Windows Phone 8 live event (10 AM PT) | Hacker News Reader

Windows Phone 8 live event (10 AM PT)

microsoft.com

53 pointsoctopus38 comments

"Please Install Silverlight to view this content"

They'll never learn.

Try the alternate stream for Flash (bottom of the page).

> They'll never learn.

I'm with Microsoft. There must be something wrong with the implants: I've been here for years and still don't understand the culture. I don't understand why people use "ask" as a noun instead of "request"; I don't understand why almost every here uses "Microsoft Tag" instead of universal, ubiquitous-in-the-outside-world QR codes; and I don't understand why we still create websites using Silverlight instead of moving to Flash or HTML5.

Don't people realize how transparently sycophantic they look when they use a technology that's dead to the outside world? Depending on the day, I feel like either 1) some people are so insulated from the outside world that they believe Silverlight yet lives, 2) they know Silverlight is dead and are terrified of the wrath of LCA coming down upon from for installing non-Microsoft software on their work computers, or 3) they're savvy, but trying to use as much jargon and proprietary stuff as possible in order to project a false image of group cohesion and loyalty come review time.

Maybe it's

4) They are so caught up in bureaucracy and mindless tasks they actually don't even know what Silverlight is, and why it's dying/dead.

Silverlight is dead?

Funny, I believe that is what Netflix uses to stream to the desktop. Also, given the install base of Windows, I am pretty sure most everyday users have it installed.

I'm a Mac person myself and only fire up Chrome when I need Flash. I've got silverlight installed across all browsers -- mainly due to netflix. That said, I see "web designers" doing more annoying sites with Flash (mmm...embedded video that auto plays with volume) than I do with Silverlight.

Just a thought.

The install base of silverlight is pretty low, but way higher than I expected. Its hard to get hard reliable numbers but I've seen from 50% all the way up to 70% or so. Its much higher than I expected, but not high enough to count on. I don't get the draw when flash has an install base in the higher end of 90%. Once again its hard to get reliable numbers, but there is no doubt it trounces silverlight.

Even java plug-in install base beats silverlight's which is pretty bad. I know netflix and mlb.com use it, but I don't know a lot of others. I'm sure they are there, but it doesn't scream lively tech to me.

I realize that Silverlight is not pre-installed with Windows but it I read that some OEMs (Dell for example) do bundle it for their customers. Anyone can verify this?

Well, if you try to view the site on a brand new SurfaceRT using Metro IE...could be some problems.

Why would you work there if you dislike it so much you feel it's necessary to criticize them in a public forum?

Sometimes people criticize something they love, hoping someone who can fix the problem will listen and fix it.

The alternative method plays fine here on Linux Mint with Chrome, opens a stream in movie player.

The "Metro" version of IE10 doesn't even support Silverlight... I had to switch to the desktop UI on my Windows 8 device.

How is that different from Apple streaming only to OS X / iOS devices?

Syncing music from iTunes to Windows Phone now. That's a nice way to help break the iPhone lock in.

Palm used to allow syncing through iTunes as well. Every time Apple updated iTunes, it would lock out the Palm Pre; Palm, then, would issue a software update that re-enabled the functionality:

> Since the Palm Pre first became available this summer, Palm has issued several updates to its mobile operating system, causing iTunes software to recognize the phone as an Apple music player, allowing it to synchronize and transfer files between the phone and a personal computer. Apple has repeatedly disabled the syncing feature in subsequent software updates to iTunes. [1]

Eventually, "Palm filed a complaint with the USB Implementers Forum", but the forum "rebuffed" Palm's claims. From then on, the Palm Pre could no longer sync with iTunes.

I see that Microsoft isn't masquerading their phone as an iPod (or iPhone?) like Palm did, and is instead releasing a separate app on their own (MacSync, according to Wired [2]), so it's harder for Apple to stop them. I would guess that they're directly importing the iTunes files on the disk, but if the idea is so simple, why didn't Palm do the same thing? Why would they risk going through iTunes?

The harder it was for Microsoft to implement, the easier it will be for Apple to disable. I wonder what Apple will do now.

1. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/palm-drops-itunes-w...

2. http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/10/liveblog-microsoft-ro...

Palm got rebuffed because they masqueraded as an Apple product. The USB-IF understandably didn't like that.

It won't be "harder for Apple to stop" Microsoft because Apple is unlikely to even try to do so. Apple has a documented method for accessing the iTunes library (RIM and others used it). Even if there were not an approved way to do it, the database is in XML so it should be relatively easy to work with it. Why Palm took the route they did mystifies me.

So what will Apple do now, you ask? Nothing, more than likely.

Windows Phone 7 connector is available on the Mac app store. It could do with a name change for Windows Phone 8.

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/windows-phone-7-connector/id...

I didn't see the event, do you happen to know how this is different than the Windows Phone Connector stuff for WP7 on Mac? It hooks into Aperture/iPhoto/iTunes and lets you sync with them (I really miss the Aperture integration after moving my photo workstation to Lightroom on my desktop PC, actually—it was super convenient).

Or is it for syncing WP music to iTunes on Windows? Don't think there's any built-in way to do that currently for WP7.

I believe it is the same thing, but I won't swear to it. That it did it at all was news to me.

It sounded like the same exact Windows Phone Connector as the current one. It's not bad, but I've got a lot of music, movies, etc. outside of iTunes that I'd like to sync to the device.

I wish Google would add time zone conversions to their search. I had to resort to WA[1] to find out what time is the event in Europe.

[1]https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=10+am+PT+to+GMT

You can get the current time in the other time zone (try time in <location/code>), but yeah, an actual conversion would be pretty handy. And seemingly a very simple step from there.

You can also search, "time in Seattle" (in Google) and it'll show current time at that place. And you can do time difference calculations.

I use http://www.thetimezoneconverter.com/ - ridiculously convenient.

World Time Buddy is another good one: http://www.worldtimebuddy.com

You'd think a launch would be geared to play to the widest audience. Disappointing that the presentation requires Silverlight to view. Wasn't Silverlight EOLed?

There's a Flash (another why) stream as well at the bottom of the page: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/presskits/windowsphone/l...

I'm surprised they didn't cancel to keep from competing with the hurricane.

On the other hand, there's not much other news than the hurricane, so it might be a smart move.

Be on the lookout for more stealth Zynga layoffs.

Am I really watching a Silverlight video in Google Chrome? How the hell is this working?!

NPAPI. You could do the same in Firefox. Or Safari. Even on a Mac.

Barely visible choice of white letters on yellow background (at least for me, it could be that live is better)

They are demoing the phone operating system on an HTC device.

Yay for Nokia locking themselves into this OS and not even getting that small token of appreciation.

I thought they were switching back and forth between the HTC and the Nokia...

I wasn't really paying attention, but I'm sure I saw a big yellow phone at some point.

Yeah, Ballmer is presenting all of the brands at the moment. I noticed that he even pocketed the Nokia, I wonder if that was part of the deal ;)

Quite symbolic. "Hey Nokia - with Elop, you're in our pocket". How's it fell in there?

I think you're reading a bit much into the symbolism there. I mean, if he didn't put it in his pocket, one could have just as well said "Hey Nokia, how does it feel being left out in the cold?"

I read it more like "after playing with all the phones on offer, I'm keeping the Nokia to take home with me"

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