Latest iOS Upgrade Drives Users Buggy

Apple has been deluged with complaints from users who say the latest version of its mobile operating system is breaking links and crashing apps.

"Following iOS 9.3 on iPhone 6splus update links in safari no longer open, then safari crashes -- any ideas how to fix? Same problem in Chrome," user John MacDonald posted Monday on Apple's support page on Twitter.
Another user, Armando Couri Filho, had similar problems. "My IPhone 6 is not opening links from Safari, Mail and WhatsApp. What should I do?" he asked Apple support.
"Clicking on links in the new iOS update causes safari to freeze. I've had to switch to using @googlechrome and @firefox," noted Ohanes Kalayjian.
What's causing the problem with links in iOS 9.3? So far, Apple has been mum on the subject, but according to one news report, the issue could be with Universal Links, which Apple introduced in iOS 9.0.

Universal Headache?

Universal Links allow Web links to be opened directly from within apps running under iOS without first opening Apple's Web browser, Safari.
The Universal Links are stored in a database in iOS, and if an app contains too many, they will crash not only the app, but Safari too, according to TechCrunch.
However, that doesn't explain why apps without any Universal Links are crashing, nor does it explain other problems, such as iOS refusing to verify updates because it says a device is not connected to the Internet when clearly it is.
For users who have installed the new version of iOS, there doesn't seem to be a quick fix. Turning off JavaScript in Safari has helped some users, but not all, BGR reported. Others have avoided the problem by using Google's Chrome browser, but that too seems to be an inconsistent fix.
Of course, unlike with some desktop operating systems that allow an update to be rolled back to a previous version that worked fine, once most users commit to a new version of iOS, there's no turning back.
There are good reasons for that no-rollback policy, noted Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy.
"Many more times than not, the latest software is safer and better," he told TechNewsWorld.
What's more, "backgrades are very complex and if not done precisely, the backgrade could break all functionality," Moorhead added.

More Regression Testing Needed

Kevin Krewell, an analyst with Tirias Research, has the new iOS running on his iPhone and hasn't experienced any problems with it yet, he said.
However, "any time there's a major change in an operating system, there's always the risk of problems," he told TechNewsWorld
"I would be concerned that Apple is not doing enough regression testing on applications to catch these things before they ship new software," Krewell said.
Although Apple always has touted its commitment to software excellence, the latest iOS fumble may be a sign it's succumbing to the pressures plaguing all software makers, according to Moorhead.
"Apple should take a look at their development process as insiders are starting to question their commitment to software quality," he said.
"Apple is racing top speed across many different, complex platforms, and every software developer, including Microsoft and Google, are issuing software with bugs," Moorhead continued.
"The whole software industry has taken a fast-fail approach to get code out and let users find fixes," he said. "This is particularly happening in consumer environments."

Too Many Apps

Given the size of Apple's app ecosystem, the problem of getting everything to work right is a mighty one for the company, which released seven beta versions of iOS 9.3 before sending it to users.
"It's hard when your ecosystem is so large, but they should have stats on which apps are most popular and test for those," Krewell said.
"Part of the problem is the amplification of software. There are so many different apps, it's getting harder and harder for Apple to keep track of the a

pps you have on your phone," he added."While it is true that OS updates need to go through intense scrutiny before being pushed to customers, it's sometimes impossible to test for all in-the-wild scenarios," added Adrian Liviu Arsene, a senior threat analyst with Bitdefender.
"The issue here," he said, "is how fast will Apple fix the bug, how many apps trigger the crash, and whether it will persist even after the fix."

Source : www.technewsworld.com

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Kim Kardashian and Emily Ratajkowski’s Nude Bathroom Pic Sets Internet Ablaze

The BFFs decided to free the nipple in a bathroom selfie on Wednesday, and, as expected, the Internet went wild. But there’s more at stake here than mere publicity.

In case you missed it, Kim Kardashian and Emily Ratajkowski posed topless in a bathroom, selfie’d it, and then posted said image on social media.

Whether it was a girl power attempt to divert the media’s attention away from the embattled Kehlani and scumbaggy Nick Young or just some good ol’ fashioned fun is anyone’s guess, but you’ve got to give it to Kim at this point: she knows how to keep herself in the news, and use biggest asset—her sexuality—to do it. Nothing wrong with that.

Or so we thought. You see, when Kim Kardashian posted a photo of her post-pregnancy body in the buff earlier this month, it triggered her legion of haters, who fired back at the reality star-entrepreneur with all manner of misguided vitriol. Everyone from Pink, Bette Midler, Chloe Grace Moretz, and one of the world’s premier hacks, Piers Morgan, cast aspersions on Kim for displaying her God-given talent. Moretz summed up their criticisms, tweeting out, “I truly hope you realize how important setting goals are for young women, teaching them we have so much more to offer than our bodies.”

The picture transformed Hollywood into a veritable Real World/Road Rules Challenge, with A-list celebrities taking sides. Miley Cyrus and Amber Rose came down firmly on Team Kim, with Rose telling The Daily Beast, “It’s bullshit, and this is the thing: They come at me and Kim so hard because I was a stripper and she had a sex tape. So if we could sing, it would be OK if we were on stage half-naked. We all love Beyoncé, but she’s on stage half-naked and twerking all the time, yet people say, oh, she has talent so she’s able to do that. We don’t have the talent that Beyoncé has, so we get criticized as former sex workers, but at the end of the day we’re just women—we’re all women—and we should all embrace each other. No one is greater.”

Another gal who came to Kim’s side was Ratajkwoski, a longtime Free the Nipple proponent:

In response, Kim, ever the classy one—which she does not get enough credit for, really, as you rarely see her in any sort of tabloid skirmish—sent Ratajkowski a bouquet of flowers:

I
ndeed, Kim’s talent is her body, and her ability to challenge prudish social mores with it. For whatever reason, these days, people have a knee-jerk negative reaction whenever any woman posts a nude photo of herself online, let alone Kim. Her Instagram comments and Twitter mentions will be flooded with critics—primarily women—tearing her down. Yes, some of this has to do with Kim, but not all of it. There is an insidiousness in America today when it comes to female sexuality, and it’s epitomized by one tiny-handed man, Donald J. Trump. To Trump, female sexuality and agency is a violent affront to the patriarchal order. To Trump, the former Miss Universe honcho—who even made Apprentice contests twirl and pose for him—women are mere objects served up for his consumption and judgment. And it’s really about power and control; men like Trump want to govern the gaze and control the female body.

So, when women like Kim and Ratajkowski post their own nude photos, they’re in a sense reclaiming ownership over their bodies; they’re no longer the ingénue, but the director of the picture.

 

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