Microsoft is trying to be helpful again...

[GreyGeek]

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19760977

MS sent Mr. Persson an email offering to "help" Minecraft become "certified" for Win8.

Mr Persson revealed his views in two tweets.
"Got an email from Microsoft, wanting to help 'certify' minecraft for win 8. I told them to stop trying to ruin the PC as an open platform," he wrote.
"I'd rather have minecraft not run on win 8 at all than to play along. Maybe we can convince a few people not to switch to win 8 that way,"he added in the second message.
The success of Minecraft - a game in which users use blocks to create their ennvironment - has made Mr Persson one of the sector's most closely watched players.
More than 7.5 million copies of the title have been sold, and earlier this year Mr Persson was singled out for a special award by Bafta (British Academy of Film and Television Arts), which described the 33-year-old as "an inspiration for all games developers".

And, the greedy are stepping in to milk the commons:
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18953828

[MoonRise]

It figures. Glad to seem some common sense from MineCraft.

[Shimapan]

Two thumbs up for Mr Persson!
Thumbs up also for Gabe Newell and Valve.
Microsuck has always forced their ways on others, and they're only becoming more and more brazen. As if Windows wasn't bad enough already, now they're trying to force a mobile phone interface (the butt-ugly Metro crap) on desktop users. Besides being butt-ugly, and the jumbled colours of the default tiles apparently being designed by a colour-blind person, it's also a pain to use with a mouse - no surprise, since it was never meant to be used with a mouse. After their Metro failed spectacularly on the mobile phone (lower single-digit range), because no one wants to use their butt-ugly junk, they are now trying to force it on desktop users.
The desktop in Windows 8 is totally crippled as well, e.g. it doesn't even have a start menu, and there are still many other arbitrary changes resulting in pitiful usability.

It's high noon that people speak out against this lunacy, so once again, thumbs up for Persson and Newell
Also, it comes at no surprise that Microsuck butthumpers like NeoFail attack these persons.

Abou the greedy software patents suers, dasly nothing new there. Software patents as a whole need to be abolished.

[SteveRiley]

After their Metro failed spectacularly on the mobile phone (lower single-digit range), because no one wants to use their butt-ugly junk, they are now trying to force it on desktop users.

Metro is actually a rather sensible approach to a phone UI. I've tinkered with a few Windows 8 phones and found them to be a refreshing change. The failure isn't the UI but instead it's the result of Microsoft consistently falling farther and farther behind. Prior versions of Windows Mobile were left to rot, and the WM team had its own Longhorn-style "reset" in early 2009 (I saw it from the inside).

Shoving Metro onto the desktop is a last gasp at attempting to remain relevant in the mobile space. You'll note this is the exact same strategy Apple used, but in reverse. The iPhone -- novel at its introduction -- rescued the company from near oblivion and now you see Macs everywhere. While Windows 8 deserves much of the criticism it receives, Microsoft hopes it'll land on zillions of desktops anyway, and thus elevate the sales of Windows 8 phones.

2013 is certainly going to be one of the most interesting years to observe.

[Shimapan]

Metro is actually a rather sensible approach to a phone UI. I've tinkered with a few Windows 8 phones and found them to be a refreshing change. The failure isn't the UI but instead it's the result of Microsoft consistently falling farther and farther behind. Prior versions of Windows Mobile were left to rot, and the WM team had its own Longhorn-style "reset" in early 2009 (I saw it from the inside).

"Rather sensible"? "Refreshing change?" Please excuse me for a moment, I feel a strong urgeto laugh coming up...

/me rolls on the floor laughing, shaken by a violent laughing fit

*A while later...* (Ok, quite a good while later, actually )

Seriously, when I saw those Windows 8 phones and tinkered around with them, what I thought is, "So Microsuck wants to compete with iOS and Android, and all they come up with is this horribly ugly garbage?" No wonder no one wants to have this crap.

Shoving Metro onto the desktop is a last gasp at attempting to remain relevant in the mobile space. You'll note this is the exact same strategy Apple used, but in reverse. The iPhone -- novel at its introduction -- rescued the company from near oblivion and now you see Macs everywhere. While Windows 8 deserves much of the criticism it receives, Microsoft hopes it'll land on zillions of desktops anyway, and thus elevate the sales of Windows 8 phones.

2013 is certainly going to be one of the most interesting years to observe.

Showing Metro on the desktop smacks of desperation. It also shows once again how extraordinarily arrogant and brazen Microsuck is, that they think they can get away with this supremely retarded move, forcing a moblie phone OS on the desktop.

[SteveRiley]

"Rather sensible"? "Refreshing change?" Please excuse me for a moment, I feel a strong urgeto laugh coming up...

I see you enjoyed that

People can have different opinions, of course. I liked Metro on the small screen.

Showing Metro on the desktop smacks of desperation. It also shows once again how extraordinarily arrogant and brazen Microsuck is, that they think they can get away with this supremely retarded move, forcing a moblie phone OS on the desktop.

Now here our opinions are the same. I hated Metro on my 30" monitor.