Microsoft moving towards Cloud Accounts Only

[Bantamzen]

TBH, I trust M$ a lot more with my data than I do Google, simply because M$'s business model is to sell premium products and services rather than to harvest my data to pay for them. Apple are very similar.

Personally I trust Google services more, primarily because they seem to be much more stable. I don't mind a bit of data harvesting if they keep their primary services free and reliable. If they want to use the data my phone sends them when I'm going for a few pints before the game, or chilling on a Greek island they can for me.

Cloud is ok when you have a good reliable fast internet connection either via cable, WIFI or mobile. However for example I have a laptop I sometimes use in places with no internet connection so I want isolated operation.
Likewise with my mobile phone which as a keen rambler I often use mapping applications and want to use them anywhere. There is a considerable number of locations where there is no mobile signal even in Greater Manchester area, so I normally use apps where you can download maps before you go and store them on the phone. A good one I have found is "mapy.cz" where you can download a reasonable set of uk maps (based on "openstreetmap"). Only problem is that they fill your phones memory- 3G for the uk so extra memory is advised.

Google Maps allows its maps to be downloaded for off-line use, there is now an official OS app which I think does the same.

 

[[.n]]

Cloud is ok when you have a good reliable fast internet connection either via cable, WIFI or mobile. However for example I have a laptop I sometimes use in places with no internet connection so I want isolated operation.
Likewise with my mobile phone which as a keen rambler I often use mapping applications and want to use them anywhere. There is a considerable number of locations where there is no mobile signal even in Greater Manchester area, so I normally use apps where you can download maps before you go and store them on the phone. A good one I have found is "mapy.cz" where you can download a reasonable set of uk maps (based on "openstreetmap"). Only problem is that they fill your phones memory- 3G for the uk so extra memory is advised.

Here Maps (originally Nokia Maps) allows you to download maps too

 

[apk55]

Google maps is good for urban areas but I want more detailed maps showing footpaths and other details in the countryside for which openstreetmap is better. However nothing beats the good old OS maps for detail.
While I have a windows computer most of the time I use Linux and use Libre office and firefox for writing and browsing. (My main computer is multiboot) For compatibility most of the time I use them on my windows computer as well.
The problem is when out and about is being able to get a good internet connection. While at quiet times public WIFI can be ok but try at busy times it can take quite a while to download even a simple email. Out in the suburbs it is not even available. And mobile internet is not always very good, and further out in the countryside away from main roads it can be very poor or none existant.
Therefore any system that relies on sending data backwards and forwards could become unresponsive and slow. An example could be lots of users on a train. The WIFI could be overloaded and mobile reception patchy because of the terrain so all the people trying to work onboard would give up in frustration.

 

[talltim]

Not that you would, but you could. 16 cores, 128GB of RAM would make a decent Minecraft server!

Puny just ordered the same amount of RAM again