Computer Forum Chat Thread

[Artorius]

Also, @Artorius, completely unrelated, but your avatar and signature clash a little bit. Your sig looks very smooth and refined while your avatar has a "rough/sketch" look. I'm not saying it's bad just, they don't seem to go together. No hate or anything - just an observation.

It's just a commemorative avatar because Bleach ended today, literally spent 30s to make it

The current normal one is this one:

[Remilia]

Is there a difference between "stamina mode" and the "Battery Saver" that comes in vanilla Android? (I have a Nexus 5, so no platform specific OS mods or anything like that.)

They're different things. That and there are differences from the old and new Stamina mode cause of Google. Google isn't letting companies play around with battery related stuff now and Stamina mode is essentially like Android Nougat's Doze mode (not Marshmallow one), in fact you can probably just overlap the two and it'd be pretty much the same. It locks down on background data and processes except for the ones on the exception list when idle. So things won't be turned on when it gets activated. Issue right now is that Stamina mode and battery saver are activated together.

The issue with current Doze mode in Marshmallow is that it's also location based, so if you move it around it in itself also disables doze mode. Stamina mode is based off activity / screen time and then there's the exception list so the exception list can do whatever it wants.

I don't know how it is for the Xperia Z3-5 series in Marshmallow since I have the X Performance, and so the Stamina mode also has the exception list and all that's in the old one but the early updates didn't have. Which is this screen https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...818-195558.png
People were talking about how there wasn't the exception list so I looked at it and see it's there, the name is a bit dumb though but it's an exception list.

[Alindra]

It's just a commemorative avatar because Bleach ended today, literally spent 30s to make it

The current normal one is this one:

Ahh! I haven't watched Bleach in ages. The last thing I remember is Ichigo and Aizen fighting each other, leaving Ichigo without his powers and Aizen being jailed. I was already losing interest in it given how drawn out things were becoming (with all the standard anime tropes of stupendous power inflation and the like), so it seemed like a good place to stop.

You change your avatar enough that I just assumed it was a new one, not a temporary new one . :P

They're different things. That and there are differences from the old and new Stamina mode cause of Google. Google isn't letting companies play around with battery related stuff now and Stamina mode is essentially like Android Nougat's Doze mode (not Marshmallow one), in fact you can probably just overlap the two and it'd be pretty much the same. It locks down on background data and processes except for the ones on the exception list when idle. So things won't be turned on when it gets activated. Issue right now is that Stamina mode and battery saver are activated together.

The issue with current Doze mode in Marshmallow is that it's also location based, so if you move it around it in itself also disables doze mode. Stamina mode is based off activity / screen time and then there's the exception list so the exception list can do whatever it wants.

I don't know how it is for the Xperia Z3-5 series in Marshmallow since I have the X Performance, and so the Stamina mode also has the exception list and all that's in the old one but the early updates didn't have. Which is this screen https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...818-195558.png
People were talking about how there wasn't the exception list so I looked at it and see it's there, the name is a bit dumb though but it's an exception list.

Ahh, I see. I know when I first got my Nexus 5 I went through and disabled as much stuff as I could (and I run with Location disabled unless I'm using it, too), but I've never seen anything called Stamina or Doze. That's unfortunate, I wouldn't mind further restricting background apps and the like to lengthen battery life even more.

(What really needs help is my damn Surface. I'm looking at you, Service Host, burning a third of my CPU when all I'm doing is web surfing. Damn it, Microsoft!)

[Remilia]

I think Google should just accept that Android is fragmented as fuck. And that was one of the things about android is supposed to be a lot more diverse, software and hardware.

[Alindra]

In what way(s) is Google not accepting it? I assume you mean policies and/or what parts of the OS are open for other companies to fiddle with?

I mean, for Google to explicitly to say it's not fragmented would require them to be in denial about it.

[Remilia]

It's more on the lines that they're limiting some control that a manufacturer has. Like noted they don't let manufacturers modify some battery saving functionality. As example the battery saver one, Sony isn't able to touch parts of it anymore like they used to. It's nice and all they bring features from different companies, like Sony's Stamina mode in as Doze mode, or Samsung's side by side window kind of thing, but it's when google says no touchy is where it kind of asks for more homogeny, while in some ways great, also in some ways sucks.

And as opposite and hypocritic it sounds or whatever, Google actually does need a less fragmented OS, but it's great and terrible for us at the same time. Great that things would have less fiddling around and software updates would be less complicated, bad is there's nothing going to be different between each manufacturer on the software side.

[DeltrusDisc]

I finally cracked and shut down my computer to fix the fan problem last night.

Turns out the fan controller on my case didn't die! It was just the little cable plug that plugs into the front for the fan controller had come loose. Problem is it's kind of tough to see if you aren't looking for it.

Fans are back up and running! 8)

[Alindra]

It's more on the lines that they're limiting some control that a manufacturer has. Like noted they don't let manufacturers modify some battery saving functionality. As example the battery saver one, Sony isn't able to touch parts of it anymore like they used to. It's nice and all they bring features from different companies, like Sony's Stamina mode in as Doze mode, or Samsung's side by side window kind of thing, but it's when google says no touchy is where it kind of asks for more homogeny, while in some ways great, also in some ways sucks.

And as opposite and hypocritic it sounds or whatever, Google actually does need a less fragmented OS, but it's great and terrible for us at the same time. Great that things would have less fiddling around and software updates would be less complicated, bad is there's nothing going to be different between each manufacturer on the software side.

Gotcha.

Yeah, it's a tough problem to solve. There is definitely a difficult balancing act to work between giving companies flexibility and keeping the OS common enough that it's still considered the same OS and not require developers to have additional code paths to handle the differences. Actually, one of the reasons I went with a vanilla Android phone was because I didn't want to get left behind on OS updates because the company I bought the phone from hadn't incorporated and released the latest Android OS changes. (At one point, I remember reading how, Verizon I believe, was years behind the curve.)

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In other news, I figured out what was causing my Surface's CPU usage to spike - it was freaking Windows Update! Now it doesn't even have my permission to check for updates. Grrr...

[Remilia]

So now that Intel is letting ARM SoC people company designer whatever use their foundry, any guesses for what Qualcomm / MediaTek and whatever fabless are going to do.

[Moradir]

Hey i have a somewhat old monitor that only has a vga cable. And i just bought a rx 470 graphics card. Which i think has DVI-D slot.

Do i have to buy a converter to use my screen with that card? or can i use a normal cheap adapter?

[Artorius]

Hey i have a somewhat old monitor that only has a vga cable. And i just bought a rx 470 graphics card. Which i think has DVI-D slot.

Do i have to buy a converter to use my screen with that card? or can i use a normal cheap adapter?

You can use an adapter, they usually come with the graphic's card itself.

[Remilia]

Android nougat released! Now wait half a year, >.>
That kind of always bothered me.

[Alindra]

Hrm, according to this article from The Verge:

Google has announced that the latest version of Android, 7.0 Nougat, is rolling out to newer Nexus devices starting today. It’s a good upgrade, but only available if you have a recent Nexus device like the Nexus 6, 6P, 5X, Pixel C, or Nexus 9 tablet — and it will take some time for everybody's devices to receive the over-the-air update.

I'm somewhat confused why it's only "recent Nexus devices," and not all. Heck, the original Nexus 5s aren't even 3 years old yet (close, but not quite there). I wonder if it will be propagated to them later. I'll be pretty annoyed if we're just left out in the cold entirely.

[Artorius]

People will port it back anyway, the Galaxy S3 is still maintained by some developers on XDA to this day.

[Alindra]

Presumably it has something to do with performance concerns. << snip >>

Your new OS makes my phone worse, not letting me use your new OS on my old phone locks me out of cool new software I want.

Pick your poison I guess.

This is a very good point. I had neglected to consider performance like that. I probably think too much in PC terms where you can keep a PC for a long time before you simply must upgrade. (This is partly because single core speed has stagnated, so we're not seeing the GHz race like in the past.)

If the original Nexuses won't be getting Nougat, then I wonder how long Google will support Marshmallow with things like bug/security fixes.

People will port it back anyway, the Galaxy S3 is still maintained by some developers on XDA to this day.

Damn...! That's impressive, although I'm not sure that I'd trust all my phones contents to an OS maintained by a 3rd party. It's probably fine, but man - a smart phone is just a treasure trove of information, even if you try to keep it to a minimum like me.

[Artorius]

Damn...! That's impressive, although I'm not sure that I'd trust all my phones contents to an OS maintained by a 3rd party. It's probably fine, but man - a smart phone is just a treasure trove of information, even if you try to keep it to a minimum like me.

Sometimes the difference is too brutal.
The last Android version released from Samsung to the S3 was 4.3.

[DeltrusDisc]

I don't think I've posted this here, but whether I have or haven't... I'm posting it. It's so damned beautiful. And sounds incredible on my Presonus Eris E5s and KRK 10S speaker system! 8)

[Alindra]

Sometimes the difference is too brutal.
The last Android version released from Samsung to the S3 was 4.3.

Wow, that is quite the difference. I never had a Galaxy S3, so I had to look up when it was released: May 29, 2012 - 51 months ago. So, according to this chart, 4.3 was released July 24, 2013. That means the S3 was only supported for 14 months...? Holy shit, that's terrible.

As a comparison, the Nexus 5 came out October 31, 2013 - 34 months ago and has been supported this whole time. I guess I've had it really good.

Further comparison, my previous phone was an iPhone 3GS which I had for 4 years (until the battery went to shit). I think the difference, to me, is that my Android phone still feels perfectly viable for what I'm using ti for. The battery life is still good, apps still feel responsive, and I haven't had any apps (not that I use a ton like some) that weren't supported on it.

- - - Updated - - -

I don't think I've posted this here, but whether I have or haven't... I'm posting it. It's so damned beautiful. And sounds incredible on my Presonus Eris E5s and KRK 10S speaker system! 8)

Studio Ghibli? I'll make a point to listen to this tomorrow.

[DeltrusDisc]

It's an incredible concert. Make sure to turn on ad-blocker... they put TONS of ads on the video (I mean, it is 2 hours...) but even cutting single pieces in two! D:

There's I believe 5 total conductors working at any time, and that's not counting the band that comes in and joins for the Laputa's Castle in the Sky section...

It's, special, a very very special concert. It's become one of my absolute, if not my absolute favorite things to listen to/watch. Just so damned gorgeous. I'd say it is very well recorded and mixed. Visually appealing also.

[Drunkenvalley]

Speaking of ads, now sites like licd.com and lfgcomic.com (although they're owned by the same guys, so go figure) have anti-adblock spam. That's great guys, that's really how you convert ad-blocking users.

I mean, I know why we need ads on the internet. But I don't trust a single goddamn site nowadays. I've given them all chances left and right for years, and not once have they in the long-term done anything but betray that trust. Disruptive ads, or malicious ads, and so on. How pretentious do these fuckwits have to be to host these sites and demand we see ads, but hold so little interest in vetting the ads?