The sub section branding with the small w and the large first letter looks really awkward. Wiktionary is represented by a wT, but having a T represent a dictionary makes no sense, and there is a similar problem with wikiversity. They also tried clarifying the Species and Source by adding more letters on the latter which is isn't very visually appealing and shows the limitations of this scheme.
I also think that they add too much focus on the site wide navigation stuff at the top, which takes away the focus on the data.
The headline is stating the facts, what you are suggesting is stating the google spin. Its usually a better idea to report the facts rather than the spin. There is no Google bashing in that headline.
There was a lot of negative feedback to this, and this is probably a good step. Its also nice to see the goodwill gesture of fulfilling preorders for free.
It is unfortunate that this kind of information has been spread so widely about Windows 8, but it's just not true.
The desktop is still there, icons are still there, overlapping windows are still there, the only thing gone is the start menu, replaced with the metro launch screen that can launch both desktop and metro apps.
There are still some issues with the two different environments, especially the difference in look and feel, but it still works well.
>It is unfortunate that this kind of information has been spread so widely about Windows 8, but it's just not true.
Well, it is and it isn't. Native Metro apps do more or less behave the way he's describing. The thing is, almost no native Metro apps exist right now, so you'll spend the vast majority of your time in traditional desktop mode anyway.
Nokia had reached the end of the road on Symbian and needed a new direction.
This is a risky thing to do and going with Windows Phone gave Nokia the backing a very large and still influential company. Going with anything else would have meant going in alone. This includes Android which would be going alone into an already crowded market.
The current situation isn't great for Nokia, but they are in a deal that has the potential to help both companies, Nokia with short term financial help and Microsoft with a strong vendor to create showcase phones and the distribution network to get them into consumers hands.
Microsoft killed RIM a few years ago, the monster is just taking a while to succumb to it's injuries. Microsoft shipped an update to Exchange that enabled wireless syncing and push to WM5 devices, and licensed to client to Apple for iPhone and some of the Android OEMs, then finally to Google. This killed the need for BES. The carriers opened up real IP0 connectivity for iPhone and Android as well as WM eliminating the need for the BB internet service and email, and the extra fees payed to RIM. That part of the business isn't dead yet, and the BB is still popular in a number of markets, but RIM is unlikely to succeed in the US with a tohc device
While that contributed to the fall of RIM, what really did them in was that they didn't have a real operating system that could be leveraged to properly compete with Apple and Android.
I have worked with a strict 80 character rule, and I find that it usually causes worse looking code with excessive multi-line statements, poor variable naming and makes refactoring more labour intensive.
I have a soft limit of around 100 characters for C++, which is good for readability and still allows me to have two side by side editing windows.
I also think that they add too much focus on the site wide navigation stuff at the top, which takes away the focus on the data.