While Android shows you which codec and even lets you pick, Android doesn't let you customise output and input devices so you can't avoid the low quality hands-free profile like you can on desktop operating systems. Windows doesn't show you what codec is being used. You have to buy Bluetooth Tweaker. Windows 11 was a step down in my experience and also broke compatibility with a lot of Chinese headsets.
Just the other day I browsed through the PipeWire and PulseAudio repos. They do heaps of work to make Bluetooth work a lot better than it would usually. And yet we still see how rough Bluetooth is. There's no way for individuals or open source contributors to even contact the Bluetooth SIG. But yes, the situation on Linux is better than on other operating systems.
And people don't even know about the issue mentioned in this post until after they've bought it. They don't know where the issue lies. They don't know what AptX is, let alone AptX Voice.
Windows Ink? Do you mean Windows Ink Workspace or Windows Sketchpad?
It was Windows Sketchpad that I really loved. After Microsoft axed it, they released Whiteboard. It felt very... not-native but had the titlebar of a UWP app. It was terrible compared to Sketchpad but new functionality like being able to select elements and reposition and resize them was great. UWP's own restrictions meant I could set certain expectations with windowing and suspension. And then they made Whiteboard a pure Electron app which was just too choppy for drawing anything at all. The closest I found to replacements were Inkodo and Scrble.
Windows Ink was just one of Microsoft's phases, just like XR. They now refuse to add support for a partial eraser in WinUI.
With services you get a lot of lock-in/exclusives. Two examples are Discord and Netflix. I wouldn't say you have much of a choice if you want to join a popular place to chat or if you want to watch Stranger Things. The user experience doesn't matter so much if there's no other way to do something. This is what I think the person you were replying to means.
On that note, Google Sheets became popular because you can use it in your browser and because of Google Drive which is what locks you in. Sheets is much more open than my examples.
Google's fight against Firefox isn't so visible on YouTube. I'd say it's mobile, Google Drive and their video calls.
Google does a lot of A/B testing and I'm surprised someone on HN wouldn't blame that first. I'm not ruling out that Google may have done that against Firefox though.
It's worth noting that YouTube's Polymer site was always very slow on Chrome too and it was never just about shadow DOM v0.
And truth is, as long as you have exclusive content on a service, the quality of your app (and thus the satisfaction of your end users) doesn't matter all that much.
I don't see why this article paints this as specific to teenagers. You can find social networks that use iMessage in various countries among tons of age groups. /nit
Microsoft/Windows Defender used to perform poorly on tests, but not anymore. AV-Comparatives awarded Microsoft Defender its highest Advanced+ rating in its most recent malware protection and real-world protection tests:
> they'll just keep forcing up and coming competitors out of the industry through predatory practices
They don't need to. The only alternatives to YouTube are social media platforms like Twitter, FB, IG and TikTok.
There's a million things wrong with that* but my main quarrel is that they're not searchable. YouTube may be closed off and may have a limited API but it still has discovery outside of the platform and videos can be downloaded.
*Like no one uploading let's plays, repair tutorials, indie songs, etc.
The benefit of YouTube is its past content. We're trapped.
Just the other day I browsed through the PipeWire and PulseAudio repos. They do heaps of work to make Bluetooth work a lot better than it would usually. And yet we still see how rough Bluetooth is. There's no way for individuals or open source contributors to even contact the Bluetooth SIG. But yes, the situation on Linux is better than on other operating systems.
https://medium.marco.zone/apple-implemented-the-biggest-impr... is a great article that talks about the limitations I mentioned earlier.