Desktop Users – You’re On Your Own
(Originally posted Wednesday, June 12, 2013)
Ed Bott’s column this morning does a good job of explaining how, with Windows 8.1 (Blue), Microsoft is going hard-core for the tablet market. What he doesn’t go on to say, and what is the unfortunate corollary, is that they are actively using Windows 8/8.1 to drive users off of non-touch systems on to touch-enabled systems.
With Windows 8, Microsoft redefines tablets as PCs, with their tablets having the benefits of PCs (keyboard, mouse, printing, corporate network access, etc.). Keyboard and mouse maybe there on your tablet/PC, but they aren’t your main interface to the OS – touch is.
My First HDTV
(Originally posted Saturday, June 08, 2013)
My downstairs TV has been dying for months so today I bought my first HDTV to replace it. I’m really happy so far. I remember back in the day HDTVs were supposed to be complicated to set up. This couldn’t possibly have been easier. The hardest part was that I ran an ethernet wire from the basement and put the heads on myself (it sent through a hole too small for a pre-made patch cable).
The Vizio E390i-A1:
$399 + tax at Costco. 120Hz, 1080p, 3 HDMI.
Even the Wii U just worked right when we turned it on the first time.
My hat’s off to these guys, they have done a great job with UI and OOBE.
Did Microsoft Make WebGL Secure? How?
(Originally posted Friday, June 07, 2013)
Microsoft has dropped strong clues, without saying it explicitly, that, Internet Explorer 11 in Windows 8.1 (Blue) will support WebGL, a DirectX-like standard for fast gaming on the web. The biggest clue was this video they posted on Vine.
Others have found direct evidence in leaked builds.
It’s not hard to see why they would want to support WebGL. Everyone else does. They spelled out the reasons they haven’t so far in a Security, Research and Defense blog post 2 years ago.
Larry J Seltzer 
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