Dominant at 30 years old, but is the Windows OS future bleak?

Posted on November 20, 2015 by CanucksBanter

James Nunns November 20 2015

Microsoft’s Windows Operating System is 30 years and it is still dominating the desktop OS market.

Combined, its operating systems total 88.55% of current desktop market share, according to Netmarketshare.

Windows 7 dominates with 57.79% of the market, while its latest OS Windows 10 accounts for 1.87%.

The dominance is clear but to highlight it further, the largest slice of the pie that doesn’t go to Microsoft is only 4.18% from Mac OS X 10.10.

It seems that age has not dampened its appeal to the market as it remains typically the default choice for businesses and consumers.

Released on the 20th of November 1985, Windows 1.0 sold 500,000 copies in just under two years, part of the foundation for success can be attributed to its price compared to its competitor Apple. Windows 1.0 came in at $99, while Apple’s Lisa OS cost around $10,000.

Dan Ulzhoefer, CEO, UI Centric said: “Windows was the first platform to truly realise the dream of the personal computer. The idea that every person could have access to their own programmable computing device is now at the heart of our relationship with technology today.”

Although use of its OS seems to be ubiquitous there have been bumps in the road. Microsoft would probably rather forget about problems with Vista and Windows 8.

Windows Vista attempted to fix some of the security problems that persisted on XP, however, compatibility issues with applications resulted in slow uptake.

In the end the company has focused on making the end user more productive, simplifying tasks that were once perhaps cumbersome and building a cross-platform strategy with Windows 10.

Challenging across platforms, the company faces stiff competition from the likes of Apple with its iPad Pro, a potential replacement for the laptop and, with PC sales continuing to decline, the future may not be rosy for the OS.

Chipping away at Microsoft’s desktop dominance, Mac OS X grew from a 3.68% marketshare in 2014 to 4.18% in 2015. While minimal compared to the market share of Windows, Apple is making in-roads little by little.

Windows 10 could potentially be the last version, with Microsoft employee Jerry Nixon saying: “Right now we’re releasing Windows 10, and because Windows 10 is the last version of Windows, we’re all still working on Windows 10,” during the Ignite conference in may.

At least it could be the end of Windows in its current format, as rolling updates replace versions; the next step could be for it simply to be called Windows.

The future, with the rise of cloud, could perhaps see Windows-as-a-Service, with the OS becoming something based on a pay-as-you-go model.

Source: Enterprise IT/Software

NHL MORNING SKATE – NOV. 20, 2015

Posted on November 20, 2015 by CanucksBanter

NHL MORNING SKATE – NOV. 20, 2015

Welcome to the “NHL Morning Skate,” a daily collection of the latest news and notes from around the League.

THURSDAY’S RESULTS

Home Team in Caps
BOSTON 4, Minnesota 2
San Jose 1, PHILADELPHIA 0 (OT)
PITTSBURGH 4, Colorado 3
Dallas 3, WASHINGTON 2
Arizona 3, MONTREAL 2
OTTAWA 3, Columbus 0
TAMPA BAY 2, NY Rangers 1
Anaheim 3, FLORIDA 1
ST. LOUIS 3, Buffalo 2 (SO)

OVECHKIN BECOMES TOP RUSSIAN-BORN GOAL-SCORER IN NHL HISTORY

Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin scored his 484th career goal (777 GP) to pass Sergei Fedorov (483 G in 1,248 GP) for most goals by a Russian-born player in NHL history.

“Obviously it was loud. They cheered for me since day one so it was a great moment. My dad is always there. My mom was there, my brother, my fiancé and her parents, so that was a special moment for me.” – Alex Ovechkin

“What he has accomplished thus far in his career has been nothing short of remarkable. I had a great opportunity to play with Alex in Washington and have seen first-hand the respect, passion and enthusiasm he has not only for the game of hockey but for his country as well.” – Sergei Fedorov

* Nicklas Backstrom (1-1—2) assisted on Ovechkin’s milestone goal. Coincidentally, Backstrom also earned an assist on Fedorov’s goal that broke Alexander Mogilny’s NHL record for career goals by a Russian-born player when they skated together for the Capitals on Oct. 24, 2008 at Dallas.
* Earlier this season, Ovechkin (484-428—912) also became the fourth Russian-born player to record 900 NHL points, following Fedorov (483-696—1,179), Mogilny (473-559—1,032) and Alex Kovalev (430-599—1,029).

MOST CAREER NHL GOALS BY COUNTRY OF BIRTH:

Wayne Gretzky (Canada) – 894
Jaromir Jagr (Czech Republic) – 729
Teemu Selanne (Finland) – 684
Mats Sundin (Sweden) – 564
Mike Modano (United States) – 561
Alex Ovechkin (Russia) – 484

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 19: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals celebrates after scoring a goal against the Dallas Stars in the third period of an NHL game at Verizon Center on November 19, 2015 in Washington, DC. Ovechkin scored his 484th career NHL goal passing Sergei Fedorov for the most goals by a Russian-born player in NHL history. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images)

STARS CONTINUE FRANCHISE-BEST START, CLIMB TO TOP OF STANDINGS

Jason Spezza scored the go-ahead goal at 11:10 of the third period as the Stars edged the Capitals to pick up their fourth consecutive victory overall and fifth straight win on the road.

* At 16-4-0 (32 points), the Stars are off to their best 20-game start to a season – in terms of wins and points – in the franchise’s 48-year history. Their 16 victories and 32 points lead the League.
* The Stars also improved to 9-2-0 (18 points) in their first 11 games as visitors. They pace the NHL in road wins and road points.
* Kari Lehtonen (33 saves) earned his sixth straight win, improving to 9-1-0 overall this season (2.34 GAA, .923 SV%). According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the only other time in franchise history that a goaltender won at least nine of his first ten games in one season was when Lehtonen did so in 2011-12 (also 9-1-0).
* Lehtonen also improved to 16-6-2 in 24 career appearances vs. WSH (2.56 GAA, .924 SV%, 2 SO), including seven straight wins.
* Tyler Seguin scored for Dallas and now trails CHI’s Patrick Kane (13-17—30) by two points for the League-lead with 11-17—28 in his first 20 games. Per Elias, he is the first member of the Stars/North Stars to record 28 or more points in the first 20 games of a season since Dino Ciccarelli (24-15—39) in 1986-87.
* John Klingberg (0-2—2) leads all blueliners in assists and points with 4-18—22 in his first 20 games of the season. Per Elias, he is the first defenseman in franchise history to record 22 points in the first 20 games of a season.

LIGHTNING SNAP RANGERS NINE-GAME WINNING STREAK

Valtteri Filppula (1-1—2) scored the game-winning goal while shorthanded with 1:05 left in regulation as the Lightning snapped New York’s nine-game winning streak in the first meeting between both clubs since the 2015 Eastern Conference Final (4-3 TBL series win).

* Per Elias, Filppula’s game-winning marker was the latest tiebreaking shorthanded goal in regulation time since Nov. 12, 2005, when Mike Knuble (PHI) did so against Florida at the 19:56 mark of the third period.
* Ben Bishop made 20 saves – including stopping Chris Kreider on a third-period penalty shot attempt – to improve to 9-0-0 in nine career regular-season appearances vs. NYR (1.43 GAA, .947 SV%, 2 SO).
* The Lightning improved to 5-0-0 in their last five regular-season games vs. NYR dating to Jan. 14, 2014 (NYR: 0-5-0).

JONES, ANDERSON POST SHUTOUT WINS FOR SHARKS, SENATORS

The Sharks and Senators each earned shutout victories on Thursday night over the Flyers and Blue Jackets, respectively:

* Melker Karlsson scored his first career overtime goal at 3:45 of the extra frame to lead the Sharks to a 1-0 victory. The Sharks have won the first four games of their current six-game trip, and have won five straight on the road overall. Martin Jones (34 saves) won his fourth straight decision and earned his third shutout of the season, tying Jake Allen (STL) and Michal Neuvirth (PHI) for the League-lead.
* Erik Karlsson (2-1—3) factored in on all three Senators goals and Craig Anderson made 25 saves to blank Columbus. Per Elias, Anderson (Park Ridge, IL) recorded his 30th career shutout and ranks third among active U.S.-born goaltenders in career blank sheets behind Jonathan Quick (38) and Ryan Miller (36).

THIS AND THAT

* Loui Eriksson (3-0—3) recorded his third career hat trick – and first since Dec. 31, 2009 vs. ANA (w/ DAL). Eriksson has 9-8—17 in his first 18 games of the season, including three multi-goal games. Jonas Gustavsson (24 saves) improved to 4-1-0 in his first five appearances with the Bruins (2.20 GAA, .914 SV%).
* Vladimir Tarasenko (1-1—2) scored his 12th goal of the season and Alexander Steen (0-2—2) assisted on each of the Blues’ goals in regulation and added the decisive tally in the shootout as St. Louis improved to 17-2-0 in their last 19 games vs. BUF dating to Jan. 13, 1999 (BUF: 2-14-3), including seven straight wins.
* Down 1-0, the Penguins scored three consecutive second-period goals in a span of 2:08 and Sidney Crosby netted the decisive marker at 11:56 of the third period to improve to 5-1-0 in their last six home games vs. COL dating to Dec. 10, 2005 (COL: 1-4-1). Per Elias, the Penguins scored three times in a span of 2:08 or faster for the first time since Jan. 3, 2008 vs. TOR (0:48).
* The Coyotes opened the scoring with three consecutive goals and held off a late Montreal rally to edge the Canadiens 3-2. Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored his second game-winning goal of the season to extend his career-high point streak to seven games (3-4—7). Ekman-Larsson paces all blueliners with 18 game-winning goals since he began his career in 2010-11.
* Frederik Andersen made 24 saves and Andrew Cogliano’s first shorthanded goal of the season stood as the game-winner in Anaheim’s 3-1 victory over Florida. The Ducks improved to 6-2-2 in their last 10 games following a 1-7-2 start to the season.

MILESTONES & BENCHMARKS

* Avalanche forward Jarome Iginla registered two assists to pass Peter Stastny (450-789—1,239 in 977 GP) for sole possession of 37th on the NHL’s all-time points list (596-645—1,241 in 1,411 GP). Iginla also skated in his 1,411th career game, passing Norm Ullman (1,410 GP) and moving into a tie with Harry Howell for 31st on the NHL’s all-time games played list.
* Dallas defenseman Alex Goligoski skated in his 500th career NHL game.
* Lightning forward Joel Vermin (10:14 TOI) and Wild defenseman Gustav Olofsson (10:41 TOI) both made their NHL debut.

LOOSE PUCKS

Bruins forward David Krejci (0-2—2) leads the Bruins in assists and points with 8-14—22 in his first 18 games of the season… Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron (0-1—1) extended his point streak to six games (3-4—7)… Wild forward Mikko Koivu (0-1—1) extended his point streak to five games (1-4—5)… Avalanche forward Matt Duchene (2-0—2) extended his point streak to five games (6-5—11)…Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin (1-0—1) has 3-2—5 in his last two games, including two power-play goals…Canadiens forwards Max Pacioretty (1-1—2) and Brendan Gallagher (0-1—1) both extended their point streaks to six games (3-5—8 each)… Senators forward Bobby Ryan (0-1—1) extended his point streak to seven games (3-5—8)…ICYMI: Coyotes forward and Pointe-Claire, QC native Anthony Duclair (0-1—1) had many family and friends on hand for his game in Montreal and spotted a group of former teammates in the crowd at Bell Centre and took a selfie with them.

SNEAK PEEK AT FRIDAY’S ACTION

All Times Eastern
Toronto @ Carolina, 7:00 p.m., SNO, FS-CR
Nashville @ Columbus, 7:00 p.m., FS-TN, FS-O
Los Angeles @ Detroit, 7:30 p.m., FS-W, FS-D+
Montreal @ NY Islanders, 7:30 p.m., RDS, SNE, MSG+
Chicago @ Calgary, 9:00 p.m., CSN-CH, SNW
New Jersey @ Edmonton, 9:00 p.m., MSG+ 2, SNOL

CANUCKS BANTER: Canucks Seven Game Road Trip Stats

Posted on November 19, 2015 by CanucksBanter

CANUCKS BANTER By Andrew Chernoff November 19, 2015

Road trip began on November 7, 2015 and ended on November 18, 2015.

Canucks Left On Road Trip Tied For 1rst In the Pacific Division

Canucks Finished Road Trip Tied For 2nd in the Pacific Division

Game Results On Road Trip

Road Trip Team Stats

Road Trip Player Stats

Road Trip Team Record: Days Between Games

NHL MORNING SKATE – NOV. 19, 2015

Posted on November 19, 2015 by CanucksBanter

NHL MORNING SKATE – NOV. 19, 2015

Welcome to the “NHL Morning Skate,” a daily collection of the latest news and notes from around the League.

WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS

Home Team in Caps
WINNIPEG 4, Vancouver 1
Washington 2, DETROIT 1 (OT)
Chicago 4, EDMONTON 3 (OT)

KANE, PANARIN EXTEND STREAKS IN OT WIN

The Oilers tied the game twice in the third period, but Marian Hossa scored his 12th career overtime goal just 68 seconds into overtime to lift the Blackhawks to their third consecutive victory.

* Linemates Patrick Kane (0-2—2) and Artemi Panarin (1-2—3) both collected multiple points to extend point streaks. Kane stretched his to 14 games (10-14—24), while Panarin has recorded points in six consecutive contests (5-5—10).
* Kane has matched the longest point streak of his career, established from Nov. 30 – Dec. 28, 2013 (8-17—25 in 14 GP). According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only one Blackhawks player other than Kane has recorded a point streak of at least 14 games in the past 20 years: Chris Chelios (Oct. 26 – Nov. 28, 1995: 4-16—20 in 15 GP).
* Kane, who had his career-high seven-game goal streak halted, has registered at least one point in 17 of 19 games this season. He has six multi-point performances in his last eight outings and leads the League in that category with a total of nine in 2015-16 – one more than Stars teammates Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin.
* Overall, Kane has collected 13-17—30 this season to pace the NHL in goals, assists (tied w/ Seguin) and points. Panarin leads all rookies – and ranks tied for fourth in the entire League – with 7-14—21.
* Hossa’s 12th career regular-season overtime goal lifted him into sole possession of fifth place among active players in that category, passing Arizona’s Shane Doan (11).

MOST REGULAR-SEASON OVERTIME GOALS, ACTIVE PLAYERS:

1. Jaromir Jagr, FLA (19)
2. Patrik Elias, NJD (16)
3. Alex Ovechkin, WSH (15)
4. Daniel Sedin, VAN (13)
5. Marian Hossa, CHI (12)

MOST REGULAR-SEASON OVERTIME POINTS, ACTIVE PLAYERS:

1. Patrik Elias, NJD (16-21—37)
2. Jaromir Jagr, FLA (19-16—35)
3. Daniel Sedin, VAN (13-13—26)
4. Joe Thornton, SJS (9-16—25)
5. (t) Marian Hossa, CHI (12-12—24)
5. (t) Alex Ovechkin, WSH (15-9—24)
5. (t) Henrik Sedin, VAN (4-20–24)

GAME SAVER

Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford made 34 saves – highlighted by a game-saving glove stop in overtime – to improve to 4-1-0 in seven career appearances at Rexall Place (2.27 GAA, .919 SV%). Overall, he holds a 9-5-1 record with a 2.44 goals-against average, .918 save percentage and two shutouts in 2015-16.

KUZNETSOV SEALS ANOTHER GAME IN OT

Evgeny Kuznetsov scored 45 seconds into overtime to lift the Capitals over the Red Wings in their second visit to Joe Louis Arena in eight days.
* At 12-4-1 (25 points), the Capitals have equaled their second-best 17-game start to a season in franchise history (also 2010-11: 12-4-1). In 1991-92, the club opened with a 13-4-0 record (26 points) in their first 17 contests.
* Kuznetsov, who also scored the overtime winner in Washington’s 2-1 victory against the Panthers on Oct. 31, joins Chicago’s Jonathan Toews as the only players with two overtime goals this season. Kuznetsov has tallied three game-winning goals in his regular-season career (114 GP), all of which have come in overtime.
* Of the 58 games that have required overtime this season, 40 have been decided in the extra frame (69.0%). Nine overtime contests have ended within the first 60 seconds:

Goals in the First Minute of Overtime, 2015-16 Season

0:17 – Jonathan Toews (CHI): Oct. 24 vs. TB
0:34 – Kyle Turris (OTT): Nov. 3 at MTL
0:35 – Mikael Backlund (CGY): Nov. 5 vs. PHI
0:36 – Ondrej Palat (TBL): Oct. 23 at WPG
0:37 – Jakub Voracek (PHI): Nov. 14 at CAR
0:41 – Phil Kessel (PIT): Oct. 24 at NSH
0:43 – Adam Larsson (NJD): Oct. 20 vs. ARI
0:45 – Evgeny Kuznetsov (WSH), Nov. 18 at DET
0:51 – Jonathan Toews (CHI): Oct. 26 vs. ANA

JETS RETURN HOME TO END SKID

The line of Drew Stafford (2-1—3), Mark Scheifele (2-1—3) and Mathieu Perreault (0-3—3) combined for nine points and a +8 rating to help the Jets snap a six-game skid overall (0-5-1) in their return to MTS Centre after a four-game road trip.
* Stafford registered his second multi-goal effort of the season (also Oct. 25 vs. MIN: 2-0—2) to snap an 11-game goal/point drought. He paces the club with three game-winning goals this season (20 GP) – one more than he totaled over the previous three campaigns (192 GP).
* Scheifele and Perreault equaled career highs for points and assists in a game, respectively. Perreault shares the team lead with 13 assists (w/ Blake Wheeler).

NHL, NHLPA ANNOUNCE NEW FORMAT FOR HONDA NHL ALL-STAR

The NHL and NHLPA announced the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Game will be transformed into a 3-on-3 All-Star Tournament among the NHL’s most talented star players from each division.
* The new format will divide the All-Star Game into three 20-minute games, with star players from each Division making up the four All-Star teams: Pacific, Central, Atlantic, and Metropolitan.
* The 2016 Honda NHL All-Star celebration will include the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Skills Competition on Saturday, Jan. 30, and the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Tournament on Sunday, Jan. 31, where players will face off in a winner-take-all $1 million inter-division tournament.
* In addition to the new format, the NHL announced that Honda, the exclusive automotive partner of the NHL, will expand its League support as title sponsor for the 2016 NHL All-Star festivities in Nashville.

Click here for more details.

MILESTONES & BENCHMARKS

* Capitals head coach Barry Trotz coached his 1,295th career game, surpassing Jacques Martin for sole possession of 10th place on the NHL’s all-time games coached list. Trotz also earned his 614th career victory (614-509-172) to surpass Martin for 12th place all-time in wins by a head coach.
* Canucks forward Alexandre Grenier, a third-round selection (90th overall) by the Canucks in the 2011 NHL Draft, made his League debut (4 shots, 8:52 TOI).
* Capitals forward Brooks Laich played in his 700th career game.
* Canucks forward Daniel Sedin (1-0—1) moved within one point of 900 in his NHL career (334-565—899).

LOOSE PUCKS

Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl scored with 2:46 remaining in regulation to force overtime. Draisaitl has 6-8—14 in nine outings this season, including 3-4—7 in his last four contests . . . Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby improved to 5-2-0 in seven career appearances vs. DET, including a 4-1-0 record at Joe Louis Arena (1.78 GAA, .943 SV%). Holtby shares the League lead with 10 wins (w/ Pekka Rinne, Devan Dubnyk and Henrik Lundqvist) . . . Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin scored his sixth goal of the season, two back of rookie leader Max Domi (ARI) . . . Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk (0-1—1) registered his first point of the season (4 GP) . . . Oilers forward Taylor Hall (0-1—1) has compiled 9-13—22 in 17 career appearances vs. CHI . . . Canucks forward Daniel Sedin has collected 9-8—17 in 17 career games against the Jets/Thrashers . . . Hockey Hall of Famer and five-time Stanley Cup champion Bert Olmstead died at age 89.

SNEAK PEEK AT THURSDAY’S ACTION

All Times Eastern
Minnesota @ Boston, 7:00 p.m., FS-N, NESN
San Jose @ Philadelphia, 7:00 p.m., CSN-CA, CSN-PH
Colorado @ Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m., ALT, ROOT
Dallas @ Washington, 7:00 p.m., FS-SW, CSN-DC
Arizona @ Montreal, 7:30 p.m., FS-A, RDS, CITYM
Columbus @ Ottawa, 7:30 p.m., FS-O, RDS2, TSN5
NY Rangers @ Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m., MSG, SUN
Anaheim @ Florida, 7:30 p.m., PRIME, FS-SD, FS-F
Buffalo @ St. Louis, 8:00 p.m., MSG-B, BELL TV, FS-MW

EAST, WEST CLOSELY MATCHED IN INTER-CONFERENCE PLAY

Seven of nine games on Thursday’s slate are East vs. West contests. Over the first 119 inter-conference games played this season (through Nov. 18), the West holds a slim edge in wins (61-58), the East in goal differential (322-318). According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last season in which the East recorded more wins than the West in inter-conference games was 1998-99. (East 150-139-55; West 139-150-55).

RANGERS VISIT LIGHTNING IN PLAYOFF REMATCH

Standing between the Rangers and a franchise record-tying 10th consecutive victory is the Lightning, who edged the Blueshirts in a seven-game Eastern Conference Final last season. The clubs meet at Amalie Arena for the first of three regular-season contests.

GOAL SUMMIT IN WASHINGTON, D.C.?

The Capitals host the Stars in a matchup featuring the reigning Art Ross Trophy winner (most points), Dallas’ Jamie Benn; the reigning and five-time Maurice Richard Trophy winner (most goals), Washington’s Alex Ovechkin; last season’s assist leader, Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom; this year’s scoring leader among defenseman, Dallas’ John Klingberg; and the second-ranked player in points this season, Dallas’ Tyler Seguin. The Stars are the NHL’s top-ranked offensive team this season (3.58 goals per game), while the Capitals are tied for fifth place (3.00).

Scatec Solar to build $600m solar projects in Egypt

Posted on November 18, 2015 by CanucksBanter

CAIRO, 0 hours, 48 minutes ago

Scatec Solar, a leading solar energy provider, is planning to invest $600 million on solar projects over two years in Egypt.

As the sun is very stable from morning to evening, plenty of solar power can be generated in Egypt, said a statement.

These investments will create employment, with the provider in discussions with Egyptian companies in regards to training local workers and teaching them the skills during the construction of solar plants, it said.

Terje Osmundsen, Scatec Solar senior vice president for Business Development, who took part in the recently concluded Solar Projects Egypt conference, said that if Egypt moves according to its ambitious timeline, it can emerge as a leader in solar energy.

The conference showed that there is an emerging cluster of Egyptian companies that is preparing to play an active role in developing the solar market in Egypt.

India, South Africa and China are large countries and play an important role, but in the Mena region, Egypt can become the leading hub on solar development, and gradually even manufacturing, said Osmundsen.

Egypt is potentially a very attractive market because for every KW per hour of solar energy that can be produced. Importing fuel is expensive and a drain of precious foreign exchange reserves. Solar energy can replace imported oil, fuel and diesel to produce electricity.

From a global perspective, the Benban area is a huge area because it is linked to the infrastructure of the Aswan Dam – so it can combine hydro, wind and solar power. So this area is very suitable for building solar power farms, he said.

The company has started recruiting people to work on the three projects in Benban and two in Zaafarana and has also been co-ordinating with local companies.

The Benban projects are set to be launched in the first half of the next year, said Osmundsen.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) is ready to sign the contract of sub-stations and want to start next year, he said.

About 25 to 30 per cent equity amounts to $112 million to $146 million, and 70 to 75 per cent debt will represent $420 million to $450 million in loans from the banks. The firm is discussing with Norwegian and international funders, he added. – TradeArabia News Service

Source: Scatec Solar to build $600m solar projects in Egypt

Andrew Phillip Chernoff

The Outer Limits To The Inner Depths

Author Archives: CanucksBanter