The Insider News

technochocolate[^]:

Some people have been weighing in with disappointment about what they perceive as minor updates in iOS 6, but it addresses some very common pain points for customers. This is a refinement release, which as far as I can tell is a big part of Apple’s strategy for development. Somewhat a reflection of Intel’s “tick-tock” strategy, Apple makes a new release with big bets and new features, following it up with a release more notable for its tweaks and subtle refinements.

The Infernal Optimist[^]:

Yesterday's unveiling of the Microsoft Surface devices has prompted copious product commentary, but I think the big story has little to do with speeds and feeds, or competition with Apple. The Surface announcement is the best demonstration of the systemic weakness of the Wintel ecosystem, ever. While multiple sources of pressure have been building to strain this long-standing duopoly, Microsoft's decision to manufacture its own tablet device may well push the water over the edge of the dam.

Programming in the Twenty-First Century[^]:

I'll assume you've got a set of strongly-held beliefs about software development. This is a safe bet; anyone who writes code has some personal mantras and peeves. It might just be that too much of this kind of thinking is turning you into an obsessive architect of abstract code, not the builder of things people want.

Ars Technica[^]:

Windows Phone 8 will be built around the same core components as Windows 8. The current Windows Phone 7.5 operating system is built on Microsoft's Windows CE platform, designed for embedded systems with tight memory constraints and slow processors. Windows Phone 8 will instead be built on the Windows NT platform, and in so doing will inherit its much richer feature set: support for multicore processors, robust file systems, extensive device driver support, a capable multimedia framework, and more.

ZDNet[^]:

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. As I and others heard earlier this year, Microsoft’s next Windows Phone operating system release, codenamed Apollo, is not going to be made available on any current Windows Phones. Not even second-generation Mango phones. Not on the new Lumia models from Nokia. None. Period.

NYTimes.com[^]:

Let’s just assume for a few minutes that Microsoft’s Surface tablet is as delicious as Microsoft executives made it out to be on Monday night. Does Microsoft then have any hope of competing with the iPad on price?

7 Tutorials[^]:

Windows 8. People tend to either hate it or love it. There are no moderate verdicts being shared. Those who hate it share mostly the same complaints, many of which I think are wrong. That’s why I decided to share my view on those arguments and what I believe is the main thing people don’t understand about Windows 8.

Free Software Foundation Europe[^]:

With a function called "Secure Boot", which will be deployed in computers starting 2012, manufacturers of IT hardware and software components are striving to get into a position where they permanently control the IT devices they produce. Hence such devices will be "secure" from the manufacturer's perspective, but not necessarily from the owner's point of view: The owner can be treated as an adversary.

The Evolution of 8-Bit [Video][^]

In this nostalgia filled short video, PBS takes a retrospective look at the history and the evolution of early 8-bit video games.

Beginning with early Atari and Nintendo video games, the 8-bit aesthetic has been a part of our culture for over 30 years. As it moved through the generations, 8-bit earned its independence from its video game roots. The idea of 8-bit now stands for a refreshing level of simplicity and minimalism, is capable of sonic and visual beauty, and points to the layer of technology that suffuses our modern lives. No longer just nostalgia art, contemporary 8-bit artists and chiptunes musicians have elevated the form to new levels of creativity and cultural reflection.