Posts by Charlie Clark

FreeBSD gains eMMC support so … errr … watch out, Android

Terrible article

Almost as if the author has never used FreeBSD…

Want to know why FreeBSD is interesting: it's well-engineered an unencumbered.

BBC Telly Tax petition given new Parliament debate date

Re: the Beeb don't do anything that is or requires a natural monopoly

Is that why its agenda is endless faux diversity handwringing

Endless is an exaggeration but for an explanation: it's relatively easy (and cheap) to do this kind of tokenism and thus assuage some very vocal critics. But it does carry the risk of alienating rather than engaging others.

It's also easier to take pot shots at the Tories at the moment because, to many people's surprise, the Labour Party has largely managed to unite behind Corbyn and his unfeasible but popular policies. The pendulum will no doubt swing back the other way in time.

The Beeb is about as impartial as Fox News or Russia Today…

This is hyperbolic nonsense.

Re: @ Lee D

And that's why your argument is rubbish - the Beeb don't do anything that is or requires a natural monopoly

No, but it makes the discussion ideological. I, and many others, would argue that a public service (and not state) broadcaster is a key element in keeping citizens informed, something that is essential in a functioning democracy. This is not incompatible with free markets to have members that are not entirely motivated by profits; as the success of the BBC / ITV duopoly from 1957 until the early 1990s shows. Along with the football-based success of Sky, ITV became its own worst enemy.

For examples of an entirely "market-based" approach you can look at newspapers or social media: chasing market share at all costs combined with the exponential rise of partisan echo chambers.

So the calls from politicians (of all colours) to do something about the BBC are almost always ideologically motivated and why the charter should occasionally be reviewed but always renewed.

It's not a tax, it's a licence fee. Tobacco duty is that the level of this is set by the government and the government can do what they want with it: it's supposed to be spent on the increased medical care that smokers need but basically the government can and does do what they want with it.

The licence fee, while negotiated with parliament, goes to the BBC and this is the best way to provide an element of independence and objectivity for the media, above and away stupid attempts to be "fair and balanced" by treating all idiots equally. With financial independence the BBC acts as an anchor for the rest of the broadcast media to measure itself against and compete with. The BBC isn't perfect so commercial operators can compete with it over both quality and ratings.

Arguments about technology are wilfully designed to miss the point: the mixed market of British broadcast media: giving people what they want isn't the same as giving them a choice.

China cools on Apple's high-priced iBling

Re: Maybe Chinese just prefer to go with their own brands

Yes, have to acknowledge that Apple's market share is holding up well in comparison with, say, Samsung.

However, if the Chinese market does indeed turn away from Apple — and no one knows this yet — then this would have a significant effect on Apple's bottom line. Wouldn't be disaster because other markets, particularly the US, are extremely loyal to the brand and big enough to keep the money rolling in.

Home Sec Amber Rudd: Yeah, I don't understand encryption. So what?

Appealing to the audience

The trick that politicians are pulling again and again is appealing to the audience. Rebuffing expert criticism is an integral part of this tactic. The speaker makes then connection between A and B (here end-to-end encryption and terrorism) so that any criticism is perceived by the audience as an attempt to undermine security. Amber Rudd almost certainly understands the oxymoron of end-to-end encryption with a backdoor but she knows that her audience almost certainly doesn't. If she aligns herself with her audience any criticism of her arguments will be perceived as criticism of the goal – greater security – and those who want it.

Open World? More like closed world: Women sue Oracle for 'paying them less' than blokes

Re: Catch 22?

Actions like this are full of logical flaws such as: if the tech industry can pay women less as men to do the same thing, why doesn't it employ more of them?

There's no doubt that discrimination in individual situations does occur but I agree with you that it's probably not systemic. Still, you know American lawyers once they scent blood.

Re: Note to plaintiffs

Why don't we all know what everyone else is paid?

Depends very much and the job but it making pay discrepancies known can lead to workplace conflicts. But there are other reasons why remuneration is generally considered to be part of a private, commercial contract and not disclosed: disclosure can limit both parties in future negotiations.

Note to plaintiffs

Any potential merits of the case notwithstanding: class actions like this often have unwanted side-effects, such as employers relocating to other states or jurisdictions.

Patch your Android, peeps, it has up to 14 nasty flaws to flog

Re: And people mock me

You just can't say stuff round here.

You might want to see a doctor about getting that chip removed from your shoulder…

Re: And people mock me

@Ishtiag Apple is far less open about security than Google and releases updates far less frequently. That said, the lack of large infections of either Android or IOS are testament to improvements in OS security since Windows XP.

BYOD might be a hipster honeypot but it's rarely worth the extra hassle

Shift to commodity hardware

BYOD has more or less arrived: people are bringing their own hardware into the work environment and using it for some stuff. Networks have largely been updated to provide internet capability whilst insulating infrastructure.

However, the major shift is from PCs to managed consumer devices. As the article points out: if you don't own it, you can't control it. Devices that provide strict separation between business and private environments are needed so that the PC can die and be buried in peace and if someone breaks or loses their device they can be up and running with a new one as quickly as possible. Whether someone has a company device which has some space for them to do their own thing is, of course, important. But the trend is definitely taking some kind of universal device with you and popping it on some kind of dock and doing stuff.

But the problem is the age old: device versus network?

Signal taps up Intel's SGX to (hopefully) stop contacts falling into hackers, cops' hands

@inmypjs the problem wasn't the login but the need for some form of the Gapps package on the phone. Had lots of fun with this at the start of the year when I was switching to LineageOS, which would crash once Google services started up. Fortunately, the problems have long since been resolved and I'm generally fairly happy with Google's stuff (nano + calendar), but something like Signal should definitely be able to run without them.

The development fits in with a lot of Signal's work which is to act as an example of current best practice. It was this that made Signal's encryption system the de facto standard for messenger services. This too will presumably be peer-reviewed, hacked and improved. Signal already stores very, very little about contacts so that the servers are probably less interesting for the spooks than, say, being able to sneak a compromised version of the app onto someone's phone. But the lessons learned could, for example, be applied in any hashing system that might targeted: passwords spring to mind.

Twitter: We also made a shedload of cash from Russia's trolling during US White House race

Re: Free market

The Supreme Court has already ruled that, in contrast to most other democracies, there is no limit on how much can be spent on political ads. This is why spending by PACs (political action committees) dwarves that spent directly by the candidates themselves. The system is hence broken by design and whether it's the NRA, Mumsnet or the Russians doesn't really matter, unless donation and spending limits are introduced.

'Alexa, play Charlie Bit My Finger.' I can't do that, Dave. No, really

Re: Amazon video

Why? It already has a video service and that's where the money is, if there is any.

I'm sure if Google ever starts to make a significant amount of cash with YouTube it will let us know, but so far the only stuff I've seen is that about breaks even. YouTube, as Andrew Orlowski has indicated several times, acts as a constraint on licence fees for content from the main producers. If it wasn't full of copyrighted material it almost certainly wouldn't be as popular as it is. Google likes popular because it means data for its ad services but it wouldn't like it as much if it had to pay Hollywood rates for the content…

Re: Internet of Silos

I'm largely in agreement with you on this: especially regarding the calling to the mothership. But voice controlled services can be useful in some situations. For example, in the kitchen setting a timer or similar. My brother's got one and if you try it you realise that its use in some situations is pretty compelling.

The advances in voice recognition mean that the speech processing can be done offline but queries can be sent (no different to a search engine). The key privacy aspect is the separation of the speech recognition from the rest.

Regarding the device itself: looks like a typical "solutionist" piece of tat. Amazon's record with phones and tablets isn't spectacular and this is unlikely to enhance it.

Smartphone SatNavs to get centimetre-perfect GNSS receivers in 2018

Industry and agriculture are driving the demand for this kind of precision.

Brit broke anti-terror law by refusing to cough up passwords to cops

This hasn't been possible with Windows for a while. On unix you can do something similar with single user mode. Unless the disk has been encrypted, which has been standard practice in most companies for about 10 years.

Re: Micro SD cards....

Which is why dogs are being trained to sniff them out in searches.

Which is why, if you think that you will be picked out, you shouldn't be carrying anything. That said you can always carry more than one of them. They're also small enough to be swallowed.

Re: Seriously... with the double standards

You can be upset all you like, but it comes down to common sense, and understanding that governments will always protect themselves and their people.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions…

The US Constitution is also replete with examples of why you cannot and should not blindly trust the government.

Re: Micro SD cards....

Except they're made of METAL.

Not really a problem if they're in something that is metal or has electronics: an electronic car key, for example.

Except, as is standard spy practice, the spy will never being carrying sensitive information with them because, even if it's encrypted and you don't have the key, the authorities might well consider beating the crap out of you to get it anyway. Meanwhile the mule, who the spy doesn't know and doesn't know the spy has carried whatever is needed through or around screening.

So. Should I upgrade to macOS High Sierra?

WebP fail

HEIF is all well and good but it's impact in the real world will be limited. Apple could have done its users a bigger favour by including support for the WebP format for bitmaps in Safari. When it comes to photos and videos on the interwebs Apple is a much smaller player than Google. Using HEIF with HEVC for bitmaps is unlikely to take off because, unlike WebP, HEVC is encumbered which will dramatically limit the spread of applications that can create the files.

Web devs griping about iPhone X notch: You're rendering it wrong

Re: Goodbye HTML

HTML isn't going anywhere and the Apple Galaxy isn't going to sell enough over the next year or so to make much difference.

Re: I don't get what the problem is...

The problem is that if designers follow current best practice, which in part derives from the kludge than Apple introduced with the I-Phone then the screen size will be incorrectly reported and this may lead to content being off-screen. In typical Apple-style they launch a device with a kludge and expect everyone to do what they want.

I suspect some kind of tweak to IOS Safari will allow users to toggle screen size to include the notch or not.

London Mayor backs talks with Uber after head honcho's apology

Re: the use of Greyball in London

Uber works, I've seen people break out of absolute poverty

… and slip back into it as more drivers mean lower incomes.

He's not due for re-election for a while…

In many ways the solves problems because it will pre-empt lots of individual court cases. It might also give TfL time to update their rules to create a level playing field. Not holding my breath on that one.

Until then Black Cabs are for rich people.Who do you mean? The drivers certainly aren't rich. You can end restrictive practices without reintroducing casual labour.

Re: Uber has Objectionable Practices But So Do . . .

Uber has exposed an anachronism in taxi-licensing in the UK. The solution is to close the loophole and remove the synthetic distinction between Hackney carriages and other vehicles, and work on ways of avoiding exploitation of drivers (and fares) and relegate Uber to the dustbin of history, where it belongs.

iPhone 8: Apple has CPU cycles to burn

My S5 is more than fast enough for me. Could always do with more battery, but now I've got two spares and a power pack I think I'll manage.

I will admit that the camera on the I-Phone does some very nice things: slow motion,, time-lapse but nothing I feel I'm desperately missing. Give me a grand and I'll find other things to spend it on.

Re: Please explain to me ...

Why on earth would you buy a phone to do that? ;-)

On a recent trip back to Blighty it seemed to me that owning an I-Phone was almost entirely about status. To paraphrase "Christopher Unborn": Citizens: buy an I-Phone. You won't live longer but you will live better!

Re: Passing is temporary

This has the distinct smell of an ARM CPU coming to a Macbook near you in the immediate future.

Maybe, but if you run single-thread ARM vs. Intel, then Intel still tends to come out quite a bit better. Still, could be a nice bargaining chip in negotiations.

It's high time we extend Freedom of Information Act to outsourcers

Re: Public Accountability for Public Services

Inasmuch as government application for tenders have to be made public you'd have thought so, cf. the "bargain" deal the government's getting for Hinckley Point. It's a sleight of hand to hide the embarrassing details behind a commercial contract and should really be tested in the courts, as they have successfully in, for example, Berlin. Okay, different jurisprudence and jurisdiction but the principle applies: the Berlin government sold off the local utilities using contracts with guaranteed price rises that it, for some unknown reason, wanted to keep secret.

If you need to replace anything other than your iPhone 8's battery or display, good luck

Re: Well would ya look at that..

Wow, seems like you have a big need to compensate!

BPSD

Database biz MongoDB files to go public, hopes to raise a cool $100m

VC pressing the eject button

Annual losses of $ 90 million and an IPO of $ 100 million? That's desperation.

Falling apart at the seamless: Inside Apple's LTE Watch fiasco

Re: haters gonna hate

I'm glad that Apple put LTE in the watch and consider this version #1 with LTE, because it is.

No, it isn't: it's version 3. And, have you seen the price?

Re: Just proves the point

No need to bash them needlessly here. Just as with Apple TV the sales are relatively small but the margins are nice: lots of people like these products. Just possibly not enough to change the world.

A lot of the features are sort of amateur but to be fair they've always been prepared to talk about these things as a sort of hobby. Just wish I had a hobby that brought as much cash in!

There are definitely risks in focussing too much on the "5 % problems" of the people who go for this kind of thing. None of the "smart" watches I've seen has really intrigued me but the Withthings stuff is getting close: good battery life and incremental utility. Rather than pissing around with LTE I can see a market in a flexible OLED touch strap (definitely not always on!) but Apple has absolutely no IP in that area.

Thanks for the explanation

That's because Apple and the network are trying to manage two devices or endpoints with one (IMSI) number.

You can see the advantages of being able to tether the devices by the mobile network but this should be done by the watch being a dumb slave to the phone. Would the networks play along? Quite possibly if a special contract was required for say $5 a month. They would still own the customer's contract and tying up with Apple should bring them customers because of the USP. This is how the I-Phone worked initially.

But the downsides are multiple: LTE is still far from ubiquitous and getting good cellular radio reception on something like a watch is a far cry tethering it to the phone via Bluetooth, and will no doubt be reflected in battery use. Then there are the multiple potential vectors: if both devices can send and receive calls, then this is begging to be used for eavesdropping.

Google blows $1.1bn to hire HTC's Pixel people, forming one big happy handset team

But yeah, leverage over the supply chain is important.

As is the retail operation.

Google is going to continue to develop and sell hardware but I expect it to be happy to remain a niche player. Lobbing out devices to showcase the services to encourage the market is very different from running warehouses and bricks and mortar shops full of "geniuses".

Nobody mentioned Motorola Mobility, which Google acquired in 2011 with the intention of building its own handsets

Google never stated that that was the intention. It was always a defensive move to stop some of Motorola's patents landing the in the hands of the competition of trolls who would sue, sue and more sure.

Won't be the same with HTC but little reason at the moment to suspect that Google wants mimic Apple, because control of the supply chain and customer service is more important than hardware designers. It might be all about kickstarting other product lines such as VR, where HTC is less of an also ran.

Bill Gates says he'd do CTRL-ALT-DEL with one key if given the chance to go back through time

his company popularised the use of PCs by providing an easy to use interface

Nonsense. PCs became ubiquitous because the clones made them cheap, despite the many acknowledged design flaws. When it came to the interface MS was always playing catch up with Windows versus Amgia/Atari/Apple and even things like GEM for the PC. Playing catch up involved stupid decisions like "Program Manager" to avoid legal spats with Apple…

Gates did do much better work on the programming languages side with things like MS-BASIC. But it was his eye for the deal with DOS and later NT that made him all the money.

GNOME Foundation backs 'freedom-oriented' smartphone

Comparison with the Planet Gemini?

The Gemini did crowd-funding in March and more than hit the target of $500k and is on target to deliver phones by the end of the year — all crowd-funding projects carry a degree of risk. It is aiming to do this by using as much off-the-shelf equipment and software as possible, and this will undoubtedly include BLOBs for some stuff.

This phone will be more expensive and without the USP of a real keyboard and will take much longer to develop (nothing due before 2019). In summary something for the true believers: unimpressive hardware at a premium price at some point in the future. Good luck with that!

Behold iOS 11, an entirely new computer platform from Apple

Re: I do, but

Blinding bright light when you’re reading the dark.

Get yourself a Kobo Aura One (or anything using the same screen and adaptive light). It's turned me from an occasional into an avid reader.

Sprint, T-Mobile US reignite mega-merger talks (again)

Re: Oligopoly

Not sure why a three way oligopoly would be significantly worse than the current four way oligopoly.

Research suggests this but it's not clear cut:

http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-mobile-europe-m-a/austria-becomes-battleground-in-fight-over-mobile-mergers-idUKKBN0OP0ET20150609

On the other hand, AT&T and Verizon would likely use their significant lobbying budgets to lean on regulators to kill the merger

There's little evidence to suggest this. A three-way spilt would probably suit all three more than the current situation where T-Mobile is aggressively trying to gain market share.

Consolidation in industries is the hallmark of the US economy over the last few years and is the reason for corporate profits (and prices) continuing to rise. Cf. the current round of consolidation in the aerospace supply industry. Over a wide range of industries the US is significantly less competitive than elsewhere in the world.

Manchester plod still running 1,500 Windows XP machines

Entirely unrelated to reduced funding by central government…

… not.

Legacy specialist applications will include drivers for specialist hardware. I seem to recall someone mentioning drivers for tasers but it could be all kinds of stuff. This should be doable with virtualised and locked down setups but that is going to take time and expertise to set up correctly. Meanwhile, since 2010 the police force has been busy shedding personnel and doing additional anti-terrorist stuff. At some point something has to give. Ditto for the rest of the public sector.

macOS High Sierra more like 'Cry Sierra' for Mac-wielding beta testers

Re: Hard locks attract workarounds, workarounds become a honeypot for malware.

No drivers exist for the hardware in question, even the hackers resort to hardware changes.

Yes, Mr Fuckwit, it's not as if Apple couldn't recompile the drivers…

Itching to stuff iOS 11 on your iPhone? You may want to hold off for a bit

Re: Questionable advice

It's not an update, it's an upgrade. The security fixes should be available for the previous version as well.

Re: Simple Safety tricks

@roland6

the irony is weak with this one. I-Phones have neither SD card support nor removable batteries…

Re: Forcing 64 bit only SAVES storage and RAM

Previously Apple (and Android still does) have had to include both 32 bit and 64 bit libraries

Nah, Android comes in 32-bit and 64-bit flavours and most apps have their bytecode jitted to native.

That said, you're right that the 64-bit / 32-bit issue is generally misunderstood. Practically apart from drivers it shouldn't make much of a difference.