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from the Beta-with-significant-limitations dept.
"VLC, the popular Swiss Army knife of media players, took one step nearer to a Windows 8 Metro release after the beta was released on the Kickstarter project page. The version currently available is for x86 processors but an ARM compiled version is expected soon for Windows Phone compatibility. It seems to be merely a matter of time before VLC provides a common user interface, media sync route and (almost) universal file and codec support to (almost) every phone and tablet currently available.
From Update #19:
Today, the first Beta of VLC for WinRT is getting deployed on the store. As many of you know, the road to come to this point has been long... Very long... I've been driving or helping some ports of VLC on mobile, but this port has been the hardest, by an order of magnitude. [...] This application [...] is compiled for Intel x86 CPUs: Windows RT version will follow as soon as we are able to compile it. The ARM version will also apply to Windows Phone."
(Score: 2, Interesting) by n1 on Friday March 14 2014, @11:19AM
What Windows RT is, I like VLC but i've only heard of Windows RT. Is this important?
(Score: 2) by marcello_dl on Friday March 14 2014, @11:26AM
it is important as in: very few people are using windows RT right now, but at least porting programs from other platforms is... ahem... a rather lenghty process.
(Score: 5, Informative) by archshade on Friday March 14 2014, @11:32AM
Windows RT is a cut down version of Windows 8 that runs on ARM. It supports Metro Apps but wont support most Windows applications (as it lacking lacking legacy x86 stuff). The MS Surface (not the MS Surface pro) is the most popular tablet running this OS, in fact I'm not sure there are any others.
(Score: 2) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday March 14 2014, @11:50AM
And to piggyback on your answer, I'd like to add that yes, to Americans, Windows RT is important.
You may not know living in India or Australia, but you know in the U.S. because Microsoft commercials for the Surface tablet(and by extension Windows RT) are now shown only during NFL (National Football League) games alongside commercials for BIG TRUCKS and NACHOS and AMERICA FUCK YEAH narrated by gruff-voiced mens' men.
So what they're trying to say is, buy a Surface and you'll grow hair on your balls and traditionally subservient women will throw themselves at you.
(Score: 4, Informative) by Jaruzel on Friday March 14 2014, @04:13PM
Except of course that on the MS Roadmap, Windows RT is going to be retired soon, as the hardware has caught up to such an extent that a an Intel x64 based Surface running full Windows 8 is just around the corner (the merging of the Surface and Surface Pro SKUs).
-Jar
Wash at 40°C, and hand dry only. My MUD Engine [jaruzel.com]
(Score: 1) by omtinez on Tuesday March 18 2014, @04:56PM
How can this be modded informative? This is the exact opposite from the truth
(Score: 2) by Jaruzel on Tuesday March 18 2014, @05:37PM
Because, I know what I'm talking about maybe? 20+ years in Corporate IT and a professional relationship with Microsoft as vendor.
But don't [not] take my word for it, try this:
http://www.techspot.com/news/54809-microsoft-looki ng-to-cull-windows-variants-windows-rt-and-phone-l ikely-to-merge.html [techspot.com]
Wash at 40°C, and hand dry only. My MUD Engine [jaruzel.com]
(Score: 1) by meisterister on Friday March 14 2014, @08:17PM
Correct me if I'm wrong, but does that mean that of the five people who actually bought a Windows 8 RT tablet, around four or so have the Surface?
(Score: 5, Funny) by Koen on Friday March 14 2014, @11:44AM
RT stands for RISC Technology, in which RISC stands for Reduced Instruction Set Computer.
Windows RT is an Operating System for the IBM RT-PC [wikipedia.org], it is the main competitor to the Visi On Operating System [wikipedia.org] which was recently revived by Commodore [wikipedia.org].
So, yes, it is extremely important.
/. refugees on Usenet: comp.misc [comp.misc]
(Score: 4, Funny) by wjwlsn on Friday March 14 2014, @11:56AM
I really love that this got modded "Informative". :)
I am a traveler of both time and space. Duh.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bart9h on Friday March 14 2014, @01:02PM
Well, it has links to Wikipedia...
(Score: 4, Interesting) by seandiggity on Friday March 14 2014, @12:01PM
Windows RT was the ARM build of Windows that failed spectacularly, for many reasons. IMO the biggest offense was that it denies Window users their "killer feature": Windows has a large library of apps specifically written for it on x86 and, by extension, AMD64. Not being able to run these apps on ARM was a dealbreaker for many, and Microsoft furthered the problem by locking down the OS extremely and making it difficult to install anything outside of the Windows Store.
When I read the headline I first thought "Meh, who cares" but then I thought, "This may make it easier for the VLC team to provide builds for future Windows ARM incarnations." Maybe keeping a few users on that future OS will delay the M$ demise a fraction of a minute longer, though? ;)
Geeks like to think they can ignore politics, you can leave politics alone, but politics won't leave *you* alone. - rms
(Score: 1) by Baron Violent on Friday March 14 2014, @11:25PM
I never did understand why RT was released when it was and with the application library it had. I sometimes think they did it on purpose so it would fail - that way, they could just throw up their arms and say, "We tried, but nobody wanted it," and go back to focusing on Intel.
But good to see the VLC team working with RT!
(Score: 1) by seandiggity on Monday March 17 2014, @11:53AM
Microsoft's "strategy" is a moving target, except when it comes to litigation and intimidation. A rational person might say that not having a good ARM build of Windows is suicide for the OS. An MS stockholder would likely agree.
Geeks like to think they can ignore politics, you can leave politics alone, but politics won't leave *you* alone. - rms