Weekend tech reading: Concerns over Comcast-TWC merger, good time for XP users to go Linux?

[Matthew DeCarlo]

The Comcast merger isn't about lines on a map; it's about controlling the delivery of information Comcast and proposed merger partner Time Warner Cable claim they don't compete because their service areas don't overlap, and that a combined company would happily divest itself of a few million customers to keeps its pay-TV market share below 30%, allowing other companies that don't currently compete with Comcast to keep not competing with Comcast. This narrow, shortsighted view fails to take into account the full breadth of what's involved in this merger... Consumerist

Behind the scenes with Intel's SSD division In early March, Intel gathered industry analysts and members of the tech press in Folsom, California to talk SSDs. The city is home base for Intel's Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group, otherwise known as NSG, which is responsible for the development and testing of Intel solid-state drives. The NSG had a story to tell about how its design and validation work produces extremely reliable SSDs. We got hard numbers on failure rates, details about efforts to make SSDs more dependable, and a peek behind the scenes at the Folsom facility. The Tech Report (also, securely erase your SSD via MakeUseOf)

One big reason we lack Internet competition: Starting an ISP is really hard There are probably many reasons that US households have so few choices for Internet service, but not least among them is the fact that starting a new ISP is really difficult, and expensive to boot. Millions of Americans would gladly switch from their DSL or cable Internet service to fiber, which in many cities delivers speeds of 1Gbps. That's 250 times faster than the 4Mbps download bandwidth that qualifies as "broadband" under the Federal Communications Commission definition. Ars Technica

Google, once disdainful of lobbying, now a master of Washington influence In May 2012, the law school at George Mason University hosted a forum billed as a "vibrant discussion" about Internet search competition. Many of the major players in the field were there -- regulators from the Federal Trade Commission, federal and state prosecutors, top congressional staffers. What the guests had not been told was that the day-long academic conference was in large part the work of Google, which maneuvered behind the scenes with GMU’s Law & Economics Center to put on the event. The Washington Post

Font war: inside the design world's $20 million divorce Gotham is one hell of a typeface. Its Os are round, its capital letters sturdy and square, and it has the simplicity of a geometric sans without feeling clinical. The inspiration for Gotham is the lettering on signs at the Port Authority, manly works using "the type of letter that an engineer would make," according to Tobias Frere-Jones, who is widely credited with designing the font for GQ magazine in 2000. Critics have praised Gotham as blue collar, nostalgic yet "exquisitely contemporary," and "simply self evident." Bloomberg

With the death of Windows XP, now is the perfect time to switch to Linux If you're one of the few hundred million people that are still using Windows XP, I have a suggestion for you: It's time to switch to make the switch to Linux. With the official retirement of Windows XP, the release of Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, and surprisingly healthy software and gaming ecosystems (yay, Steam!), there has never been a better time to switch to Linux. ExtremeTech (also, the GNOME Foundation is running short on money via Phoronix)

Obama lets N.S.A. exploit some Internet flaws, officials say Stepping into a heated debate within the nation’s intelligence agencies, President Obama has decided that when the National Security Agency discovers major flaws in Internet security, it should -- in most circumstances -- reveal them to assure that they will be fixed, rather than keep mum so that the flaws can be used in espionage or cyberattacks, senior administration officials said Saturday. The NY Times

The ten commandments of video game menus A good video game menu is like a good roadie: It stays out of the way. But still, far too many menus waste far too much of our time. People want to play games, not mess around in menus! We've gone up to the top of Video Game Mountain in search of answers, and have come down with ten rules all video game menus should obey. Ten "commandments," if you will. Kotaku

Corsair's system building and tuning competition PC Domination isn't a single contest, but more than ten separate challenges for system builders and tuners. It doesn't matter if you have a high-end or mid-range system. There's a contest for everyone to participate in! Get your submissions in as the contest ends May 5th, 2014! Corsair

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https://www.techspot.com/news/56371-weekend-tech-reading-concerns-over-comcast-twc-merger-good-time-for-xp-users-to-go-linux.html

 

[hahahanoobs]

"With the death of Windows XP, now is the perfect time to switch to Linux"

"For some tasks, Linux is far superior to Windows."
-No examples? Moving on...

"More importantly, though, there are many tasks where Windows isn’t significantly better than Linux — such as surfing the web (Chrome for Ubuntu is the same as Chrome for Windows or OS X)."
-Why wasn't this poor exampe included in the previous paragraph? My guess is the writer didn't have much to say, and it's obvious why. Linux is better for browsing because it has Chrome support? Take that Microsoft! :|

Finally learn to use the command line. Linux, at its heart, is a command-line based operating system.
-*facepalm*

Probably the most empty reasons to use a product I have every read from a writer that gets paid to write. Hey Linux, maybe with XP gone, you'll finally hit 3% market share on the desktop.

 

[TomSEA]

That "10 Commandments of Video Game Menu's," is a good (and funny) one. Most of the comments are directed toward console users who only have limited options as far as key commands. But in general, a good list - especially the "let me skip the cut scenes."

 

[Railman]

"With the death of Windows XP, now is the perfect time to switch to Linux"

"For some tasks, Linux is far superior to Windows."
-No examples? Moving on...

"More importantly, though, there are many tasks where Windows isn’t significantly better than Linux — such as surfing the web (Chrome for Ubuntu is the same as Chrome for Windows or OS X)."
-Why wasn't this poor exampe included in the previous paragraph? My guess is the writer didn't have much to say, and it's obvious why. Linux is better for browsing because it has Chrome support? Take that Microsoft! :|

Finally learn to use the command line. Linux, at its heart, is a command-line based operating system.
-*facepalm*

Probably the most empty reasons to use a product I have every read from a writer that gets paid to write. Hey Linux, maybe with XP gone, you'll finally hit 3% market share on the desktop.

I enjoy using Linux. What I thought about the article is that it left so many things out. The fact that a large catalogue of open source programs are available and are free. There are also emulators that allow users to use older versions of MS Office. Linux is more secure than XP. Linux is a lean operating system that runs fast on old PCs.

Of course there are other options for XP users. First is stay with XP, second is switch to Apple, third is switch to Chrome, forth is switch to W7 or W8. The problem with 2 to 4 is that a new PC would most likely be required. Ironically Apple has a similar feel to Linux.

 

[hahahanoobs]

I enjoy using Linux. What I thought about the article is that it left so many things out.

Exactly. I'm obviously not a Linux fan and took a jab there, but it still really bothered me that the article didn't do the OS any justice. It did no convincing whatsoever.

 

[Camikazi]

"With the death of Windows XP, now is the perfect time to switch to Linux"

"For some tasks, Linux is far superior to Windows."
-No examples? Moving on...

"More importantly, though, there are many tasks where Windows isn’t significantly better than Linux — such as surfing the web (Chrome for Ubuntu is the same as Chrome for Windows or OS X)."
-Why wasn't this poor exampe included in the previous paragraph? My guess is the writer didn't have much to say, and it's obvious why. Linux is better for browsing because it has Chrome support? Take that Microsoft! :|

Finally learn to use the command line. Linux, at its heart, is a command-line based operating system.
-*facepalm*

Probably the most empty reasons to use a product I have every read from a writer that gets paid to write. Hey Linux, maybe with XP gone, you'll finally hit 3% market share on the desktop.

I enjoy using Linux. What I thought about the article is that it left so many things out. The fact that a large catalogue of open source programs are available and are free. There are also emulators that allow users to use older versions of MS Office. Linux is more secure than XP. Linux is a lean operating system that runs fast on old PCs.

Of course there are other options for XP users. First is stay with XP, second is switch to Apple, third is switch to Chrome, forth is switch to W7 or W8. The problem with 2 to 4 is that a new PC would most likely be required. Ironically Apple has a similar feel to Linux.

Linux is a kernel and some of the OSes based on them can be very heavy and not so quick. Don't confuse a Linux based OS with the Linux kernel, they are not the same at all and not all Linux OSes are created equal. As for the new comp for Windows 7 and 8 that is not really true, if you have any Core or Core 2 level CPU and at least 2 GB of RAM both Windows 7 and 8 will run fine.

I have built multiple computers for family running Windows 7 and 8 with 2.3GHz Core 2 Duo CPUs and 2GB of RAM and they do everything they want easily. Hell just for kicks I installed Windows 8 on a VIA C7 1.5GHz single core CPU with 1GB of RAM and it ran very well, when stressed it would lag a bit but overall it was usable. Too many people don't understand just how efficient Windows 7 and 8 really are, they can run on almost any hardware that XP can and can run just as well.

 

[m4a4]

"With the death of Windows XP, now is the perfect time to switch to Linux"

Hahahaha, that provided a good laugh

 

[Guest]

Linux is a kernel and some of the OSes based on them can be very heavy and not so quick. Don't confuse a Linux based OS with the Linux kernel, they are not the same at all and not all Linux OSes are created equal. As for the new comp for Windows 7 and 8 that is not really true, if you have any Core or Core 2 level CPU and at least 2 GB of RAM both Windows 7 and 8 will run fine.
I have built multiple computers for family running Windows 7 and 8 with 2.3GHz Core 2 Duo CPUs and 2GB of RAM and they do everything they want easily. Hell just for kicks I installed Windows 8 on a VIA C7 1.5GHz single core CPU with 1GB of RAM and it ran very well, when stressed it would lag a bit but overall it was usable. Too many people don't understand just how efficient Windows 7 and 8 really are, they can run on almost any hardware that XP can and can run just as well.

Exactly! What people also fail to realise is that the Windows kernel is probably far more efficient and lean than the Linux kernel, it does happen to have the worlds largest software company supporting it with massive amounts of resources so its not hard to believe. The only difference is that windows comes preloaded with every type of driver and supporting system software that fits most situations, leading to the slight bloat factor. This is by no means a downside as windows can and will always be able to do far more than any of the Linux distributions can ever hope to do out of the box. To do so would mean Linux becomes just like windows, probably worse so due to the efficiency of the windows kernel, and it loses its so called advantage. Linux will never catch on with the masses because its not easy the way Windows is easy, the various distributions of the years have tried, and largely failed, to make it easier but I doubt it will actually ever happen to the point of mass adoption, unless some company decides to release a paid for distribution with all the bells and whistles like windows with support and all, something like Red Hat, but like I mentioned above, why not then just buy Windows? It already does all of that, and lets just be honest now, its not expensive at all. Most of the software you install on the pc probably costs more than the OS that runs it all.

 

[Dukenukemx]

I resurrected an old 2002 Prostar Laptop that took me 10 years to figure out that solder reflow would fix its issues. A 1.8Ghz P4 with 1.5GB or ram and 160GB hard drive. Not to forget the puny Radeon 7500 with a whole 64MB or ram. Took apart the battery pack and replaced eight 16850 batteries to restore it's ability to run off the battery. Had to cut it open and then use plastic welding to seal it up again.

So now that I took the time to have it electrically working, what OS to use? Windows XP is so dated and full of wholes that it would need an antivirus. Windows Vista would eat what little ram it has, and Windows 7 would fair no better. So linux it had to be. Ubuntu ran like crap, cause the Unity UI requires a 3D accelerator not made 12 years ago. Regular Mint 16 was no better with Cinnamon, but Mint 16 with XFCE works perfectly. Boots quickly and can play YouTube videos with no problem.

Don't knock Linux as a replacement OS. I use Mint 16 on my Laptop with a 1.9Ghz Triple core turion with Radeon HD 5470. I have no plans to play any serious games on this machine, so as long as it can browse the web and play videos then I'm happy. I even tried Minecraft on it, and it surprisingly works fine. For fun I even tried Steam on it with Portal, which also works fine.

Sadly my main rig uses Windows 7, cause playing Windows based games through Linux just isn't reliable. I've tried WoW through Wine and it worked until recently. Only the 32-bit WoW.exe works, not the WoW-64.exe. Not that I plan to game on the laptop but Windows games on Linux is just not reliable.

 

[Railman]

"With the death of Windows XP, now is the perfect time to switch to Linux"

"For some tasks, Linux is far superior to Windows."
-No examples? Moving on...

"More importantly, though, there are many tasks where Windows isn’t significantly better than Linux — such as surfing the web (Chrome for Ubuntu is the same as Chrome for Windows or OS X)."
-Why wasn't this poor exampe included in the previous paragraph? My guess is the writer didn't have much to say, and it's obvious why. Linux is better for browsing because it has Chrome support? Take that Microsoft! :|

Finally learn to use the command line. Linux, at its heart, is a command-line based operating system.
-*facepalm*

Probably the most empty reasons to use a product I have every read from a writer that gets paid to write. Hey Linux, maybe with XP gone, you'll finally hit 3% market share on the desktop.

I enjoy using Linux. What I thought about the article is that it left so many things out. The fact that a large catalogue of open source programs are available and are free. There are also emulators that allow users to use older versions of MS Office. Linux is more secure than XP. Linux is a lean operating system that runs fast on old PCs.

Of course there are other options for XP users. First is stay with XP, second is switch to Apple, third is switch to Chrome, forth is switch to W7 or W8. The problem with 2 to 4 is that a new PC would most likely be required. Ironically Apple has a similar feel to Linux.

Linux is a kernel and some of the OSes based on them can be very heavy and not so quick. Don't confuse a Linux based OS with the Linux kernel, they are not the same at all and not all Linux OSes are created equal. As for the new comp for Windows 7 and 8 that is not really true, if you have any Core or Core 2 level CPU and at least 2 GB of RAM both Windows 7 and 8 will run fine.

I have built multiple computers for family running Windows 7 and 8 with 2.3GHz Core 2 Duo CPUs and 2GB of RAM and they do everything they want easily. Hell just for kicks I installed Windows 8 on a VIA C7 1.5GHz single core CPU with 1GB of RAM and it ran very well, when stressed it would lag a bit but overall it was usable. Too many people don't understand just how efficient Windows 7 and 8 really are, they can run on almost any hardware that XP can and can run just as well.

Well I loaded Debian on an old PC and that performed significantly faster than XP. There was no way W7 would have worked on that PC. I don't understand the anti Linux attitude that seems to exist on this site. MS has so many issues especially with backwards compatibility with Oracle applications.

 

[tonylukac]

Why doesn't an isp just put up a few wifi towers and they're set? By the way, have the phone providers just given up on increasing capacity I haven't seen new cell towers in at least the last 10 years. Linux just doesn't have an equivalent boot program to bcd, it doesn't work with any phones, cameras, or printers (few), and why give up your maybe $200 copy of some windows pro. I don't know why windows updates are preached as being so important. They have to attach devices like atms and point of sale devices to the internet to update them? What about the spyware? I have never had windows updates fix any problem, except in the early years. They make quite a few problems tho.

 

[Darth Shiv]

"With the death of Windows XP, now is the perfect time to switch to Linux"

"For some tasks, Linux is far superior to Windows."
-No examples? Moving on...

"More importantly, though, there are many tasks where Windows isn’t significantly better than Linux — such as surfing the web (Chrome for Ubuntu is the same as Chrome for Windows or OS X)."
-Why wasn't this poor exampe included in the previous paragraph? My guess is the writer didn't have much to say, and it's obvious why. Linux is better for browsing because it has Chrome support? Take that Microsoft! :|

Finally learn to use the command line. Linux, at its heart, is a command-line based operating system.
-*facepalm*

Probably the most empty reasons to use a product I have every read from a writer that gets paid to write. Hey Linux, maybe with XP gone, you'll finally hit 3% market share on the desktop.

This x100. Honestly, who really wants to learn *another* command line in this day and age? Command line has had it's day. It was old at Win95.

There is a really good reason why Linux has tanked in mainstream. *Because* it is command-line based. If they *ever* want to be relevant to the home desktop (whatever future desktops may have), they need to move away from command-line as the default for anything.

 

[VitalyT]

Let's be fair, the best OS to surf the Web is Mac OS on Macbook Pro, in terms of UI friendliness. It might be not as good on the security side, but using Safari on Macbook Pro with the perfect touch pad is the best. There is no other platform to offer such easy navigation through the page, perfect scrolling experience, perfect zooming switching between pages, perfect font rendering on the retina display.

I'm alternating web browsing between my Macbook Pro 15" and 30" desktop, and often switch to the first one because of just how neat it is and a pleasure to use, after which the desktop, though twice as big, feels mundane.

Linux? ...oh please...

 

[Guest]

Linux, lol

 

[Railman]

"With the death of Windows XP, now is the perfect time to switch to Linux"

"For some tasks, Linux is far superior to Windows."
-No examples? Moving on...

"More importantly, though, there are many tasks where Windows isn’t significantly better than Linux — such as surfing the web (Chrome for Ubuntu is the same as Chrome for Windows or OS X)."
-Why wasn't this poor exampe included in the previous paragraph? My guess is the writer didn't have much to say, and it's obvious why. Linux is better for browsing because it has Chrome support? Take that Microsoft! :|

Finally learn to use the command line. Linux, at its heart, is a command-line based operating system.
-*facepalm*

Probably the most empty reasons to use a product I have every read from a writer that gets paid to write. Hey Linux, maybe with XP gone, you'll finally hit 3% market share on the desktop.

This x100. Honestly, who really wants to learn *another* command line in this day and age? Command line has had it's day. It was old at Win95.

There is a really good reason why Linux has tanked in mainstream. *Because* it is command-line based. If they *ever* want to be relevant to the home desktop (whatever future desktops may have), they need to move away from command-line as the default for anything.

Well MS Windows still has the command line. Granted there are certain aspects of Linus that requires the command line (like loading certain new programs) but in normal use the GUI is the default. I actually enjoy using the command line.

 

[Guest]

Well MS Windows still has the command line. Granted there are certain aspects of Linus that requires the command line (like loading certain new programs) but in normal use the GUI is the default. I actually enjoy using the command line.

...and there is nothing wrong with that, to each their own. However, 90+% of the world population don't agree with you. I'm a software developer, and am grateful that there is the standard of Windows in the workplace. It makes it easier to adapt and create than having to know multiple environments. A code once experience is more important for than trying to stick it to Microsoft because they happen to charge for their product that they spent billions producing. Although the Mono project holds promise, I'm still not keen on Linux.

Let's be fair, the best OS to surf the Web is Mac OS on Macbook Pro, in terms of UI friendliness. It might be not as good on the security side, but using Safari on Macbook Pro with the perfect touch pad is the best. There is no other platform to offer such easy navigation through the page, perfect scrolling experience, perfect zooming switching between pages, perfect font rendering on the retina display.
I'm alternating web browsing between my Macbook Pro 15" and 30" desktop, and often switch to the first one because of just how neat it is and a pleasure to use, after which the desktop, though twice as big, feels mundane.
Linux? ...oh please...

Whilst I agree with your sentiments on Linux, I'm not so sure about the browsing thing. While it may be true that Mac OS has a slightly better Web browsing experience, that cant be the only pull factor can it? If web browsing and light processing tasks is the only reason you get it, then a tablet with a keyboard attachment would be more cost friendly and achieve acceptable results, why then purchase a costly MacBook Pro. The same holds true for people arguing about getting Linux for the desktop if they only intend to use it for browsing the web. That sounds like a weak argument and exactly what a tablet can do. Say what you will about Windows, but it has its uses and there are plenty of them.

 

[VitalyT]

...why then purchase a costly MacBook Pro.

Tablets offer no good substitute for touch-pad + convenient hot keys. And it is the combination of factors that delivers a pleasant experience I have the latest iPad here too, and it is absolutely not the same, it is much more awkward for web browsing than Macbook Pro.

 

[VitalyT]

In the meantime, Microsoft stands to make good money from custom support of Windows XP: http://gadgets.ndtv.com/laptops/new...lions-for-continued-windows-xp-support-508303

In case you wondered where your tax money are going...

 

[Camikazi]

Well I loaded Debian on an old PC and that performed significantly faster than XP. There was no way W7 would have worked on that PC. I don't understand the anti Linux attitude that seems to exist on this site. MS has so many issues especially with backwards compatibility with Oracle applications.

There is no anti-Linux attitude just people who understand that Linux is not the saving grace and the be-all end-all for PCs. It has it's advantages and it's disadvantages but most Linux users don't see the downsides and most will always hate MS and anything they make regardless of it's usefulness. Yes for very old (older than P4) PCs a small Linux based OS is great but that doesn't mean that Linux is great for everything and it never will be and most people need to learn that.

 

[Dennis Pollard]

Is this a joke? Comcast's Representative just a second ago, told me they've been billing me an extra $10. for months now for a modem - knowing full well that I have my own modem. They are crooks - this is not the first time. Now they want to control the whole system - no competition (as the have in 1/3 of the country). NO Merger - if fact, break up the current Semi Monopoly - where two large company control our cable system and give us Substandard Service and high prices!! FCC - START DOING YOUR JOB!!

 

[Nobina]

This article could also be named: Good time for XP users to go to switch to any other newer OS. I don't know why the writer chose Linux, the least popular OS, and didn't give us any other choice.

 

[Railman]

Well I loaded Debian on an old PC and that performed significantly faster than XP. There was no way W7 would have worked on that PC. I don't understand the anti Linux attitude that seems to exist on this site. MS has so many issues especially with backwards compatibility with Oracle applications.

There is no anti-Linux attitude just people who understand that Linux is not the saving grace and the be-all end-all for PCs. It has it's advantages and it's disadvantages but most Linux users don't see the downsides and most will always hate MS and anything they make regardless of it's usefulness. Yes for very old (older than P4) PCs a small Linux based OS is great but that doesn't mean that Linux is great for everything and it never will be and most people need to learn that.

I don't hate MS but I don't love them either. Like the majority I use MS at work and on the whole it does work. It is just a shame that they insist on changing the GUI on such a regular basis. The ribbon is one example of poor execution. As you have to pay for MS products I feel justified in criticizing them. Linux does have issues the major ones being support for drivers especially for new kit and a confusing choice of distros but once it is set up and running it is very satisfying.

 

[Camikazi]

I don't hate MS but I don't love them either. Like the majority I use MS at work and on the whole it does work. It is just a shame that they insist on changing the GUI on such a regular basis. The ribbon is one example of poor execution. As you have to pay for MS products I feel justified in criticizing them. Linux does have issues the major ones being support for drivers especially for new kit and a confusing choice of distros but once it is set up and running it is very satisfying.

It might be satisfying but normal people do not want that, they want it to work and they want the programs they know to work and Linux does not fill that need and as scattered as it is it never will. I see people complain about Windows having Home, Pro, Ultimate versions yet no one ever talks about the main branches of Linux distros (3 of them I believe) and their THOUSANDS of sub branches (that is not counting BSD and the other alt OSes). That alone is a reason Linux won't hit the mainstream unless one surfaces as the leader and can mostly shut down the others, they all work differently and can look different making it difficult for a person to pick one and learn quickly.

Nerds and geeks love the options of Linux and the fact that you can customize every tiny detail but the average person would be completely overwhelmed by it. I am not the average computer user, I love learning new things and even I had no clue where to start with Linux or what to do when I decided to start it, I don't even want to imagine a computer illiterate person checking out Linux. Linux is getting better but if they want the mainstream things will need to change and they will need to become more like MS, that MS like thought and one ruling over others is what lead to Android being the top Linux mobile OS. Like it or not MS knows what they are doing and their strategy is what lead them to being on 95% of the computers in the world.

 

[Guest]

Nope. The down side of windows is it's registry that tracks your every move and becomes huge over time and constantly causes crashes for all the malware hides there too. That is the downside of any windows computer. The tracking. You are not taking the fifth there. hahaha to that. Also the file system security. That is the big one. In windows you have native open access to all. In linux you have 3 types and 3 level access to every file and every directory closed access. Meaning access is denied until granted not open until denied. This is the most fundamental difference. In linux you need to gain root to have access where in windows you have access to all openly. So with windows your home is always unlocked till you lock it. hahahaha to that too. Also not to mention all the back doors for law enforcement that the hackers use as a revolving door to get your information. And I don't even want to start to comment on the cloud. Only one comment on that clouds disappear after the rain. hahaha to that.