Posts by Mad Chaz

Student claims code flaw spotting got him expelled from college

Re: I would imagine...

No, but I would hire him to find weak-spots in my security

Ofcom looks at contract opt-outs as users rage over price hikes

Over the pond in the cold north

Here in Canada, this was a huge problem a while back., as there wasn't even a limit to the term of the contract and it got abused badly. Here is how it was fixed.

1: Fixed term contracts are now more or less a thing of the past. The operator is flat out no longer allowed to lock you in.

2: IF they finance the phone for you, they have to be upfront about how much it the phone costs and how much of it is payed each month on your bill, as well as letting you know what the balance on said phone is. They are not allowed to charge interests on this I believe. (My provider doesn't anyway)

3: If you decide to walk out, you have to pay off the rest of your phone and they have to give you a way to unlock it so you can use it on another carrier.

Paris, cause she as no fixed contract.

Chinese court orders Apple to cough £100k to writers for violating copyright

Re: Bit confused...

Because Apple CHECKS all software that goes into the store, remember? To keep the porn out among other things? That makes it Apple's problem.

Christmas ruined for 2,100 sex offenders booted off online games

Re: Is there even a significant problem?

Didn't you just describe the entire political process?

Apotheker: HP board was just as culpable for Autonomy buy

What do you mean?

"I have to be responsible for the consequences of the work I did? What am I, a salary worker???"

Senator threatens FAA with legislation over in-flight fondleslabbing

What makes me worried is this. According to the FAA, all I have to do to bring down a plain is leave a laptop in the bagage compartment that will then turn on automatically and start broadcasting out? Who needs missiles when you can bring down a plane with a 300$ netbook!

Police use 24/7 power grid recordings to spot doctored audio

What struck me is this. How can they tell what hum is what?

Let's have a look at my own home computer. It's connected to a cheap UPS, is connected to the television and the sound system. Now imagine all those slightly out of phase 60 Hz frequencies all fudging together and trying to figure out what is what? How about taking into consideration the slight differences in frequency that might arrise in the CPU as I record ? Or how about a cheap recorder that doesn't work exactly 100% correctly as far as recording actual frequencies. Not enough to be distinguishable by human ears, but enough that they might not even keep it accuratly compared to themselves. Think cheap clock that isn't 100% stable in a digital recorder.

That's more like trying to tell who died and when by looking at the blood patterns in sea waves if you ask me. Or maybe they just believe the bullshit the guy with the fat commission told them.

NASA: THE TRUTH about the END OF THE WORLD on 21 Dec

WHAT!!!!!

You mean the stars and the moon aren't just images printed on the giant glass dome around the earth??? I'm all confused now ...

Apple, Spotify, Amazon: All your Cloud are belong to us, says firm

Soooo this is pretty much another idiot with an overly broad/non-original patent trying to sue the world plus dog?

I really hope one of those days, those people get what they deserve ...

Nintendo downplays Wii U 'hidden control panel' hack fears

Not sure what's worst

That the admin panel was real and not properly secured or that a mock-up somehow made it's way into production. Both show an equally bad capability of handling a live, open to the public, system.

Oracle: Get your Red Hat Linux patches from us, it's easier

"most current Oracle Linux users are customers who had existing Oracle support contracts and who migrated their Linux support to Oracle mainly out of convenience."

I think this is the most un-informet statement ever. No, they didn't move it "for convinience". The BEANCOUNTERS moved it for convinience. ANYONE who as to deal with the actual support will have found it the worst decision ever. Trying to get useful support from Oracle is like trying to get a strait, honest and clear reply from a politician, so "convinience" as nothing to do with it, from the IT perspective anyway.

Virgin Media vid misery blamed on unnamed peering network

@G4Z

If they bitch about the 12 months contract needing to be honored, agree with them and explain that is why the contract is no longer valid, THEY did not honor it. As such, then go to ask for severance payment from THEM.

SEC staffers slammed for serious security snafus

Re: exactly

That almost cost me a new keyboard.

Paris, cause you know, strip clubs.

Apple removes apology-hiding JavaScript from UK website

Not to nit-pick but ..

42 inches

1920*1080 resolution and it STILL comes up right outside of the screen. Maybe they just changed how they do it so it's less obvious?

Quarter of Eastern cell towers BLOWN down BY SANDY - FCC

Re: Still no Zombies?

And you claim there are no zombies?

Come on, just LOOK at all the world's politicians!!!

Surface RT: Freedom luvin' app-huggers beware

Re: So, what happens when you surf to a website for some software.....?

You mean those nice sites that ask you to download and install malware? You making the argument for or against RT here? I can't decide.

Apache promotes OpenOffice to top-level project

Ah Oracle

Quite right to say they dumped it on Apache. It was rather hard for them to figure out what to do with it and having tried to turn it into a free money machine and failed, they found someone to throw it at. No one, ever, wants to have Oracle making decisions on a project they make, if only because that's like letting a blind idiot help you cross the street.

Libreoffice is the rightfull sucessor to OpenOffice.org

The new openoffice is just another Oracle poisoned product.

State of Minnesota bans free online education

I'd just go with an intent of the law defence.

"Your honor, the lawmakers obviously made this law to prevent people from getting swindled out of money by diploma mills that offer worthless accreditation.

We offer courses built by extremely reputable Universities from around the world, our courses are free and the only thing you get out of it is knowledge, no diploma or accreditation. Where did we go against the law exactly?"

Global notebook sales tank in recent months

Windows 8? I somehow doupt anyone wanting a notebook is waiting for windows 8 to get it, quite the contrary. I wouldn't want to be stuck with that ...

MYSTERIOUS GREEN GLOW seen on iPhone 5s

Re: @RobE

"All you have to do nowadays is mention Apple/Samsung/Microsoft and the idiots are jumping out of the woodwork to spew their bile."

That's not true. Even when Apple, Samsung or Microsoft aren't even part of the article, someone will find a way to insert them (especially Apple) in the comments.

Take away bad drivers' mobile phones, they still crash their cars

I don't know about China, but here ...

the problem isn't the law prohibiting people from talking/texting while driving. It's that it's not enforced. Just driving to the supermarket I will be lucky if I don't cross 2 or 3 drivers talking on the cell, even when it's perfectly illegal. See a cop along the way? They are more likely to bust you for a tal light then cellphone.

As for texting ... words just fail me, so I'll settle for a nuclear explosion.

'It's not a post-PC world: Just a post Windows one, maybe'

Makes you wonder if the efforts of Steam to bring games out of Windows and onto a more open platform won't kill the last thing that keps it on a lot of home PCs, gaming ...

Oracle, Google limber up for round two in their Android Java bout

Re: Hopefully

I don't believe for a second that the lawers won't find some way to make the appeal happen, but wouldn't that be funny?

"But mister judge, we won't get payed if you say we can't appeal"

"And this is my problem how?"

Intel pushes Atom-fueled storage for homes, SMB

Minimum IT knowledge for El'Reg?

"The NAS could then either be accessed online via a password-protected HTML IP address"

What's an HTML IP address exactly? And here I was sure that elreg had writers that at least had a basic grasp of IT.

Eric Schmidt: Ha ha, NO Google maps app for iPhone 5

Re: Maps a deal breaker?

Because it's the only the apple fanboys are able to find the stores.

Swiss railways ticked off at iOS clock knock-off

Re: Looks like average 50+ year old swiss clock

Maybe it as to do with the innovative round corners?

I don't want to live on this planet anymore ...

Oracle knew about critical Java flaws since April

Re: CIA?

"Oracle clearly no longer gives a damn about Java or its user base..."

Oracle as never given a damn about Java, except to use it to sue people. As for it's user base, considering how "wonderful" PAYING support is from them, what do you expect for a free product?

Any compagny that as reps that ask "why should I help you with your problem?" when you call the million dollars a year support line shouldn't be expected to give a shit.

Toshiba pulls out of Windows RT tablet push

Windows RT

I'm with those that claim the "part" is a desirable OS. Who'd want a Windows tablet that's as crippled as Microsoft could get away with anyway when you can get an Android one that actually works?

Vodafone and pals can't kick the habit of cheap mobe prices

The way it now works in Quebec, Canada

My understanding was this was all over Canada, but the Rogers comment above made me doupt. I know now, in Quebec, long contracts for cellphones with large fixed penalties are illegal. You can have a subsidised handset, but the "full price" on it as to go down each month, so the "penalty" for breaking the engagement is what is left to pay on the phone. In the end, you get a cheap/free phone and only have to pay for it if you decide to break the contract. They then have the legal obligation to let you unlock the phone.

Nvidia rides the Kepler wave, proves bean counters wrong

2013??

Is el'reg reporting news from the future now?

Blizzard pwned: Gamers' email, encrypted passwords slurped

Except it's not an email. It's a big fat warning on the game launchers that lead to a website.

They didn't send email, because you know, people will think it's ok to click a link in email and then wonder why they ended up with a comprisised account. However, if you open ANY blizzard game launcher right now, you'll see a big warning about it.

Valve: Games run FASTER on Linux than Windows

Re: Steam Linux?

While it sounds like a good idea, it's rather complicated and there is a much, much simpler way to do it. Properly document requirements. All the libraries, etc, will be opensource. That means if they publish the requirements, then any distribution with a decent package manager can just write a package and then all you have left to do to get steam on your computer from linux is open your favorite distribution's package manager and install steam.

Yea, I know this sounds revolutionary, but those of us who have used linux for a while are used to it by now.

You are working under the very flawed idea that all linux users must be pirates and cheap asses. You are missing the point. We just don't like to pay for something that as no value and is charged exorbitant amounts of money for. You get your computer from dell? Great, the copy of windows that came with it cost dell less then the time it would have taken them to install it (that's why they get you to do it), but if you build your computer, it becomes more then almost any single component in the computer.

Many of us use an open source office suit now, because there are "good enough" ones out there, so why pay again 100$ for one?

I'll pay to get the latest game I want. It's coming out in steam in September. If that ran on Linux, you can bet it would come back on my desktop.

Blizzard faces court battle for 'misleading Diablo III fans'

Re: Its a MMORPG !

Diablo 1, Diablo 2, Starcraft 1, Warcraft 1, 2 and 3. And that's just blizzard titles.

ICO: Nearly HALF all FOI complaints are about local councils

Re: FOI

@Interested Party: That just means you have never worked with the public. Having irrational people screaming (literally) at you for absolutly no good reason when all you are allowed to do is sit there and wait for them to run out of wind before you can so much as try to hang up politely can do more then just get on your. After months, it can give you nightmare as you realize some of those people may hold important jobs and are completely ignorant of how stupid they are. You may (or not) be a good example of this. Ask yourself and think carefully before you decide to answer.

Is the Higgs boson an imposter?

Re: End of physics?

Couldn't agree more. Regarding the God Particle, The World in 2030" by Dr. Michio Kaku, a lecture he gave as the actual explenation for where that crappy name came from. Look at minute 58+ or so. It shows how ignorance is rife in some political circles.

CERN catches a glimpse of Higgs-like boson

Re: Gives mass via drag... ...somehow...

Or it's just that you don't understand it. It's actually exactly how it works. But to understand it, you need to realise WHAT space/time is for it to create drag against. There are several nice documentaries on youtube about it. Go learn something.

Gouged by cloud - but it's so convenient

Re: Price is a factor

Ever since you put it on a hosted virtual machine. That's what "cloud" is. Just a pretty word for a hosted virtual machine.

Oracle case crippled after judge rules APIs can’t be copyrighted

Incredible

For once, a rulling that applies common sence. Oracle must be really starting to regret letting the lawers loose.

I wonder if we're seeing the start of another sco story?

Oracle gobbles upstart Facebook, Instagram biz tout

@MurrayH

I really couldn't have said it better myself.

Maybe the politicians should look into this instead of trying to make up something else to protect the kids from.

Headbanger plays Star Trek theme on floppy drives

It sounds like the TNG there in the old genesis game, lol

WD soaked in sales cash bonanza after Thai flood hell

Re: That's nice.

That might be a while. After all, why bring prices down when people are now used to them and the competition isn't doing it?

Battlefield Earth ruled worst film EVER

"Worst film NEVER made" pitch

One surefire way to make SURE your date is really interested in you!

Apple flooded with iPad 3 wireless connection complaints

Sounds to me like the network manager forgeting some key piece, like changing default gateway. Of course, with all the access those things must give you to what is happening, it's an awesome one to troubleshoot.

Mine's the one with the Tux plushy in the pocket.

German court shoots down patent gripe against Apple

And the very clear winner is ....

The IP Lawers.

Seriously, both compagnies can spend themselves into a black hole without a clear winner, for the simple reason that a LOT of today's patents are just pure crap. When you have a patent on a design of the UI, then you have 20 more like it, it becomes nothing but laughing stock.

Patents are broken. They need a very serious scrubing and "back to basic" cleaning.

When it's that obvious you can do something, it shouldn't be patentable.

Billions of potentially populated planets in the galaxy

Thanks for all the fish

Or maybe they just all realised taking the time to build complicated space crap to invade other planets isn't as fun as frolicking in the oceans, eating fish and asking the babble fishes for a lift when they need to leave.

Just maybe

They are mostly all looking up at the stars and wondering "are we alone?"

Remember, our own radio signals aren't even all that far out yet. That is, if they can even be heard at all on that kind of scale.

Intel gets Atoms out ahead of CES

I honestly wish you could get an ARMs netbook. Windows supporting it will probably help (as much as I don't plan to have windows on my next netbook anymore then it does now)

The netbook form factor is awesome for what I use it for (amateur writing and as a console)

now if we could get ARMs CPUs in there and a display you can use outside, it would be perfect.

Microsoft flags Firefox and Chrome for security failings

I agree it's insanely amusing that all they do is check the browser agent. Not only that, but they do even THAT poorly. Another microsoft "rating" that is absolutly useless, like the windows 7 "performance rating" that says my system sucks because I "only" have a sata3 drive and that isn't fast enough for them ...

Guess the FUD police woke up from the long sleep caused by windows vista