Windows 8 - Looks really awsome

Ergo, there are more exact terms to describe that than popularized meanings of " monopoly ".

This is useless info but you should know that when doing science, you should seek the most precise terms.

 

It's completely standard to use the word monopoly this way as it's what everyone learns in econ. Because the word has a lot more implications than a one sentence dictionary definition can apply to it, which is why people get entire degrees based on understanding concepts like what a monopoly is.

 

So be it..

"The existence of a very high market share does not always mean consumers are paying excessive prices since the threat of new entrants to the market can restrain a high-market-share company's price increases. Competition law does not make merely having a monopoly illegal, but rather abusing the power a monopoly may confer, for instance through exclusionary practices."

"First it is necessary to determine whether a company is dominant, or whether it behaves "to an appreciable extent independently of its competitors, customers and ultimately of its consumer"

Do you agree with this?

 

Of course. Microsoft can't charge 2,000 dollars for their OS because people wouldn't buy it.

If that's the law, sure.

To an extent. No company will act entirely independently of its competitors/ customers. But, yes, I suppose I agree with this.

Why?

 

Because that basically agrees with my opinion of Microsoft not being a monopoly or being a "monopoly" but not being illegally anti-competitive/abusive - depending on your preferred definitions.

 

Super. Glad we agree.

 

Yeah, I'm with you on this one. MS is, if not literally, is virtually a monopoly, denying this is essentially bandying semantics IMO.

 

Enhancing Windows 8 for multiple monitors

 

Anyone know when the next Preview Release will be?

 

first week of June.

unfortunately, i think we'll have to wait for the RTM to really see the 'real thing'.

 

Ok, thanks... I might have another look in a few weeks....

 

Designing for PCs that boot faster than ever before

 

Microsoft to drop Aero

Apologies if it's already posted ... (
RIP Aero Glass; Windows 8 sticks a fork in familiar UI and Creating the Windows 8 user experience) but removing Aero maybe a sensible thing to do. Some of the effects that people love come at a heavy cost.

(the msdn link has a lot of history right from Win 1.)

 

Re: Microsoft to drop Aero

There is no significant cost to modern computers that employ graphics acceleration in hardware, which is virtually all of them. In fact the Windows Aero desktop accelerated in hardware is far faster and more responsive than previous GUIs which had less complex visual elements, but were rendered by the CPU. The "cost" is only currently relevant in smartphones and other mobile devices that use batteries more exclusively. In that context it makes sense to reduce the demands of rendering, but this is another example of how one solution is not optimal across multiple hardware platforms.

 

Re: Microsoft to drop Aero

Maybe they want to reduce the code overall?

 

Umm. I don't know about your computer, but my netbook really does not like Aero.

 

Re: Microsoft to drop Aero

I agree with you. I know 'Aero' can eat a bit of RAM but you'd have to be running something like a Sinclair ZX 81 or living in the third world to really be hampered by it. Even my notebook deals with it well.

I honestly think that this is a stylistic & aesthetic step backwards from Micro$oft. Staring at ugly interfaces all day might be the new 'cool' but I'm allergic to ugly crap & M$ should take that into account. In fact I may start an Internet petition: 'Bring back Aero - No ugly crap on the Internet'. Who's up for that?

 

while we're on the Aero subject.

i think it's ugly compared to some Linux desktop interfaces.

unless you use a skinning utility all you get in Windows is Aero, Vista, XP and 95 look.

that's pretty lame.

i had to 'pimp' the look of my Windows 7 with UXStyle.
just couldn't stand looking at Aero any longer.

when i tried Windows 8, UXStyle had been disabled from the switch from Win 7.
i wasn't too happy about that.

 

Re: Microsoft to drop Aero

You'd think it would have to be some kind of compromise for technical reasons/performance like that but in the second article you quoted Harris gives his reasons as being aesthetic:

So the explanation is less the combination of prioritising performance and tighter coding and more a combination of visual impairment and hallucination.

 

That makes sense as it comes down to your machine's prowess at graphical rendering: if you have a discrete graphics card or Nehalem processor Aero runs faster as it takes advantage of the GPU, if not it just loads more onto your CPU.

 

Re: Microsoft to drop Aero

Well, Developers screamed ten ways to Sunday when Microsoft made the Visual Studio 11 IDE black and white on everything. Microsoft finally backed down and put the color back.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/04/02/visual_studio_colour_icons/

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/05/09/visual_studio_11_grey_no_more/

 

Re: Microsoft to drop Aero

"“Colour and contrast are good. No reason to go hotdog stand with the colour schemes, but at this rate we're all going to be back in monochrome by 2013. Stop the madness!"

Visual Studio user Daniel Smith called for nothing less than a complete reinstatement of colour and no "half-assed roll back" of washed out colour over black and white icons."

Too right Daniel.

This is all just a matter of fashion, possibly influenced by Chrome's minimalism or something. I agree with the sentiment of not going all 'hotdog stand' but sucking all of the colour out of UIs is a bit of a stylistic step backwards IMO.

 

According to Neowin the Release Preview is released tomorrow.
http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-8-release-preview-to-land-may-31

 

Interesting comment on that page.

 

That's hilarious and sad. A nice reminder of why I'm very happy on Linux.