboy. They've made a lot of missteps, and their software always takes a our-way-or-the-highway sort of approach (one menu bar for all apps, when I can have 9 screens? Seriously? I think it's time for mister UI to grow up. And what's this with a closed imac? What do you mean no user-upgradable memory? The old G4 iMac i had could be upgraded. I wish I hadn't bought it sight-unseen across the 'net.)

That said, as a developer, I *love* the unix-based command line. Unix tools, a command line whose width can be adjusted, a kick-ass development environment (Xcode), able to run X windows apps with a download, silky-smooth multi-screen handling, printing-appropriate fonts, the near-silence of the iMac, and the beauty of it's 21.5" screen (wish I could have afforded the 27")).

Recently, my PC died from static electricity. On a cold winter's day my jumper touched the case. Shorted the PC right out.

That was 3 weeks ago. I haven't needed to sort out the windows PC since. I got Steam on my Mac, and so I can even game on it. The hard drive I found a IDE/SATA to USB cable, and so I got all my old data and moved it across.

I don't even have the slightest urge to /pirate/ Windows 8.

The *only* thing I miss is Elder Scrolls: Dragonrim.

Microsoft has a tough row to hoe here. They're trying to ape Apple's store, trying to secure the OS, trying to be all-things-to-all-people with Surface/Metro, and failing miserably. Corporates generally speaking aren't interested in upgrading. Now even enthusiasts are migrating. I thought they had a chance with Surface/RT, but then ruined it by making sure it's completely locked and screw anyone who wants to run something else on it.

If OSX didn't do unix better than Linux, it might just be the year of Linux...but I actually want to spend time getting things done, not recompiling my kernel again and again.

At this point, not even a Start button reversal and a hand-written apology letter from Balmer would bring me back to windows, methinks.

Look at iTunes. $.99 per song, which many people can afford. No silly DRM on the MP3s (at least the later ones).

It's *easy*, convenient, and cheap to get a new song.
It's easy, convenient, and...well...affordable to get a new album there.

I don't buy much music, but when I do generally I start looking on iTunes.

When I want to buy a video game? Steam. Fast, easy, convenient, and because I refuse to spend more than $10 except for /very/ exceptional games, cheap.

Make movies that easy/cheap, and I'll buy them too.

Make ebooks that easy/cheap, and I'll buy them. (I've bought from fictionwise, Kindle, Baen books, and a few other online books stores (at least those that don't try to charge more for an ebook than they do a paper book.))

DRM is never good for the consumer. It never makes things easier, cheaper, faster. I never gives me more choice. It's created by the old-school 'forced scarcity' model that simply doesn't apply on the internet.

In that situation, your art-producing friends have lost out on my money, because my choice is to keep my choice, and not buy DRMed crap.

Microsoft screwed up with their redesign of Windows 8 and lousy integration...I don't even want to pirate Windows 8.

Then they screwed up with the attempting to tie Office to a single PC for life. As a person who just had a computer short out, and who might have to replace the left-hand-side of the computer, my definition of 'single PC' and Microsoft's is different.

Then there's online-office. What? You expect me to use office ONLINE? No thanks.

It's now XBox's turn for Microsoft to screw up.

ATI has come out and said there won't be another DirectX. Does Microsoft /really/ want to give away gaming, the only reason to still have a PC in the home?

The modern Windows Phone can't be counted, because it never really happened...and same with Windows RT.

Maybe their next mis-step is something in the back office. Exchange? Maybe they'll implement a per-message fee.

I just don't see it. Why do the shareholders still support Balmer?

Simple solution: make patents (and copyrights) only worth a limited amount. $100K, $1million, pick a number. The patent (or copyright) is only good until you've reached that amount of income from any source (INCLUDING LAWSUITS).

Just for fun, no company worth more than $100K should be allowed to own a patent (or copyright).

Now *that* will spur creation of new ideas, not hoarding a ridiculous legal battles that clog the system.

Patent trolls: dead.
Greedy companies: dead.
Small companies: in with a fighting chance

Wasn't that the point in the first place?