When the game Portal first hit I was stunned at its brilliance. It was a very complicated concept stuck into a humorous and simple format. It had winning elements borrowed from some of my favorite games of all times (the constantly insulting GLaDOS was the SHODAN Computer from System Shock) and even the run down environment felt very familiar (because it was just like the inside of the Original HalfLife). Put simply, the game built on past experiences in a new and surprisingly fun way.
Well the world is abuzz with the news that *gasp* the Microsoft Surface tablet only comes with WiFi. For some reason this appears to be a big deal to many news sites that also have articles that list reasons why you should wait for the iPhone 5 and a few others. What I find interesting is that very few appear to remember that both Windows 8 and Windows RT will have the ability to utilize peripherals attached Via the included USB port.
When Microsoft announced the new Surface tablet we saw a lot of analysts comment on its form, features and more. What we did not hear a lot about until hours (and in some cases about a day) later was the impact that this would have on Microsoft’s partners. It was one of the first things that we thought about when it rolled out. Did Microsoft lets any of its partners know and what are they feeling right now.
Remember the Google V Oracle case? You know that one that had Oracle’s Larry Ellison (and his pack of lawyers) attempting to show how nine-lines of code made it possible for Google to meet a deadline? Oh you do remember, ok well when we left the story the Jury had made one important decision and half of another. They had agreed that Google did not violate Oracle’s Java patents at all while building Android, but in an earlier decision could not agree if APIs (Application Programing Interfaces) were protected under copyright. They did say that if they were, well then Google was guilty.
Read more: Oracle Ends Up Getting Nothing In Java Law Suit...
There used to be a thing called truth in journalism. It meant that when you published an article you should at the very least check your facts if you are presenting it as “news” in the world of editorial articles things are different as an editorial is nearly always an opinion based article with some facts thrown in for furn. What has happened though is that with the introduction of Blogs, Fan Sites and other venues for information some of the fact checking has gone out the window in the effort to be the first to report on a juicy bit of news. When an article hits one of the big sites it often gets spread around the net and becomes the “truth” simply by means of repetition. We have watched this many times (and it is something that Apple’s PR and marketing thrive on).
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