Canute is *almost* the word that springs to mind when I think about Theresa May.
Posts by Grumpy Developer
8 publicly visible posts • joined 11 Oct 2009
UK citizens will have to pay government to spy on them
Nippy, palaver and cockwomble: Greatest words in English?
Apple plans to waggle iNormous 4½-incher in fanbois' faces
Judge to Apple: You WILL tell Samsung what you got from HTC
BT, Scotland Yard form copper theft crackdown supersquad
Westminster politicos told to grasp Vista nettle
Tuesday 16th February 2010 01:28 GMT
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
Wednesday 10th February 2010 04:20 GMT
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
Monday 12th October 2009 09:30 GMT 
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?
Biting the hand that feeds IT
