MICROSOFT has already lost a lot of money failing to sell hardware; by some estimates, hundreds of millions of dollars (if not billions) have in fact been lost. It's becoming a real problem for what used to be an arrogant monopoly. When I went to a computer store last night I saw that "Windows" had been relegated to a small corner with just two devices somewhere at the corner; it was Linux/Android almost everywhere. Apple was nowhere in sight. Microsoft is getting not only worried but rather desperate, so it is now claiming to be 'open' to dual boot [1] (Trojan horse strategy) -- a lie so insincere that one must read [2] and recall how Microsoft is working to delete Android whilst also working prevent GNU/Linux from booting on future hardware. There are other speculations about what Microsoft is trying to do [3], not that they are novel; Microsoft has been trying to exploit Android apps like this for a number of years now; it is still hoping to "embrace and extend" Android with an ultimate goal of altogether removing Android or GNU/Linux. One of the latest plots is wiping Android and installing Microsoft spyware instead of Android apps from Google (using Cyanogen and patent extortion). Rupert Murdoch, a friend of Bill Gates and a sworn enemy of Google, personally invests in Cyanogen and is now using his newspapers for anti-Google propaganda [4]. John Dvorak does not believe that Microsoft stands a chance in devices [5] and we too, based on numerous years of Microsoft's attacks on Android (from Facebook, Nokia and so on), don't believe that Microsoft will succeed. But have no doubts; Microsoft will keep on trying. Microsoft is a destructive company. ⬆
However the most important feature of the tablet is its dual booting capability. Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft Corporate VP Devices and Studios Marketing said during a press event, “It can run Microsoft Windows as well as Google’s Android, and it can also handle any Linux based distro without a hiccup. It’s also “a premium product at a premium price.”
The move syncs with Microsoft’s effort to dual boot Android devices with Windows; the company is already working with some Android players to put Windows on their Android devices.
We're in the home stretch now. In the first post of this series I looked at the general characteristics of Linux installations on systems with UEFI firmware - specifically how the disk is partitioned, and how multi-boot installations interact with each other.
In the second post I looked at some details of the boot process, and how the GRUB configuration file was set up, first for a simple Linux-only installation and then for multi-boot with Linux only and Linux/Windows combinations. Whew. That's a good bit of territory to cover, and I congratulate those who are still with me at this point.
Now I want to look at a couple of exceptions, unusual or uncooperative situations.
Using an emulator to emulate all Android apps on Windows 10 was the first suggestion because Google's operating system has a whole lot of apps and games to be utilized. It is still being considered a rumor but an interesting one that may change the way people see Windows. Besides, Microsoft wouldn't mind taking such a route when compared to Apple, reports Venture Beat.
Three of Rupert Murdoch's largest and most powerful news outlets promoted baseless conspiracy theories that Google is using its alleged "close ties" with the Obama administration to receive favorable treatment and to push its policy agenda. Murdoch has a long history of attacking Google.
Apparently, the next generation of computing is smartphones. They have been around for less than a decade and are generally replaced every two years, making them an incredible money maker for manufacturers that can keep up with demand.
Although people have talked about the potential for an open smartphone, none of the current crop are truly open. Only Microsoft, which made its fortune on open ideas, has been making noise about creating versions of Windows 10 for the phone that could be ported to various Android phones.
This idea would be great—if it actually worked, and if it improved the user's phone experience. The problem is, the public has not warmed up to the Windows Phone OS itself. And you have to wonder why.