blah64

About

Username
blah64
Joined
Visits
58
Last Active
Roles
member
Points
248
Badges
0
Posts
993

Reactions

163Like0Dislike17Informative

  • Huge lineup of new 2019 iPhone & Apple Watch models revealed by regulatory filings [u]

    blah64blah64
    zoetmb said:

    jdiamond said:
    ...and so if one wants a new retail mac that can still run a more debugged macOS and 32 bit apps is time running out...? Will the iMac be locked down and T2'ed as well ?
    Dude get over it -- 64-bit is coming and they’re not going to pull a Microsoft and bend over backwards to support legacy dinosaurs.
    Uhhhh.... they've been doing that since 206, with zero cost. There's no reason they can't release a software emulator to help out users who need certain older programs. Many programs are still being released today in 32-bit, for no understandable reason.
    Again.... Apple isn't going to keep 32-bit support forever to enable developers who are too lazy to update their apps, or even outright abandoned them. It isn't Apple's job to keep additional instruction set support around indefinitely because devs aren't supporting their users properly. 
    It's a little more complex than that.  There's the issue of having to subscribe to an app in order to update and a lot of people don't want to do that, not just because of the subscription fee, but because of the need for the app to be connected at times.    Personally, I'm still using Adobe CS6 and Office 2011 not because I'm too cheap to upgrade, but because I want stand-alone versions.    In addition, there are companies that are slow to update apps.   Nikon, for example, is notoriously slow in updating their apps for new MacOS versions.   It's very easy to say "well, screw 'em", but it's the end users who suffer as a result, sometimes not being able to do their jobs.    I haven't figured out what I'm going to do yet once the change comes.   And really, the OS code is already bloated - how much bigger would it have to be to still support 32 bit apps?    

    Back in the day, MacOS upgrades almost always went perfectly and everything just worked, even during the Intel transition.   But lately, each new version of MacOS seems to introduce more bugs.   Since a few upgrades ago, I can never open an Excel file from within Excel on the first try - it always works on the second try.    And in one of my Nikon photo importing apps, it used to recognize the iPhone and import those pics.   The app hasn't been updated, but MacOS has.   It does recognize that the phone is there, it just doesn't display any photos.    IMO, there's no good reason for those things to be happening.  They both used to work.   And considering all the resources Apple has, it's shameful that they introduce bugs that they don't fix.  

    I also think that average non-technical users probably are ignoring those messages about the apps that sometimes display.   When they next upgrade the MacOS, I predict that all hell is going to break loose when many of their apps stop working.    Yes, Apple did give them warnings, but were they warnings that they could understand the ramifications of?   If Apple is smart, the next Mac OS installer will first check all the apps and present a list to the end user of all the apps that aren't going to work if they proceed with the upgrade and give them a chance to bail out of the installation.    But they probably won't because Apple is arrogant.  
    Again, Office has a current "standalone" version you can buy: 
    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/office-home-student-2019/cfq7ttc0k7c8?activetab=pivot:overviewtab
    You actually had me a little excited there for a minute.  Then I read the FAQ on the listing page:

    -- Do I need internet access to run Office?

    Internet access is required to install and activate Office, but not to use Office applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint once you have these fully installed on your computer.

    -- How do I download, install, reinstall, activate or update Office?

    Once you have purchased Office, you can install it from the Services & subscriptions section of your Microsoft Account page.


    So I have to create a Microsoft account and associate my computer with that account and let it talk to Microsoft?  No thanks.  I'm okay paying $150 for Office, but I'm not okay letting *any* software on my computers phone home.  Ever.  If you're a dev, you'll understand that there's absolutely no way to know what information an app can gather and transmit back to the home office.

    I do appreciate the link though, I was not aware of this product.


    CS6 is 7 years old already. Get over it. 
    The above info was appreciated, but this is just a rude and unjustified comment.  The whole "get over it" theme hails from the hugest asshole Scott McNealy, with his "You have no privacy, get over it" comment.  When things are getting worse, it's not okay to tell people to "get over it".  It's reminiscent of when another asshole, Bobby Knight said "If rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it".  That's bullshit.

    Hell, I use an older version than CS6, for exactly the reasons zoetmb brought up.  The entire mindset is wrong.  Spyware, surveillance-ware, subscription-ware that phones home, none of it is okay.  But so many people have just rolled over while they being taken advantage of and told to "just enjoy it", that it's becoming the norm.  Company after company wants to have their software phone home (for a huge variety of reasons), personal data is being harvested in hundreds of different ways, and everyone seems to think they can just add free revenue streams by moving to subscriptions instead of actually delivering software worth paying to upgrade.

    When people say "get over it", they're contributing to the problem by helping normalize bad behavior. 


    The bugs you listed aren't Apple's bugs, they're the 3rd party developer's bugs they haven't addressed in newer versions of macOS. It's on you to make sure the software you need to get things done is compatible with newer versions of the operating system, it's allllllllways been that way. Also, why the hell are you using a Nikon app to access photos on your iPhone? Image Capture or Photos already works fine. You're literally creating problems for yourself.

    Run a Parallels VM of whichever earlier macOS/OS X you have to.

    "But they probably won't because Apple is arrogant." — waaaaaahhhhh
    Although I'm sympathetic so a bunch of zoetmb's points, I do agree with your last bit, the "Apple is arrogant" comment was too much.

    Unfortunately, running Parallels (Desktop Lite) has now become yet another dead-to-me piece of software after they pushed an update that killed basic functionality and replaced it with a required subscription to continue using their software.  Sound familiar?



    GG1watto_cobra

  • Samsung trying to fight iMessage chat elitists with response graphic gallery

    blah64blah64
    entropys said:
    Other than how regrettably lame these are, the green bubble is unpopular for good reason: it means the text wasn’t free, and that the recipient can’t engage an array of fun features like piling up stickers, text effects or use features like facetime. That’s nothing to celebrate or have some bizarre arbitrary pride. 
    It also isn’t secure.

    I can't believe it took 16 comments before someone even mentioned this. 

    The tackiness of the graphics is something to poke fun at, sure.  And the questionable decision to actively point out that your competitor has a better product, well, that's something to laugh at as well.

    But the biggest reason the non-iPhone messages are in a different color is that they're not secure and they're not private!  Green colored messages are colored that way as a Warning Label.  There's nothing samsung can do to fix that problem!
    cornchipwatto_cobra

  • PSA: You cannot stop Instagram or Facebook from using your photos with a post

    blah64blah64
    jamesmcd said:
    Let it spread – it clarifies which of your friends are morons. 
    And by that, you mean anyone that actually uses facebook anymore, right?

    That's my definition.
    watto_cobra

  • LG will roll out out AirPlay 2 and HomeKit to 2019 smart TVs on Thursday

    blah64blah64
    A bit off topic, but......

    Speaking of TV updates, My Sony TV (powered by Android) just prompted me last night to do another update.

    I posted about this before. I SPECIFICALLY turned off WiFi on the TV. I also turned off the fucking ridiculous "Allow Google to scan for WiFi networks even when WiFi is off" selection. Yet when I checked my TV the WiFi toggle was back on (it had to be, otherwise how would it know there's an update).

    I'm really fucking pissed that Google/Android seems to think it's OK to keep re-enabling my WiFi even though I turn it off. Disgusting fucking company.

    /rant

    Did you actually let your android TV connect to your WiFi at some point?  Otherwise, it wouldn't have known your network credentials, couldn't have gotten onto your network even if it did sneak around behind your back to re-enable WiFi.  Seems like it's time to change your WiFi password, because you simply cannot control your TV.

    I know you're a savvy guy (and it sounds like in this case even you made a mistake here), but in general people are remarkably naive about "smart" devices, whether TVs, doorbell cameras, or any of a number of different types of devices.  There are great use cases for devices that have smarts built into them, but most of them should never be allowed to connect to the internet unrestricted because there's no way to know what they're doing, let alone constrain them, once they're connected. 

    This doesn't even touch on the fact that because these devices are actually internet-connected computers, they are all at risk of being hacked; malware being installed; being used by criminals in attacks on other computers or networks, like banks, military targets, internet infrastructure; 3rd party spyware being installed (beyond the spyware that's pre-installed), etc.

    "Smart" TVs are among the worst of the IoT devices.  Read this:
    and continue to spread the word.  Every post like this means more people are nudged to learn more, and the only way to stop this stuff from taking over is for people to be educated.

    watto_cobra

  • The Apple Pro Display XDR brings 6K to the Mac for $4999

    blah64blah64
    To manage reflected light, Pro Display XDR has an anti-reflective coating. It also has an optional matte option that the company calls nano-texture, with glass etched at the nanometer level for low reflectivity and less glare. Bezels are 9mm thick.

    This part is exciting as hell.  Not because I'm in the market for a $5000 display, but because is shows that Apple is aware of the issues with reflective screens, there is tech that they like that helps, and there's hope that similar tech will eventually migrate its way down to their laptops - even if only as a BTO option.  I don't expect it right away, but I finally have hope that someday I'll be able replace my 2012 MacBook Pro, which is still to this day the best/fastest Apple laptop without a mirrored display.
    racerhomie3Pylonschiacaladanianmdriftmeyerwatto_cobra