Posts by Chris 3

Apple tightens rules for iPad news delivery

Nope, I downvote them because they are trite

Really? You're suggesting that a move by Apple to screw money from newspaper publishers is going to be the end of the Internet?

Really?

And you want to be up-voted on that?

The newspapers, bless 'em have cottoned on to the fact that they can make some money by erecting paywalls. Paywalls that people can burrow through by paying cash and using either a Web browser (or at a premium) an iApp. Apple's decided that it would like to screw some money out of them. for the iApp access. Does that look money grasping? Yes. A threat to life liberty and UDP?

Apparently you think that Apple's move means that I won't be able to use IRC soon. But no, you're confusing the Web and the Internet.

So you think that Apple demanding payment for iApps will somehow close down the Web. How about the possibility that Apple charging for iApps will actually make the vanilla Web more attractive and stronger?

You sir deserve all the downvotes that you can garner.

Beastly Android will batter Apple's iOS beauty

Let's just fix that, shall we...

"The biggest reason for this consumer adoption is the robust developer adoption Android has engendered. "

Hmmm. Or, alternatively...

""The biggest reason for this consumer adoption is that Android phones are, on average much cheaper than iPhones."

See, we can both make unsupported assertions.

O2 promises to tap-up customers in 2011

Depends...

If I'm in a street with two pubs and one SMSs me a 10% off voucher, I may well be tempted. Wouldn't you be?

Analyst squares up against Gartner's magic quadrant

Ummm...

"Your identity would be kept entirely anonymous and no one, including Gartner, will ever know you’ve testified."

I can't really see how this would be of any use then. Unless people are willing to testify openly, surely the court will treat it as unsubstantiated.

David Attenborough dino doc shows limits of 3D TV

Done deal?

"But it didn't take long for us or TV's earliest viewers to move beyond the novelty value. That's certainly true of 3D too."

That's still very much an open question in my mind. Personally I think it will remain a novelty for the next 10 years, at least.

BBC Online ordered to be more 'distinctive' as cuts kick in

In other words...

... you are asking for substantial additional investment in BBC News Online.

Trebles all round!

WikiLeaks' Assange to be indicted for spying 'soon'

The difference?

"Wikileaks has provided evidence of the systematic illegality and arsehattery by the US government as a whole. "

Oh, I thought it had leaked a whole lot of not-hard-to-find-but-usefully-in-one-place-now information on strategical cable landing sites, vaccine factories etc.

My mistake.

Anti-virus skulduggery - upgrade licence clock shock slammed

I've just installed the free Sophos A/V on my Mac

Belt & braces and all that. So far, it seems harmless, and uses few resources. I suppose it may save me from something one day.

Gov pays Greens to lobby it, says report

Yeh

I really don't understand the 'Some random articles don't have comments enabled' stance of El Reg. Usually the articles where I'd like to read comments too.

Can someone from the Reg explain?

WikiLeaked US cables link China to Google hack

Ummm...

"So open that when someone exposes their lies - they complain."

I'm not quite clear which lies you think were exposed. The U.S government gets brutally frank appraisals from its diplomatic staff. I don't find that surprising. There is stuff in the brutal appraisals that they would like to keep secret. That's not surprising either.

To be honest, I find most of the stuff in the leaks refreshingly forthright, but there's nothing very shocking in there that I've seen and the fact that the U.S wants to keep diplomatic communications under its hat isn't shocking either.

Masochists add Jimbo Wales to every webpage

Solipsistic?

How so? Is the implication that Jimbo suspects he is the only being to exist out there? If so, who is he advertising tp?

NHS enables Facebook to track surfers on health info website

I *can* see potential reasons.

I'm torn on this one. Personally, I think it's fair play to the NHS to consider 'Like' buttons - Using them to spread information of (say) vaccination, or effective ways to help your child cope with chicken-pox seems to a decent way to spread information to groups of highly connected young parents.

It's not trendy vicaring, it's solid return on investment calculation.

On the other hard I'm horrified that information is passed to Facebook even without a click on the 'Like' button. That is inexcusable and the reason I opted out of the social plugin as soon as it came out.

O2 outs liars and philanderers with live status feed

.... and it doesn't work

Earlier this week both my wife and I started suffering Network Busy signals with incoming calls failing to reach us too. We are in East London, she's on O2 I'm on Tesco (which uses O2 infrastructure). The status checker told us (and still tells us) that service where we live is perfect.

Upon calling customer services it became apparent that three masts in surrounding areas are down, so presumably our local mast is suffering from congestion hence our service is borked.

Not very impressive that it can't detect and model this.

Apple scraps 'never-formed plans' for iPhone SIM in 2011

Only...

.... if you are dealing with crap journalists. There are perfectly good reasons for using anonymous sources,

Facebook unveils 'next-gen' messaging system

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you...

...Facebook Wave!

Memo to Microsoft: don't bet against Amazon

"Cloudtards"

I would like to propose a new El Reg term - Cloudtards for people who uncritically hype cloud computing. I'm sick of it.

I love the sentence in this article: "Already Gartner is projecting 100-per cent adoption of public cloud computing by Global 2000 organizations by 2016". That's fine, but I might as well say that 100% of desktops will be based on open source, based on the fact that Microsoft uses some BSD-licenced code in its TCP/IP stack.

So 100% might be using it? But for what? Running their public-facing support forums? What proportion of the corse computing resource will be in the cloud? Will my bank be running my credit card transactions on Amazon?

iPhones make calls without permission, researcher warns

"No warning"?

"As long as Skype is installed and it stores the victim's account password, the attack will work with no warning, he wrote."

Absolutely no warning, apart from you know - the Web page you are browsing disapearing and Skype launching instead and dialling a number.

The article makes it sound as if the dialling would happen sneakily in the background. I reckon having an application, that you installed launch right in your face and stop your browsing session might be a bit of a clue.

World's largest pilot union shuns full-body scanners

You think?

Personally, I see the airline rubbing their hands as they pocket lots of non-refundable tickets and save a bunch on fuel bills: "You should have checked in earlier if you were going to refuse perfectly ordinary security proceedures".

Apple coughs to time zone problems

How many...

... alarm clocks do you set, exactly?

HP parries Ellison's 'industrial espionage' subpoena

If Ellison's statement isn't true...

... it would surely be worth suing the twit for libel.

Sophos debuts freebie antivirus scanner for Macs

Interestingly enough....

... the Software's About Box says: "Protects against 2110692 threats"

Can anyone with the Windows version tell me if the same number occurs there?

I have the highest regards for Sophos...

In my experience they are one of the good guys in a rather iffy industry sector. I'll certainly download this to take a look at it, and it's the kind of thing I'd probably install assuming negligible performance hit and compatibility issues.

However the article needs some work:

"Windows threats counted in their millions dwarf the number of strains of Mac malware, which can be counted in their thousands".

Oh yes? As far as I can tell the strains of Mac malware can be counted in their tens. Well, a single ten anyway.

And where is the list of Malware that the Sophos scanner protects from? There's no clue on their site or indeed in the article. There's a hint that it is based on heuristics to try and counter novel threats, that's nice. But more details please.

Finally "fanboi... complacency". Thanks for kicking off with that tired old strawman. Yes Mac users can be complacent, but that's for the fairly rational reason that there isn't really much in the way of Malware circulating in the wild (yet). That doesn't mean I'm complacent about downloading warez or clicking on links indiscriminately. I keep a close eye out for news of vulnerabilities or trojan threats, I have a copy of ClamAV lying around somewhere. But that doesn't mean that I've felt the need to rush out and by the hunks of pointless junk that are the current crop of commercial Mac AV scanners.

Now yo9u've got me wondering whether, with the advent of the AppStore in Lion OS X 10.7) Apple will introduce a 'Only allow executables installed by Apple to run' sandbox switch.

OOo's put the willies up Microsoft

Someone needs to have a word with Dr. Tisome Nugent

... at 1:30 in the video she opines: "I've had students who turned in files that they've converted from OpenOffice with formatting problems - that affects their grades."

I found myself wondering what sort of educator docs grades due to formatting issues without first saying, "Could you try re-saving this, it has formatting problems".

From her LinkedIn profile, it she says that her goals are

"... each teacher she works with will be equipped and supported to help their students to walk away with the necessary tools to be successful in the academic, social and career environments. She is an educator because she believes that every individual can be successful. Tisome enjoys working with the students that many consider “ difficult” or in challenging high poverty environments or with non-traditional learners because she believes strongly “that to whom much is given, much is expected.”"

The "necessary tools" in this is case would appear to include Microsoft Office. Just what a student in a challenging high poverty environment needs to hear.

Apple to lead fanbois 'Back to the Mac'

Already had it

Puma was 10.1

Intel CEO: 'We will win in the tablet market'

"'We will win in the tablet market'"

This pre-supposes that the excellence of the processor is the determinant in who succeeds in the tablet market. It's clearly a factor, but the software is a bigger one.

Yahoo! preps (cellular) video chat for iPhone, Android

It's not the cellular capabilities that I am interested in...

.. so much as the ability to communicate with a desktop machine. There is *no* app, as far as I am aware that allows you to video conference between iPhone and desktop.

Humax HDR-Fox T2 Freeview HD DVR

A few questions from the unitiated

I'm quite keen on something like this, but there are a couple of things I'm uncertain about...

1. Do devices like this record all programmes in HD or do I need to worry about DRM shenanigans?

2. What are the chances of a device like this coming along that also incorporates a Bluray/DVD recorder/player ... my existing FreeView PVR has a DVD player in which is handy and also lets me on occasion archive stuff off to disk.

Android rebellion: How to tame your stupid smartphone

As a matter of interest

If you touch and hold the icon, doesn't it start to jiggle and give you the 'delete me' x on the icon's corner?

MySQL price hikes reveal depth of Oracle's wallet love

Is't it dual license?

I'm sure that I remember that MySQL is under a dual license where the applicable license depends on what you want to do with it.

Much of recent global warming actually caused by Sun

... I know it is difficult to understand, but let me try to explain

Well done. All global warming is caused by the sun. I expect you also point out that it isn't *actually* "raining cats and dogs" when people have the temerity to use that phrase, In general discussions about climate change, the words 'global warming' are usually ... and I hope you follow this ... used to describe the phenomenon of increasing global temperature when compared to recent historical norms.

Internet firms welcome CEOP chief's exit

Sorry...

But I don't think that the original Anonymous Coward was suggesting that he had "a responsibility to change human nature". He/she was saying that companies like Facebook have a responsibility to act when egregious examples of child-bating behaviour are bought to their attention. And sometimes they fail in that duty.

I too, will be glad to see the back of the odious, empire-buildling Gamble, but let's not assume that ISPs and social networks don't need a prod with a pointy stick on occasion to persuade them to actually get off their lazy arses.

I'll get me coat, since I appear to be out of step with he majority here.

MoD labels Facebook Places a 'targeting pack' for terrorists

Which inaccuracy would that be again?

Regarding: "Whilst there were a few inaccuracies in the MoD guide, such as the claim that Facebook Places is automatically on until it is deactivated"

I just created a new test account and yes, Places was active by default, allowing "friends" to see my location.

To be fair...

... they said "unprecedented". They didn't say "good"

Most smartphoners don't give a flip about apps

Cracking journalism.

"Most smartphoners don't give a flip about apps"

From the report's exec summary:

"More than two-thirds of all respondents said the pre-installed apps were a factor driving the purchase of their device. Approximately 80 percent of smartphone users said that the kinds or quality of applications in the app stores for their smartphone was a factor in their purchase decision. A majority of these smartphone users still considered pre-installed apps in their purchase decision in addition to applications available via the app store."

Critical Flash vuln under active attack, Adobe warns

Sadly....

.... if you're running Flash there aren't any guarantees that you *are* the owner and in control of the computer.

Samsung specs up 7in Android tablet

Any family...

Where the grandparents live a long way away or overseas are quite likely to make video calls.

Apple snubs O2's handset enviro-spec rating

Faulty reasoning

No idea why Apple didn't go for this, especially since they've been attempting to buff up their green credentials over the last year. It could indeed be that they are arrogant layabouts.

Nonetheless, the "ethical policies such as labour standards and employee safety are included too, so suicides at Foxconn won't do Apple any good." does look a bot sloppy, given as Mr Coward says, the rates at the factory were nothing special.

Google tests 'streaming' search engine

You do know that ...

... you can disable search suggestions, don't you? Just go to settings and turn it off.

"Did they test this idea at all?"

Did you read the article at all?

LG touts 'surprisingly productive' iPad killer

Ummm

"'but i can read a PDF on the Tube'."

Of course, an iPad (and indeed a 1G iPod Touch) can do that out of the box.

3D films fall flat

With the school holidays upon us...

There are a plethora of 3D films out there.

I saw Toy Story 3 in 3D yesterday, but the fact it was 3D had zero extra draw for me or the kids, it was incidental.

Google tests (semi) HTML5 YouTube embed code

Of course...

.... if Google changed the default to HTML 5 and made Flash a sign-up option literally thousands would do so - the remaining tens of millions couldn't give a rats arse and go with the default.

iPhones dialling up premium-rate bills again

I think the point is that..

...regardless of what the punter thinks, most app developers won't want this type of behaviour associated with their app.

Mac sales tripled since 2005

"Apple's iPod sales dwarf their PC sales."

Absolutely. And the number of rolls of Sellotape sold each year completely dwarfs the sales of Peugeot 308s.

So that proves it!

1984's MacPaint source code hits web

No no.

El Reg isn't rabidly anti any OS. It reserves that for DAB and Wikipedia. Oh, and Second Life

Secret sub tech hints at spooks' TEMPEST-busting bugs

Ah...

Once you've seen something actually working and know it is possible, it's much easier to think how such a thing should/could work.

The tricky bit is coming up with the idea from a blank slate.

Daily Mail promotes 'the new Betamax'

Clearly

... the Daily Mail has recognised that DAB is a superior technology - just like Betamax.

Isn't the Register anti-DAB campaign getting a bit old? Can't you toddle off and stick your tongues out at Wikipedia or something for a bit?

Blighty's stealth robojet rolls out a year late

"Giving BAE the Taranis project seems to have done little to preserve jobs, however."

This seems a very odd assertion, given that we don't know how many jobs would have been lost from the U *without* the project.

Dead Pink phone fallout hits Microsoft's top brass

The odd thing is

... having looked at the videos of the UI, I think it looks quite well suited to a tablet. In my opinion, Apple have stretched the iOS a bit. moving from the phone (where it was very well suited) to the iPad. By contrast WP7 looks a bit crappy as a phone UI, but could work nicely on something bigger.

I bet that won't happen, though.

Fair enough...

... but If you've got some talented people as part of the M&A (even if they were not your motivation for the purchase) it would seem to make sense to actually capitalise on their expertise - you might as well. Rather than leaving them to rot.