Posts by Charles 9

Memo to Microsoft: Windows 10 is broken, and the fixes can't wait

Re: "In the 1990s, MS could never have been as stupid . . "

Thumbing me down doesn't make it less true; otherwise, why isn't the Linux Steam library nearly as big as the Windows one, despite advances in DXVK and the like?

Re: Speeding Up Migration

"Our performance goals and expectations do not diminish based on problems derived from users personal system preferences. We hold THEM responsible and while we support their preferences we do not accept as an excuse the 'system ate my work product'."

Does that include people over your head, or are you actually in a position to be over everyone's head?

"Yeah - just did a new i5-7500 build. For the first time in 32 years, my PC has no MS product installed. What should I do with all the extra time I used to spend cleaning up MS screw ups?"

Looking for the replacements for the Windows programs you were using but didn't realize it and making sure your system is actually running at top performance (given the known Linux graphic issues, especially if you have to use nonfree driver blobs, this isn't a gimme).

Re: Replace outlook!

"There's a line of argument that says losing that would be one of the gains of switching from Office."

Which is quickly countered by having Access-specific stuff being critical to their operations, meaning without a ready-to-go alternative already at hand, they can't move without shutting down and potentially ceasing as a going concern.

Re: We need alternatives - good ones

And I'd the reply is, "Can't afford it" AND they hold trade secret sauce that makes competition unlikely?

The biggest problem with Windows is Captive Markets.

Re: Microsoft clearly has abismal QA standards!

It's cheaper to lawyer their way out of it (that includes lobbying governments to see their way) than to actually do things right. And because they hold a captive market, they feel they're nigh bulletproof. After all, where will everyone go with budgets as tight as they are today?

Re: Win 10 broken beyond repair?

Because staying put is preferable to going BACKWARDS (which is what everyone sees). All else fails, go off the rails and blaze a new trail.

Re: "In the 1990s, MS could never have been as stupid . . "

"And yet Linux is the basis of the most common OS found anywhere..."

EXCEPT at the desktop due to all the legacy baggage and the need for performance.

Re: The bit I don't get with all this...

"Once upon a time, maybe. Today WINE's just going to be another victim of general breakage."

Still, the ongoing news of DXVK development, the inclusion of Proton in the Steam Play system and the addition of vkd3d to WINE is giving me pause. One of the biggest obstacles to Windows emigration even now seems to be actively engaged. It'll be interesting to see something mainstream switch to using stuff like this, though I suspect the lawyers will interfere with this, but I can seriously start to hope again. If things improve by 2020 (when Win7 support drops), there may just be another ship on which to jump finally.

Who says it's a substitute? They're two separate things. One makes them money, the other saves them money. Unless and until it costs more to do it than not do it, business sense tells them to keep going, and if this article is any indication, they're laughing all the way to the bank with their captive markets.

Re: Excellent article

"A bug in win 10 introduced by automatic updates CAN kill in those circumstances... its not like "Oh I've lost the power point document I've been working on for 2 days" , its more like "Opps I've just given that cancer patient 10 times the gamma ray dose I should have""

Unless and until this actually happens AND can directly be attributed to Windows or a Windows-based Microsoft action, there will still be no impetus for action. Anything less, and Microsoft will probably lawyer its way out of it.

There's your problem. Do you write what they want or what they really need but swear they don't want? And in either case, is there a chance you won't get paid/get demanded a refund for unfit-for-purpose?

Re: The real fix

No, the ONLY real fix is to come up with a way to FORCE them to do the above...or simply cease to exist. The way the market is now, it's too captive for many people to just throw up their arms and leave. Until that happens...

Re: I think it's really going to be a trust issue soon

EXCEPT the billion-dollar question remains: Where would they go?

Can they PROVE it's strictly with the OS and not something third-party like a driver? For example, can they duplicate the data deletion in a vanilla install?

It's times like this that I'm reminded of what I call "gestfaults": problems that are worse than the sums of their parts. Each component is tested and works perfectly in their own little world, but just put them together in just so and suddenly things go pear-shaped, and they ONLY do so when put together, so it's hard to test for gestfaults.

Re: The bit I don't get with all this...

And thus why it still keeps the older bits up to a point (WIn16 support was dropped with Win64, for example). But that's old stuff, not to mention custom stuff that probably can't be virtualized (like the lathe controlled by the custom card on an ISA bus--support for ISA was dropped with Vista), so that's kind-of "off the back end" territory. But all those custom-built software jobs are still workable, and there's still its stranglehold on the PC games market (in spite of the potential pull power of things like professional gaming leagues).

Re: The bit I don't get with all this...

They're probably trying to break WINE to ensure there's no viable migration path. That's one reason ReactOS is stuck where it is; Windows is a moving target, and simply by keeping things changing, they make the act of keeping up and staying relevant too difficult.

Re: Excellent article

"No takers..... why does something critical as a desktop OS have no real QC ?"

Simple. Different definitions of "critical". In your world, "critical" equates to "some little thing goes wrong, planes fall, people die, governments forced to get involved, people risk getting thrown in prison". In Microsoft's world, "critical" means "no alternatives available--or there'd already be a mass exodus--and they probably have enough resources to lawyer their way out of trouble. After all, it's not like people die because of a bug in their system."

For Microsoft's definition to change, some catastrophe (either people die or a major business goes bust) must be directly attributed to them. It's only crisis that motivates the people with the power.

"MS need to shift their entire paradigm and realise where they are in the product development curve and just settle for less."

Problem is, what if you're at the TAG end, meaning settling for less equals settling for NOTHING, meaning you cease to exist? NO ONE I know will accept the inevitable that gracefully, especially since most have unfinished business or simply want to live forever. Besides, they still possess quite a captive market out there (or we'd be seeing major developers switching over already).

Re: The problem is fundamental

"There's no better alternative than sticking with Win 7 for now, but all talk seems to be of finding a different way forward for the future than Windows."

And yet we're not seeing much actual movement away from Windows, especially for those who seem to be stranded (like professional gamers who need top-end performance and whose software lineup is pretty much Windows-ONLY). I'll start believing people are abandoning Windows when I start people like that turn away money and moving away in serious numbers because that means the economics finally means the price is too high even to bribe.

I'm also waiting to see if a "dilemma" moment hits at some point. Say there's a bad update in the pipe that bricks most of the systems that try to update. Yet, at the same time, a super-critical (say remote-control total-pwnage exploit that can spread like crazy without intervention) bug hits in the old version. This means computers that MUST be online face a real dilemma: get bricked or get pwned. I would think the lawyers would get involved at that point.

Re: Replace outlook!

You forget one other problem: an OS is nothing without applications, and while you cite possible replacements for Office programs, don't forget the existing ecosystem of custom linchpin software that can't be ported (dev no longer exists) OR replaced (custom job paid up front that's probably still being amortized), and nine times out of ten they use some quirky thing that makes emulation a non-starter. So basically, they're at the end of the rope with nothing below them, which means all they can do is hang on for dear life.

Re: RE: What happened to the hardware abstraction layer...

IOW, there's no business like repeat business, but changing over to a SaaS, subscription, or other repeat-business model is tough to do in a market used to one-and-dones.

As for the hardware abstraction layer, that's a potential pitfall as well if people think your HAL is the balls (recall what happened so often with the old BIOS--so pathetic that coders worked around it and went straight to the metal).

Florida man won't be compelled to reveal iPhone passcode, yet

"Minor" is legally defined in the US as those below the age of adulthood (set at 18 in this case). It's legally defined because of privileges (voting) and duties (military service, self-determination) that apply at that point.

Most states set the minimum legal driving age at 16 (for historical reasons), but some states qualify this by not allowing unattended driving until they're 18.

Re: Files are not testimony

"The officer would still need permission to enter your house whether the door was unlocked or wide open. They will ask if they can come in and if you give them permission, you change the scenario a lot. If they can see what appears to be criminal activity in the house from your open front door, that may also give them some leeway. If there is a coffee table piled high with a white powder, a scale and a pack of little zip lock bags in plain view, you're nicked."

As I understand it, there are conditions. First, if a suspect is arrested IN the house, then a basic search can be conducted as part of the arrest, and evidence pertaining to the offense cited can be collected (eg. if a druggie is arrested in his house, then contraband found inside is germane and can be taken as evidence. Same for a suspect car if stopped while driving it and subsequently arrested). If evidence not germane to the arrest is found, a separate search warrant would be needed. Dragnet and Adam-12 (both based on actual LAPD incidents) touched on searches.

Put it this way: prior rulings say you CAN be compelled to open a safe.

Re: Files are not testimony

"That's utterly different from searching a residence."

As I understand it, police CAN seize a key upon your person with probable cause or pursuant to arrest. Why is a password any different from a physical key?

Americans' broadband access is so screwed up that the answer may lie in tiny space satellites

Re: Screw the satellites; relax the restrictions!

And the community didn't threaten to take the CableCo to court over predatory pricing WHY?

Sorry friends, I'm afraid I just can't quite afford the Bitcoin to stop that vid from leaking everywhere

Re: Spam & Phishing

But they're probably e-mailing from a place that's hostile to Western sentiments, meaning any kind of a legal threat would be answered with a "Go Ahead and Try!"

Should a robo-car run over a kid or a grandad? Healthy or ill person? Let's get millions of folks to decide for AI...

Re: Neither. Choose the 3rd option.

And someone should've already invented a hypercomputer to solve the Halting Problem, is what you're saying.

What the Trolley Problem demonstrates is that, sometimes, there's no right or even satisfactory answer. But you can be forced into them anyway. Now, imagine a computer in such a scenario, and it can get pretty complicated.

Re: Brake or steer

And like I said, chance the scenario a bit and the words of Spock spring to mind: "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few". If a BUNCH of kids ran out in front of the car too close to brake, and the only way to avoid killing them all is to swerve and hit Granny on the sidewalk, then it becomes harder to argue, as there IS such a crime as "negligent manslaughter", times six or so would be pretty much the end for you. So taking action to reduce the body count could be seen as a necessary evil because the saving of the many lives would have to be weighed versus the taking of the few.

Such a scenario is actually spelled out in US military policy post-9/11. If a loaded passenger jet is confirmed to be making a suicide run at a crowded place, the military is instructed to shoot down the plane to prevent the greater disaster.

Re: Final solution many years from now

"I might not be perfect, but the human brain is the best device to control a car or road vehicle"

I beg to differ. Do you know just what percentage of traffic accidents are attributed to human error?

A: According to the NHTSA, it was 94% of all traffic accidents recorded, last they checked. Now WHO'S leaving the gene pool early?

Re: Final solution many years from now

So if someone gets SHOVED into your cutter bar, it's the poor ped's fault?

If you install a spike in the steering wheel and a ghost driver switches sides and rams you head-on, it's still your fault?

Re: Brake or steer

"At which point, you have the option of actively choosing to run over someone, or ending up hitting someone in a terrible accident."

Two things. First, most Trolley Problems change the value equation by making it between choosing to run over ONE person or letting it run over MANY people. Second, inaction is still an action, meaning if you're found to have been able to avert extra tragedy but didn't, you can get accused of your crime by inaction.

Re: "a bit of intellectual masturbation, innit"

I was replying specifically to "Er, pro-tip: don't nose dive into the ground with a 747. It doesn't happen that often..."

It doesn't happen often, doesn't mean it doesn't happen at all. And IIRC the pilots were trying to turn back to Schipol when they lost full control.

Going back to the subject at hand, I reply thus: edge cases don't STAY edge cases. And Murphy CAN strike.

Re: NO ONE wants to be that loser

"Doctors face difficult choices every day, and our societies as a whole have accepted that not everyone can always be saved, however hard it is for the dead's families. Why wouldn't we accept it for cars?"

Because you're confusing macro with micro. Society accept there will be losses, but the perspective always changes when it gets personal. IOW, it's always "someone else" until it's "you". The Trolley Problem tends to force the "you" part of the problem.

Re: "a bit of intellectual masturbation, innit"

But it DOES happen. El Al Flight 1862 was a 747 that lost two engines, became unstable, and crashed into an apartment tower in Amsterdam.

Just because something doesn't happen often doesn't mean it doesn't happen at all. Sudden blindness (like a sudden fall or spray) can easily lead to a trolley problem or the like outside anyone's ability to control it.

Re: Who's gonna buy it?

"All these trolley problem variants are extremely marginal situations, and whatever their outcomes the number of victims will be peanuts compared to the lives saved by self-driving cars."

Two problems. First, edge cases don't STAY edge cases. Second, these "trolley problems" raise serious questions of priority, which can never get a satisfactory answer on account of there always being a loser (and a dead one at that) at the end, and NO ONE wants to be that loser.

Bloke sues Microsoft: Give me $600m – or my copy of Windows 7 back

There's hope. I've been reading up on thinks like DXVK and vkd3d: runtime translation layers for DX11-12 that combined with existing compatibility layers for the older DX's can mean a potential out. Put together with Lutris to manage the mess, and one can start hoping (the list isn't that big just yet, but we have two years yet).

Grumbling about wobbly Windows 10? Microsoft can't hear you over the clanging cash register

Re: !!!!!

"Yeah, just as its easier and nicer to go on smoking than it is to quit - in the short run. In the long run you may encounter pain such as you could never imagine, when your lifelong habit gives you cancer."

But the way they figure it, at least they'll die doing what they love. Why else do you think the most frequent people to call cigarettes "cancer sticks" are the smokers?

"So you start with a cluebat, then move up to a clue-by-four. Eventually you need to take off and LART the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."

Can't be sure of that, either. What if they have Andromeda Strain characteristics (meaning a nuke would make them stronger)?

"You say that like it's a problem"

It is. You just can't win. You either watch them take everything you can dish out...or you're left with bloody hands and a murder charge. Either way, your day's ruined.

Re: Conditioning.

"I keep choosing Windows because it's all I know and what everybody else knows that run my business."

No, we keep running Windows because the software we NEED or WANT ONLY runs on Windows. No, WINE won't cut it, and it's high-performance and/or resource-intensive which means a VM is not ideal (as it'll take up most of the machine's resources anyway). We can't expect a port because the dev no longer exists and a refactor would cost more than we can afford.

IOW, many of us would like to move, but we're stranded.

And what if they're masochists and cudgels get them off?

Re: Conditioning.

A death CAN do it, as Wrongful Death tends to be some of the nastiest (and most expensive) lawsuits. If there comes concrete evidence that a Windows Update broke something (like a a life-support machine) that ends up directly causing someone's death, then the deceased's survivors will have lawyers on the phone. Sure, they can try to lawyer out, but it's tougher when it's lawyers versus lawyers.

Re: Conditioning.

"Sadly, it'll probably take an update deleting almost everyone's files before people will listen."

Or an update that actually KILLS people...

Silent running: Computer sounds are so '90s

Re: Not just phones :(

And if the clod IS the management? Or otherwise has SUPER protection?

Adam Smith was right about that invisible hand, you know

Re: Adam Smith is misunderstood

Then the take-home lesson from this is that ANY construction of man is doomed to fail at some point: simply for the fact that there WILL be someone who cheats, and once one cheats, the whole house of cards comes tumbling down. Insert ANY governmental or economic system you want, the results will be the same, guaran-damn-teed, simply because we're human.

Ericsson's very good bad quarter, Mozilla encrypts SNI, new TIP projects, and more

"Best way is to ban secure protocols"

Then do what the Chinese do: ban and gum up any unsanctioned encryption (read: anything they can't already decode).

In defence of online ads: The 'net ain't free and you ain't paying

"It isn't our fault that we leverage technology to disrupt industries that refused to do so."

Yes it is because we don't recognize how important some things are. We don't care about polluting water until we can't get a drink anymore. We don't care about honest reporting until there's nothing left but echo chambers. As someone once said, "Freedom ins't free," yet no one seems willing to pay. And that can take everyone else with them. What do you propose that won't provoke a potentially dangerous backlash?

AI's next battlefield is literally the battlefield: In 20 years, bots will fight our wars – Army boffin

Re: Any REAL AI-

To be answered with an ultimatum: "Do It or Else," to which they can qualify that any artificial construct that doesn't have a self-preservation instinct (meaning they won't take the "or Else") can't qualify as Intelligent.