I just came across this article about the story behind the origins of AngularJS and it’s a fascinating read. I had no idea that the developers at Google who developed the framework were Java developers frustrated with GWT. Very interesting read.
Are Windows 7 and 8 users going to be forced to upgrade to 10?
Looks like the upgrade reminders are getting more aggressive for those still on Windows 7 and 8 and haven’t accepted the free offer to upgrade to 10 yet. According to recent stories, it seems the upgrade reminders are now getting more pushy, and they’re not giving the option to decline, only delay the upgrade (similar to the reboot reminders after some Windows Updates). Does this mean at some point everyone left behind on 7 and 8 us going to get 10 whether they want it or not? Seems like that’s where we’re headed.
Prepare for the angry mobs with pitch forks.
Dell buy EMC for biggest buyout in tech history: $67bn
PC maker Dell has announced it’s buying out storage giant EMC for $67bn, the largest buyout in tech history.
As PC hardware sales continue to drop and cloud-based services continue to grow replacing on-premise hardware, this is likely only the first mega merger in a continuing trend as ‘traditional’ IT hardware companies re-invent themselves to adapt to the changing cloud-based marketplace.
TechCruch on the new Lumia phones: “… the best phones no-one buys”
I have to admit I have zero interest in a new Windows phone. It just doesn’t do it for me. The UI looks like a random mess of data competing for my attention. A poorly designed random mess at that. Anyway, that aside, Microsoft announced their new flagship Lumia phones running “Windows 10 Mobile-whatever” and the general consensus in the press seems to be “they look great but who cares because no one is going to buy them”.
A selection of stories:
- TechCrunch: “… the best phones no-one buys”
- PC Magazine: “… beautiful but doomed”
- cnet: “… headed down a path that has largely fallen out of favor”
- Gizmodo: “half-baked”, “… usable but not easily usable”
- Ars Technica: “…the most disappointing part of the phones is their styling”, “mundane”, ” generic”
The point made by cnet is rather interesting. In the US, apparently only AT&T has signed up to carry the new phones, although the deal is not exclusively with AT&T. Which you can only read between the lines as the other major US carriers, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint have all passed on carrying the phone. At least so far. If AT&T turns out to be the only carrier then this, as cnet points out, is an unusual move to launch a new flagship phone with only one carrier. If you were Microsoft you would want at least 2 or 3 of the major carriers to be promoting and selling the phone, but only AT&T is interested. This can’t be good for potential sales.
Anyway, as TechCrunch says, this is the phone OS that no-one buys, even if it is the best version yet, so who cares. Maybe no-one. Have to wait and see if it turns out to be a surprise hit or not. But I wouldn’t bet on it. Or buy one.