[ale] [OT] Cell phones

Thu Aug 18 12:07:40 EDT 2016

Heh. I never understood why Steve Jobs got such a beeg obit, but Dennis
Ritchie's death went pretty much unmourned except for technical people.

-- CHS

On Thu, Aug 18, 2016 at 11:47 AM, Jim Kinney <jim.kinney at gmail.com> wrote:

> <total snark mode rant>
>
> apple is like a never ending proctology visit with a lot of lube and very
> slim, tiny middle finger at first. At a later point when it won't do what
> you want or they drop support for your hardware is when you realize the
> proctologist has inserted both arms past the elbow, 2 assistants and a
> small boat with oars.
>
> Microsoft was blatant about their world domination plans. So is Linus
> Torvalds. Apple sells a mix of heroin, crack, lsd and meth to hipsters who
> don't want to think about what they are buying.
>
> Linux kicked the other *NIX systems until they died (AIX needs to die).
> Linux kicked back at Microsoft until they had to capitulate and back down.
> But Apple has managed to do the "embrace and extend and extinguish" far
> better that Microsoft ever did. I often wonder how wel the developers of
> FreeBSD sleep at night knowing that Apple usurped their work, made
> billions, and won't support it. Google does the same but at least they pay
> lip service to "giving back" (GSoC and several notable kernel enhancements
> and many tools they've made available).  Apple is open-sourcing some stuff
> (swift most recently) but only to attract developers (away from android).
> Apple did fight the decryption order but from a business standpoint and not
> from a purely logical (all backdoors will get p0wned) and ethical
> standpoint (users own their stuff, 5th amendment, etc).
>
> I am not a fan. I use Linux. I use Fedora and CentOS systems and have for
> over a decade. I can do anything I want to. My hardware belongs to ME. My
> software is vetted by people I trust (and know some personally) and I can
> see all of it and participate in the direction of the development.
>
> I've used GPL/FLOSS tools for 25+ years and can't understand why anyone
> would want to use the lesser quality tools that only exist to suck out
> information about the user for later resell and use the funds from users to
> strip away rights from those same users until the only thing a user is is a
> cash spigot.
>
> </end rant mode>
>
> OK. I feel better. Not attacking anyone's choice of tools as people need a
> workflow they are comfortable with. Just really loath all things apple.
> Even their logo is missing a byte.
>
> On Thu, 2016-08-18 at 10:49 -0400, Ted W. wrote:
>
> If you're considering switching your main system to a Mac, there's more
> incentive to be on iPhone than not. Even if you're on Linux, I would
> argue that the iPhone is a better all around device. I've been on iPhone for
> 5 years now. My reasons are:
>
>  * Better security OOB than an Android phone
>  * Works better under Linux than any Android phone I've owned previously
>  * Better build quality than any Android phone I've owned previously
>  * Better battery life than any Android phone I've owned previously
>
> I'm sure plenty of people with disagree with my points above but after
> using an iPhone and Android side-by-side for a year at my previous
> employer, that was my experience. When I left that company and it came time
> to replace the company provided phone, I stuck with Apple and bought a
> refurbished, unlocked, iPhone 6 off Ebay for the same price as a new,
> unlocked, Nexus phone.
>
> I will add the caveat that my last experience with Android was over 4
> years ago. I've heard thing have improved but have no first hand
> experience to speak from.
>
> These are my $0.02,
> Ted
>
> On Thu, Aug 18, 2016 at 10:17:02AM -0400, Leam Hall wrote:
>
>
> My current Galaxy S3 from Verizon hasn't been OS patched in a while and has
> been dropped more than once. A replacement might be good. Looking at the
> Verizon pages and doing the math, an unlocked S4 or S5 might be a good deal.
> I try to keep stuff until it dies and may do some overseas travel.
>
> Is the plan to buy my own and use it with Verizon feasible? What other
> things should I look at? The goal is an Android based phone with a pretty
> simple usage pattern; text, calls, web, and one 3rd party app.
>
> On a different note, my wife wants me to move to Mac and iPhone. I'm a
> fledgling writer and most of the tools real writers use don't work on
> CentOS.  :(  So, is there a reason for Android, in that I'm not at the level
> of writing my own apps for it?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Leam
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> --
>
> James P. Kinney III Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a
> jail. What you gain at one end you lose at the other. It's like feeding a
> dog on his own tail. It won't fatten the dog. - Speech 11/23/1900 Mark
> Twain http://heretothereideas.blogspot.com/
>
>
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