The Insider News

Wired.com[^]:

The Windows Blue update is expected to roll out this summer or fall, and is the first in Microsoft’s new Windows update plan. Instead of rolling out a new operating system every two to five years, Microsoft is speeding up and moving toward yearly Windows upgrades. But Windows Blue isn’t limited to only touch improvements. Several reports indicate that the next version of Windows will see an updated Search Charm, support for smaller (7- and 8-inch) devices, and built-in Internet Explorer 11.

Ars Technica[^]:

As promotions go, this is an odd one. Paying developers to develop for your platform is a risky business.... In an argument put forward by former Microsoft employee Charlie Kindel (who led the company's developer outreach efforts for Windows Phone 7), it does more than reflect a wilting app market. This move attracts developers who aren't particularly invested in the success of the platform (and hence in the quality and support of their applications), but are trying to make a fast buck from cranking out simple applications.

Informal Protocol[^]:

In the last few years, an interesting alternative to paper currency has risen in the form of Bitcoin. I started paying attention to Bitcoin two years ago, and have owned some ever since. I’ve purchased physical and digital goods with it, as well as traded it for cash. It’s particularly intriguing to me because it maintains the core properties of economic models while creating a system of inflation guided by encryption algorithms rather than humans. And it’s grown in huge popularity over that time, with a net worldwide worth of over $750 million USD at the time of this writing. Many people have asked me about Bitcoin, so here’s a basic introduction to what Bitcoin is and how it works.

Redmondmag.com[^]:

Microsoft today released two of its new Windows Embedded 8 operating system products today, with a third product expected next month.... Microsoft's embedded operating systems, while based on Windows 8, are designed for use with specialized devices, kiosks and electronic signs. Each OS has its nuances. The embedded versions have a lot of the functionality of their desktop OS cousins, but "not all of the functionality,"... Moreover, some of the embedded OSes are modular and let the OEM swap out features, while others are more fixed. There's also a middle ground.

O'Reilly Radar[^]:

How can I contemplate moving everything to the cloud, especially Google’s cloud, if services are going to flicker in and out of existence at the whim of Google’s management? That’s a non-starter. Google has scrapped services in the past, and though I’ve been sympathetic with the people who complained about the cancellation, they’ve been services that haven’t reached critical mass. You can’t say that about Google Reader. And if they’re willing to scrap Google Reader, why not Google Docs?

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Boot Camp support for installing Windows 8

Scott Hanselman[^]:

If you're moving an older app from IIS6 (which by definition was only "classic" mode) to IIS 8, the best near-term decision is to run in Classic Mode on IIS8. Classic Mode is fully supported so you aren’t doing anything wrong by running in classic mode. It's a mode that is there for a reason. Think about your reasons and make an educated decision.

CODECALL[^]:

I've seen a disturbing trend in both Apple and Microsoft recently towards sacrificing functionality for the sake of security. This is seen in what Microsoft is doing to Windows 8 and what Apple is doing to the iPhone, iPad, and the newer versions of Mac OS X.

Dr Dobb's[^]:

Used judiciously, beta testing programs can be valuable, but modern software development practices challenges the whole notion of beta testing. How do you fit beta testing cycles in already compressed release cycles or with frequent releases? And as user reviews and ratings of applications become more transparent through social and app store review channels, the definition of "app quality" is slowly morphing from functional correctness to user-perceived value. Doesn't that change the entire premise of a beta testing program?

Luca Bolognese's Blog[^]:

This is a port of LLIte in C. The reason for it is to experiment with writing functional code in standard C and compare the experience with using a functional language like F#.... I have to say, it didn’t feel too cumbersome to structure C code in a functional way, assuming that you can use GLib and a couple of GCC extensions to the language. It certainly doesn’t have the problems that C++ has in terms of debugging STL failures.

kevtris.org[^]:

What is a NANDputer? it’s a computer made out of nothing but NAND gates of course! I dunno why, but I thought it’d be fun to make this. I first had to work out how various parts of a CPU would be made out of NANDs, did a bunch of tests and went to town.