Posts by Pat 4

Oracle robbed just about anyone who wasn't a pasty white male of $400m, says Uncle Sam

No discrimination...

Oracle does not discriminate, they rob absolutely everyone, including their customers.

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

Re: Broken, yes... and not fixable.

".......I could go on...........Did MS actually ORIGINATE anything at all? "

Ehhhh... Clippy?

Migrating to Microsoft's cloud: What they won't tell you, what you need to know

Dont forget

Dont frget that moving mailboxes to office 365 is a one way trip.

There are tools to migrate TO office 365, there are NO tools to move your stuff back, and emails manually moved out of O365 have messed up headers.

Farewell Unity, you challenged desktop Linux. Oh well, here's Ubuntu 17.04

"But what about the users who love Unity?"

I'm sure he'll be just fine.

Oooooklahoma! Where the cops can stop and empty your bank cards – on just a hunch

Re: America?

When the US joins the rest of the modern world with proper health care, child care, affordable schools, stops shooting at itself and stops supporting orange, orangutans politicians, you can compare it to a great country like Canada.

In the meantime please don't compare yourself to us. It's insulting and makes us feel dirty.

Flying Spaghetti Monster is not God, rules mortal judge

Re: HERESY!!!!

And on top of that, have you read their books??! They're not even FUNNY!!!... well.. ok, they ARE funny, but not "ha ha" funny...

Net neutrality: How to spot an arts graduate in a tech debate

That is an extremely dishonest and weak argument. You equate neutrality with anarchy, which is stupid, and base your rebuttal on that turd... Just like the article does. Utter bovine excrements.

Microsoft: The MORE Surfaces it sells, the MORE money it loses

Sorry but...

"Before the usual "ipad is better, surface is shi*" debate starts, "

What debate??

As WinXP death looms, Microsoft releases its operating system SOURCE CODE for free

Re: Word for Windows ... exploded in popularity??

Word for Windows did not become popular until Win95.

Even then, WordPerfect was FAR superior but...

Microsoft gave Novell (owner of WordPerfect at the time) a set of APIs to create a Win95 version of their software. Then a few short weeks before releasing Win95, after dev was done on WordPerfect, Microsoft "updated" the APIs making WordPerfect incompatible. Microsoft released Win95 and their new Office suite with Word for Windows while WordPerfect had to be rushed back into dev making them so late to the party that MS Word was already taking over the market.

THAT is how Word for Windows "took over"...

Ehhh...

" the resulting software went on to bury established players like WordPerfect through a combination of user-friendly features and Microsoft's massive clout in the industry."

You forgot "dirty tricks, monopoly abuse and illegal fraud" as reasons...

Microsoft veep Satya Nadella now frontrunner in race for CEO spot

Microsoft's VP of cloud

Microsoft's VP of cloud, AKA Microsoft's VP of most successful meaningless buzz word in history.

Google, Netflix ready next weapon in net neutrality battle: The fury of millions

Doesn't really matter anyways...

In Canada, net neutrality is still alive but ISPs have figured out a way to get around the rules.

The trick is for ISPs to own other media services, like Bell has a very large media empire along with it's Internet services. So does Videotron in Quebec, Rogers out west etc etc. Most large ISPs in Canada also have cable/'satellite/fiber television services.

See, they all have caps on the amount of Data that is allowed per month. You can raise your data cap for a fee. Now they've started offering new "services" where you can stream all the content offered on certain channels for a fee, and that amount of data does not count on your monthly allowance. For example, for 5$/month you can watch all the HBO shows on your phone, and that doesn't count on your monthly data allowance. They also have a Hockey package that works the same.

They will add more and more content like this. Sports, specialty channels etc. Soon, for a fee, you'll be able to view all kinds of content on you phone or home computer and it wont count on your Data allowance. No packet filtering, no bandwidth throttling... all at the same speed, all respecting net neutrality rules. Then... slowly, they will start to reduce the size of data plans... just watch...

Soone or later... you'll still have net neutrality, BUT... you wanna stream a TV show... buy the package. You wanna watch Netflix... sorry, you busted your download cap for the month... pay up.

In the end... we'll have to pay up either way.

HP sticks thumb in Microsoft's eye, extends Windows 7 option for new machines

Re: o'Rlly?

It's not the fact that they are still selling it. Everybody still has them available on their website.

It's the fact that they are now ADVERTIZING it.

Microsoft buries Sinofsky Era... then jumps on the coffin lid

Re: What we want to know is...

The very SECOND you start making fun of very legitimate user complaints about a new UI by just responding " Well ALL you have to do is LEARN something new!" Or "Well I guess your not smart enough to learn it because I've done it, and it's SOOO easy..."

You have :

1: Lost the argument COMPLETELY because people do not give a crap how easy YOU think it is.

2: Become a complete douchebag because seriously... you're not that special, or smart, or better than everyone else.

Nuff'said.

Microsoft Surface slabs borked by heat-induced DIM SCREEN OF DEATH

analysts...

"Research analyst Pin Chen Tang said Microsoft needs to prove to channel partners and people buying the Surface that it is "in this market for the long haul"."

He is so wrong.

Microsoft needs to prove that the Surface doesn't SUCK as much as every techie friend you have is telling you it does!

I am one of those techie friends, and EVERYONE I know has been told by me that those devices simply suck, and cost WAY too much for what they can actually do.

So far... Microsoft has yet to prove me wrong.

Hello! Still here! Surface 2! Way better than iPad! says slightly desperate Microsoft

GAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!

What the FRACK is that crappy, 80's cheap MIDI musac??!??!??!

FFS! This is a multi BILLION dollar world-wide corporation and their add sounds like a repeat of "How it's made" on Discovery channel! Like a cheap Casio keyboard on demo mode...

If it wasn't Microsoft I'd think it was a joke...

Ballmer: Microsoft stronger without Bing and Xbox tinkering

Re: Talk

" Bing, Xbox, Skype are all things they need to ditch to get back to their core, they also then need to work on their ethics somewhat."

Given that throughout their history, their most successful years were the fruit of screwing people over by abusing their monopoly stature, or stealing other people's ideas and/or technologies and giving them away for free to keep improving their monopoly position.... your comment totally makes sense.

If they got back to their "core" of screwing people over, and working on their ethics by completely giving them up... might actually improve their position. The problem is that at the moment... they have pretty strong competition over which they have very very little influence... they can't just kill it, and they can't really buy it.

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

Re: Wrong comparison

Maybe. But you're not going to get a Mac person to switch to Pc... Ever. Especially if they already have one.

You're also not going to get a business person to be interested if your only selling point is "it's as good as a Macbook air". Because business folks don't give a sh1te about Macs. A Mac is what their kids use, not them.

These devices are wrong on so many levels it's not even worth arguing over.

Boffins agree: Yes we have had an atmospheric warming pause

Let's assume they are right.

Let's assume they are right.

If the "pause" is due to humans stopping their use of CFCs, then the inevitable conclusion would have to be that the warming was actually caused BY CFCs... and not CO2.

Microsoft founder Paul Allen's money man wants Redmond to break up

I love a good Microsoft article on Monday morning.

Smells like..... Astro-turf and carpet bombing.

Netflix original TV shows gamble pays off... to the tune of 10m new viewers

Can I upvote this more than once?

In defence of defenestration: Microsoft MUST hurl Gates from the Windows

Just one thing...

" miss the internet search and advertising train"

They didn't miss the train at all.

They tried real real hard, but they hooked it up to a big locomotive (Bing) that just couldn't...

BOOGIE BALLMER: Steve Dirty Dances at tearful Microsoft leaving do

Wait... WHAT??

"… we will change the world again”.

I don't remember when copying other people's work using other people's technology became "changing the world".

Surfed the wave, yes.

Hit anyone who tried to follow in the face... definitely.

Kill off or buy out anyone why actually tried to change the world, definitely.

Microsoft is the most successful company in history at selling other people's ideas as their own.

And they're still trying to do it today.

Microsoft: Surface a failure? No, it made us STRONGER

We know what they haven't learned.

Well, they say they learned about hardware and software integration, and they learned they have some things to improve with that... Fine.

From the article, it would seem that they haven't learned that it's Windows8 itself. They hardware was fantastic... Windows... Not so much.

Will they learn to respect developers?

Have they learned that they can't build an app store by themselves?

Doubtful.

One day we'll look back and say this was the end of the software platform

Wow...

Wow... there are just so many things wrong with this "article"... it's not even funny.

Xbox as a product was an abject failure. Sure, it got market share, it sold... but had it not been financially supported with BILLIONS from Microsoft... it would have totally failed within 2 years.

If XBox had been a standalone company... it would now be a small blip in the history of gamind consoles... like the Sega Genesis.

And technologically... XBox WAS A PC!... No innovation there...

Android is FAR better than "good enough"... which is a lot more than can be said about Win8...ew...

The ONLY guns going at Nokia are the ones pointed straight at their FOOT!... the first shop came when they hired Elop... the second, and fatal one was when they decided to partner with Microsoft... remember tham? Embrace, extend...extinguish... the only thingm left at Nokia of any value are the patents... which Microsoft just gracefully freed from the hardware division so that they can now troll the market without fear of reprisals since they no longer have products to protect.

I could go on... but I know a rebuttal would be pointless. I hope your check cleared...

Microsoft's swipe'n'swirl pic passwords LESS secure than PINs, warn researchers

Also

Also... if you're going to use a picture password gesture thing... make sure you wipe your screen after every single use...

Microsoft to unveil new Surface slabs at September 23 event

Re: Pathetic

Secure??? Windows secure??? Are you KIDDING???

And really... who the hell needs office anymore?

What Surface RT flop? Nokia said to be readying WinRT slab for September

Sheesh...

Enough of the sales pitch dude... nobody's buying your bovine excrements.

Re: Plumbing new depths

"Is there no limit to this madman Elop's depravity?"

He is unable to resist. He's got Ballmer's hand so far up his a$$ he no longer controls his mouth.

Climate change made sea levels fall in 2010 and 2011

Wow...

The amount of disinformation, misinformation, misunderstanding and overall complete lack of actual scientific knowledge in the comments section of this article (and pretty much all online climate discussions) from both sides of the "argument" is absolutely stunning.

Ah well...

Re: I'm sure that there'l be a variety of amusing commentary here ...

"That is a simple proven fact."

No, it's not.

And not one single scientist on the planet will call it "a fact".

It is a theory, supported by a very large body of circumstantial evidence.

You can scream, cry and cll people names until you are blue in the face. But calling it "fact" makes you either ignorant or a liar.

Legal bible Groklaw pulls plug in wake of Lavabit shutdown, NSA firestorm

Re: Intimidation

" We began trending towards socialism after the "Red Menace" was no longer a threat."

And that right there is a perfect example of the complete and astonishing lack of knowledge and understanding on the part of seemingly educated Americans.

You... just don't have a clue.

Make or break: Microsoft sets date for CRUCIAL Win 8.1 launch

Softies go "Finally!"

Astro-turfers go "It's FANTASTIC! And so slick and easy to use!!!"

World goes "What... ever..." while reading the news on their tablet.

Snowden's XKeyscore revelations challenged

Re: USA has a problem

"disclosing a secret program (some claim illegal) used for anti terrorism but potentially abused/abusable. "

And THIS is where the actual lie is!

This is not an "anti-terrorist" program!

This is purely a massive, gigantic, probably the biggest by orders of magnitude SURVEILLANCE program this planet has ever seen.

The US CLAIMS they built it to protect themselves against terrorism, but it is NOT an anti-terrorism tool... it is purely a surveillance tool, and no matter what they claim it's for... it CAN be used for anything.

Explosives can be used to make fireworks AND bombs. Nuclear fission can be used to make electricity AND bombs. Rockets can be used to send a man into space AND to make missiles...

And the NSA surveillance program can watch out for terrorists... AND everyone else on the planet...

Historically, EVERY single time a tool was invented that had the potential to be abused by those in power to retain their power... it HAS been abused. Why would this be any different?

I'd be willing to bet everything I have that this tool has ALREADY been abused multipls ways and multiple times...

No doubt about it.

How Novell peaked, then threw it all away in a year

Hostorically missing the point...

Windows 95 is the tool Microsoft used to break everything Novell tried to do.

The real error Novell did was having a product 100% dependent on someone else's OS. By the time they figured out that maybe they should do something about that... it was too late.

So Microsoft gave a set of Windows 95 APIs to Novell, on which Novell created versions of Netware clients and productivity suite... then at the last minute, Microsoft switched the APIs... forcing Novell into a panic rewrite, which cause major delays and buggy software. That gave Microsoft just enough time to release Windows NT and their own version of Office and TahDah... Novell went from the dominant networking King, to a buggy crappy sofware company, while Microsoft was right there, ready with replacement products that work "perfectly"...

Everything after that was almost inevitable.

Novell didn't "throw it all away"... Microsoft just destroyed them. By the time Microsoft was proven guilty of monopoly abuse in court... it was too late.

India's low cost tablet dream lives on with Aakash IV

Re: Device not good enough?

"Has software really got so shit since then"

...Yes...

When Apple needs speed and security in Mac OS X, it turns to Microsoft

Wow...

Most.

Misleading.

Title.

Ever...

Windows 8.1 Start button SPOTTED in the wild

Re: Aaaargh, why dont they listen?

It's not a tablet OS "as well"... it's a tablet OS... PERIOD.

Forget tax bills, here's how Google is really taking us all for a ride

And one more thing...

ISP's trying to control what users have access to...

Hmmm.... Remember AOL?

Nuff said...

Re: What???

Where do you get that I was bashing El-Reg??? I'm bashing the article and I'm saying it's the worst idea I've ever read here... ALL about it's content... nothing about it's container. Had I seen it on my local paper, or other tech outlet, or even in a comment... my reaction would have been the same.

As for why? I think it's pretty freakin'obvious!

The article argues that Google and others are taking consumers for a ride by providing free services thus keeping people (like ISP's) from being to monetize the services by charging for them.

Well... actually, Google gives the services and pass the bill to advertisers instead of consumers. And that's the way it SHOULD be!

Treating the Internet like cable TV would result in the same thing we get from cable TV. You get "basic", which is small, flat and uninteresting. Then you have to pay extra for "good" stuff. And then well, you really want only channel X... darn it only comes "packaged" with Y, Z and you have to pay extra extra for that.

Same as... you want access to El-Reg.. well it comes packaged with ZDNet, and SemiAccurate, and blogger... that'll all be extra.

I remember a time when specialty cable channels, that the consumer had to pay extra for, had no commercials because they were EXTRA and made money from subscription. Where did THAT go??

Actually, giving ISP control of where you're allowed to go online would be the BEST way of keeping the little companies OUT and killing innovation. Plus... it would force the ISP's to check and keep very careful track of where people go on the net... you think Google's privacy policies are a problem??? Yeah... sure... I trust big telcos with my personal stuff... sure...

Re: What???

Who was bashing El-Reg???

Not me!

And your points are EXACTLY why I believe what the article proposes is completely ridiculous.

What???

Wholy crap, you're actually ADVOCATING FOR ISP's being able to sell you only the web services you want, like cable, instead of a free and open Internet?

Are you fucking insane????

This must be one of the most retarded thing I've ever read on the Reg... comments INCLUDED!

Facebook bows to pressure, vows to rid itself of sexist hate speech

Re: So...

I would expect pictures like those at the end of that link to be removed no matter what the sex or age of the victim in them was...

Office Software Checkpoint

I've migrated a company to Office365. Wasn't my idea, I inherited the project.

The result was the it... works.

You get basically the same stuff you'd have with locally installed Office and Exchange.

Except you rent it for the rest of the lifetime of your company.

Microsoft carves out 'niche' in tablets, says numbers chap

Are you serious??

You remove 7% of Android tablets because?? They are no brand tablets?

JUST so you can still say that what? Apple would be on top if it weren't for those damned pesky cheap tablets?

And then talk about a misleading title...Microsoft carves out "niche" taplet, competes with Apple for number 2.

At 7% vs 42%???

Microsoft isn't "competing"... it's desperately trying to hold on and losing money hand over fist... The title should actually read "Despite billions in advertizing, Microsoft barely outselling no-name knock-off Android tablets, not even close to Android or Apple".

Google Glass will SELF-DESTRUCT if flogged on eBay

Re: What gives ANY company the right...

Ah!

NOW it may make sense...

I have to wonder if that's even legal!

You can't legally limit what people do with their own private property. (within the bounds of law... obviously)

Windows 8 has put the world's PC market to sleep - IDC

Re: Absolutely true for me

First, NOBODY should be expected to install third party software on a brand new OS in order to make it "useable"... this is NOT acceptable.

Second: When the next update comes out, named Blue if I remember correctly, according to rumors this will no longer be possible. Microsoft will effectively be blocking the installation of the addons that return Windows to a semblance of useability. They are betting the farm on Metro... they will lose.

The Metro interface was designed by the same woman who designed the Ribbon.

In other words, back in 2007 Microsoft released a new version of Office. Immediately upon it's release, pretty much everyone flooded Microsoft with complaints that the new Office UI SUCKED. Things had been moved around uselessly, some features were now hidden under layers and layers of difficult to find sub menus, the menus themselves were meant to "adapt" with use, which caused this to move around and become unpredictable, etc etc etc... Personally... I'm STILL not used to it.

So in their great wisdom, what did Microsoft management do?

They gave that person, who was obviously clueless as to what users actually wanted, who designed that failure... the responsibility of designing an entire operating system UI...

In my humble opinion... they couldn't have done better had they PLANNED to sabotage the company.