The Technology Vent and Rant Thread

[ratinox]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

No iPhone has ever had an easily user replaceable battery.

True, but that's not what the regulation requires. Quoting the actual regulation:

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-cont...23%3A191%3ATOC

A portable battery should be considered to be removable by the end-user when it can be removed with the use of commercially available tools and without requiring the use of specialised tools, unless they are provided free of charge, or proprietary tools, thermal energy or solvents to disassemble it. Commercially available tools are considered to be tools available on the market to all end-users without the need for them to provide evidence of any proprietary rights and that can be used with no restriction, except health and safety-related restrictions.

"Easy" and "convenient" are not requirements.

Most iPhones meet all of the EU requirements except for the "thermal energy" restriction which is needed to loosen the adhesives which provide the waterproof seal around the front glass. I don't know how Apple are going to change the waterproofing seals but other than this one thing there are no other changes required to comply with the EU regulation.

[issybird]

C'mon, folks, let's be rantier or post in the other thread!

[Solitaire1]

Originally Posted by issybird

C'mon, folks, let's be rantier or post in the other thread!

Okay...

I HATE how smartphones have all these extra apps preloaded that I didn't want and will never use. Yet I have the fear that if I delete them from my smartphone it will cease to function properly. Why not just have a smartphone with the basic apps (calls, contacts, texting and photos [if it has a camera]) with the ability to quickly and easily add apps as needed. "I need a calendar...not a problem just add on." On my own phone I'd estimate that about 50% of the apps are ones that I've never used, and I've only added a small number that are specific for my use.

Added to that are the dozens of settings I have to slug through just to find the one that I want and then discovering that in order to set it the way I want it is interlinked to another setting that I didn't want but had to have to get my phone to work the way I want (such as making it so I can tap a button rather than having to swipe it). Why does it have to be this difficult!?

[Graham44]

Originally Posted by Solitaire1

Okay...

I HATE how smartphones have all these extra apps preloaded that I didn't want and will never use. Yet I have the fear that if I delete them from my smartphone it will cease to function properly. Why not just have a smartphone with the basic apps (calls, contacts, texting and photos [if it has a camera]) with the ability to quickly and easily add apps as needed. "I need a calendar...not a problem just add on." On my own phone I'd estimate that about 50% of the apps are ones that I've never used, and I've only added a small number that are specific for my use.

Added to that are the dozens of settings I have to slug through just to find the one that I want and then discovering that in order to set it the way I want it is interlinked to another setting that I didn't want but had to have to get my phone to work the way I want (such as making it so I can tap a button rather than having to swipe it). Why does it have to be this difficult!?

All the better to spy on you

[ownedbycats]

Outlook.com "helpfully" putting emails in spam if I delete enough times from the sender. Do they expect me to keep around marketing emails for time-limited shit?

[Quoth]

I want an ordinary SMS + MMS app on the phone, not one poisoned with promotion for Google's Messaging and Google's Contacts Sync. It's got harder to use for SMS with each new phone.

[badgoodDeb]

Originally Posted by Solitaire1

Okay...

I HATE how smartphones have all these extra apps preloaded that I didn't want and will never use. Yet I have the fear that if I delete them from my smartphone it will cease to function properly. Why not just have a smartphone with the basic apps (calls, contacts, texting and photos [if it has a camera]) with the ability to quickly and easily add apps as needed. "I need a calendar...not a problem just add on." On my own phone I'd estimate that about 50% of the apps are ones that I've never used, and I've only added a small number that are specific for my use.

I make a folder on the last page, called "Built Ins" -- which mostly means "I'm never going to use these". Once in a blue moon I use the search tool for something I now need, and discover that it's already there, in that folder. But it keeps them out of the way.

[Solitaire1]

Originally Posted by Quoth

I want an ordinary SMS + MMS app on the phone, not one poisoned with promotion for Google's Messaging and Google's Contacts Sync. It's got harder to use for SMS with each new phone.

I think a problem with text messaging is that it has moved away from its original purpose: Sending short messages to other users. Now it looks like they have turned text messages into a substitute for e-mail. Added to that is the whole green bubble vs. blue bubble issue. What is needed is to restore SMS back to what it originally was (160 character limit in a text) with one addition: Automatic end-to-end encryption. You send a text to someone and the recipient is the only one who can read it. I'm sure there's a way to do it. It might not stop someone from reading a text if they really want to read it, but someone won't be able to casually read it.

[Quoth]

You could always do more than 160 on many non-smart phones. It warned you it would be multiple messages.

In theory it is encrypted, except some mobile operators use outdated insecure encryption. The European 2G and 3G has built in SMS and digital voice, but 4G & so-called 5G don't have any native SMS, MMS or voice. It's all just data over the IP connection.

[Cactus Chef]

When I spend an entire Sunday afternoon driving 30-40 miles each away between stores because "Ah yes, we have this thing, but not in stock...but our Store Inventory checker says the one at this location has 5 in stock!" only to find out...the Store Inventory Checker is wrong.

I can understand off by one or off by two--maybe someone bought it while I was in transit. But off by five, really?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ratinox

True, but that's not what the regulation requires. Quoting the actual regulation:

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-cont...23%3A191%3ATOC



"Easy" and "convenient" are not requirements.

Most iPhones meet all of the EU requirements except for the "thermal energy" restriction which is needed to loosen the adhesives which provide the waterproof seal around the front glass. I don't know how Apple are going to change the waterproofing seals but other than this one thing there are no other changes required to comply with the EU regulation.

Removing screws with commercially available tools is easy and convenient. It means we have to be able to open the device to be able to change the battery. I can easily see the iPhone having screws to get to the battery compartment.

[ratinox]

A recent change in Microsoft Teams has completely ruined copy-paste. Used to be if you selected a conversation and copy, it included the names and timestamps. Now it only copies the chat text so when you paste it somewhere there are no indications as to who wrote what or when.

"We're always working on new features, bug fixes, and performance improvements."
Microsoft

[Renate]

Usually the tendency is in the other direction, to copy too much context.
Some apps have subtle provisions (alt, shift) in the copy operation itself.
Other have options in the paste.

[ratinox]

Originally Posted by Renate

Usually the tendency is in the other direction, to copy too much context.
Some apps have subtle provisions (alt, shift) in the copy operation itself.
Other have options in the paste.

Yeah, except this is a deliberate design decision to block the inclusion of names and timestamps. Apparently there were a few vocal users who think including this metadata was a mistake and they convinced Microsoft to Do Something About It. Now, instead of having the option to choose whether or not to include metadata in copy-paste, nobody can.

[Cactus Chef]

Originally Posted by ratinox

A recent change in Microsoft Teams has completely ruined copy-paste. Used to be if you selected a conversation and copy, it included the names and timestamps. Now it only copies the chat text so when you paste it somewhere there are no indications as to who wrote what or when.

"We're always working on new features, bug fixes, and performance improvements."
Microsoft

Counterpoint: I've been complaining for YEARS about the fact that you couldn't copy message text without also copying that stupid metadata w/ author and timestamp. This would cause much frustration if someone passed me a single string in Teams that I wanted to copy paste into a script or a form, and instead of getting single string I get

[Colleague
12:00 PM

String]

If you want the recipient to have the full context of the message, you can Forward the message in Teams to get all that. Otherwise, I categorically don't want Teams to screw with my copy and paste.