Posts by The Original Steve

Sit back and let someone else manage your telephony

Necessary?

I was surprised by how easy it was to get Lync setup and working. Have another client who is using a hosted system in the cloud and they have no end of performance issues, as well as lacking some features too.

Nature of voice needing low latency, and with modern PBX systems having all sorts of extra features I'm skeptical that cloud hosted telephony is suitable for anyone other than sub 30 user environments.

Larger than that and the use case for the advanced features (exchange integration, call recording, logging etc) makes a good enough case for your own PBX on commodity x86 kit. Linux and now Windows is reliable enough and various systems are easy enough to setup and use compared to traditional analogue / digital systems with all their proprietary guff.

Nokia boss smashes net neutrality activists

Re: Tosh

What public internet? The internet is a network of networks. The ISP in question peers with all the big boys, it's not closed off - you have to be a member and pay a subscription - like every ISP.

The issue in some areas is competition - not neutrality.

I can pay Be or A&A twice what I do for TalkTalk and get excellent speeds as they have invested more per subscriber in terms of capacity.

All of the above ISPs can interconnect and peer using LINX or other peering org. I pay for the connection to the peer point via my ISP, and the supplier / host can pay for their connection the other side.

Neither should in my opinion prioritise traffic.

If I want less 'buffer face' I'll pay for a better ISP.

Crap connection? You need better competition, not QoS.

Tosh

I used to work for an international not-for-profit ISP. We connect at national levels to NGOs, education and very large charities / health orgs. E.g. JANET in the UK.

Our connections provide low latency, high speed services so things like specialist consultants in the UK can supervise operations in disaster areas or countries with less skilled doctors. Also used for edu's to do video confs and similar stuff.

National NGOs pay for the connection, and as such they get a much better connection than using their normal national incumbent which would provide too high latency / low bandwidth for their needs.

However we don't prioritise traffic, but we sell to people who need such a service.

The net can be neutral in that ISPs provide one speed / latency - ASAP. One can then choose whichever ISP provides the better network for their needs and budget.

Acer enters Windows Phone fray with cheap Liquid M220 mobe

Re: Seriously? Still on about apps?

Need to look at your bank then. Barclays have a cracking app, and a quick peek in the store shows apps for NatWest, RBS, TSB, Metro, Halifax and Lloyds.

Re: Seriously? Still on about apps?

Nokia Transit:

http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/nokia-transit/5e41c972-de66-47f0-95bf-06eb115b3e48

Windows is TAKING the TABLET market... what's left of it, anyway

Re: I'd consider Surface more of a super ultrabook than a tablet

Those $200 also buys you a lighter device (inc keyboard 0.24kg), a rather good touchscreen, faster processor cores (1,4 vs 1,9GHz) and 2 x 5MP cameras.

Valid point about using the Surface keyboard on your lap. Although I think you'd struggle more trying to use the MBA standing.... ;)

You'll get sick of that iPad. And guess who'll be waiting? Big daddy Linux...

Re: I'd try Linux mobile

Same experience here. Moved to Win Pho 8.1 after getting tired if having to manage my partners and my own android phones. We haven't looked back since.

Apps are an issue still, but much better than it was. Most apps I want such as for utility bills I've pinned the web page to start and enabled autocomplete for the credentials - works nearly as well.

I hear Droid is getting better, but a few extra apps and starting to try and match iOS and WP8.1 stability just isn't enough of a lure right now.

Attackers planting banking Trojans in industrial systems

Re: Why use Windows ?

Because the OS is secure enough. Good security applies to all platforms (physical security, access control, least privilege, firewalling, separate networks, patching etc).

Windows, as with Linux and *BSD based platforms are equally mature and secure enough for industrial workloads. It's not the platform that's the issue - it's good security practices that lets these things happen.

Goes like the blazes: Amazon Fire HDX 8.9 late 2014 edition

Some nice unique features

"I have exactly the same problem and am bemused that the Outlook OWA doesn't have a default mobile-friendly format."

You need Exchange 2013, renders OWA for mobiles very well. Fraid 2010 sucks. Could always use ActiveSync instead.

Docker: Sorry, you're just going to have to learn about it. Today we begin

AppV

I'm sure I'm wrong, but what is the difference between Docker and AppV exactly?

Docker part 4: Microsoft CAN'T ignore it. Aux armes, citoyens!

I presume you never found the "Export Configuration" button in the Shared Configuration option?

Or: Backup-WebConfiguration -Name "My Backup"

With the equally hard to decipher command: Restore-WebConfiguration -Name "My Backup"

El Reg reanimates Cash'n'Carrion merchandising tentacle

Agree - a rebranded Cybertool or similar would be awesome.

SAN gang at Nimble jump in Fibre Channel pool, but how big will the splash be?

FC - I love it

Wish it was more widely adopted. Just having it as a dedicated, separate network, totally independent of the "network" is what's needed in a highly available VM environment. Granted, a well designed Ethernet network with full redundancy and QoS can come close for a LOT less, but if you can afford it then FC all the way.

BlackBerry comeback: BES12 server revealed – it will manage ALL THE THINGS

Nice

But software seems pricy for what it does. Most of the features can be done with Lync. Think we'll stick with Lync 2013 and MobileIron - cheaper and does very much the same.

Microsoft, Docker bid to bring Linux-y containers to Windows: What YOU need to know

AppV

Not having a *nix background I'm going purely on the odd article like this one, but what makes docker so much better / different than AppV?

Get NAS-ty: Reg puts claws to eight four-bay data dumpsters

Re: Or alternatively... Fractal Node 304 case

I did the same but threw some SSD's in too, installed Win Server 2012 R2 as HyperV core to a USB 3.0 stick and created a NAS VM on it. Storage tiering, dedupe, compression etc plus can create other VM's too.

Great chassis. Recommended.

Nokia Lumia 735: Ignore the selfie hype, it's a grown-up phone

Already exists

You can search for exchange contacts too.

Call recording does work - I have a working app on my 930.

iPhone 6: The final straw for Android makers eaten alive by the data parasite?

Emerging markets

And low priced devices are coming under attack by the Lumia range, particularly budget models by the unknown smaller ODM's. (Loads are coming out at the minute since MS ditched license fees).

Personally I see iOS at top end, Samsung have the lions share of mid and high end outside of iOS, with HTC taking the leftovers at mid-market and Lumia taking a decent chunk of the budget ene, particularly in emerging markets. Sony are mad carrying on as they are, and Sammy would be nuts to drop their devices (which are excellent).

I wouldn't discount WP in the BRIC's and other emerging markets and the West's budget segment, seems to be a lot of traction currently.

First Irish boy band U2. Now Apple pushes ANOTHER thing into iPhones, iPods, iPads

"Great. But the problem with that is that these features are on Android devices, and I haven't got time for all the fiddlarsing about that Android demands. Nor the clutter, and the all over the place interfaces."

Then try a Lumia, something mid range like an 830. Particularly if you throw on the dev preview. Has all the features iOS8 is touting minus the price and lack of HW choice Apple give you and none of the issues,you mentioned with Android.

Plus NFC that you can use! ;)

New Lumia mobes nudge Microkia ever closer to biz customers

Already exists

Have your own SharePoint farm, publish out OneDrive for business (on-prem, part of SharePoint) and if you want to go even further you can use SCCM to manage your own private app store too.

Vodafone pay-by-bonk launch may signal iPhone 6 NFC plans

Snap

Same - in everyway!

Not even CRIMINALS want your tablets, Blighty - but if that's an iPhone you're waving...

Stating the obvious

But Shirley is the phone is in ones pocket then the thief can't know the OS it's running... Is there a greater proportion of Droid devices in DE compared to iOS and the opposite in the UK... Sounds a bit odd that a thief will actively target a device. By their nature they'll take what they can get.

Stand clear! Will HTC's One act as a defibrillator for Windows Phone?

Not sure I agree with the author

I just got a Lumia 930, and my colleague got the One M8 (Android). On the looks front even he conceded that the 930 has it hands down. The M8 seems well built, but it's not particularly "pretty".

The "app gap" is pretty much there. SkyGo and Virgin maybe MIA, but the overwhelming majority of users will be content with what's on the market. Even Barclays have a fully featured online banking client (at last!), eBay, Dominos, uTorrent, Plex, Vine, even El Reg has an app on the WP store. (Although it sucks). There really isn't much left at all now - I understand that the SkyGo app is in development and should be out in the coming months too.

Same with feature set.... Direct WiFi sync (lack of) is annoying, but if you use SkyDrive then that solves that. Better VPN support, text reader (e.g. SMS, web page reading out loud) and better attachment features for emails are the only things I can think of that I'd like to see. 8.1 latest update really has feature matched the current marketplace and added a few USP's too.

Like to see another OS in the mix maybe, the more that are pushing for market share the better. Just need MS to speed up development of WP and I see no reason why it shouldn't fly going forwards.

Not sure what the lie of the land is these days... will the HTC M8 get Nokia's HERE app suite? If not then sticking Nokia is a no brainer, if it goes then seems like a pretty good handset. Not sure about that flap though...

Psssst. Don't tell the Bride, but BBC Three is about to be jilted

Re: Repeats...

"Especially in conjunction with a PVR/Satellite box that does series linking."

Maybe I'm missing something, but if you have a STB that does series linking and recording why do you need it repeated?

Whitehall and Microsoft negotiate NHS Windows XP hacker survival plan

Re: Balmer for the win!

1) Use it windowed... what's the problem? (Other than expecting 16-bit applications to run on platforms in 2014)

2) WINS. Look it up.

For Windows guest - KVM or XEN and which distro for host?

Contraversal but...

... Why not Win 2012 R2 server as the host, use NTFS Storage Spaces, can pass through disks as RAW/RDM's and have a guest Linux?

Sounds like most of your requirements are on the Windows side. Can SSH into the Linux VM, plus you can snapshot it too.

'Daddy, can I use the BLACK iPAD?': Life with the Surface Pro 2

Re: I didn't read the entire article

Um, it will support anything a normal WinTel box will run...

If you have your favorite VPN client on a Win8 box then it will run fine on a Surface. It's just a Windows 8.1 tablet, runs all x86 apps as it would if you shoved Win8.1 onto a desktop or laptop.

Re: unhelpful review

Completely agree.

Surface 2 = iPad competitor

Surface Pro 2 = MacBook Air competitor

Different markets, different prices

Wait for it, waaiiit for it: We update an Atom tablet to Windows 8.1 Pro

Fairly nippy

Although bloody huge!

3 year old rig. Some mid-range i5, 8Gb RAM and a Sammy 840 Pro SSD. Installed from VL ISO and took just shy of 20 minutes.

Upgraded fine - everything seems to work and the improvements are overdue and appreciated in equal measure. Small tweaks makes it vastly more usable than 8.0.

New Development. Where do we go?

The trend

Is all very web-based, which if you want to target the biggest audience then it makes sense.

Something like a SQL DB backend, .Net middle-tier and a web front end in HTML5. Anything with a modern browser can access it, and .Net is going pretty strong plus you have a choice of languages too.

Can have any SQL backend you like, only MS tie in would be for the middleware so forking out for Windows Server to host and using VS 2012 for the IDE which is pretty good to be honest. IMHO I would suggest SQL Server, .Net middle-tier and IIS presenting the web front end in HTML5, tied up with ASP.Net maybe?

Apple iMac 27-inch 2013: An extra hundred quid for what exactly?

"However, the iMac could be criticised for valuing form over function."

From Apple?! No way!

/s

Scottish NHS bosses say soz after 2-day IT ballsup scrubs 700 appointments

Bullshit

Anyone saying that AD was corrupt, but also calls it "a router system" is clearly clueless.

Less said about taking 2 days to restore a fecking LDAP database the better....

Oracle fires up Virtual Compute Appliance for infrastructure clouds

Re: Larry's expensive walled garden or real choice.

Couldn't agree more.

Lost phone? Google's got an app for that, coming this month

Wow!

After moving to WinPho about 2.5 years ago I'm truly shocked this has only just arrived. iOS has something similar, Android has loads of 3rd party apps which do the works but it appears as of today Windows Phone is the only platform where out of the box I can ring (regardless of volume set), lock, wipe and locate my handset using just what's built-into the platform.

Never thought I'd be saying that sort of thing about WP in 2013!!

Oh well. better late than never.

Fanbois smash iPhone 5s much sooner than iPhone 3s ... but WHY?

Re: Nokia!

"Are the new ones indestructible?"

Yes and no. Compared to the older S40 handsets no they are not. Compared to current large screened devices then they are way ahead.

Polycarbonate shell makes it tough as nails, no scuffs, chips or even scratches on the body of my 920. Screen strength is better than anything else I can find at the moment on mainstream handsets.

Only thing to mention is that glass is the weakest link and whilst (IMHO) the Lumia range is one of the best in terms of durability they still fall short of the "indestructible" classics from the golden days of the 3300 / 6210 etc.

Microsoft waves goodbye to Small Business Server

Whilst I think Linux has various areas which are superior to Windows, ease of use is not one of them.

Microsoft splurges on single sign ons with Active Directory update

Re: AD?

6 years? You're a child.

And if you need 11 DC's for just 700 users then believe me its not the technology / vendor that's to blame.

Scaling has never been a problem for AD.

UK.gov to drive stake through heart of big IT outsourcing deals

Location

So instead of company being brought into look after system x and all associated software and hardware, the kit is re-purchased at a datacentre by a single entity, who spins up some VMware and Self-Service and now some company is being brought into look after the system and associated software and hardware at the datacentre instead...

Where's the cost saving?

Quantum hands out 190 pink slips... quits making own tape library

I don't understand

Are people just doing D2D with cleverness like dedupe and compression?

Cause I thought most places still use tape for long term backups and archiving. Am I just behind the times?

PlayStation 4 is FreeBSD inside

Re: Eadon is dead!

Indeed.... Must say my mouse wheel is thankful for not having to skip over so many MS FAIL posts but would have been nice to keep the existing comments going.... in particular the referenced "tantrum".

El Reg - any chance of an article of recognition. Quite a change that's happened with him gone!

Hey mobile firms: About that Android thing... Did Google add a lockout clause?

Re: So in other words

Do they have an overwhelming majority market share which would therefore lead to a monopoly?

PC makers REALLY need Windows 8.1 to walk on water - but guess what?

Major economic downturn, computer sales slide 12% shocker.

Well bugger me. Major economic downturn, computer sales slide 12% shocker.

I'm not upgrading hardware at the moment because - like most people currently - I'm fairly skint compared to 6 years ago, and as other people have mentioned above hardware refreshes just don't need doing anywhere near as often, and when you do upgrade hardware / replace it the noticeable return on the spend is far less than in the late 90's as there is a negligible improvement on speed unless you're a hardcore gamer.

I won't be replacing my PC at home that I brought 3 years ago. I shoved in another 4Gb a few months back taking it to 8Gb and replaced the SSD at the same time as the previous one died.

Next year I may look at replacing the processor and possibly upgrading the graphics card. Although more likely to buy a new console at the end of the year instead and then replace the PC mobo, CPU and GPU in a couple of years instead.

Buying a new box every 3 years just isn't a priority for people's wallets at the moment. Throw in the extra £100 or so for a device to be touchscreen and making do with what I have seems like a sensible option really. Doubt I'm alone in this camp.

My decision making hasn't even reached the OS part, but even if it did then there's a range of Droid based products as well as iOS that I could use. Fingerpointing at Win8 is a tad unfair for the slump in sales, unless it's clear that it's occurred as soon as Win8 was launched. (I believe it was happening a few years ago.)

Rally supports Snowden amid claims GCHQ tapped G20 summit

Re: If the US spooks have done nothing wrong

Damn right.

I note they don't like it when things are the other way round.

BSkyB-owned BE slams into traffic pile-up over 'unlimited' broadband lie

Re: Come on 150GB a month

Or 5 x 1080p films with 7.1 DTS sound.

If it says unlimited then it shouldn't matter if it's 15Gb, 150Gb or 15Tb. Just give us an advertised cap and be done with this unlimited BS. It can't be done with current technology and economics.

Open wide, Google: Here comes an advertising antitrust probe

Re: And its SO HARD to use other services if you want to isn't it!

Maybe I'm wrong, but I always thought that MS were found to have a monopoly and as a result are under very strict rules and scrutinty. For example the various editions of Windows that come without media player or without other key parts. Another part was to only use the API's in public documentation within MS so they do not have a compeitive advantage. This seems like people would like to ensure Google do not have an unfair competitive advantage by having insider knowledge of the search algorithms / ways to improve the results of their other services. If all internal units as well as 3rd parties use the same guidelines then that's fair - this is what others are saying is not happening and therefore it's an unfair use of their position in the market.

Review: HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook

Re: 1366 x 768 screen ?????

"The <redacted> ribbon in Office takes up far too much real estate on the screen when it is 768 high."

Thankfully you can minimize the ribbon to just the title. When used that way it's quite efficient for the vertical height used.

Review: Samsung Galaxy S4

Re: IR is NOT a useful addition to a phone

It's called a Logitech Harmony. Start at under £30 and if it cant be setup to work with all your kit nothing will.

Some are so big you just can't lose them!

The Metro experiment is dead: Time to unleash Windows Phone+

Re: "[WP8] is well liked by its users."

Some of those are valid points and things that annoy me, although some have been resolved or at least are good enough to hardly warrant inclusion on a list.

Cellular data on Wifi...? Well don't all smartphones by their nature? Network operators only allow access to some resource (say payment of apps by your mobile bill) via their own infrastructure. Download of apps, syncing emails, browsing the web, streaming media etc. all happen over Wifi when connected.

Don't want cloud, don't use it. My mates have WP handsets and don't use Skydrive or Facebook. They don't have any accounts setup on their handset other than the mandatory Windows Live account. (Apple ID / Google account)

There is a file explorer. Not quite the whole system but all user data is accessible via USB share.

You can sideload applications if you want. Sideloading keys are on MS's website. We use them at my workplace for our in-house applications.

Well yeah, there's no syncing between Outlook client and the handset directly.... but wasn't that always a bit shit? Personally I think it makes more sense to have the handset sync with the mail server, and your desktop also sync's with the server. No dicking about with clients for various mail apps (If MS did one for Outlook would you then be complaining about Thunderbird not having a client). Bit of a non-issue as you can easily setup what you WANT regardless if there is a direct sync or not. In this day and age I would suggest more people keep their email on an email server centrally (e.g. Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo! etc.) and therefore clients that talk using IMAP or ActiveSync to the server is the most logical step.

If you want to know what data you've downloaded then try the Counters app from Nokia. There's dozens out there that will do what you want for free.

Well true - you can't uninstall the calendar or calculator - but other than rooting your Droid what handset can you uninstall SYSTEM applications from? You can remove any application outside of what MS have baked into the OS, so any crap from your network provider or 3rd party guff. Compared to Android it's a breath of fresh air.

I can download whatever I want. No idea what you mean.

I can send photo's over Bluetooth fine.

Rest of the points I agree with.