Posts by Yankee Doodle Doofus

Whatever legitimate places AI has, inside an OS ain't one

Re: The GUI subsystem is part of the OS, and rightly so.

Huh? Nonsense.

Until 1995, Windows was just a shell that ran on top of DOS.

Re: The GUI subsystem is part of the OS, and rightly so.

I'm more and more convinced from the comments that "kmorwath" is Steve Ballmer...

The Steam Machine rises again as Valve readies 2026 hardware trifecta

Re: I Hope It Takes Off

It actually works fine with the Intel CPUs I have tried. It's the GPU that must be AMD.

Linux vendors are getting into Ubuntu – and Snap

Re: Lies, can lies, and statistics set But #1

"Valve's bazzite..."

Valve is not behindBazzite. You're thinking of SteamOS, which Bazzite mimics in many ways. If you're gonna be obnoxious, at least be correct.

Pop! System76's 24.04 beta is here – complete with a beta of polarizing COSMIC

Re: Not just yet.

Actually, it seems quite stable from my testing, which has been ongoing since the first Alpha version around a year ago. On my work machine running Arch, I've had the COSMIC desktop running with no major issues since Alpha 3 (there were 7 alpha versions prior to this new beta version). The integration of auto-tiling into a full desktop environment is fantastic for those who like tiling but don't want the hassle of configuring a window manager.

Enterprises sticking with Windows 10 could shell out billions for continued support

Dedicated science equipment

For "dedicated science equipment", which presumably doesn't need an internet connection, sure, this could be fine. Any enterprise running W2000 on workstations for office-dwellers who need browsers and email is asking for trouble and should fire the IT director.

Long live the nub: ThinkPad designer David Hill spills secrets, designs that never made it

Re: I miss them

FYI, in the U.S., "shortsighted" is an insult meaning "fails to think ahead", and the condition I assume from context that you are referring to is called "nearsighted".

Tech bro denied dev's hard-earned bonus for bug that overcharged a little old lady

Re: Lawsuit culture

You didn't read the comment you are replying to, I take it? Your response entirely ignores the points made in it.

Please, FOSS world, we need something like ChromeOS

Re: Well...

SteamOS and Bazzite are great for gamers, I've run both on a custom-built gaming rig. For the purposes described in this article, though, I don't think Valve will save the day for the masses. They are concentrating on one use-case: gaming. They don't really have the incentive to produce an OS optimized for grandma's old laptop.

AI gives the sleeping network switch market a good kick

Re: AI what?

AI is helping the SALES of switches, thanks to all the data centers being built for AI.

Windows 11 market share stalls ahead of Windows 10 cutoff

It would indeed be nice to see Canalys' numbers, but the Statcounter number of 43.72 is global, not U.S.

Trump tariffs ruled illegal within minutes of Musk announcing end of government role

Re: Both are true

I love it when people are so confidently wrong. AR style rifles are extremely popular for hunting, and for good reason. People who spout this nonsense are never hunters.

Three ways to run Windows apps on a Linux box

Tangentially related: About 4 months ago, I built a desktop gaming pc for a friend, and I used clonezilla to copy the hard drive from his old and tired gaming laptop into the new desktop. I fully expected the OEM Windows install to scream about having all new hardware, but to this day, it never has. His Windows install still shows as activated in the desktop, and he even still uses the laptop occasionally.

I told him I don't expect this to work forever, but so far, so good...

Re: Some Of This Sounds Like Heavy Lifting!

There is also Tuxedo, as well as Framework.

Re: Some Of This Sounds Like Heavy Lifting!

"...you can even install Edge in Linux."

I do this to keep work separate from personal (and because it amuses me to run Microshaft's browser in FOSSland). Firefox for personal, Edge for work. It's been a few years since I tried, so maybe this has changed, but I found that only the flatpak version will allow you to sign into the browser with a corporate MS account.

Nextcloud cries foul over Google Play Store app rejection

Re: But will the companies that benefit put back in ?

"triggered by mention of a FOSS project"

The post you are replying to has been deleted so I can't tell who it's from, but I have a good guess: kmorwath?

They seem to think that FOSS is an evil plan/global conspiracy by corporations to get indentured servants to write software for them without even knowing they are being exploited.

Microsoft updates the Windows 11 Start Menu

Re: Ha, ha, ha! I moved to Linux Last Weekend.

Did you decide that not enough scammers had your email address? Might as well post it in online forums?

Windows isn't an OS, it's a bad habit that wants to become an addiction

Re: Starting points

I am running MS Flight Sim (40th Anniversary Edition) via Proton on both a Steam Deck and a custom built linux box. Works like a charm!

Re: Definitely an addiction

Tip: Buy AMD when you get that used graphics card. Nvidia is getting better on linux, but for the least amount of headaches, AMD is still the way to go. As for those AAA game titles, unless they use a kernel level anti-cheat, they should all run just fine under proton in Steam.

FreeDOS 1.4: Still DOS, still FOSS, more modern than ever

> "I try to avoid mentioning Lunduke. He seems to hate my guts."

I need to try again to remove myself from his mailing list. He has some good articles/videos from time to time, but it seems that the majority lately are whining about how straight white men (of which I am one) are discriminated against in tech. He clearly took the red pill.

Jeff Bezos can now taunt Elon Musk: I'm building a moon rover for NASA, when can Tesla do that?

"...Earth’s sole permanent natural satellite."

Elon: "Permanent? Hold my beer."

Linus Torvalds forgot to release Linux 6.14 for a whole day

Re: I didn't even notice ...

Indeed. I go a step further these days and just use the LTS kernel on my Arch systems. My hardware is all at least 4 years old at this point (often it's that old when I buy it).

Asahi Linux loses another prominent dev as GPU guru calls it quits

Re: But I've never really understood the buy-a-Mac-to-run-Linux crowd

< "The internet is full of enterprising folks"

Indeed, my expressed hope is that some new ones will join the team at Asahi, as they have now lost the main people (person?) making linux on Apple silicon possible. Open Core Legacy Patcher is gonna need some serious help too, if they want to keep old Intel Macs like yours going much longer. Within one or two more major versions of macOS, Apple will almost certainly stop producing the x86-64 version entirely. You might have to throw linux on that iMac at that point.

Re: But I've never really understood the buy-a-Mac-to-run-Linux crowd

< "When the M4 becomes EOL then I'll probably do the same."

Hopefully this will be an option when the time comes. As of now, linux on the M4 (or M3) is not possible, to my knowlege.

Ubuntu 25.10 plans to swap GNU coreutils for Rust

Indeed. For quite a few years, if I remember right, most USB keyboards and mice came with an adapter to plug them into PS/2, and I always used them if I had PS/2 ports available. I think I still have a few of those adapters in a box of random old cables.

Mozilla pleads with Uncle Sam to not turn off that sweet, sweet Google search money

Comparing to Opera is nonsensical. Opera is based on Chromium, while Mozilla maintains their own web engine. Comparing them in the way you do is like comparing a company who manufactures automobile seat covers to BMW.

OK, so you list maybe 30 million for executive pay, out of 500 million from Google. That leaves $470 million. You claim to have looked at expense sheets? And somehow concluded that 30 is near 100% of 500? The executives are quite likely overpaid, but obviously that's not where ALL the Google gravy goes.

Apple has locked me in the same monopolistic cage Microsoft's built for Windows 10 users

Re: Security & updates

I want to upvote you more on this, but once is all I can do...

Re: Security & updates

I knew what they meant, but I'm getting (even more) pedantic as I get older. Get off my lawn.

I'm with you on supporting the machines of others. I will usually turn on (truly) automatic security updates for a non-technical user, but on my own machines? I *might* decide to allow automatic checking for updates, but they will not be downloaded or installed except on my schedule (generally once every 3 to 5 weeks on my servers and lesser used devices, and once per week on daily-driven kit).

Re: Security & updates

< "I do have automatic updates on..." "...it requires my password to update."

This doesn't sound very automatic.

Re: Perspective

< "The article's author seems to want an iPad as a more portable laptop."

My guess is it's more about the cost buying a new device compared to using something already owned. I don't see how having to carry an iPad, keyboard, and pointing device makes it "more portable" than a MacBook Air.

Google's Chrome divorce still on the cards as Trump's DoJ plays hardball

Re: Time for Google

< "The USA market isn't a big fraction of worldwide sales of any of these companies."

Citation needed...

Stuff a Pi-hole in your router because your browser is about to betray you

So, do you not read posts before commenting on them? OP answered your question before you asked it...

< "Pi-hole doesn't block YouTube ads..."

Thanks, I thought I had read somewhere in the past that this was the case, and was scrolling the comments looking for confirmation. I still may set up Pi-hole at some point, but am in no hurry if it can't do this.

I watch a decent amount of YouTube lately, and most of the time this is via the app in my Roku smart TV (I know, I know...) I am very close to subscribing to YouTube Premium, even though I have an aversion to giving Google any money. At least some of it would go to the content creators, who I do wish to support.

101 fun things to do with a locked Kindle e-reader

Re: onto

"through" experience?

The change was made last week. Have you tried THIS WEEK?

Microsoft goes native with Copilot. Again

I have had similar problems with VirtualBox in the past. A few years ago I switched to virt-manager, and have had no issues like this since.

As Alibaba launches server-grade RISC-V CPU, Beijing throws its weight behind ISA

Table Stakes

"...in servers, clouds, or other large-scale scenarios where the ability to run virtual machines is table stakes."

As a poker player, I found this confusing, but Google tells me that in business, this is indeed the common usage of the term "table stakes", where it means "the minimum expectation".

In poker though (where the business world stole the term from), this is nearly the opposite of what it means. It defines a maximum, not a minimum. In poker, "table stakes" means a person can not bet (or be compelled to call) more than they have on the table. For example, you can't pull out your wallet in the middle of a hand to place or call a bet, or take the watch off of your wrist and throw it in the pot. If two players are playing in a no-limit game, and find themselves the only 2 who are still in a pot, then if player A has $500 on the table, and player B only has $75, then player A can not bet more than it would take to put player B "all in", so $75 is the max bet.

Thank you for attending my pedantic TED talk.

Please fasten your seatbelts. A third of US air traffic control systems are 'unsustainable'

Re: Please ...

< "It's ridiculous to suggest that Musk is pointing out issues in the FAA's systems simply for personal gain."

What's ridiculous is to not suspect that this is likely exactly what he is doing.

Re: Hmm

Your brain was broken long before this article was written.

So … Russia no longer a cyber threat to America?

Re: Really?

< "On the whole, though, the threat of US military might isn't what it once was. The US seems to forget that the EU is much larger, in population terms..."

Much larger? I guess if 35% larger counts as "much larger" in your eyes, you are correct. On the other hand, the US has a GDP that is 80% larger than the EU. In the case of an all out war between the US and EU (hopefully not in the cards), both would suffer horrible losses but if I had to bet on a victor I would put my money on the side with more GDP, bases all over the world, and already existing massive military industrial complex.

Windows 11 adoption picking up speed, but older sibling still ahead

I came here to vent about this as well. El Reg is beating a dead horse. There was an article on this subject by THIS VERY SAME AUTHOR just 27 days ago.

AMD looks to undercut Nvidia, win gamers' hearts with RX 9070 series

Re: Probably not worth the upgrade...

Maybe I'll buy something from this gen... in 4 or 5 years, lol. Just 6 months ago I bought an RX 6800 new-in-box for only $360, to build a new system with a Ryzen 5600x. This is the most powerful gaming machine I have ever had (it replaced a Playstation 3, as I mostly quit gaming for a decade or so). I can't see myself ever buying current gen components, as the price/performance sweet spot always seems to be roughly 4 year old kit. I don't mind being a bit behind, as long as I can play all the current games, and the 6800 seems to handle everything I throw at it just fine.

Framework guns for cheap laptops with upgradeable alternative

Re: That's still not cheap

They don't seem to list any price at all for the 12 inch touchscreen model. I think we will likely have to wait 'till pre-orders start in April to find out what these will cost.

Re: $899 is not cheap

The $899 price seems to be for the new 13 inch models, not for the supposedly cheaper 12 inch touchscreen models, if I am reading correctly. I see no mention of the price for the 12 inch models, not in the article, or on Framework's website.

OBS-tacle course: Fedora and Flathub's Flatpak fiasco sparks repo rumble

< "How new is your hardware?"

This is a good question to ask for sure, but the vast majority of people who are looking to replace Windows are not on new enough hardware that this will be an issue.

That said, Debian Stable is great but I generally suggest Ubuntu or something based on it (most often Mint) for any who are looking to try ditching Windows. The ease of install, better hardware support, and the 5 years of OS support that many LTS versions give you, yield a better experience for those who just can't be arsed to fight with their OS.

Microsoft trims more CPUs from Windows 11 compatibility list

Re: I finally jumped ship

+1 on cheap Ryzen NUC style boxes. I enjoy building PCs, but these days, depending on the use case, a cheap mini-pc can often get you more performance per dollar. You can sometimes get 8 cores 16 threads, with 32GB RAM and 1TB nvme, all for around $300, and if you don't need this much power, you can probably find something decent for under $200. As long as integrated graphics are good enough for the tasks at hand, this is the way to go for most who need a new "desktop" PC.

Nearly 10 years after Data and Goliath, Bruce Schneier says: Privacy’s still screwed

Re: "Only 47 more months to go"

< "As a USian are you not aware of mid-term elections?"

Sure, but I don't see how their existence shortens the amount of time we will be dealing with Trump's madness, as I'm also aware of the horrible incompetence of the officials in the Democratic Party. We have a situation where it's the stupid and evil vs. the stupid and useless. The Democrats have no effective messaging and would rather blame certain blocks of voters than look inward to see how they might be part of the problem.

< "Just remind people... this is exactly what you voted for."

Most did it gleefully, and would do it again. I will be a little surprised if the Dems don't win back the House and the Senate in 2 years, but I don't see them winning a filibuster-proof or veto-proof majority. Much of the Republican base will believe whatever lies they are told about why inflation is out of control, and the culture war is more important to them than details of economic policy (few voters on the left or the right really understand even basic economics, sadly). No, there will be no mass exodus of voters going from team red to team blue. Instead the Democrats likely mid-term gains in congress will come from Republican voters who came out in 2024 getting complacent and staying home in 2026, combined with an opposite effect on turnout on the Democrat side, and there aren't enough "purple" seats in congress to shift the balance far enough left to really be able to oppose Trump.

I really hope that Trump will only have 2 years where advancing his stupid and criminal agenda is as easy as it is now, but he will still do plenty of damage in the second half of his term, regardless of which party has a slim lead in congress. The only thing that may stop him would be one too many cheeseburgers, and then we'd still be stuck with Vance, so I stand by the "47 months to go" comment.

Why did the Windows 95 setup use Windows 3.1?

Re: A Mess then ... still a mess now

I don't recall how language and region settings are handled, but you may want to check out Microwin, which will produce a debloated Windows ISO that is a huge time saver for getting a clean install with no extra crap and no need to use a Microsoft account.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92SM8Az5QVM

https://github.com/ChrisTitusTech/winutil