* Posts by Gene

41 publicly visible posts • joined 23 Jan 2010

New iPad revealed. Big price cut is main feature

Gene

Works for me

My loyal iPad2, bought the day it appeared, just crapped out. This is a perfect replacement. I'll be ordering one promptly.

Longing to bin Photoshop? Rock-solid GIMP a major leap forward

Gene

Depends on what you use it for

I've been using The GIMP on Macs for many years and never had any trouble getting it to work. I only need a small subset of the features, so I took the time to learn them. For people who do the same tasks over and over, it's a viable choice.

Apple's big secret: It's an insurance firm (now with added finance)

Gene

Long-term value

I see that iOS 9 will be available for my iPad 2, which I purchased in March 2011. No need to replace it yet. How many 2011 tablets from other manufacturers will still be current next year?

Tech that we want (but they never seem to give us)

Gene

Cups, bowls and plates that keep food and drink at the original temperature they were served at.

Apple's Windows XP moment: OS X Snow Leopard left to DIE

Gene

Still running it here...

...on my 2006 Mac Pro. The machine refuses to die and still does the job. I didn't feel the new Mac Pro was right for me so I'll eventually go to an iMac, but probably not until next year when Intel's next generation chips are available. Unless, of course, Tim has a surprise in store for me.

A steam punk VDU ?

Gene

Re: This <could> work

Forgot to mention the backspace key that would clear the last character by removing the flags. Repeated backspaces would permit editing.

Gene

This <could> work

The VDU would be 60 characters X 40 lines. Each character would have tiny windows in a 5 X 7 grid to spell out a letter or number. A small red flag would be mechanically moved in the appropriate holes to make each character. Perhaps compressed air would work best. Note: this will not be portable.

Silent Circle shutters email service

Gene

The unspoken assumption here is that...

...the Internet is an appropriate venue for secure communications. Once you realize that has never been and will never be the case, the problem disappears.

Ubisoft admits major hacking breach, advises password change

Gene

Re: Hmmmm.

I did the same, for the same reasons.

Magpie Apple plunders the competition for cosmetics, as egos run wild

Gene

There are only so many ways to do something. If Apple is improving their product by including them and there are no patent issues, what's the problem? I think the current Android, Blackberry and Windows phone devices owe more to the original iPhone than vice versa.

So, who ought to be the next Doctor Who? It's up to YOU...

Gene

Only one choice...

Johnny Depp!

Climate scientists agree: Humans cause global warming

Gene

This is a bit inconvenient then, no?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamestaylor/2013/02/13/peer-reviewed-survey-finds-majority-of-scientists-skeptical-of-global-warming-crisis/ [forbes.com]

United Nations: 'Overpopulated Earth? Time to EAT BUGS'

Gene

Weevily biscuits, anyone?

It's been done.

Foot-long slab too big? Microsoft 'has a 7-incher' to stroke

Gene

Can they do that...

...without changing the aspect ratio? Not sure the current one will work well on a smaller tablet.

Maggie Thatcher: The Iron Lady who saved us from drab Post Office mobes

Gene
FAIL

Soft Ice Cream?

Carvel was selling it in the US in the 1930s.

Office for Mac 2008 support umbilical chopped off

Gene

Re: Who cares?

I'm still waiting for a new Mac Pro. I'll replace it then. I do my heavy lifting with FileMaker Pro 12 anyway.

Gene

Who cares?

I'm still running Office X from 2001 on my 2006 Mac Pro. Runs just fine, thank you.

Torvalds asks 'Why do PC manufacturers even bother any more?'

Gene
Thumb Up

Re: Agreed

Absolutely right! I enjoy my iPad, but I'm waiting on a new Mac Pro (could be out in Spring, according to the rumor mill). My 2006 Mac Pro is still hauling, but it's starting to show its age. I simply prefer large monitors.

US military gives NASA two better-than-Hubble telescopes

Gene

3 words...

Giant Space Binoculars!

Microsoft forbids class actions in new Windows licence

Gene

If you try real hard...

...I'll bet you can think of a few models. Hint - they all come from one company.

Armenia jails Bredolab botmaster for 4 years

Gene

Re: Not even East European jail is a good enough punishment

Or just make them watch every minute of the American presidential campaigns until November.

Good Tech: Apple dominates mobile enterprise

Gene
Holmes

But, but, but...

...everybody says Android tablets are going to take off real soon now.

Microsoft takes down ZeuS botnets

Gene

Re: Mustn't ever mention Windows ..

Don't have to - it's understood.

Windows 8 on ARM vs iPad: Has Microsoft lost already?

Gene
WTF?

Re: Stupid article

"By 2014 tablets will replace tablets in most cases..."

I agree. I will replace my iPad2 with another iPad by 2014. Are you sure that was what you were trying to say?

Testicle-boiling new iPad ignites fanboi fury

Gene

Aww... c'mon. I use a dodocase for my iPad2 or place it on a stand. If I had the new iPad, I probably wouldn't even notice the heat issue. I'm perfectly satisfied with my older model, though, so I won't find out until next year's model. I'm sure Apple knew exactly how hot it would run and realized that since people just have to find an issue, this would be a good one since it won't affect sales significantly.

Apple iPad sales slip as cheap Android tablet tsunami looms

Gene

Last quarter?

Maybe some folks heard a new iPad was coming and waited until this quarter. Context is everything.

Michael Dell: PC profits plunge not down to tablets

Gene

When I see "Michael Dell: <insert quote here>" I automatically reach for my hip boots.

Star probe Kepler finds many multi-world alien suns

Gene

Why would it be unexpected?

We have good information on one solar system - ours - and it has multiple planets. Seems reasonable to expect that is the norm.

Apple stuns Wall Street with 95% earnings surge

Gene
Thumb Up

Mine's 4-1/2 years old

Just added a Radeon 5770 and it looks like it has plenty of life left. These suckers really do last!

Android, Steve Jobs, and Apple's '90%' tablet share

Gene

I beg to differ

I've had an iPad 2 for a couple of weeks and I couldn't disagree more strongly. I'm an old geek (my first computer was a TRS-80 Model III purchased in 1980). I have found quite a few uses for the iPad that simply would not work with another form factor. It's just a matter of imagination, and I've still got plenty of that - and lots of time to use it since I've been retired for years. It's always easy to criticize something you have no experience with...

Nokia to help WinPho outsell iOS in four years

Gene
Thumb Down

This prediction is not credible...

...too many assumptions. Here's my counter-prediction: In four years, Android will still be selling the most phones and Apple will still be making the most money. Anybody disagree?

iPad 2? Let's be kind and call it iPad 1.5

Gene
Happy

Can't wait to get mine!

I passed on the original because of the lack of cameras. When my next grandchild arrives in a few weeks, my daughter and I will each have one. The hospital has wi-fi. Worth the price of admission right there. Mr. Molloy is correct. it IS all about function. I've already selected quite a few apps I will be purchasing. This device (wi-fi only) has exactly what I am looking for.

Hefty physicist: Global warming is 'pseudoscientific fraud'

Gene

No facts is the problem...

Ignore him. He's a real scientist and those guys insist on real proof of things like human involvement in global warming, which is glaringly absent. Of course it's getting warmer - we're coming out of an ice age. It's going to keep getting warmer too. Live with it.

Dell accused of hiding incriminating evidence in defect case

Gene

Don't assume the problem was limited to computers...

...one of those capacitors took down one of my air conditioners.

Mozilla man blasts Apple and Google for HTML5 abuse

Gene

In which case, Jobs wins because...

...he's going with the vast majority. Those in the know = <1%

HP's webOS tablet 'due in Q3'

Gene

Hard to believe...

The 3rd quarter ends in 143 days and HP doesn't even own WebOS yet. I do not believe they can bring a viable product to market in that time. The original rumor said "as early as" the end of Q3, but nobody is quoting that part. I do not expect an HP tablet in time for the holiday season this year even though they are probably working on it right now. There are all those nasty little details like getting a finished product to manufacturing, producing a sufficient quantity and, of course, FCC certification. At least we won't have to wait very long to find out.

Almost 2,500 firms breached in ongoing hack attack

Gene
Thumb Down

Of course they are...

...but I've been running Mac OS X since 10.0.0 in 2001 without any virus or malware protection and I've had zero problems. Maybe it's time to drop this sort of automatic response and face reality.

Firefox-based attack wreaks havoc on IRC users

Gene

Last week it was IE...

...this week it's Firefox. If you're on the Internet, you're vulnerable, even if you're sure you aren't.

Obama to scrap Moon, Mars expeditions - report

Gene

No problem...

...we can always pay the Russians and Chinese to visit their bases.

Steve Ballmer defaces fanboi MacBook

Gene

Showed a bit of class...

...for a change.