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By hellowalkman · Posted
Denmark ditching Windows and Office for Linux as it may not want to rely on Microsoft, Trump by Sayan Sen Back in November 2021, the German state of Schleswig-Holstein announced that it was planning to move away from closed-source Microsoft products like Office and Windows to LibreOffice. About two and a half years later, we received an update on the matter, as state officials confirmed that plans for the migration were still intact. As such, about 30,000 government sector computers would be switching by 2027 or so. Following Germany, Denmark seems to be looking to make such a move. This move should resonate pretty loudly now, given that Linux developers, including The Document Foundation, are pushing to encourage users to pick GNU instead of upgrading to Windows 11 from Windows 10. Caroline Stage Olsen, the current Minister for Digital Affairs of Denmark, told the Danish media outlet Politiken that there are plans to phase out Microsoft products in her own ministry next month, and more precisely, moving away from Office 365 to LibreOffice. When discussing the potential challenges of implementing such deployments, Olsen shared a clear backup plan that her ministry has: if the new system proves too challenging at first, they will temporarily revert to the previous setup while they explore other solutions, and overall she is pretty firm on her decision as she stated, "We won't get any closer to our goal if we don't start." The report adds that, thus far, the response from her team has been positive. The minister also added that this initiative isn’t solely about Microsoft. Instead, it’s a step toward reducing an over-reliance on just a handful of providers. The report mentions that the decision could be related to recent events surrounding the International Criminal Court (ICC). For context, the ICC's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, lost access to his Microsoft Account following Trump's sanctions (via Associated Press). There is also the issue of Trump's keen interest in Greenland, which happens to be a semi-autonomous region of Denmark. -
By zikalify · Posted
Arlo Essential 2K Indoor Camera: Unpacking the features and value of this home security cam by Paul Hill Are you in the UK and looking for internal cameras to keep an eye on your pets or property? If so, the Arlo Essential 2K indoor security camera (2-pack) is now discounted by 26% from its £159.99 RRP to just £119.00. As usual, the product is available with free delivery and free returns, which is helpful if the product turns out to be defective. In addition to the discounted product, the listing also notes there’s a £10-off voucher available until Monday and a £10 Morrisons on Amazon voucher. Arlo is a reputable brand for home security cameras so this deal marks a great opportunity if you’ve been looking for this type of device. Do note that it is a wired camera so it’ll have to be plugged in somewhere. Deep dive into camera features and capabilities The Arlo Essential 2K indoor security camera comes with a very good 2K (up to 2,560x1,440) resolution that provides you with clear, detailed video, great if you want to keep an eye on smaller pets such as kittens. Not only is the camera high-quality, but the camera is equipped with black and white night vision (it can see up to 7 metres), so you can see any events that occur at night. This Arlo security cam features two-way audio with noise reduction and echo cancellation allowing you to chat with anyone coming to feed your pets. There’s also an automatic privacy lens cover that physically blocks the lens when disarmed, providing you with more privacy when at home. There is also passive infrared motion detection that has a range of 7 metres. You can use motion detection in combination with the 80 dB smart siren to scare away intruders. The siren can also be activated manually. The Arlo Essential 2K features a 130-degree wide-angle diagonal view, which is sufficient for most rooms, to capture more of what’s going on in the room and there is 12x digital zoom to take a closer look at objects. It’s compatible with pretty much all Wi-Fi devices with its 2.4GHz Wi-Fi support and it integrates with your smart home via Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT. Leveraging the Arlo Secure subscription for enhanced security When you buy the Arlo Essential 2K, you get a 30-day free trial of the Arlo Secure subscription, and if you want to continue it, it costs from £11.99 per month or £119.90 per year. This subscription isn’t necessary for basic functionality, but it does unlock the full potential of the camera. When you subscribe you get secure cloud storage for video history (30 to 60 days depending on plan); AI-powered identification of people, animals, vehicles, and packages, reducing false alerts; custom activity zones that let you define areas for motion detection, minimising unwanted notifications; and interactive notifications that can be interacted with from the lock screen like view animated previews, activate siren, and call emergency services. My biggest issue with this camera is that there is no local storage for recordings, necessitating the need to buy the subscription if you want to save any footage. If you’re thinking of using this camera to protect your home from theft and want footage to give to the police, you’ll need a subscription. An alternative to a subscription is buying the Arlo SmartHub (VMB5000) which is compatible with the Arlo Essential 2K indoor camera, according to Arlo’s website. The savings on this camera twin-pack are significant and it’s the lowest price they’ve been at on Amazon UK so they’re definitely worth considering for your home. If you don’t mind the subscription or have the Arlo SmartHub already, then this camera makes sense. If not, then you may be better off with a camera that comes with an SD card slot and recording capabilities. Arlo Essential 2K Indoor Pet Security Camera (2-pack): £119 + £10-off voucher + £10 for Morrisons on Amazon (Amazon UK) / MSRP £159.99 This Amazon deal is U.K. specific, and not available in other regions unless specified. If you don't like it or want to look at more options, check out the Amazon UK deals page here. Get Prime, Prime Video, Music Unlimited, Audible or Kindle Unlimited, free for the first 30 days As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. -
By Nas · Posted
The Nokia Lumias? Or the third-party HTC One8's? I had HTC's hardware cuz it was slick and reliable... but, yeah, the software left me wanting more and I just couldn't allocate personal time to develop all of the software I would have wanted to see (overworked in other capacities @ MSFT at the time, heh). -
By Nas · Posted
Microsoft's mobile strategy had great future vision and UX research, but mediocre engineering and inadequate support (third-party and internal business alike). The death knell for WinMo was Google's (mostly YouTube's) incessant API blocking and purposeful release of buggy WinMo builds to force consumers to stay away -- and this was conducted via sabotage of whatever partnerships they were supposed to play nice in. I still yearn for that UI on a modern smartphone... -
By cyberhash · Posted
Linux has always been an option but never adopted by the masses despite being free. The reasons are limited usability and features. Despite everything we all complaint about with MS , the overall experience for the general public is much better than what Linux can deliver.
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