16 years later, Blizzard is still patching Diablo II | Ars Technica

16 years later, Blizzard is still patching Diablo II | Ars Technica "These days, you're lucky if some games from certain big publishers get a year or two of post-launch online support before they're unceremoniously dropped. And then there's Diablo II. Blizzard issued a new version 1.14 patch for the nearly 16-year-old game Thursday, five years after the game was last officially updated (not to mention, four years since the game's sequel launched with its own attendant post-release problems and patches)"

This is my kind of software company, but it's sad to think that this is the ecosystem of the modern OS.

Will the iPhone SE be slow? Everything we know about Apple's 4-inch iPhone

iPhone SE: Everything we know about Apple's 4-inch iPhone Will the iPhone SE be slow? No. Apple reportedly plans to toss in some pretty impressive hardware to draw in more buyers. The iPhone SE will pack the same A9 processor found in the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. The A9 processor is a speedy piece of silicon: It’s 70 percent faster at CPU tasks than the A8 processor found in the iPhone 6, while GPU performance is 90 percent faster.

Hahaha, won't be slow. But the software may be rushed.

AppleInsider podcast interviews iMovie creator Glenn Reid about Steve Jobs, Internet-connected laundry

AppleInsider podcast interviews iMovie creator Glenn Reid about Steve Jobs, Internet-connected laundry AppleInsider's Victor Marks spoke with Reid, who shared with us what it takes to ship a product, some reflections on Steve Jobs and Randy Ubillos, why the way we launder our clothes is stupid, and why the man who quit working for Steve Jobs three times is the right person to fix it.

One of my all-time favorite programs, iMovie. Use it almost every day!

Oculus founder says no Mac support coming until Apple builds 'good' system with better graphics

Oculus founder says no Mac support coming until Apple builds 'good' system with better graphics So if they prioritize higher-end GPUs like they used to for a while back in the day, we'd love to support Mac. But right now, there's just not a single machine out there that supports it.

Um, ouch.

Ah iOS Mail

Form follows function. Is it too much to ask? Oh, how elegant the smooth, sexy, keyframed transitions from portrait to landscape. Swooshing frames that go hither and yon like special effects in a movie. Unfortunately, iOS mail is totally useless on some basic level, Eudora for Windows (circa 1997) is so vastly superior, it boggles the mind. Today, I typed the name of one of my email contacts into the search bar. I happen to know that my inbox contains over 50 messages from this contact. Number of search results? ZERO. I know: let's completely rewrite the OS for the next version. For the marketing dept and wallstreet. Can't let them down.

Naturally, this hilarity is only underscored and punctuated by the swarms of yellow journalists who will write effusive and praising stories about same. Because they want a free iPad in April. I'm sure this is a sustainable business model.

Microsoft acquires Xamarin - Business Insider

Microsoft acquires Xamarin - Business Insider "Microsoft has purchased Xamarin, a startup that helps developers write apps once and have them work on any smartphone or operating system, according to an official blog entry."

Could be great, could be the end of Xamarin's write once, run everywhere# platform.

How the FBI could use acid and lasers to access data stored on seized iPhone | Ars Technica

How the FBI could use acid and lasers to access data stored on seized iPhone | Ars Technica "In 2010, for instance, hardware hacker Chris Tarnovsky developed an attack that completely cracked the microcontroller used to lock down the Xbox 360 game console. His technique used an electron microscope called a focused ion beam workstation (then priced at $250,000 for a used model) that allowed him to view the chip in the nanometer scale. He could then manipulate its individual wires using microscopic needles."

I think the FBI should hire Chris.

Marvell agrees to pay record-breaking $750M to university to end patent lawsuit | Ars Technica

Marvell agrees to pay record-breaking $750M to university to end patent lawsuit | Ars Technica: "'There is broad consensus across the university that we should dedicate a substantial majority of this resource to helping qualified students afford a Carnegie Mellon education, helping all students succeed while they are here, and enriching the student experience,' wrote Suresh. "

It's a mixture of Mozart and Bach, I call it Mach!

Apple pulls back the curtain on its secretive chip development operation

Apple pulls back the curtain on its secretive chip development operation To make it work, Apple operates a smattering of secret, unmarked laboratories around Silicon Valley. In some, custom Mac Minis stress test new chip designs to ferret out any weaknesses; others are de facto datacenters where next-generation chips are made available for software teams to test against.

If they're testing new chips on Mac Minis, I think it's safe to assume there's a version of OS X that runs on ARM? Am I right? Bueller? Anyone?