@scottalanmiller said in Windstream and Earthlink to merge:
@RojoLoco said in Windstream and Earthlink to merge:
So will the resulting company be called Windlink or Earthstream?I think it is clear that their next acquisition will be Firehost.
And finally, after they merge with NanoH2O, they will hire Captain Planet as their new CEO. 
@scottalanmiller said in Microsoft Admit Failure On Mobile Phones:
@David.Scammell said in Microsoft Admit Failure On Mobile Phones:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't a 32-bit processor use 32 bits to refer to the location of each byte of memory.
No, it does not. The processor addresses what it is told to address. Virtual memory mapping allowed for memory much larger then 4GB long, long before the advent of 64bit processors. My last Pentium III system had 6GB for example.
In the IA32 world, which Windows used, PAE was introduced with the Pentium Pro in 1995 allowing 32bit processors to go to 64GB on Windows and potentially higher elsewhere. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_Address_Extension
Windows 2000 32bit did 32GB of RAM
Windows 2003 32bit did 64GB of RAM
Ah yes, /PAE ... systems with the proper chipset could boot with the /PAE switch, and then they could support up to 64GB physical memory. When a device was booted with the /PAE switch (via boot.ini), it would load a special version of the core kernel image with PAE support. In this case, a 32-bit process can "use" large amounts of memory via AWE (address windowing extension) functions. This means that they mapped views of the physical memory they allocated into their 2GB virtual address space. With that in mind, they essentially could still only use 2GB of memory at a time. According to Mark Russinovich, cofounder of Winternals, this was nothing more than an illusion or magic trick.
With that said ... I just read one of your other replies ... "No one said that it wasn't a 32bit processor, only that 4GB is not the memory limit of a 32bit processor. That Windows decided to have a memory limit per process is a Windows implementation decision, not a factor of the processor being 32bit."
Just hit me what you were saying, and yes, this was "working as designed," Microsoft was the magician pulling a slight of hand, and it appears you're saying they should have designed it better. Got it! 
@scottalanmiller said in Microsoft Admit Failure On Mobile Phones:
@David.Scammell said in Microsoft Admit Failure On Mobile Phones:
@scottalanmiller said in Microsoft Admit Failure On Mobile Phones:
Windows Mobile isn't available in 64bit yet? I had no idea that they were lagging that far behind. Android and iOS have been 64bit for a while (Apple since 2013). As have Linux, BSD and others on those platforms.
Unfortunately no, but Microsoft seems to be kicking things up a notch and making up for lots of lost time (thanks Balmer). They have not officially announced 64-bit Mobile, but with the near future processors of choice and the vision for 3-in-1's and such, it has to be on their list, especially if they want Continuum to work properly and if they want to pack more memory into their devices beyond 4 GBs. Quite a few of us think this has to be on their radar for sometime in 2017. We're just not sure if they will split into two flavors or force an upgrade to 64-bit. Time will tell!
64bit is not required for more memory. If you remember the Windows Server world on Pentium III (32bit), we had a lot more than 4GB on 32bit long ago. The bit depth was never a memory barrier, that was purely a Windows desktop licensing limitation. No other major OS ever had that limitation and even Windows Server did not.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't a 32-bit processor use 32 bits to refer to the location of each byte of memory. 2^32 = 4.2 billion, which means a memory address that's 32 bits long can only refer to 4.2 billion unique locations or in our case, 4 GB. Therefore, adding more than 4GB of physical memory to a Windows box still doesn't change the fact that it's a 32-bit processor accessing a 32-bit memory space. Even when more than 4GB of memory is present, each process still has the normal 2GB virtual address space, and the kernel address space is still 2GB.
Here's some more info on Windows memory limits:
Memory Limits for Windows and Windows Server Releases (Windows)
@scottalanmiller said in Microsoft Admit Failure On Mobile Phones:
Windows Mobile isn't available in 64bit yet? I had no idea that they were lagging that far behind. Android and iOS have been 64bit for a while (Apple since 2013). As have Linux, BSD and others on those platforms.
Unfortunately no, but Microsoft seems to be kicking things up a notch and making up for lots of lost time (thanks Balmer). They have not officially announced 64-bit Mobile, but with the near future processors of choice and the vision for 3-in-1's and such, it has to be on their list, especially if they want Continuum to work properly and if they want to pack more memory into their devices beyond 4 GBs. Quite a few of us think this has to be on their radar for sometime in 2017. We're just not sure if they will split into two flavors or force an upgrade to 64-bit. Time will tell!
@ChrisL said in NYPD opts for Windows Phone over iOS and Android:
http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/nypd-windows-phone/
Smartphones have made policing easier....but Windows Phone? That's criminal.
The NYPD worked with Microsoft to develop apps specific for the phone/NYPD to help with paperwork, policies, remote management, etc.
Do you think Windows Phone will run the route of Blackberry and become the "enterprise" mobile of choice?
What several folks are missing from the article is that NYPD implemented Windows Phone LAST YEAR (2015), and it has been so effective/successful for them, they are now planning to upgrade 36,000 devices to new Windows 10 Mobile devices. And they're not alone as there many other business out there who are quite happy with their implementation of a Windows-based phone device. Remember back in the 2014/2015 timeframe (I don't remember exactly), Delta Airlines equipped more than 20,000 flight attendants with Lumia 1520 phablets to run credit cards, perform seat upgrades, and more. And I could go on and on. My point is that Windows Phone is definitely no stranger to organizations looking to make their jobs a bit easier.
And to play devil's advocate (as SAM knows I will), while Windows Phone lacked many of the more popular consumer apps and games, it did have a solid base, especially business apps (their specialty). But things are changing under the Universal Windows Platform (UWP), where a dev can code once and distribute everywhere (e.g., desktop, laptop, tablet, phone, Xbox and possibly HoloLens). I've already seen a rise in different apps developed under the new UWP ecosystem that we normally would not have had. We also have major names taking control of their apps from Microsoft, who kickstarted their apps to get them interested (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, etc.), although there are still some 3rd party apps that blow them away (on any OS). Of course, you still have some great IT-related apps like VPN capability, TeamViewer, Remote Desktop, SharePoint, Office 365, Mobile Office, Office Remote, Office Lens, Microsoft Teams, Skype, Network Tools, etc. There's also a lot of other great & popular communication apps like Line, WhatsApp, Slack, Viber, etc. And there's still a lot of apps that just aren't any good, but they have a fantastic HTML5 website that I would rather use anyways.
Personally, I count the number of times on one hand where I saw an app that I really, really wanted but could not get it on Windows 10 Mobile. I seriously have not seem something that I could not live without, that I did not have the same or similar app on my phone.
And Microsoft did well to attract a lot of developers, probably too many if you looked at all the junk apps in the Store last year. But recently, Microsoft made a new commitment to cleanup their Store. They set stronger qualifications and gave devs a period of time to meet them or get kicked out. Just recently, they removed over 10,000 apps from the Microsoft Store. And if you remember, this is sort of like an annual purging they do on a regular basis. So yes, they might be short on apps as compared to other OSs, but they are not so desperate that they don't clean house every so often. And which each cleanup, they refine and redefine their qualifications in order to keep up the quality of their app store.
And with Windows 10 Mobile being Windows 10 ... the core of the OS, not just the kernel ... it is becoming more and more capable. While Continuum is still very much a work in progress, the idea of having a 3-in-1 device can be very attractive to many industries, especially those where people travel a lot or don't have a permanent office assigned. And as we move into the Snapdragon 820, we now have the ability to run 64-bit applications, meaning that sometime in the near future when Microsoft shifts Window 10 Mobile into a 64-bit version, we won't necessarily need virtualization workspaces like HP's Workspace to run desktop and/or legacy apps.
Oh, and don't forget that part of the Windows 10 core is the HoloLens VR technology, which more folks know about since Microsoft's last event. That opens up some pretty impressive doors. Matter of fact, T-Mobile just announced the Alcatel Idol 4S with a free VR headset. So we already see U.S. companies investing in this technology and marketing it. And don't forget, Microsoft has a lot of international partners investing in the Windows 10 ecosystem, including mobile.
NOTE: Microsoft has a pretty impressive International Store too. Almost every month, I hear of more international Banks and/or Financial Institutions releasing a Windows 10 Mobile app (as well as a few US banks).
And finally, Microsoft still has a large number of handsets being used in warehouses around the world, running Windows CE (we still use these in our warehouse with our shipping systems), Windows Embedded, and now moving forward with a version of Windows 10.
Yes, they are behind in the consumer market, but I think they just might have a good insight into the "next big thing."
Just my two cents worth!
@BRRABill said in Argh! Windows 10 Updates...:
@scottalanmiller said in Argh! Windows 10 Updates...:
I patched mine with the Ubuntu 16.10 patch and it seems to work beautifully now.
You're like the Android people who keep talking about having a removable battery.
@BRRABill Even more annoying, I have a Lumia 950 XL Windows 10 Mobile phone and it has a removable battery too. :thumbsup_tone2:
Just saying ...
@scottalanmiller "Patched" with Ubuntu?
saw what you did there! 
I'm keeping my eye on you! lol
We're about 45:1 here (about 145 total company users) ... hardware, software, third-party apps, email, servers, Wi-Fi, mobile, and just about anything else that is electronic or plugs into a wall outlet. We also sometimes support tenants in our building, but they pay per incident.
BTW, our line of business is a cross between Media and Publishing ... Books, eBooks, Magazine, eMagazines, Advertising, Websites (tied to our other products), etc.
Just remember that they admitted "defeat" in the hardware segment, but they are still clearly focused on Windows 10 Mobile as part of the Windows 10 ecosystem, as it is a very important part of their future vision, including 3-in-1 devices. We can see this commitment and focus as we continue to see new builds rolling out to Windows Insiders almost every week. And Microsoft is still committed to supporting all existing devices, while also giving their OEM partners a chance to enter and capture a larger portion of the market.
Even so, they have said they will not do away with their mobile hardware but manage to "keep a toe in" as they will need some of that technology in the near future. It would be difficult if they had to restart all over again, making new stacks and such. They also want to target more, at least initially, on the enterprise. As they do this, we are still enjoying some of what I call the "development overflow" here on the consumer side too.
So, with that in mind, quite a few of us are eagerly awaiting the slowly approaching launch of the Surface Phone, most likely occurring 1st quarter in 2017.
One other thing to chew on ... the newer chips being used in the latest Windows 10 Mobile devices beyond the Lumia 950's (e.g., HP Elite x3 and Alcatel Idol Pro S) is the Snapdragon 820. Now, if you did not know, these chips are capable of running 64-bit and there are some rumors floating around Microsoft-land, from reliable sources, that sometime in the near future, Windows 10 Mobile will shift to a 64-bit system, especially with the memory and hardware needs of successfully running Continuum. Are you starting to put together the puzzle pieces yet?
Just saying...
Have fun! Looking forward to the day when I'm "allowed" to attend conferences again. 
Pretty sweet! Thanks for the heads up!
@Dashrender Pretty much all the above ... if nothing else, specs kind of tell the story.
640XL = Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, 1.2 GHz Quad Core
1520 = Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, 2.2 GHz Quad Core
640XL = 1 GB RAM
1520 = 2 GB RAM
640XL = 13 MP rear camera (no OIS)
1520 = 20 MP rear camera with Optical Image Stabilization & PureView & Hi Res 2x Zoom
640XL = Single LED flash
1520 = Dual LED flash
640XL = Video Zoom, Continuous Autofocus, Video Light
1520 = Video Zoom, Continuous Autofocus, Video Light, Stereo Audio Recording, Lumia Rich Recording with Surround Surround, Lumia Rich Recording with 4 microphones, Lumia Video Trimmer app.
640XL = 5.7" screen @ 1280x720 (259 PPI)
1520 = 6" screen @ 1920x1080 (367 PPI)
640XL = 8 GB internal memory
1520 = 32 GB internal memory
640XL = Up to 128GB microSD
1520 = Up to 128GB microSD
640XL = 3000 mAh battery
1520 = 3,400 mAh battery
The 1520 supports LTE, but the 640 XL does not unless you purchase the Lumia 640 XL LTE model. Don't remember off the top of my head which model AT&T carries, but I would (hopefully) assume it is the LTE model since they're always touting their LTE network.
However, the 640XL does have 5MP front camera, which beats out the 1520's 1.2 MP front camera. I believe it also is optimized for better selfies (24mm focal length). Therefore, the 640XL has a better Selfie camera!
The only other Lumia models that can "challenge" the 1520 is the Icon and 930, because they are basically all three the same phone in different packages.
@Dashrender It's a matter of personal preference. I was saying that IF they had a higher spec phone, they might not like getting a lower spec'd phone. Interestingly enough, many folks are very happy with Lumia's lower spec'd devices because, like you pointed out, they are solid performers.
Personally speaking, I can tell a big difference between the performance of my Lumia 1520 (Flagship) and my Lumia 635. Even so, the Lumia 635 is a great device in light of the lower specs. I bought the Lumia 635 to play with earlier builds of Windows 10 Mobile, but now have W10M running on my Lumia 1520. In comparison, my brother moved from an older iPhone to a Lumia 635, and he is absolutely thrilled with it.
So, there's nothing wrong with the lower and mid-range Lumia devices ... they are excellent ... but performance will decrease if you used to using a Flagship Lumia device ... that's all!
The Lumia 640XL is a great mid-range product, so it depends on what the user had previously as to whether or not they enjoy the 640XL. For instance, if they had a Flagship device like a Lumia Icon, 930 or 1520, they will be disappointed as the specs are lower than these models. However, if they previously had a non-flagship device (e.g., 7xx or lower product) then they will be good with this device.
You can compare models on Microsoft's Lumia Smartphone site:
Newer devices won't be released until Windows 10 Mobile is released later this year. No official date, but most are guessing it will be in the September/November time frame.
I hope this helps!
If only @Dominica had a Windows Phone running Lumia Denim (like the Lumia 1520 or 930) she could have done a one-touch 4K recording of the whole event.
Just remember that Microsoft is moving to an "as a Service" mentality. Someone recently uncovered a sku for "Windows as a Service" starting discussions about Microsoft eventually following a similar model for Windows that they're doing with Office (and Office 365).
Our company made the switch to Google Apps for Business several years ago and it has not been a pretty sight. When we first started migrating, from Microsoft Office 2000 none of the less, people were very frustrated by the lack of functionality in Google Apps. Doing something simple in MIcrosoft Office, even the older version, was easy compared to doing it in Google Apps. Sometimes, you have to go search for a plugin to load to give you the functionality and hopefully, it would be a free plugin.
To help appease some folks, we tried OpenOffice and LibreOffice. Again, functionality fell short or it took more steps to accomplish tasks than in Microsoft Office.
While a few folks have since embraced Google Docs as their mainstay, more and more of our people have been single ordering different Microsoft Office apps for them and/or their departments. That is a pain, as it is costing us more in the long run, but management refuses to move to an Open Licensing model, as they still hope Google Docs catches on. Meanwhile, the software shelf is continuing to fill up with retail boxes of Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Access. I'm thankful that I've discovered that NewEggBusiness gives the best prices and will send you a key via email instead of shipping you an empty box with an installation key.
Even today, we still get lots of calls from folks trying to figure out how to do something in Google Apps and after walking them through step-by-step, they end up requesting a purchase of a Microsoft Office product. And not a week goes by that I don't hear middle management complaining about how much they hate Google (and some of these are folks carrying Android phones and tablets lol).
One other thing to note is that for folks that have simpler app needs, if you have a Microsoft account, you have access to free online version of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook. Although they're not fully featured. they work more than well enough for basic users and provide free collaboration tools as well.
Just my two cents worth!
@Dashrender said:
@Reid-Cooper said:
@StrongBad said:
Hmmm.... maybe Outlook 2003 is part of the issue
Tee hee.
lol I was thinking the same. Is Office 2003 EOL support this summer too?
For Outlook 2003:
May Outlook 2003 rest in peace!
