Features

In technology numbers and power go hand in hand. Ever since Microsoft went past good old Windows XP and starting rolling out better systems, users have had a choice between 32-bit and 64-bit Windows. Most other software makers also have 32-bit and 64-bit versions of their products, like Adobe for instance. What is behind the numbers and what do they actually represent?

To use the old analogy between cars and computers, 32-bit and 64-bit are in way comparable to 4-cylinder and 8-cylinder. You definitely get more power with the bigger number but you also need more memory, more fuel to run.

Putting it simply, a 32-bit computer processor treats 32 bits of data (a series of 32 zeroes and ones) at a time, whereas a 64-bit chip processes 64 bits at a time. Though the number is a good indicator of the machine’s power, overall, the actual computer speed and performance you get in the end do not only depend on this measurement. Again, it’s just like cars. Indeed, you can have 4-cylinder vehicle that is faster than an 8-cylinder, because of several other technical factors: cylinders volume size, car weight, etc.

With users always craving faster devices and software applications getting heavier and more demanding all the time, the 64-bit model is becoming the norm. Even apparently “minor” devices like high-end smartphones are today based on 64-bit chip architecture — and to think that only a few years ago full-size desktop computers were built on slow 16-bit processors!

Until the early 1980s, only mainframe computers (now they call them servers) had 16-bit structure. Italian manufacturer Olivetti was the first to introduce 16-bit personal computers circa 1985 with its epic M20 machine. This was followed by IBM shortly after. The rest is history.

To make good use of a 64-bit system, a few things have to match it. The amount of main memory matters most. For a Windows-based laptop or desktop computer 6GB is the minimum that will do and 8GB or more are strongly recommended. Software applications must also follow. When installing Microsoft Office or Adobe Suite for instance (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.), one must ensure that everything is 64-bit, otherwise there would be no power benefit. These Adobe’s heavy-weight applications, in particular, run significantly better and faster with a global 64-bit environment.

Thanks to 64-bit systems all around, and all that goes with this important element, the question of computer power and speed is hardly an issue anymore. Machines have become truly fast enough for most every application we can imagine, except perhaps in the realm of critical, advanced scientific research and the like where computers are never fast enough. Actually 64-bit chips (servers included) are giving users satisfaction to the point that IT pundits do not envision the advent of 128-bit processors before many years, for they consider that they are simply not required at this point of the technological evolution.

Microsoft’s new Windows 10 is available in both 32- and 64-bit versions, though it would make little sense to opt for the first, unless one wants absolutely to keep it compatible with very old software and devices.

With the questions of computer speed and power behind them, users’ worries are shifting to other ones: data security, cloud usage and Internet bandwidth, to name a few. This is perfectly understandable and justified.

HONG KONG — A controversial new proposal to take Hong Kong’s beloved trams off the streets has sparked a wave of anger from residents who fear losing track of the city’s past.

Known as “ding-dings” for the sound of their bells, trams have served the northern coastline of the city’s main island for more than 110 years and still carry around 200,000 passengers a day.

As development changes the face of the city, sweeping away many of its historic landmarks, trams have survived in the face of growing competition from buses and the modern MTR metro system.

But a recent proposal to scrap part of the network has renewed fears that this unique piece of heritage is also under threat.

Thousands signed petitions against the suggestion that the tram service should be removed from the main financial district of Central.

The proposal was put forward to the government’s official town planning body by consultant Sit Kwok-keung, a former planner, who argues that it is too slow, blocks traffic and is unnecessary as the MTR expands.

The retired civil servant said putting the idea forward for debate is his “right and responsibility”.

“The tramway takes up a significant portion of the road. Its efficiency is rather low... I am trying to make Hong Kong transportation more efficient,” he told AFP.

The planning body will discuss the proposal in October, but the Hong Kong government has sought to reassure the travelling public by saying it had no plans to remove the trams.

But unease remains.

“Public sentiment is strongly against this idea,” activist Kwong Sum-yin, who is leading the “Save The Trams” campaign, told AFP.

“Trams are forward-looking as a form of zero-emission transport when the world is talking about sustainability.”

Kwong’s group, the Clean Air Network, is instead proposing a car-free zone in Central to ease congestion and make way for more trams to run.

“We are losing our history. That’s why Hong Kong people don’t want to see one more thing to go,” Kwong said.

Nostalgia trip

Protests triggered by Sit’s proposal have even included a “Man vs Tram” race to counter his claim trams are slow. About 40 people took on an in-service tram over 9 kilometres, but even accounting for the tram’s numerous stops only a handful of competitors outran it.

One green group has galvanised 3,000 people to write to the town planning board to object to the proposal.

“It has a long history and it has got nostalgic elements,” said electrician Lau Chap-tong, 56, as he rode the tram in the residential neighbourhood of Sai Ying Pun.

“It will have a special meaning to future generations, we should not get rid of it.”

Passenger Johnny Ho, in his 70s, also defended the tram.

“I always take it to see my grandchildren. What is the point of suddenly getting rid of it after so many years?” he told AFP.

With 163 cars, Hong Kong’s tram network is the world’s largest fleet of double-deck tramcars still in operation, charging a flat rate of just HK$2.30 (30 US cents) for adults to ride the 120-stop system.

Hong Kong Tramways Managing Director Emmanuel Vivant said the network is a “key part of what makes Hong Kong a great city” and argues that trams are not to blame for traffic congestion.

“Everyone knows the reason for the jams is the 50 per cent increase in the number of vehicles over the past 10 years,” he said.

Vanishing heritage

Many residents of the city of 7 million are increasingly focused on preserving its past, as economic development takes a toll on Hong Kong’s transport heritage.

Protests were sparked in 2007 when the government removed the Queen’s Pier for a bypass. The ferry pier was a traditional landing point for visiting dignitaries including Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana during the British colonial era.

There was also criticism when operators modernised tramcars in 2010.

But despite public support for the tram system, Sit says it is time for a review.

“Efficiency is the most important [thing] to every person,” he said.

He added that if his proposal for Central went through, he would advocate for the complete removal of trams throughout the city.

Sit argues that trams should instead be turned into “mobile museums”.

“Why should some outdated transport mode remain here?” he said.

Today marks the two hundred and fiftieth week of my column Talespin. I am no mathematician but roughly speaking it has completed five years of existence since its launch in September of 2010. 

A lot has changed over the years but quite a bit has remained the same. Living in Amman, the city of my residence, I witnessed many geopolitical conflicts being played out in our neighbourhood. Syria imploded, Iraq disintegrated, and Tunisia, Libya and Egypt erupted in volatile instability. 

When I had recently moved to the place, the sound of a military helicopter would have me rushing out of the house instantly, to peer at the flying machine. It was a very rare sight in those days. But now, along with the inhabitants of the town, I have also got inured to its daily presence. The loud noise that it makes is a slight irritant but other than that, it does not bother me any more. 

An additional thing that has changed is the immense surge of refugees that have arrived in the country. The camps are overflowing and we are desperately trying to cope with sharing our water, electricity and other natural resources with them. Zaatari Refugee Camp that was founded in July 28, 2012, is now the ninth-biggest city here. Jordan hosts 629,000 Syrian refugees, out of which over 100,000 live in camps, including 20,000 in the newer Azraq Refugee Camp, while the rest struggle to survive in cities with UN cash and food assistance. 

Global warming has made the place hotter and this summer the temperatures soared higher than I have ever witnessed in the last four years. Earlier, in Amman, even during the hottest months, the evenings were cool and pleasant and one required a light jacket while stepping out. So I have forgotten how to take care of myself in the intense heat and suffered from dehydration and sunburns. 

However, I am pleased to report that even with all this chaos, the driving and smoking habits of Jordanians remains unchangeable. Almost everyone still drives with one foot on the accelerator, the other tapping to a song beat, and one hand holding a cellphone to the ear while the other dangles a half-smoked cigarette. With so much of death and destruction happening in the vicinity, it is almost as if we cock-a-snook at destiny. 

Personally, I am getting used to having my professional life discussed publicly. Even though I have been a writer for more than two decades I was never quizzed in so much of detail about my work. Nobody was interested, you see? 

Comic writing, which is my forte, was never taken seriously. But recently I was invited to a book club where all the members had, over a month, read my newly published book, which is a collection of one hundred of my columns. 

I was nervous but the moment I walked in, the beaming club members engulfed me in warm hugs. The praise that was heaped left me reeling with delight. 

“I could relate to all your stories. You were talking about me,” one lady gushed. 

“No, no! You were talking about me,” another reiterated. 

“You have no idea how happy you made me. I saved your columns,” said the third one. 

“To savour them at the end of the day,” continued the fourth. 

“Like a favourite sweet dish,” said the fifth. 

“I wish it could go on and on,” they chorused. 

“And on,” they repeated.

SAN FRANCISCO  — Microsoft’s new Windows 10 system offers more personalisation than before, but it also collects more data than people might be used to on PCs, from contacts and appointments to their physical location and even Wi-Fi passwords.

The information is used by Cortana, Microsoft’s voice-activated digital assistant, and other new features that try to be helpful by remembering a user’s likes and habits. Apple and Google have developed similar services for smartphones in recent years. Microsoft’s new features are a big part of its strategy to make Windows more relevant in a world where people use multiple devices throughout the day.

Most of these features get turned on when you set up Windows 10 with the “Get going fast” option. But you can take back control and disable features in the settings. Here are some examples:

Wi-Fi worries

A feature called Wi-Fi Sense promises to make it easy for users and their friends to connect with new Wi-Fi networks. It lets Windows 10 computers log in automatically to known networks, so your friends don’t have to ask for the password when they visit.

Despite some initial reports, Wi-Fi Sense doesn’t hand over your password to all your friends. Instead it stores your password online in an encrypted form. It then provides that encrypted code to your friend’s Windows 10 device so it can automatically log into your network. Your friends never actually see the password, and Microsoft says your friends won’t get access to other computers or files on the network.

Even so, critics say the feature shares too freely, as you can’t choose which friends to share with — only with your full list of friends or contacts on Facebook, Outlook.com or Skype. To disable this, open the “Settings” menu in Windows 10, select “Network & Internet” and click on “Manage Wi-Fi Settings”. You can uncheck groups you don’t want to share with. You can also choose not to share access to a particular network when you log in for the first time; just uncheck the box next to “Share network with my contacts”.

But if you let friends manually log into your network by giving them your password, be aware they might be able to share the password via Wi-Fi Sense with their friends. You can ask them not to, or completely block Wi-Fi Sense by changing your Wi-Fi network’s name to include the underscore followed by these characters: optout.

Cortana knows you

Many people are used to voice-activated services like Apple’s Siri or “OK Google” on smartphones and tablets. Windows 10 brings Microsoft’s digital assistant, Cortana, to desktops and laptops. Cortana can answer questions, remind you of appointments and even recommend nearby restaurants. But to do that, Cortana uploads and saves information about your Web browsing, search queries and location, as well as some details from your messages, contacts and calendar.

Microsoft says it doesn’t use the Cortana personalisation to target ads. Nor will it use your e-mails, chats or personal files for advertising. But it does tailor ads to websites visited with its Edge browser and queries made on its Bing search engine, including queries through Cortana. (Google’s browser and search engine do this, too.)

You can review what Cortana knows about you: Click on the search field in the lower left of your screen, then click the “Notebook” icon and select “About Me” to edit or delete individual items. If you want to turn Cortana off, open “Notebook”, click on “Settings” and toggle Cortana to “Off”. That clears information stored on the device, but not the data uploaded to Microsoft’s servers. To get to that, open “Notebook”, choose “Settings” and click “Manage what Cortana knows about me in the cloud”.

More privacy settings

Anyone concerned about privacy should take a run through the “Privacy” section of the Windows 10 “Settings” menu. This is different from the “Settings” menu for Cortana. You find it by clicking on the Windows icon in the lower left of your screen.

Windows 10 assigns each user on each device a unique “advertising ID”, which lets app developers track how each person uses the device and apps. If that bothers you, you’ll find the button to turn it off by going to “Settings” and opening the “Privacy” section. You might have to hit the back arrow at the top left if you’re already in another section. Click on “General” in the left-hand column to turn off advertising ID. You might still get ads, but they won’t be tailored to you.

Similarly, open “Privacy” and click on “Location” to turn off location tracking or clear the history of where you’ve travelled with your laptop, tablet or Windows phone.

Another heading under “Privacy” has the innocuous title of “Other devices”. That’s where you can turn off the ability to “Sync with devices”. That feature lets apps on your device share information with things like store-tracking beacons, which send you ads as you walk nearby. If that sounds creepy, turn it off.

Some critics complain that Microsoft hasn’t been more up front about all the ways Windows 10 collects user information. But you can find most of them by scrolling through the nooks and crannies of the “Settings” menu. That’s a good thing to do with any new software programme or Internet service. It’s also good to go back there from time to time to make sure the settings match your comfort level.

TRENTON, New Jersey — For the first time, there’s evidence that a diabetes medication, Jardiance, reduces risk of the complications that are the top killer of diabetics: heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular damage.

Preventing those is a long-elusive goal for the millions of diabetes patients and their doctors, and one analyst who’s also a trained physician even called news of a possible groundbreaking advance a “holy grail”.

Analysts are predicting a windfall for the makers of Jardiance, anticipating a big shift in which diabetes drugs doctors prescribe most. US investors liked the news, too, driving up Lilly shares more than 5 per cent.

Jardiance, a once-a-day pill, was approved in the US last August for patients with Type 2, on non-insulin dependent, diabetes.

Despite the excitement, the drug’s two manufacturers — Eli Lilly and Co. of Indianapolis and German partner Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH — have announced only that a three-year study they conducted showed the drug delayed the time until patients died of cardiovascular disease or suffered a heart attack or stroke.

That brief summary, known as the top-line result, is meant to inform investors promptly that the closely watched study met its main goal, a result likely to affect Eli Lilly’s financial prospects and stock price.

“This could be important to patient care, but I think we should wait until the medical community digests all the data,” cautioned Dr Thomas Seck, Boehringer Ingelheim’s US head of drug testing and medical affairs for metabolic disorders, which include diabetes.

Dr Ananda Basu, a diabetes specialist at the Mayo Clinic, cautioned that it’s impossible to predict how patient treatment will be affected until details of the study design, the size of Jardiance’s benefits and any side effects are disclosed.

The two drugmakers plan to release detailed findings at a major diabetes conference in Europe on September 17 and simultaneously publish them in a medical journal.

In the Jardiance study, the 7,000 patients were followed just over three years, on average. All were taking multiple standard medicines for diabetics, to control blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Half were given Jardiance pills and the other half dummy pills.

BernsteinResearch analyst Dr Timothy Anderson wrote to investors that the positive result is a “holy grail of sorts” that should give Jardiance a competitive leg up. He wrote that he’d expected the trial to fail, and that the result was even more impressive because study participants were already on so many heart-protecting medicines. Anderson predicted Jardiance sales could hit $2 billion by 2020, twice what he’d expected, if the results are truly positive.

Lilly has reported just $30 million in sales for Jardiance in the first six months of this year, while privately held Boehringer Ingelheim hasn’t disclosed its take.

Analyst Seamus Fernandez of Leerink Swann also called the result a “surprise as no diabetes drugs, including insulin, have demonstrated [cardiovascular] benefit previously” over three years.

Dr Vamil Divan, a Credit Suisse analyst, wrote that the result would cut into sales of Merck & Co.’s Januvia, which brings in $6 billion a year, and other medicines in the DPP-4 inhibitor class. Those control blood sugar by increasing the body’s insulin production, but only when blood sugar levels are too high.

Jardiance is part of a newer class of diabetes drugs called SGLT-2 inhibitors, which work by making the kidneys extract a significant amount of sugar from the blood to be excreted in urine.

For years, prescription pills and insulin and other injected medicines have helped diabetics control blood sugar levels and sometimes weight as well, together with regular exercise and a healthy diet. Most patients don’t manage their diabetes as well as they should, though, which generally shortens their lifespan after years of hefty medical bills.

Meanwhile, Type 2 diabetes in particular has become much more common, along with the obesity epidemic. Type 2, which about 95 per cent of diabetics have, is usually linked to excess weight and a sedentary lifestyle. Nearly 30 million American adults and children — almost 10 per cent of the population — have diabetes. An estimated 86 million more have prediabetes, and most will develop diabetes unless they take major, continuing steps to prevent that.

Launched globally in recent weeks, the second generation Jaguar XF picks up where its predecessor left off. Crisp and contemporary, the XF changed Jaguar’s design ethos from traditional to futuristic — while maintaining its sense of heritage — when first launched in 2007. The new XF is, however, a more high-tech machine that combines classy design and rewarding yet refined driving characteristics. 

Smooth, sporty, seductively styled and now built on a stiff and light aluminium frame, the new XF’s design is evolutionary, while its driver and dynamic assistance and infotainment technology suite is advanced and user-friendly. A more focused on its mid-size executive saloon, the new XF is powered by several familiar but improved engines, and Jaguar Land Rover’s all-new 2-litre turbo-diesel Ingenium engine. 

Architecture and aesthetics

Evolutionary in aesthetic, the new XF’s design is, however, noticeably more defined and chiselled, with sharper lines, more sculpted surfacing and a greater emphasis on width and road presence. Starting with a wider, better refined, more upright and snoutier more jutting honeycomb grille, the XF also receives bigger and deeper side intakes pinched inwards at the centre and a expanding, road-hugging lower intake. 

A more noticeably muscular stepped bonnet and power bulge are complemented by sharper “J” LED headlight motifs. Side views include sharper character lines, prominent sweeping waistline ridge and strong rear haunches. Short front overhang and an elegantly long boot lend a classic cabin-rear look. A lower waistline looks classier and improves visibility, while its rakish roofline has been finessed for a 27mm rear headroom improvement.

Built with 75 per cent aluminium architecture, the new XF is 28 per cent stiffer and 11 per cent lighter, which translates into a weight loss of up to 190kg and improved handling precision and ride refinement. Bucking the trend for ever-larger successor models, the new XF is marginally smaller, with 7mm length and 3mm height reductions. However, a 51mm longer wheelbase provides more rear legroom and improved ride stability.

Punchy and perky oil burner

Offered with a range of supercharged petrol and turbocharged diesel V6 engines, the new XF range starts with Jaguar’s much anticipated and highly efficient turbocharged 2-litre 4-cylinder Ingenium engine, as driven during its global launch event in northern Spain. Available only as a turbo-diesel at present, a petrol-powered Ingenium engine is expected to replace the XF’s Ford Ecoboost-derived 2-litre turbocharged petrol engine in the near future.

Efficient, abundant and refined the XF Ingenium turbo-diesel is the sort of contemporary and clean engine that Jordanians deserve and makes a strong case for the introduction of diesel passenger cars, which are currently not permitted. Mated to a smooth and concise shifting 8-speed automatic gearbox driving the rear wheels, the XF 2.0 Diesel driven returns frugal hybrid-rivalling 4.3l/100km combined fuel consumption and low 114g/km CO2 emissions.

Quick spooling and with little of the turbo-lag associated with turbo-diesels, the XF 2.0 Diesel is perky and punchy for an oil burner. Developing a massive 318lb/ft torque throughout 1750-2500rpm, the XF’s muscular mid-range ability allows for effortless versatility and responses at highway driving. Building up to its maximum 177BHP by 4000rpm, the XF feels eager, while performance includes 8.1-second 0-100km/h acceleration and a 229km/h top speed.

Supple and sporty

Built on stiff and light aluminium architecture, and with low unsprung mass and 50:50 weight distribution the XF’s sound dynamic basis is aided by fluent yet honed suspension that allows for both ride comfort and composed handling. With double wishbone front and integral-link rear suspension, the XF’s more versatile suspension tuning enables a smoother more supple ride and better
roadholding, crisper cornering responses and tauter body control.

With soft bushes and stiff camber and castor settings, the XF well reconciles the contradictory requirements for a luxurious ride and sporty handling, while even its base passive suspension system features a speed and frequency sensitive bypass to enable a smoother ride at low speed and firmer body control at speed. Electric-assisted steering also delivers connected responsiveness, linear feel, and improved efficiency and refinement.

Supple and comfortable soaking up bumps, cracks and roughness despite optional low profile 255/35R20 tyres, the XF rides with stability on highway and feels buttoned down and settled on rebound. Into corners it is tidy and eager, with balanced handling, reassuring grip and taut body control. Fluent, smooth and refined, the XF is also well insulated and with slippery CD0.26 aerodynamics, is highly refined from road, wind and diesel clatter noise.

Refinement and technology

Refined, well-insulated and richly appointed with leathers, metals, woods and soft textures, the XF’s classy cabin has distinct sense of clarity, with uncluttered layouts and unfussed aesthetics, including a rising rotary gear selector and rotating side air vents. Driven with R-Sport trim, it featured a chunky contoured steering wheel, supportive, comfortable and well-adjustable seat. Along with good room and visibility allowing for a focused and ergonomic driving position.

Well-equipped, automatic gearbox XFs are fitted with All-Surface Progress Control (ASPC). Derived from systems employed by Jaguar’s Land Rover sister brand, ASPC goes beyond traction control, and instead functions as a sure-footed low-speed cruise control, operating between 3.6-30km/h on low friction surfaces. Semi-autonomous systems additionally include emergency braking, lane keeping, driver condition, sign recognition, intelligent speed limit, parking assist, reverse traffic detection and adaptive cruise control systems.

In addition to extensive convenience, assistance and safety kit, the XF is also offered with two intuitive 10.2-inch infotainment system options. Standard InControl Touch features gesture and voice control and text-to-voice tech.  

The advanced optional smartphone-like InControl Touch Pro features quad-core processer, 60GB solid state drive, Ethernet connectivity, numerous apps, smooth crisp graphics and interactive satnav with approach view and dead reckoning, which positions the vehicle even without a GPS signal.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 2-litre, turbo-diesel, in-line 4 cylinders

Bore x stroke: 80 x 92.4mm

Compression ratio: 15.5:1

Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC, common-rail injection, variable valve timing

Gearbox: 8-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive

Ratios: 1st 4.714; 2nd 3.143; 3rd 2.106; 4th 1.667; 5th 1.285; 6th 1.0; 7th 0.839; 8th 0.667

Reverse/final drive: 3.295/2.73

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 177.5 (180) [132] @4000rpm

Specific power: 88.8BHP/litre

Power -to-weight ratio: 111.28BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 318 (430) @1750-2500rpm

Specific torque: 215.1Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight ratio: 269.6Nm/tonne

0-100km/h: 8.1 seconds

Top speed: 229km/h

Fuel economy, combined: 4.3 litres/100km

Combined CO2 emissions: 114g/km

Fuel capacity: 66 litres

Length: 4954mm

Width: 1880mm

Height: 1457mm

Wheelbase: 2960mm

Track, F/R: 1605/1594mm

Boot capacity: 540 litres

Kerb weight: 1595kg

Suspension, F/R: Double wishbones/integral link

Steering: Variable electric-assisted rack & pinion

Brakes: Ventilated discs

Tyres: 255/35R20 (optional)

SEATTLE — Microsoft, a company built on getting people to pay for software, is reaping the benefits of free. Four weeks after its debut, the new Windows 10 operating system now powers more than 75 million devices, Yusuf Mehdi, the Microsoft executive overseeing Windows marketing, said Wednesday.

Much of that momentum, analysts say, is because Microsoft is offering Windows 10 free to the majority of home users of the prior two major Windows releases. Microsoft has said the offer will extend at least through next July.

“That’s pretty impressive,” said Steve Kleynhans, an analyst with researcher Gartner. “I don’t think any other operating system achieved that in less than six months.”

In Windows 10, Microsoft is trying to rebound from the lacklustre market performance of Windows 8, the previous major version.

The touch-focused interface of Windows 8 dumped the traditional start menu, confusing many users. Many businesses and home users remained with its well-regarded predecessor, Windows 7, which still accounts for more than half of Windows users.

Windows 10 now powers 5.7 per cent of personal computers and tablets worldwide, according to web analytics company StatCounter.

At the same point after the release of Windows 8, that software was running just 1 per cent of devices. Windows 7 held a 4 per cent share at its four-week mark.

Still, it remains to be seen whether Windows 10 will revive the beleaguered PC market.

Though Microsoft has pitched Windows 10 as a product designed to work well on devices of all types, the operating system is heavily dependent on a PC market that has declined as consumers gravitated towards smartphones and tablets. Windows runs about nine out of every 10 laptop and desktop computers, but has a single-digit share of tablets and smartphones.

Data tracker IDC said Wednesday it expected global PC sales to decline by 8.7 per cent this year, and fall 1.1 per cent in 2016. Microsoft hasn’t announced a release date for Windows 10’s smartphone editions.

Also to be determined is how businesses, which Microsoft depends on for the majority of its profit, will react to Windows 10. Businesses, which typically get operating-system upgrades at no added charge as part of long-term technical support, aren’t eligible for consumers’ free-upgrade offer.

“We’re starting to see people ask questions, but certainly it’s not at the point where we’re seeing businesses talking about big deployments yet,” said Eric Berg, chief product officer of Okta, a San Francisco software company that makes tools for businesses to manage employee access to Web-accessed software.

Businesses, typically cautious in embracing new software, also await the addition of some features that weren’t ready when Windows 10 was released.

“The basic functionality is wired into the operating system, but not all of it is exposed in a way that you can use it yet,” Kleynhans said. “A lot of tools have to be updated so [information technology departments] can make it work.”

One of Okta’s products, a tool that creates a single login page for office workers’ multiple Web services, operates as an add-on on top of Web browsers. Edge, the new browser Microsoft debuted with Windows 10, doesn’t support the add-on technology Okta would need to run its software.

Microsoft is working to remedy that (and has promised Edge will soon support browser plug-ins). The company has released four major updates to the software since its release. An update last week included features that automate large-scale software installation and remote oversight of programmes, Kleynhans said. Microsoft has said Windows 10 will receive more-regular updates than previous releases, and that its release on different platforms would be staggered. That gave the company the flexibility to release the software earlier and without the bells and whistles it would ultimately include, analysts say.

“With this new update, you can float in features any time you want,” Thomas Koll, chief executive of Laplink, a Bellevue company that migrates files between computers and operating systems.

Koll, a former Microsoft executive, said one of Laplink’s customers, a large software vendor, planned to shift to Windows 10 in November after the expected arrival of a business-focused update to the software.

The Drone Eats With Me: Diaries From a City Under Fire

Atef Abu Saif

England: Fasila/Comma Press, 2015

Pp. 250

Statistics are mandatory when documenting war crimes, but Atef Abu Saif is aware of their dulling, dehumanising effect when the number of casualties mounts dramatically, as it did in Gaza in the summer of 2014. To convey the reality of the 51-day Israeli assault, he chooses a different approach. Though a writer and political commentator, he puts himself in the shoes of all Gazans and records his daily experience and feelings. 

When writing about an Israeli attack, he names the victims by name, to remind that a real human life is lost — a precious past, a throbbing present and an unfulfilled future. His unflinching prose is complemented by Janice Hickman’s eloquent pen-and-ink drawings.

The imagery of the book title  “The Drone Eats With Me” is poignant and immediate. Drones and their whirring sound are omnipresent, a constant reminder to the beleaguered people of the tiny territory of Gaza that they are never out of reach of the Israeli arsenal; they can never relax and go about their lives; they are occupied by remote. Whether on reconnaissance or a bombing mission, drones invade even the private sphere, the home, the dinner table, generating pervasive fear and a feeling that death is imminent. “Death becomes a normal citizen in your neighbourhood.” (p. 147)

Abu Saif’s idea that the drone eats with him captures this fear and insecurity, but also describes the Israeli conduct of war. Drones don’t just kill, they devour their targets, spitting out random body parts. F-16s don’t merely bomb select targets, they gobble up homes, farms, public buildings, whole neighbourhoods, leaving only rubble in their wake, depriving people of loved ones, shelter, livelihood, all signs of culture and beauty, and their already limited freedom of movement. 

The diaries are not only about death and destruction, but give a sense of how life goes on in the worst of circumstances. Describing his daily routines, Abu Saif paints a picture of the struggle to obtain food when shops are closed, refrigerators don’t work and farmers don’t dare enter their fields to harvest crops. He describes the struggle to sleep amidst the clamour of explosions, and the struggle to refill water tanks and recharge phones and laptops during the few hours of electricity that are granted. 

Then, there is the struggle to keep one’s sanity in the midst of insanity, the dilemma of whether to celebrate Eid or a birthday when so many people are dying, or of deciding whether to move to a safer location, knowing that any place can be hit. As he observes, “I know in my heart that I live by chance, and when I die it too will be by chance.” (p. 34)

“Passing the time is the most challenging of tasks in such moments, a true mission: to wrap distraction around your panic,” trying to keep a semblance of normalcy for the sake of one’s children. It is also challenging for Abu Saif to answer his children’s probing questions, but their noise and activity level are great distractions: “They upstage the sounds of the terrible world outside.” (p. 30) 

As Abu Saif moves cautiously around to visit relatives and friends, he shares many personal stories and his impressions of important landmarks in Gaza, their history and how geography changes under the impact of war. The small details and personal stories he conveys serve to re-humanise Gazans. There is the man who sends his family to a safer place but remains in his house to feed the birds in his aviary. 

Another man, whose house was completely destroyed, clears a spot in the rubble and pitches his tent. A deaf boy, whose broken hearing aid will not be repaired until the war ends, wanders in confusion. Families crowd together to share their house with the displaced who cannot even fit into the UNRWA school shelters. 

The war is “a strange education in the value of life”, spurring new meditations on the meaning of life, death, love, happiness and hope. (p. 173)

Abu Saif asks some hard questions: “Who will convince this generation of Israelis that what they’ve done this summer is a crime? Who will convince the pilot that this is not a mission for his people, but a mission against it? Who will teach him that life cannot be built on the ruins of other lives? Who will convince the drone operator that the people of Gaza are not characters in a video game?” Past experience gives Gazans little reason to await help from the international community. In the author’s view, they have “only hope and their own resilience to fall back on”. (pp. 66-7)

Reading this book, one is further incensed that, more than a year later, the much-needed rebuilding of Gaza has hardly begun.

LONDON — When photographer Graeme Robertson who has covered wars and famines met a boy in Uganda whose skin looked as if it was falling off his face, he was shocked to discover the boy had been attacked for being blind.

“Sometimes when you have a blind child they will try and kill them, set them on fire, lock them in a hut for the rest of their life, forget about them,” Robertson said, speaking from his home in London.

It is unclear who carries out the attacks, but it is likely to be relatives or members of the community acting under pressure from community elders, he said.

“I was angry that people thought that just because they were disabled, they weren’t worth anything.

“I felt I could help. I knew that they were so badly mutilated, they would make powerful images, and if somebody saw these images they would feel something,” he said.

Robertson, an award-winning photographer who works for the London-based The Guardian newspaper, approached an international charity for the blind, Sightsavers, and together they organised a photography exhibition highlighting the issue.

The “Framing Perceptions” exhibition, based on trips to Uganda and India, opened for the second time in London on August 25.

Over the past 20 years, Robertson has covered wars and famines and spent years living in Baghdad and Afghanistan. For the past 10 years he has been covering portraits and lifestyle features.

“It’s not like I’m not used to seeing real human suffering, but this particular project really affected me,” he said.

Robertson, who is badly dyslexic, was treated very differently from other children at school and told he would never succeed.

“Everybody should be given at least a chance. I felt these disabled people were not even given the opportunity to succeed,” said the father of two young children.

“This one girl I photographed... she was really badly treated in the community — raped, beaten up, horrific stuff. I couldn’t believe this was happening.”

Robertson said communities lack understanding about disability, money for equipment and access to specialist schools.

Children able to attend a specialist school blossomed under the encouragement and attention they received, he said.

There are an estimated 1 billion people with disabilities, about 80 per cent of whom live in developing countries, according to Sightsavers.

They were left out of a 15-year international push, which expires this year, to improve living standards in developing countries, including access to health and education, and a reduction in poverty, the charity said.

Uganda has achieved free universal education, but nearly half of all children with disabilities are out of school because of the lack of equipment and staff needed to support them, according to Sightsavers.

“This means that over the 15 years, the lives of people with disabilities have got worse,” Natasha Kennedy, policy campaigns manager at Sightsavers, said.

Disability has now been included in a new series of development targets to be agreed by global leaders at a UN summit in September, known as the Sustainable Development Goals.

People with disabilities are included in all the targets, including universal access to education and healthcare, and ending poverty.

“It’s huge because it means that for the first time... governments and donors must include people with disability as a principle of global development and not as an afterthought,” Kennedy said.

Although the cost of including people with disabilities in targets such as education and healthcare is significant, the cost of leaving them out is even greater, she said.

“These people want to be contributing, out there working, learning, socialising and having fulfilling lives and the only way they can do that is if the systems include them from the very outset,” Kennedy said.

“You can’t realistically eliminate poverty unless you’re reaching the most vulnerable and most marginalised — and they are people with disabilities,” she added.

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple has announced plans for a new product event September 9 in San Francisco, where the giant tech company is expected to show off new iPhones and other gadgets eagerly anticipated by consumers.

Invitations for the event next month were sent to reporters and analysts Thursday morning. In usual fashion, Apple is only hinting at what to expect. But in previous years, Apple has used an event in September to launch new phones.

The invitations mention Apple’s digital assistant, Siri. Apple has previously said it plans to expand Siri’s features in the new version of its operating software for iPhones and iPads, and there have been reports that Apple will integrate the technology into the next version of its Apple TV set-top box, which the company is also expected to announce at the event.

The key feature of the new iPhones, likely to be called the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, is expected to be Force Touch, a pressure-sensing technology that Apple introduced this spring with Apple Watch and its new MacBook computer. Force Touch can detect how hard a user is pressing on a touch-sensitive service. A device with Force Touch can display different information to users depending on how hard they press on them.

The next version of Apple TV is expected to have a faster processor and an updated interface. It’s also expected to feature an application store for the first time, potentially opening up the device to a far wider range of apps and channels than it has currently.

The update, which has been rumoured for the past year, is a long time coming. Apple last refreshed Apple TV in 2012.

Apple is also expected to announce the release of the next version of WatchOS, the operating system that underlies Apple Watch. The next version, which the company previewed in June, will allow applications to run directly on the device and tap into more of its capabilities, rather than having to run on a connected iPhone.

The event will be held at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in downtown San Francisco.