Posts by Nicholas Shaw

Kid spanks a grand on Xbox using Mum's bank card

Times are tight, so extra caution is required....

Then again, if times are so tight and she is finding it difficult to balance the books, you would have thought that a regular check on her bank account would be sensible. In fact, the moment you get all these letters saying your payment has bounced, you would have thought that the first thing she would do is check the balance on her account and try to sort out what has happened.

This whole thing seems to be what seems to be more and more common, where muppets no longer have any responsibility and can blame anyone but themselves. And what about the boy, he was 11, why on earth is it not his responsibility to not actually buy something? These things all have a price.

Microsoft's Automatic Update - the way to browser competition?

@ Anonymous coward

I would suggest that Apple is a far more restrictive OS and company than M'soft ever is, was or could be. Any Apple clones? I was under the impression that M'soft were being bollocked for integrating IE into their OS and then forcing everyone to take it. They have the largest market share (one reason for that is oh yes, everyone can install windows into their PC, a strategic decision made at the start of their life, the opposite of Apples. The irony here is a decision to enable everyone to have a pc that worked has made them a monopoly whereas Apples manic control freak mentality has kept them small in the PC field.)

so everyone has IE until it is removed, ignored etc. HOwever that does not remove the fact that it is inbuilt into their OS which is bad (or so people say.) In which case, Apples insistance that Safari is the default browser and the fact htat it is bundled with and integrated into the OS is equally wrong.

Furhtermore, despite setting Firefox as my default browser (which can only be done by going into Safari and setting Firefox as a default browser, not very intuitive and definetely in place to limit people doing this, a classic case of control freakery and Macs It just does NOT work) Safari randomly kicks out Firefox and launches itself as my default browser. Nor can I actually remove it from my system.

All in all, a far mor unpleasant browser/integration experience than M'softs. Of course lets not talk about Apples control of the istore and any applications put out over that. If people have an issue with M'soft for controlling what happens on their system, the same must be applied to Apple who are far worse.

Blu-ray add-on coming to the Xbox 360?

'Blu Ray bad, Downloadable content good

For god's sake, will people please shut up about "blu Ray being dead because we are all going to download everything" as a reason never to buy Blu Ray. Just which century do people think this is going to happen? It will happen in some cities in some parts of some countries (outside Korea & Japan) and in the next 5-100 years. So why does this mean that Blu Ray is dead?

Buy or don't buy, it's up to you but don't continue spouting what is patently not possible today, tomorrow or even next week as a reason for not getting Blu Ray. And that is without getting into the whole, I don't trust downloads/download caps etc

Rant over, time for tea.

Alien - because these suckers will be here before download speeds across the UK are fast enough and the pipes are wide enough for everyone to 'download on demand movies' easily, quickly and simply.

US PS3 sales surge

Sad, truly sad

Gosh so many Fanyboise of all 3 stripes (one more than your standard gender wars) getting all excited and uppity about their favourite toy. Then rudely slagging off the one they don't own, to validate their own existance (I have 2/3 of said consoles and a PC & MAC, so just call me a console whore or indecisive or just happened to like games on 2/3 and cannot persuade the wife to let me have all 3.)

What exactly do you sad fanboise actually get upon the demise of a console? I mean does Msoft/Sony/Nintendo, actually send you a pile of cash to cover all the money spent on the product? Do you receive a medal proclaiming your victory and support in such a dangerous activity? Did you feel all warm and special when HD died? Do you display your little printed certificate stating you owned a PS3 v0.00000001?

Or do you get less choice, increased game costs ('cos that is what monopolies do) and an enforced search for something else to be a fanboi about? Then hoping that BMX v Chopper Fanboi wars return?

Amazon defies French courts over shipping costs

@ viet et al

I also believe that the ability to support all of these lovely, quaint little shops is due to what can only be described as spectacular abuse of subsidies and a magnificent (I take my hats off to the government for this) ability to cheat and play the EU government game.

Oh and Viet, I agree that a company should abide by that countries laws, which means that in line with your thoughts, it would be perfectly legal to host a site selling French language books in the UK and to sell and ship them anywhere in France with out the Lang law being applicable. Thereby enabling those who want to buy cheaper books to do so. After all the law of the land here is British law not French?

Oh and to all those who say that bookstores in london are no good, Foyles? Waterstones on Regent Street, massive stores, helpful staff and eclectic mixes.

So nothing to do with IT then...

Ballmer: Microsoft will power the mobile revolution

Accenture & Microsoft are innovative

I know it is not directly related but it was fascinating. I was at the IoD to listen to how business can do business with the 2012 Olympics in London. The COO was asked 'is it worth small businesses with innovative products applying to do business with the 2012 Olympics?'.

His reply: 'Of course it is, let me give you an example of our innovative thinking. When we went to market for the ERP solution, we all thought SAP would win. However the contract went to ........ Accenture for their innovative ERP proposal, using Microsoft software.

We chose it because it matched our existing software and so would be easy to understand and it was the cheapest solution'.

So lots of innovation there then, nothing like living your slogan of 'the everyman olympics'