Shoot the breeze, anything goes.
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2014-07-17 05:24 »

Yet another reason to avoid all these "walled gardens prisons", the so called "App stores". If you "buy" something in there and they decide to remove it, well, fucked, that's what you will be.

Why? Because you are their slave. You just "rent" this thing. Not buying it!


Microsoft's messy gaming strategy on Windows continues by delisting its own games.

For those who purchased the games, the news isn't good: Because they'll no longer appear in the store, if you delete them from your device, they're gone for good. Similarly, you won't be able to install the games on new devices for the same reason.

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"The Harvest" can no longer be found in the Windows Store despite releasing just a year ago.

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"The Gunstringer: Dead Man Running" won't return to the Windows Store unless Microsoft allows it.

The situation serves as a reminder of the colossal disappointment gamers have faced with Microsoft's use of its Xbox brand on Windows and Windows Phone. The platforms already lag significantly behind Android and iOS in terms of new releases, and now some of the best exclusive games that were on the platforms may be gone forever.

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2014-08-31 21:18 »

https://blog.disconnect.me/google-just- ... -important

Posted on August 28, 2014 wrote:Google just banned our new Android app before it even launched
Another example of why privacy friendly alternatives to the Play Store are critically important

This post is about more than our new app, Disconnect Mobile, being arbitrarily removed by Google from the Play Store Tuesday, five days after it went live and prior to doing any PR announcement. This post is really about Google's disregard for user privacy and security, their ability to arbitrarily and unilaterally ban any app from the world's dominant mobile operating system (78% of total smartphones run Android), and the importance of alternative Android distribution platforms that support privacy and security.

Our part in this story began two days ago. As our small team excitedly prepared for the imminent PR launch of our mobile privacy apps for iOS and Android, our CTO Patrick Jackson received this email from Google, notifying us that they'd removed the application from the Play Store after only five days.

The term our app allegedly violated, 4.4, and the very brief description of the reason was so vague and overly broad that every app in the Play Store, even Google's own applications, could be alleged to be in violation! With terms like this, Google can ban any app for no good reason at all.

This isn't the first time that we've been blocked from launching a privacy app in the Play Store. In early 2013, after nine months of development on a previously conceived version of our Android product, Google announced that they were pulling the ability to automatically set a localhost proxy, which our product and other privacy apps relied on.

Because of that experience, we took every precaution with our new app (like with our existing Android apps) not to utilize any technology that wasn't clearly documented and actively supported by Google. The banned app utilizes the VpnService API that has been made publicly available by Google since at least 2011. Thousands of other applications utilize the same API.

So why were we targeted and why didn't Google provide an explanation? Although we may never know Google's true motivation for removing our app, it seems likely that they determined it threatened their tracking and advertising based business model, which accounts for over 90% of Google's $66 billion in estimated 2014 annual revenue. Put another way, we think Google mistook us for an adblocker.

But our mobile product (like our Desktop product) is not an adblocker. Instead Disconnect focuses on protecting people from invisible tracking and sources of malware, and all too often these threats come in the form of advertising. In fact, some of the most privacy invasive data collection online happens through ads, which see you even if you don't see or interact with them. And worse, ad networks (including Google) are increasingly being used by "advertisers" to spread malware. This increasingly popular tactic, called malvertising, is currently being investigated by the US Senate, and Disconnect Mobile is the first app to directly address it.
The fact is, we are not opposed to advertising and think advertising plays a critical role in the Internet economy. But we are 100% opposed to advertising that invisibly tracks people and compromises their security. Our FAQ for Disconnect Mobile states our position further:

Rather than block all advertisements, we only block the privacy-invasive ads that invisibly track you and may be responsible for distributing malware (malvertising) and other security threats. We also generally unblock ad tracking websites that commit to respect users' Do Not Track (DNT) preferences and agree to comply with DNT as defined by the Electronic Frontier Foundation: https://www.eff.org/dnt-policy.

We're not alone in wanting privacy and security protections from online advertising, and we have every reason to believe that there is huge pent-up demand for the banned product. Over 2 million people actively use our desktop products and the most common customer request - by far - is to bring similar products to mobile. Indeed, we had quietly launched the identical iOS version of the banned Android app a few weeks back and this past weekend it became the #1 grossing Utility app on iTunes! Even more indicative of market demand is the fact that we have lined up several distribution partnerships that could have reached over 100 million people over the next few months.

We are determined to oppose Google's decision and hope our app will be available in the Play Store again soon. But at the same time, this experience has effectively wiped out months of hard work and has highlighted a serious and increasingly dangerous problem: Google has way too much power over distribution of applications on Android and can kill applications at will without justification. This is why efforts to create alternative Android based platforms that respect user privacy - like Blackphone's PrivatOS (on which Disconnect is the default search provider and a pre-installed application) and CyanogenMod (a more open aftermarket firmware distribution for Android devices) - are so important for the future of the increasingly Android-based Internet.

In addition to promoting alternatives, we will be challenging Google to reinstate our app in the Play Store, and to update its policies to respect developer rights and an individual's right to protect their privacy and security. Further, we will continue to work with and support the efforts of pro-privacy groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Center for Democracy and Technology and Fight for the Future.


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Steven W
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2014-08-31 21:30 »

Where in the photo are the end-users? The crabs on her (the developer's) cooch? :think:

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2014-09-01 00:32 »

:mrgreen: :clap: :mrgreen:

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Steven W
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2014-09-01 02:30 »

That seems to sum up what these mega-corporations seem to think of developers and end-users quite nicely.

Scorpius

2014-09-05 11:41 »

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2014-09-05 11:59 »

Slave bracelets for everyone... is it just me that finds the use of a black person in the pictures very tasteless? Considering, these bracelets are indeed, only tools for the "ones above" to control the slaves?

Intel Unveils MICA 'My Intelligent Communication Accessory' Smart Bracelet.

...blending seamlessly into everyday life.

Disgusting. :sick:

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2014-09-07 18:02 »

For your convenience, of course. :cool:

Intel's new mobile chips are always listening.

Tablets and lightweight laptops based on the new Core M line of chips will go on sale at the end of this year. They can constantly listen for voice instructions thanks to a component known as a digital signal processor core that's dedicated to processing audio with high efficiency and minimal power use.

"It doesn't matter what state the system will be in, it will be listening all the time," says Ed Gamsaragan, an engineer at Intel. "You could be actively doing work or it could be in standby."

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MasterOne

2014-12-24 23:43 »

Google bans annoying user testimonials from Play Store app descriptions:

The updated instructions to developers say: "Please do not include user testimonials in your app description. They tend to be dubious and are frequently utilized to include references to popular search terms and competitor apps in violation of the policies outlined here. Let your users speak for themselves via Play's comment review system."

Any kind of keyword manipulation to game the search engine has long been frowned upon. Google says it will kick apps out of the Play Store if developers doesn't abide by the new rules.


http://www.pcworld.com/article/2863022/ ... tions.html

I love how PCWorld instantly sides with Google as they use "annoying" in their headline. No wonder why barely anyone reads that piece of shit "news" magazine anymore. A developer should be able to write whatever they want about their app, fake or not. I've gone to countless sites that have big tacky testimonials on it touting how great their software is. This all goes back to earlier arguments I've made, where if the developer and app store owner get into a dispute, it's the consumer who loses out in the end. Keep in mind, the consumer is a person who doesn't have enough intelligence to find applications on the internet. If they try, they will probably download a fake copy of something they think is real that includes spyware/malware. They will only take what is put before them. Unfortunately they wouldn't be smart enough to find this thread or other arguments elsewhere on the internet similar to the ones made here, so I say, let them shit in their own bed.

MasterOne

2015-01-15 08:33 »

Microsoft's pre-notifications for upcoming patches are only going to be available to paid users from this point forward:

Microsoft is facing fierce criticism over its decision to make pre-notification of upcoming patches available only to paid subscribers.

The Advance Notification Service (ANS) formerly made information on upcoming software patches available to the public but from now on the information will be restricted to "premier" customers and some other select partners.


http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/01/09 ... re_alerts/

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