* Posts by Grumpy Developer

8 publicly visible posts • joined 11 Oct 2009

UK citizens will have to pay government to spy on them

Grumpy Developer
Unhappy

Canute is *almost* the word that springs to mind when I think about Theresa May.

Nippy, palaver and cockwomble: Greatest words in English?

Grumpy Developer
Coat

Re: More words

Testiculate - to talk bollocks whilst flailing one's arms.

Apple plans to waggle iNormous 4½-incher in fanbois' faces

Grumpy Developer
Coat

Re: How about two sizes?

Gloves?

Judge to Apple: You WILL tell Samsung what you got from HTC

Grumpy Developer
Devil

Re: Good news

Gliding majestically over the frozen wastes of Hell.

BT, Scotland Yard form copper theft crackdown supersquad

Grumpy Developer
Joke

Maybe it's irony?

Westminster politicos told to grasp Vista nettle

Grumpy Developer

Learning new Operating Systems

As someone who has 'upgraded' from XP to Windows 7 on the little ladies laptop and XP to Ubuntu on our desktop I can tell you that it was much easier moving to Ubuntu than to W7. I can't find a damned thing in W7 whereas I found things pretty easy to get to in XP.

After a couple of weeks of W7 frustration, I was asked to put Ubuntu on the laptop too - and she is much happier now. I think that getting the old fogies to learn Linux would be cheaper than trying to teach them W7. Just my personal opinion...

BAE cops to arms-deal violation, pays $400m US fine

Grumpy Developer
Grenade

Partly right...

I don't think that fining a corporation for this sort of behaviour has any deterrent effect. They are only fined a tiny proportion of their turnover, and then only if they are caught. The risk/reward balance seems to favour the briber rather than the honest business. The only way I see things being cleaned up is if those responsible for the decision - managers/directors - are made personally responsible and can face some serious jail time if they are found to have broken the law. Grenade 'cos it is BAE...

Phorm takes a bullet for the advertising industry

Grumpy Developer
Big Brother

I for one would like to thank Phorm

Before I read about Phorm on El Reg many moons ago, I had no idea what a bunch of unprincipled vermin most of those in the advertising industry were and what lengths they will go to just to make a few quid.

Phorm have poisoned the 'Behavioral' or 'Interest Based' advertising well for everyone. Now that I am aware of the lengths that these companies will go to, and the amount of information that these companies keep on us, I use many counter-measures to try to ensure that *no* advertising company has *any* information about me at all.

Phorm have managed to convert me from someone who was indifferent to advertisers to someone who regards them all with nothing but contempt - with very few exceptions, every advert I see now has a strongly negative effect on my feelings towards that brand.

It seems that the Phorm Phiasco has had a similar effect on a number of other people and hopefully as a result legislation will be introduced both here and across the pond to ensure that users can only be tracked with their express permission. One day I hope that we will look back at Kent's antics and thank him for creating a true privacy revolution - just not the sort he envisaged.

Can we have a 'B Ark' icon, please?